Somewhere in the noise is a song. Somewhere in the cacophony is a melody—a sweet sound. The ensemble is our attempt to discover the rhythms, the groanings and the eureka moments of life amongst the noise.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Top 5: Sad Songs Say So Much

Life can leave you feeling very sad sometimes. I'm a fan of the melancholy, I have been known to embrace a bit of misery from time to time.

And there's nothing to help you along your way with your eyes to the pavement than a good sad song. Songs are sad because of the words, the idea or concept, the melody, the production, the sounds, the chord progression, and sometimes little delicate details that invoke emotion.

Here's my Top 5 for an emotional rainy day:
1. Stable Song - Deathcab for Cutie
2. Somersault Score - Decoder Ring
3. Into The Sunset - Neil Finn
4. Drugs Don't Work - The Verve
5. Say Hello Wave Goodbye - David Gray

17 comments:

garrick field said...

And instantly I need to append the list with almost all of Damien Rice's reportoir, but specifically:

6: Grey Room
7: Cold Water
8: Sleep Dont Weep

Then there's a bit more Deathcab for Cutie:

9: I Will Follow You Into the Dark
10: What Sarah Said

Simon Elliott said...

I thought Russel Fragar's "Yes and Amen" was a pretty sad song...but a legitimate Top 5 will take some more constructive formulation.

Anonymous said...

Yes and Amen to those. I like to wallow to these:

Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley
Eli the Barrow Boy - The Decembrists
You Had Time - Ani Difranco

garrick field said...

Just need to add also, a sad song doesn't make you sad (unless its Russell Fragar) but it guides you along your way, chicken soup for the ears, a warm blanket for the storm inside you. A good sad song is remedial more than depressing; it comforts and encourages because someone's been where you are now and they wrote a song about it and lasted long enough to sit down and record it.

garrick field said...

BTW - Sez, don't you just love the decemberists. i've been listening to a lot of the Crane Wife album, its brilliant!

Simon Elliott said...

Still formulating...but I'm getting there - with alarming duplication.

Simon Elliott said...

1. Romeo and Juliet - DS
2. For a short time - WPA
3. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye - DG
4. Bridge over troubled water - S&G
5. When the tears fall - TH

ok, here's another five:

1. Every little thing - D
2. Mr Tanner - HC
3. Everybody Hurts - REM
4. Fall at your feet - CH
5. Bradman - PK

Anonymous said...

I probably had more fun with the dishonorable mentions, but:

1. Brick - BF
2. Still - RM
3. I am Carried - GB
4. How Great thou art - PD

And the honorable mentions:

1. White Dress - Kenny Marks
2. The Living Years - Mike and the Mechanics
3. Friends - Michael & Amy (he he)
4. Compulsory Hero - 1927

Simon Elliott said...

What about 'Two Little Boys' by Rolf Harris? Surely...

garrick field said...

simon, that whole album by tim hughes is incredible, its a caboose on your train to sadville, but its the steam engine at the front of the train which pulls you on out again. that man is a genius.

Simon Elliott said...

Yeah, I completely agree. It kind of makes me wonder why they didn't call the album: 'The caboose to Sadville' rather than 'When Silence Falls'.

garrick field said...

well, google tells me that:

Your search - Albums - the caboose to sadville - did not match any documents.

So the name is completely available, i wonder why they didn't go for it.

Simon Elliott said...

Hey I'll be the first to do a review on the bass solo album:

Garrick Field - The Caboose to Sadville

garrick field said...

maybe that'd be the "cab-bass to sadville"

i play guitar too.

Anonymous said...

Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead
Independence Day - Ani Difranco

Sherri said...

ooh... i loves me a good sad song.

Sorry I Am - Ani Difranco

Sylvia Plath - Ryan Adams

Come Pick Me Up - Ryan Adams

Your Sweet Voice - Reindeer Section

Old Friends - Simon and Garfunkel

garrick field said...

i'd go for come pick me up, ryan is a great one for the sad song, but he ruins that song with the lyrics in the chorus. i'm more a fan of "time of need" and "goodnight hollywood blvd". ryan is genius, although the rock and roll album is only good as a coaster for your coffee cup.