British Expatriate Network

In the Guardian this weekend was a list of the 25 saddest songs as compiled by Tom Reynolds, author of I Hate Myself and Want to Die. Personally, I think the list is terrible.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/fridayrev...55,00.html

25. Sam Stone - John Prine (1972)
24. My Immortal - Evanescence (2002)
23. You don't bring me flowers - Neil Diamond & Barbra Streisand (1978)
22. The River - Bruce Springsteen (1980)
21. Tell Laura I love her - Ray Peterson (1960)
20. All By Myself - Celine Dion (1996)
19. Woman's Prison - Loretta Lynn (2004)
18. Prayers for Rain - The Cure (1989)
17. The Freshmen - The Verve Pipe (1997)
16. The Rose - Bette Midler (1980)
15. Maggie's Dream - Don Williams (1984)
14. Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd (1979)
13. Brick - Ben Folds Five (1997)
12. Ruby, Don't take your love to town - Kenny Rogers and the First Edition (1969)
11. One - Metallica (1988)
10. People Who Died - The Jim Carroll Band (1980)
9. Sister Morphine - Marianne Faithfull (1979)
8. Hurt - Nine Inch Nails (1994)
7. Strange Fruit - Billie Holiday (1939)
6. DOA - Bloodrock (1971)
5. Seasons in the Sun - Terry Jacks (1974)
4. Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler (1984)
3. Honey - Bobby Goldsboro (1968)
2. The Shortest Story - Harry Chapin (1976)
1. The Christmas Shoes - Newsong (2000)


The Christmas Shoes!!!?!!!? That song is horrifyingly bad! I'm not sure any of those songs should be on there! I few I can think of off-hand that are more suitable are-:

Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart or Candidate
Peter Gabriel - Mercy Street or Biko
Smokey Robinson - Tears Of A Clown
Tori Amos - Me And A Gun
MC Solaar - Les Colonies
Eric Clapton - Tears In Heaven
Louis Armstrong - St James Infirmary

Left of the list

LAST KISS by pearl jam .(and others )




.

Here's the lyrics

Well, where, oh, where can my baby be?
The Lord took her away from me.
She's gone to Heaven so I got to be good
So that I can see my baby when I leave
This world.

We were out on a date in my daddy's car.
We hadn't driven very far.
There in the road, straight ahead,
A car was stalled. The engine was dead.
I couldn't stop so I swerved to the right.
I'll never forget the sound that night;
The cryin' tires, the bustin' glass,
The painful scream that I
Heard last.

Well, where, oh, where can my baby be?
The Lord took her away from me.
She's gone to Heaven so I got to be good
So that I can see my baby when I leave
A-this world.

Well, when I woke up, the rain was pourin' down.
There were people standing all around.
Somethin' warm running in my eyes,
But I found my baby somehow that night.
I raised her head and then she smiled and said,
"Hold me, darling, for a little while."
I held her close. I kissed her our last kiss.
I found the love that I knew I would miss,
But now she's gone even though I hold her tight.
I lost my love, my life,
That night.

Well, where, oh, where can my baby be?
The Lord took her away from me.
She's gone to Heaven so I got to be good
So that I can see my baby when I leave this world.

The Billie Holiday- Strange Fruit is a really sad song.

STRANGE FRUIT
by DAVID MARGOLICK

Southern trees bear a strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black body swinging in the Southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

Pastoral scene of the gallant South,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolia sweet and fresh,
And the sudden smell of burning flesh!

Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for a tree to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.


Crop was part of KKK era

Definitely lacking "Tears in Heaven" - that's got to be one of the most tragic songs of all time, given the history behind it.

I'd also nominate Bo Dylan's Masters Of War. Especially that last line.

I think you're missing the point about this list Bungle. It's not that they're sad songs as such, but that they're the 25 songs most likely to make you want to kill yourself, and I would definitely have the Christmas shoes on the top of that list wink .

I'd have to have early Tori Amos on the list though. I can imagine Tom Reynolds' comments about her!

Mike and the Mechanics....."The Living Years"
Martina McBride....."My Daughter's Eyes"
Lonestar....."Already There"
Ewan McColl....."My Old Man"


Just a few that spring to mind.

Debs x )

PS....Any Bluegrass music makes me want to take the Wilkinson Sword to my wrists. roll wink

Bluegrass is OK, it's that modern country tripe that I can't listen to for more than a second when surfing the radio dial.

My favourite sad/enough to drive you to suicide song would have to be
Radiohead-No suprises cry

I suppose it all depnds on your definition of sad.

"There's No-One Quite Like Grandma."

There's a song to make you want to slit your wrists.

Where is Radiohead in all this?

Living without you by Neilson

:lol: Hahaha... That brings back memories. VRB you are showing your age.

I think the saddest song I know must be "Everybody Hurts...". I think it's REM, isn't it? It reminds me of a sad, sad time in my life :cry: . Not sad anymore. Now ""happy talking, talking, happy talk..." is more my life today. Who sang that? I see his face and bald head, but forget his name.

Couple of Smiths songs need a mention
"Unhappy Birthday", "Girlfriend in a Coma".....any Smiths song for that matter.