"I'm gonna hate myself in the morning, But I'm gonna love you tonight" by some female country singer. Probably due to the fact that a close friend and I had a huge falling out during that songs' popularity.

Let me pull out The Cure, and I'd have to say either "Apart":
and prays to hear him say
I love you, but he tells no more lies. Or maybe Dido's "White Flag". Or maybe Jennifer Brown's "Tuesday Afternoon"
She was crying like a baby, saying, what a mistake! I had to sit on my hands to keep them from slapping her face. Cause as soon as I asked her if she used protection, I saw Josie's complexion turn a shade of gray

Just a few ...

Sarah McLachlan - "Path of Thorns"
Sarah McLachlan - "I Love You"
Josh Groban - "Remember When It Rained"
Shania Twain - "It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing"
Dolly Parton/Whitney - "I Will Always Love You"
Dolly Parton - "Eagle When She Flies"
Kenny Chesney - "There Goes My Life"
Melissa Etheridge - "You Can Sleep While I Drive"
Alison Krauss - "New Favorite"
Tony Rich Project - "Nobody Knows"
Mary Chapin Carpenter - "Someone Else's Prayer"

It's not inherently depressing, but The Cure's "Why Can't I Be You" used to depress me when I realized it really meant that I didn't want to be myself. Anyone but myself.

R.E.M.'s "The Wrong Child" from Green still makes me well up a little when I'm feeling full of self-pity.

And, of course, Sinead did her own version of "All Apologies," just to draw everything together.

hi. remember how we would go to the pub on monroe ave and right around the time everyone began to have their "drink on" and start to feel all sassy....you would play "sacrifice" and laugh as the mood quickly changed.

ummmmm sad song for me:
"the living years".....mike and the mechanics.

xooxxx

There are several for me, but one that comes to mind immediately is Elton John's "This Train Don't Stop Here Anymore."

One of my favorites: Kristen Hersh Spain
"I wanted you to sleep with her and hate yourself...I wanted you untrue hating yourself."

Nice.

So many songs to choose from, but Lori Carson's "Make a Little Luck" comes to mind:

It's really not the crowds I mind
And the noise doesn't bother me
But here you get used to being lonely
You can't trust anybody
And I know what they say about me
She's a little crazy
Her own worst enemy
But with friends like you
Who needs to be?

you made your mom listen to Nirvana? sigh... My mom bitched me out because there was a naked baby on their cover, and that wasn't very fair to the baby...
I have since never shared any music with my mom.

Last year, as I was driving to the beach and thinking about how my relationship with my last boyfriend was over, Don Henley's "The Last Worthless Evening" came on the radio:

" I know you broke up with him and your heart's still on the shelf ..."

Small Town Boy - Bronski Beat
The Other Side - David Gray
Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits
All These Years - Sawyer Brown

(sniff sniff...now I could use a big hug)

Sad songs... they say so much...

Joni Mitchell-- Both Sides Now
Pete Gabriel- Don't Give up
REM - Everybody hurts
Dido- All You Want
Elton John- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Strange you should ask this -- I just recently was thinking about a couple of CDs I made in early 2002 (following a very tragic incident in my life) full of really really sad & depressing songs. I don't know what ever happened to the CDs and don't remember all the songs -- but here are some that come to mind (including some more recent ones) -- in no particular order:

Whiskey Lullaby -- Brad Paisley & Allison Krauss
Everybody Hurts -- REM
Lightning Crashes -- Live
You Were Mine & Travelling Soldier -- Dixie Chicks
How Can I Help You Say Goodbye -- Patty Loveless
Don't Take the Girl -- Tim McGraw
Love, Me -- Collin Raye
One Sweet Day -- Mariah Carey & Boys II Men
Alyssa Lies -- Jason Michael Carroll (about a child who is beat to death)
I Will Remember You & Angel -- Sarah McLaughlin (she's actually got more, but I'll just include the two...)
Christmas Shoes -- NewSong (the Christmas song, of all things, about the poor little kid who wants to buy new shoes for his mom who is going to die, on Christmas Eve)

And, p.s., the country singer who's gonna hate herself in the morning is Lee Ann Womack. I must say -- those country singers are pretty f'in good at making sad songs (about half of my list is country).

I know the cheese factor is high on this one, but "Seperate Lives" sung by Phil Collins and some woman contains the line, "oooh, so typical, love leads to isolation." I always thought that was such a depressing line.

"Same Old Lang Syne" by Dan Fogelberg is pretty depressing too, though it does contain the most absurd lyric ever written. "The Food Was Totaled up and Ba-a-a-agged."

"Foolin' Around," by Patsy Cline.

Because I Got High - Afroman

Beaches - the whole soundtrack
So in love - cole porter, as sung by kd lang
Funeral for a friend & love lies bleeding - Elton
For a friend - Communards/Bronski/Jimmy
Hunting High & Low - A-HA

Now That I Found You - Allison Krauss
Ray - Aimee Mann
Superstar - The Carpenters
Two Star - Everything But the Girl

Gonna Miss You- Paul Mac / Abby Dobson

So when it comes to dying,

i'm not lying,

I only know that this much is true,

I'm gonna miss you.......


And another Abby one .. Don't Ask For More

It won't rain all the time - Jane Siberry
Goodbye is all we have - Allison Krauss & Union Station
This Woman's Work - Maxwell version
that 'Miss You' song by Everything But the Girl

"angel" by Sarah McLachlan because at the same time that song was out, one of my best friends killed herself in a hotel room, kinda like the song talks about. It was cathartic and extremely upsetting all at the same time. I still can't hear that song without thinking about my friend. Sigh.

The Queen & The Soldier - Suzanne Vega

Llorando - Rebekah del Rio (Spanish version of Roy Orbison's "Crying" from "Mulholland Drive") - ay dios mio!

Romeo & Juliet - Indigo Girls

Damn, you'd think I was a lesbian...

Cry - Faith Hill, ya that was my theme song for a while....

Many songs that make me "sad" and in fact not all that sad. I find songs that make me think about time periods in my life, trigger emotions both good and bad.
"Girls just want to have fun" by Cyndi.
I had just graduated from High School and realized how things will be so different from then on. Makes me wish that I had enjoyed my youth alot more than I did.
"Give me another chance" by Big Star. He didn't give me another chance. I blew it. My eyes well up everytime I hear this.
"Kid" & "Joey" Pretenders & Concrete Blond.
The theme of standing by a person in distress always gets me emotional.

This begs the obvious but nobody seems to have asked...why do you want to listen to depressing songs?

dBud: Because we all can't listen to "Rock Me Amadeus" 24/7.

Sometimes I think RUNAWAY TRAIN was written about me.

However, on August 10, 1986 my best friend committed suicide. In a note, he said the reason he did it was in the song TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART. I had never heard of it, but after his funeral I found it on a jukebox in a diner.

Janis Ian - Getting Over You
Wendy Matthews - The Day You Went Away
Cole Porter - Everytime We Say Goodbye (Annie Lennox's version, especially)

Actually, now that you mention it, "Rock Me Amadeus" is kind of depressing for me (only because it reminds me of a particularly bad year).

"Optimistic" by Radiohead -- and I can't decide if it's more depressing to take the lyrics ironically or at face-value

kd lang - Outside Myself

Continuing the lesbian listening habits of gay men, this was my coming-out wallow-in-angst song.

Silent House – Dixie Chicks

Not sure if this is THE saddest song I know but this particular song is about a vivacious grandmother slipping away to Alzheimer’s. Though my grandmother did not pass away from Alzheimer’s, the song reminds me of the absence I feel now that she is gone. She was the typical Italian matriarch of the family, strong, extremely caring, affectionate, funny and all forgiving. I was very close with her in fact she is the first one I came out to in my family. The first time she met TJ she gave him an affectionate and genuine hug. I am grateful TJ met her before she passed.

Disarm--Smashing Pumpkins

And even after all these years, I still think Stand Back by Stevie Nicks is a wonderfully sad song.

Shiny Things – Tom Waits
Ruby’s Arms – Tom Waits
Gloomy Sunday – Billie Holiday
Black Peter – Grateful Dead
Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd
Losing My Mind – Stephen Sondheim
Down my the River - Neil Young
River – Joni Mitchell
Maybe – Stephen Sondheim

Oh…this could go on for days. We gurls know all the depressing shit. It creates drama. Now I'm gonna go slit my wrists.

Oh...wait...that's why I like this depressing music. I realize my life is nowhere near that depressing.

Have a Happy Day! : )

I think Sinead O'Connor's 'Nothing compares to you' is one of the saddest songs. I cannot watch the video without getting teary. Also Everybody hurts by R.E.M. and of course the soundtrack to City of Angels...

The Cure's "Shades of Grey" is a good one.

Ooops, I mean "Another Day." Where my coffee is at.

oh i guess i missed the point of this, so my favorite depressing song is, "king of fools" by Social Distortion, it was the first song I drunk cried too.

as i was reading the comments i was stunned that no one cited stevie nicks. c'mon, the lady has literally written albums worth of depressing songs! but then i saw ivan did, thank you ivan.
my fave is "silver springs":

Time cast a spell on you but you won't forget me.
I know I could've loved you, but you would not let me.
I'll follow you down 'til the sound of my voice will haunt you
You'll never get away from the sound of the woman that loves you.

People who write up beat love songs make me want to vomit and kill myself. I find that the depressing songs that give you a sense of empathy are often the more moving and uplifting. So I listen to people like Bob Mould and Tori Amos, and Steven Wilson who have lots of albums full of these songs that can be depressing. They all share the emotions that don’t describe a false sense of the joy to be alive which we only feel from time to time but rather a real sense that life is pain and suffering most of the time and they go through it just like you. I always found “All Apologies” a very positive song and it’s a great song to express what you wanted to your Mom not because everyone is gay but maybe because you were sorry that this part of your life wasn’t going to be the perfect love song that a parent imagines for a child. Not a bad son but an honest Son.

Beck - "Guess I'm Doing Fine"
Its only lies that Im living
Its only tears that Im crying
Its only you that Im losing
Guess Im doing fine

Death Cab for Cutie - "Dream Scream"
Coldplay - "Warning Sign"

*sigh*

Here I Am, by Patty Loveless

...and I know that you're gonna find me, if you keep on looking fast, cause honey I'm right there waiting on you at the bottom of your glass"
Here I am, Here I am, in the bourgon and the water that burn you just like a brand, Here I am.

"Text Message Breakup" - Kelly

Radiohead: Knives Out
Rolling Stones: Wild Horses
Snow Patrol: Chasing Cars
Sarah McLachlan: I Love You

For totally different reasons (because it depresses me that so many ppl like this song):

James Blunt: You're beautiful *gag*

Alice in Chains: down in a hole

Zero 7: Passing By
Liz Phair: Friend of Mine
Ivy: Undertow
Beth Orton: Thinking About Tomorrow
Bent: Private Road

For me, though, most songs that depress me do so because of the memories they evoke, not because they are inherantly depressing

How could I have forgotten the quintessential mid-80s tortured-baby-fag-anthem:

"The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" by la Morrissey

Elton "Blue Avenue"
Dolly "I Will Always Love You"
Bob Mould "Days of Rain"
Grateful Dead "Looks Like Rain"
Jimmy Buffet "A Pirate Looks At 40"
Bob Dylan "It's All Over Now Baby Blue"
Rolling Stones "Wild Horses"
Jerry Garcia Band "Waiting For A Miracle"
Peral Jam "Off He Goes"
Willie Nelson "Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground

Here's a good one to cry about:

The Ballad of the Sad Young Men - Rickie Lee Jones

"Sing a song of sad young men

Glasses full of Rye

All the news is bad again

So kiss your dreams goodbye"

Kusala, obviously it's because you were spending all your time lying in the dark listening to "Never Had No One Ever." Duh!

hmm, dbud - guess you have a lot of depressed folks visiting your blog, huh? Or is it just the wonderful winter weather?

Someone already beat me to it, but a recent find of mine was Beck's "Sea Change" album. It has been referred to as his break-up album, and for good reason...

I love depressing songs! There's a time and a place for everything.

Colin Hay - I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You,
Frank Sinatra - One For My Baby,
Jackson Browne - These Days,
John Denver (shut up) - Leaving On A Jet Plane,
Maria Mena - Sorry

I Can't Make You Love Me by Bonnie Raitt . . . I think the title says it all.

I don't know about depressed, but I find these rather melancholy:

Behind Blue Eyes - The Who

Leavin' on a Jet Plane - Peter, Paul and Mary

Landslide - Stevie Nicks & Fleetwood Mac

Half a World Away - R.E.M.

Candle in the Wind - Elton John

Empty Chairs and Empty Tables - from "Les Miserables"

Piano Man - Billy Joel

Streets of Philadelphia - Bruce Springsteen

I walked a thousand miles
just to slip this skin

How about Madonna's "The Power of Goodbye"?

The Smiths:

How Soon is Now?
Last Night I Dreamt that Somebody Loved Me
Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want
Rubber Ring

Morrisey:

Late Night on Maudlin Street

The Cure:

The entire DISINTEGRATION album.

Hmmmm....so many melancholy/"depressing" songs. I personally feel that we choose to listen to the songs that speak to us and what we're going through at a specific time in our lives. I think we're often lucky to find them because they let us know that we're not alone in feeling the way we do or did at the time. Thank you Smiths, Cure, Sinead, Annie, Cole Porter, K.D., REM, Stevie, and all of you who put those feelings into music and saved us all in no small way. And thanks D-Bud for making us remember and think back to some of these beautiful songs that helped us come into our own.

I got a million of them. This week I'm into "The City" by The Dismemberment Plan.

"The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" - The Pogues

"Blue" by Joni Mitchell -- the whole album and especially the title track.

What's really sad is that Kurt Cobain did not kill himself. He was murdered.

justiceforkurt.com