I remember when Sigur Ros's "( )" was released. I absolutely adore this record but I remember after having this on heavy rotation I became rather depressed. I had to stop listening to it. The fact that this music really affected me so much is quite astounding and I love these Icelandic fellows for having this ability.

It is a beautiful bittersweet record.

Actually, I agree about Bowling For Soup and disagree with most of the rest of them. It's like this... I never understand why, when people are down, they want to listen to 'down' music. That's called wallowing in my book, and it makes me feel worse. I put on stuff like the Chemical Brothers, or indeed Bowling For Soup. To my mind, you want to put on relatively 'lightweight' stuff that's going to cheer you up.

I still can't understand why bowling for soup's on there, cos if youre depressed, you'd at least want good quality lightweight music to cheer yours up.

I totally agree with I Know Its Over... that song is the epitome of depression. God i can feel the soil falling over my head...

1) Exit music for a film -Radiohead
2)Morning bird-The sleepy Jackson
3)Glittering Blackness-Explosions in the sky
4)Hafssol-Sigur Ros
5)Corpus Christi carol-Jeff Buckley
6)Terrible canyons of static-Godspeed you Black Emperor
7)Esquimalt habour-Set fire to the flames
8)Jeff Buckley-Hallelujah
9)Beetles-While my guitar gently weeps
10)Hurt-NIN
Let me know if any of these make you want to do it Cobain style

sorry forgive me for preaching but i think its really simplistic to say this is a sad song, this is a happy song. its very one dimensional. great example is radiohead's exit music - yeah on one hand its sad sounding, but its got its F you ending and thats a different emotion. Individual songs can inspire one emotion at one point in time and another at another time. Some songs have individual memories - Baha Men's Who Let The dogs Out reminds me of a sad time in my life so besides being cr*p it also makes me feel sad.

And listening to lightweight or bouncy music has its time and place (Listen to Oasis - I'm going to take on the world, yeahhhh). But sometimes if you're feeling a bit blue, there's a joy in listening to something with a melancholy edge, expressing that feeling so you can move on. I love the Tindersticks who are always portrayed as doom merchants but I find their music really uplifting. It's not about wallowing, its about rolling something beautiful between your eardrums, swooning at the beauty, thankful for the connection.

But I would challenge anyone to listen to these songs in an unhappy mood and not feel happy after :

Avalanches - Since I Left You
Camera Obscura - Eighties Fan
Grandaddy - So You'll Aim Towards The Sky
Oasis - Whatever
Blondie - Atomic

Number 2 is a worry.

Mine would be:

1. Morrissey- Every day is like Sunday
2. Bright Eyes- Haligh, A Lie
3. Easyworld- Drive
4. The Stills- Still In Love
5. Morrissey- Late Night Maudlin Street
6. Gene- London Can You Wait?

I give up! It's too depressing. ;-)

1. Otis Redding - Pain In My Heart
2. Otis Redding - You Don't Miss Your Water
3. The Tangeers - Let My Heart And Soul Be Free
4. Otis Redding - These Arms Of Mine
5. 2nd movement (Allegretto) from Beethoven's Symphony no. 7 in A major, op. 92
6. Curtis Mayfield - The Other Side Of Town
7. Crosby, Stills & Nash - Helplessly Hoping
8. Tobbie Bowe - I Can Feel Him Slipping Away
9. The Ronettes - I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine
10. Metallica - Fade To Black

...and bollocks to indie-schmindie navel-gazing, frankly.

i'm not really a fan of 'iknow its over', i find that 'back to the old house' is the one i always play when im down.
Wonderous song. ;)

Radiohead - Exit Music
Aphex Twin - 4
The Smiths - How Soon Is Now?

erm..

:)

anyone heard the tatu cover of that? its well funny.

joy division - atmosphere
bright eyes - padraic my prince
radiohead - the tourist
jeff buckley - lover, you should've come over
massive attack - teardrop
nirvana (leadbelly) - where did you sleep last night?
el-p - stepfather factory (depressing hip hop!)
travis - luv
bright eyes - the centre of the world
rem - try not to breathe

plus, tatu's how soon is now? is excellent

Perfect category for me! I LOVE sad music - I revolved my life around it.
Here are 50 Depressingly Sad Songs that first come to mind:

1. While We We're Hunting Rabbits (Matthew Good)
2. Suburbia (Matthew Good)
3. December (Damien Jurado)
4. Dancing Alone (Ours)
5. The Inescapable Us (Matthew Good Band)
6. Glider (Kent)
7. Before It All Ends (Kent)
8. Falls To Climb (REM)
9. Climbing Up To The Moon (Eels)
10. Flower (Eels)
11. Sea Change - full album (Beck)
12. Sweetness Follows (REM)
13. Soma (Smashing Pumpkins)
14. Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event (Deftones)
15. As I Wander (Ours)
16. Nothing Song (Sigur Ros)
17. Motion (Aereogramme)
18. Crying (Roy Orbison)
19. Blessed By Your Own Ghost (Elliott)
20. I See A Darkness (Bonnie Prince Billy)
21. Drive (Cars)
22. Miller's Angels (Counting Crows)
23. St. Francis (Sarah Slean)
24. Those Crimson Tears (Ed Harcourt)
25. Bleed A River Deep (Ed Harcourt)
26. Wind Through The Trees (Ed Harcourt)
27. Mockingbird (Grant-lee Buffalo)
28. Stupid Car (Radiohead)
29. Hollow (Remy Zero)
30. Belong (Remy Zero)
31. Life In Rain (Remy Zero)
32. What'll I Do (Wainwright Family)
33. Saddest Day Of My Life (Shudder to Think)
34. Hurry (Sleeping At Last
35. The Lioness (Songs: Ohia)
36. 12 Hours It Takes Sometimes (Reindeer Section)
37. Songs For A Blue Guitar - full album - Red House Painters
38. Almost Here (Unbelievable Truth)
39. $20 Dollar Bills (Starflyer 59)
40. Fell In Love At 22 (Starflyer 59)
41. Remain This Way (Deckard)
42. I've Been A Mess (American Music Club)
43. Death (The Velvet Teen)
44. Mother Of Love (The Velvet Teen)
45. Dune Sea (Unbelievable Truth)
46. Angel (Unbelievable Truth)
47. Don't I Hold You (Wheat)
48. Let's Go Out Tonight (Craig Armstrong
49. Dont Wanna Die (Superstar)
50. Switching Off (Elbow)

The list goes on folks. I've made my life a business of finding sad music. There is ONE ALBUM coming out that I performed and wrote. You might be interested in checking it out if you like this sort of music.
visit: www.nwlmusic.com
Email me if you'd like to comment on my list.
~d.v

Good to see the eels getting a look in, but I'm surprised that Peter Hammill, the king of angst, hasn't gotten a look in -- he could certainly give those Radiohead whippersnappers a good licking. Also, Phil Ochs' Rehearsals for Retirement, a sonic suicide note if ever there was one. Currently, Canadian group jonathan inc produce the sound of melancholic heartbreak, while Thea Gilmore's Inverigo is one of the the sweetest, saddest tunes I know.

Johnny Mandel - Suicide Is Painless

now remember...when cutting your wrists...it's down the road, not across the street.