The Saddest, Most Beautiful Song Ever...

I’m sitting in front of my computer with my headphones on and a smooth vinyl record spinning in the darkness behind me. What’s playing? A LP by sampler-extraordinaire (and fellow Ohioan) RJD2 entitled Deadringer. The song is Smoke & Mirrors. It begins with a menacing low synth hook soon enveloped by a chillingly bitter melody. Then, from unknown time, a voice manifests in a void of artificial sound. The words are dry, choked from a cavern of life heaped upon a skeletal frame. He sings of the longing and heartache only a man in the twilight of his life can comprehend. He sings of the rain, and lost love, and the pain of hopeful expectation. He sings from somewhere beyond comprehension of the sensory; past the visible spectrum of light, above the pitch of organic sound, lingering in the dreary playground of the spirit. The sounds of distorted brass echo through a vacuum of stale sound, captured and suffocated like a butterfly. Suddenly, a female voice penetrates through the harmony of noise. Is she a forlorn lover, calling to him through the darkness to fold inside her arms? Is she a mystical siren, leading him towards the treacherous shore of despair? These questions, like so many of our own, remain unanswered. The uncertainty is a callous barrier, erected to guard us from the ache of terrible melancholy. And so we let go of these imaginary lives, these thin paper dolls of ruin, and embrace the trance of lingering melody...

My vote goes to Careless Whisper

saddest most beatiful song i've ever heard, is wedding bells by hank williams. that has to be the pinnacle of sad songs, it's the story of a guy like me, a slow mover someone who takes forever to even talk to a girl let alone aske her to be his and his alone, and now she's marrying someone else, some other man; he had dreams of living with her as his wife in a cottage on a hillside covered in sweet fragrant flowers, and grass. but in the end, he was all alone; in his dark and cold world, forlorn and empty; all alone. "wedding bells are ringing in the chapel, they should be ringing now for you and me, down the aisle you're walking with another, those wedding bells will never ring for me."

then there's soldier's last letter home, by ernie tubb. it's the story of a mother who recieves a letter from her son who's on the war front. fighting for america's freedom, and for his life, but he dies; and the song is the letter being read. the mother holding back her tears, and finally breaking down in prayer "that night as she nelt by her bedside, she said 'god above hear my plea' and protect all the sons who are fighting tonight, and dear god keep america free"

then there's the dying miner by woody guthrie, it's the song of a coal mine worker, who had been working in the mines all his life, who was the son of a miner, and then the mines have begun to burn. a fire started, and all the miner's are dying in the flames. the song is him telling of the atrocities, of the death, and of the fact that he knows he's going to die, and leave his wife and family behind

the ballad of ira hayes, by johhnie cash is another. it's the story of an indian man, named ira hayes, a member of the pema indian tribe, and one of the tribes that lost their water rights when the us government built several dams along their rivers. but despite his hatred for the us government, he crawled up out of the reservation, and joined the marines to fight the japanese in wwII he fought his way up iwo jima hill and was one of the men who raised the american flag up over the top of the hill, one of the few survivors of that battle. he came back to america, not to a heroe's welcome like all the others, no he was an indean; and he was rebuked by society. so he became a drunk, and died in a lonely ditch his only friend was a whiskey bottle

deportees by woody guthrie it's the story of mexican immigrant workers who died in a plane crash over the los gatos canyons in southern california while they were being deported back to mexico, in a process of finding labor known as "drying out wetbacks" and when their plane went down; when they all died in a fireball high above the ground the only name these human beings were given, the only thing they were called was deportees.

i know of dozens more, of really sad yet beautiful songs, but i'm not in the mood to type a lot right now.

Halycon On+On- Orbital

It reminds me of memories you wanted to forget. Or at least wish you could forget.

coma white

I'm sorry but "Goodnight Julia" from Cowboy Bebop... That sax solo gets me sad but not teary eyed... That song goes to "Wo Qui Non Coin" also from Cowboy Bebop... Damn! I'm addicted to that show...

Hmmm...I always liked Everybody Hurts, by REM.

Downloading it....

Thoia Thoia Thoing

new order - ceremony

Tricky (feat. Martina Topley Bird)- She makes me wanna die
a song not meant for people with low self esteem.
sample lyric - who do you think you are....you're insignificant.

Craig Armstrong - This Love
a rather hauntingly beautiful song featuring Liz Fraser from Cocteau Twins. almost opera in style cuz of Armstrong's score/soundtrackish string arrangements. plus i tend to like female vocalists that tend to sing every syllable (kinda like Allison Goldfrapp)

Eve's Plum - Kiss your feet
doesn't sound like a sad title. the lead singer ended up going solo and is now better known as Vitamin C (had a hit with the Graduation Song)

A Perfect Circle - 3 Libras
.....and you dont....see....me.....

most of The Cure's ballads/forlorn love songs.

dullbuoy said:

A Perfect Circle - 3 Libras
.....and you dont....see....me.....

Click to expand...

You beat me to listing that song. The whole mood of that song, the strings, the lyrics about being overlooked. I always get warm fuzzies when hearing that song.


I never considered these songs 'sad' or 'beautiful', but I always thought The Replacements' 'Unsatisfied' and 'Answering Machine' to be emotional (I've been listening to a lot of 'Let it Be' lately).

Kid Aphex said:

new order - ceremony

Click to expand...

i prefer the joy division one myself.

Buro Destruct said:

Halycon On+On- Orbital

It reminds me of memories you wanted to forget. Or at least wish you could forget.

Click to expand...

another good one.

some of my fav "sad" songs (not necessarily sad in themselves. but make me sad at times? yes):

limblifter - cordova
the chameleons - swamp thing
set fire to flames - love song for /5 ontario (w/ singing police car)
yeah yeah yeahs - maps
pinback - penelope
...and you will know us by the trail of dead - how near, how far
deftones - be quiet and drive
por nada - fact value distinction

The drugs don't work - Verve

The Nile's Edge by VAST is sad, and beautiful.

shit, watch Macross Plus the Movie.

that is a sad song...yet so inviting...

or wait listen to the blues band i'm in, we play some pretty sad stuff, hell anything by james cotton with a bit of a guitar thrown in and me on the harmonica could make god himself cry, it'd give just about anyone the blues.

theneocheesewedge said:

i prefer the joy division one myself.



another good one.

some of my fav "sad" songs (not necessarily sad in themselves. but make me sad at times? yes):

limblifter - cordova
the chameleons - swamp thing
set fire to flames - love song for /5 ontario (w/ singing police car)
yeah yeah yeahs - maps
pinback - penelope
...and you will know us by the trail of dead - how near, how far
deftones - be quiet and drive
por nada - fact value distinction

Click to expand...

You have the best fucking avatar on this board, PERIOD.

Hot Water Music - It's Hard To Know
The Police - King Of Pain
Alkaline Trio - Radio
Greg Graffin - Cease
Goo Goo Dolls - Acoustic #3

Um, the Vincent Valentine theme (aka moonlight sonata, uematsu-dized)

Sweet Charity, by Mr. Bungle, not sad, but beautiful and abstract.

Beethoven, and his work Moonlight Sonata during the period he became completely deaf.

Jars of Clay - Fly Farther

The sad song winner, bar none.

well perhaps.....sade "love is stronger than pride".
I would never listen to this, but its such a moody and atmospheric track especially given the english countryside I live in and the circumstances I was in

Buro Destruct said:

Halycon On+On- Orbital

It reminds me of memories you wanted to forget. Or at least wish you could forget.

Click to expand...

oh shit, exactly.


discovered that tune in a CKY video and my friends kept tellin me it was from hackers but i dont remember it being in there.

That movie sucked BALLS.