Waaaa! I Wanna Wallow Just a Little Bit Longer!! November 6, 2010 7:08 PMSubscribe
After this, I thought what if I wanna hear sad music that can either let a person wallow in their misery or cry cathartically? Imagine a Bridget Jones type of situation: tubs of ice cream, bottles of wine singing "All by Myself."
Depress me, please. Sad Sinead O'Connor, this is what I'm thinking. posted by dzaz to grab bag (97 answers total) 70 users marked this as a favorite
Really anything from their August and Everything After CD, minus two or three faster paced songs. The album was self described by Adam Duritz as "Mopey". posted by sanka at 7:29 PM on November 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
I came back to say that I remembered that a few years ago if I wanted a guaranteed cry I would listen to Golden the Pony Boy from The Science of Sleep. Maybe it's just because that film made me really sad and that song played over the end credits, but I really think there's something scarily depressing about that song.
The other good one I can think of is Sleeping Pills by Suede. Also I used to use Gillian Welch's album Time (the Revelator) as my default late night sad music. Here is the first song.
I thought I would have a lot of these, but most of the examples that come to mind aren't depressing songs per se, they're just depressing to me because of things from my life I have come to associate with them. Music is weird like that. posted by Put the kettle on at 7:39 PM on November 6, 2010
Went through a really bad time a few years ago, and The Perishers' album Let There be Morning was my soundtrack... especially Pills posted by bellbellbell at 7:40 PM on November 6, 2010
The song "Cats in the Cradle" bums me out. Also "Mad World" by Gary Jules. posted by lhall at 7:40 PM on November 6, 2010
My current wallow song that I use to kickstart my sad iTunes genius mix is Travelling Woman by Bat For Lashes. posted by acheekymonkey at 8:14 PM on November 6, 2010
"Learn to be Lonely" from Phantom of the Opera, sung by Minnie Driver. posted by sandyp at 8:41 PM on November 6, 2010
Slaid Cleaves is perfect for this. I love his latest album, Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away. The name says it all, really. posted by smorange at 8:58 PM on November 6, 2010
In a different musical vein, but still quite wallowy: Black Flag's Depression.
The other song that comes to mind is also heavy but also a good soundtrack for rolling around in your bad mood: Down's Underneath Everything. posted by ignignokt at 9:37 PM on November 6, 2010
Here are some songs for various levels of depression/sadness as well as various reasons for being depressed. None are official music videos.
Seconding Roads by Portishead, though I'd go with Undenied if you really want to twist the knife. posted by dephlogisticated at 9:42 PM on November 6, 2010 [4 favorites]
No Cure? I'm ashamed of you, Metafilter.
Pictures of You
posted by Ghidorah at 10:27 PM
Yes. That song always makes me tear up. No idea why. posted by artychoke at 9:45 PM on November 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
Also, Ballad of the Sad Young Men. There's a gabillion versions, and neither of my favorites (Rickie Lee Jones; Roberta Flack) seems to be on YouTube, but some of the other renditions on there are good too. posted by nebulawindphone at 10:14 PM on November 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
Go listen to some Elliot Smith, and make sure you read the lyrics.
Kasey Chambers: Am I Not Pretty Enough? I'll let you google/YT it, there's a tonne of versions online.
I also strongly recommend Pink's Funhouse album, if you've been through a breakup and need the whole heartbreak/devastation/hang-on-I'm-too-good-for-you-anyway thing. I still sing along loudly and lustily at the kitchen window, on account of the ex living on the other side of the back fence. posted by malibustacey9999 at 10:38 PM on November 6, 2010
Ryan Adams (Just go ahead and buy Heartbreaker if you want sad) Come Pick Me Up
Come pick me up
Take me out
Fuck me up
Steal my records
Screw all my friends
They're all full of shit
With a smile on your face
And then do it again
Ralph Stanley (A classic, even better live) O Death
O, Death
Won't you spare me over til another year
Well what is this that I can't see
With ice cold hands takin' hold of me
When I'm dead and buried I'll take a hard life of tears
For every day I've ever known
Anna's in the churchyard, she's got no life at all
She's only got these words on a stone
So don't send me home now, put a shot in my arm
And we'll drink out old memories and we'll drink in the dawn posted by marxchivist at 10:47 PM on November 6, 2010
chiming back in... after recommending Big Star's "Holocaust" upthread (from the brilliantly depressing album Sister Lovers, by the way -- the whole thing is essentially the soundtrack to Alex Chilton's nervous breakdown), it seems only fitting to also recommend ex-Big Star member Chris Bell, esp. I Am the Cosmos and You and Your Sister. (Added depression factor: Bell recorded these shortly before his death in a car accident in 1978; his only solo album wasn't even released until 1992.) posted by scody at 11:37 PM on November 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrLk4vdY28Q posted by bquarters at 11:52 PM on November 6, 2010
Tori Amos "China:
The Veils "Sit Down By The Fire"
This Mortal Coil "Song to the Siren"
and of course, if you don't cry when you hear this you have no soul, Tim Buckley "hallelujah" posted by deep thought sunstar at 1:49 AM on November 7, 2010
Pretty much the whole album "Painted from Memory" by Burt Bachrach & Elvis Costello.
Absolutely the best heartbreak record ever made. posted by fourcheesemac at 10:03 AM on November 7, 2010
Early Songs: Ohia is maudlin and over-thoughtful and dreary sounding, dim. Red House Painters for sure ("Katy Song" anybody? Yeesh). Some solo Kristin Hersh, kind of. Two Dollar Guitar ("it's all over, I will die"). "Love Me or Leave Me" maybe. "Heartfelt" by the Butchies ("I'd tell you that I've been awake for days/that's not really true, I've been walking around asleep/thinking about you"). posted by ifjuly at 10:16 AM on November 7, 2010
Definitely seconding "Undenied" and "Roads" by Portishead; "Kettering" by the Antlers.
Soundtracks:
1. "Assassination of Jesse James" - Nick Cave and Warren Ellis
2. "Amelie" - pieces by Yann Tiersen
3. "The Piano" - Michael Nyman
Other:
1. the entire "Final Cut" by Pink Floyd
2. "Wonderwall" - Cat Power
3. "Blue Spanish Sky" - Chris Isaak
4. "Fields of Gold" - Eva Cassidy
5. "Come feel the Sun" and "Cherry BLossoms" - Tindersticks
6. "Alone Again" - Dokken
7. "Always Somewhere" - Scorpions
8. "Love Hurts" - Nazareth
Just to name a few... posted by foxhat10 at 10:31 AM on November 7, 2010
Oh, also, "Birthday Boy" by Ween. posted by foxhat10 at 11:01 AM on November 7, 2010
While driving have you ever had to pull over because you were crying too hard to see the road? I've learned the hard way not to listen to the following songs while driving:
Seconding early Songs: Ohia, Elliott Smith (!!!), Sia's Breathe Me (but also the rest of that album!) and I'd add Radiohead's Fake Plastic Trees.
Most days Elliott Smith is enough, to be honest. posted by yaymukund at 2:34 PM on November 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
(screened the whole list to make sure i'm not doubling anyone)
Brick - Ben Folds Five
Falling Slowly - Glen Hansard (ft. someone)
In the Deep - Bird York
Colorblind - Counting Crows
9 Crimes - Damien Rice
Some Devil - Dave Matthews Band
23 - Jimmy Eat World
Need You Now - Lady Antebellum
Behind Blue Eyes - any of the versions, pick your poison
In Between - Linkin Park
Just Breathe - Pearl Jam
Kissing You - Sade
Set the fire to the third bar - Snow Patrol
All these can send me over the edge on a regular basis, some even if i'm happy to begin with. posted by assasinatdbeauty at 5:39 PM on November 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
Joe Pernice's early solo stuff (under his name as well as Chappaquiddick Skyline) and the early Pernice Brothers work, before it got insanely poppy ("Number Two" is one freaking bitter break up song, aiee).
Lou Barlow/Sentridoh; the EP Winning Losers comes to mind ("Dragdown Memory" and "Not Nice to Be Nice" are my favorite tracks off it).
Eric's Trip
Hayden's early stuff is aaaall wallow. Seriously, if Everything I Long For is not a concept album for wallowing I don't know what is (why hello "My Parent's House" and "I'm to Blame"), and The Closer I Get stays in that territory too. posted by ifjuly at 7:33 AM on November 10, 2010
D'oh, and DUH how could I forget, my freakin' handle comes from it...His Name Is Alive's first two albums on 4AD are very much break up albums, and gorgeous, weird, and sad. posted by ifjuly at 9:02 AM on November 10, 2010
Augh, how did I miss this post! I have a huge playlist just for wallowing and several albums and bands that I like to listen to when I'm blue.
Interpol
Radiohead
Graham Coxon - The Sky is Too High
Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker & Love is Hell
Wild Beasts - Two Dancers
But when I feel really bad? I listen to Joanna Newsom's Have One on Me - pretty much the entire (triple) album is gut wrenchingly sad. And it's two hours long. That's a lot of crying! posted by elsietheeel at 9:29 AM on November 12, 2010
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