Slow, original, mellow/sad songs featuring ukulele?
February 20, 2013 6:42 AM   Subscribe

I was listening to Local Natives - 11:11 and was hooked on the opening chords played on the ukulele, so now I'm looking for other original, slow, mellow/sad tunes with the ukulele.

Any genre as long as it's original, so no covers please. Vocals optional. Pop/Rock preferred.
 
posted by querty to Media & Arts (11 answers total) 11 users marked this as a favorite
 
Ukelele Weeps!
posted by ouke at 6:45 AM on February 20, 2013


Cover of Tonight You Belong to Me by Eddie Vedder and Cat Power.
posted by telegraph at 6:50 AM on February 20, 2013


O sorry querty, I screwed up there. Cover of course. I'll take a slap in the face for that.
posted by ouke at 6:54 AM on February 20, 2013


Beirut is an excellent band for such songs; the lead singer plays uke as a hand injury prevents him from playing guitar: Try "Rhineland (Heartland)."
posted by dhens at 7:24 AM on February 20, 2013


Response by poster: no covers please
 
posted by querty at 7:33 AM on February 20, 2013


Singer/songwriter Michelle Blades writes original songs and plays ukulele. Most are quite sad and they tend towards mellow and slow as well.

You can sample all three albums released on River Jones Music, try "Lady Bug" from Where The Water Boils. There's more on her bandcamp page (try "Yellow Petaled Coast").
posted by mountmccabe at 9:09 AM on February 20, 2013


To answer your aside, I am not entirely sure the opening chords are from an ukulele, but I don't really have an ear to discern that with confidence.

Israel Kamakawiwoʻole is usually the first person I think of for the ukulele, and he had several songs that may fit your criteria. His album Facing Future had songs like Lā ʻElima and Kaulana Kawaihae. This version of Ōpae E is mellower than what I recall, but I don't know which album that's from.
posted by CancerMan at 11:14 AM on February 20, 2013


Here's a few, bunch of different genres:

Wisdom Tooth "I Found It"

Cliff Edwards "Night Owl" (click on the link under the picture to open)

Yan Yalego "Mon Amant de Saint Jean"

TinyFolk "Illinois, Illinois"

Cyril Lefebvre Live

Wisdom Tooth "Everything's Green"

Ps: Addicted to Uke
posted by Katine at 11:26 AM on February 20, 2013


Jacob Borshard maybe?
posted by plasticpalacealice at 4:27 PM on February 20, 2013


at the risk of being self-promoting, I once wrote a song that matches your description.
posted by daisystomper at 8:14 PM on February 20, 2013


Kid Koala's Vacation Island www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYfIYNEeLTY
posted by mds35 at 4:51 AM on February 21, 2013


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