most 'depressing songs' offer consolation and rarely depress. The really depressing stuff is the inanely happy stuff which serves up useless platitudinous stuff about life which ends up being no use to anyone

my vote goes to 'don't worry be happy', or 'evry little ting gonna be h'arlright' and that sorta thing

The Doors - The End

Somebody mentioned Hospice by The Antlers on page 1. A truly beautiful concept album about the issues facing someone who's partner has terminal cancer.

Examples include Bear and Epilogue

For a depressing album i'd also reccomend Electro Shock Blues by Eels. It covers the death of his Sister, Father and Mother, and his acceptance and recovery from this. The last song gives it a brilliant sense of hope. He has a book out aswell called "tales to tell the Grandchildren" which is really good as well.

Examples include Elizabeth on the bathroom floor and PS. You Rock My World (The song I mentioned above)

As far as depressing songs go i'll nominate the following.

Eels - Little Bird

Glasvegas - Cruel Moon

Snow Patrol- Run

3 Doors Down - Here Without You

Roy Orbison, 'Its over'. Listen to this just after your g/f dumps you for someone else and you'll be throwing yourself under the nearest bus.

Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush - Don't Give Up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiCRZLr9oRw

One much forgotten song that I like to listen to late on wet and windy nights (much like tonight in fact) is "Kiss The Rain" by Billie Myers.

There's something very poignant about it. It's not maybe depressing like some of the others mentioned here, but her voice really gets me.

If you want something really dark, try PJ Harvey, especially her 'Is this Desire?' and 'White Chalk' albums. You can pretty pick any track from those two as they are incredibly bleak but 'Joy' (despite the title) and 'My Beautiful Leah' really create a hopeless atmopshere.

Don't listen to it alone late at night!

You Could Be Happy by Snow Patrol sometimes makes me cry.

I don't know if others would find it depressing, as such...but I think it's beautiful.

If we were talk of the last decade. then probably:

Mad World, The Scientist (Coldplay), Snow Patrol- Run

Des'ree- Kissing You. I know its supposed to be romantic, but it makes me so sad.

Henry Darger by Natalie Merchant

Depressing in a good way -

This Mortal Coil - Tarantula
Joy Division - 24 Hours
Editors - All Sparks
Nick Drake - River Man

Depressing in a bad way -

M People - Search For The Hero
That F**k U Right Back song and accompanying wet malarkey
Terry Jacks - Seasons In The Sun
That bloody Telstar thing, always makes me think of men hanging themselves in dirty rooms above a pub

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVL2u9FX4v4

Suicide is painless kinda super, the lyrics seem simple enough, dark and sad, but all encompising too and wraps around you

these two for me! especially strange fruit.

also i've just thought of manchild by eels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU1iayyUGU0
Last edited by bettemidler : 04-05-2011 at 22:13

You want depressing? I present you this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_03WVKArFI

Warning, it is utterly heartbreaking

That's awful, I couldn't listen to it all the way through.

Justin Heywood's Forever Autumn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUcvX...eature=related

How about
Leonard Cohen - "Everybody Knows"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG5e1oaen-M

There is this cover of Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time, and they play with the all the other Christmas songs at work and honest to goodness it's the most depressing thing you have ever heard. It's just this bloke singing the song and you can actually picture him sat there, alone, on Christmas day, eating chicken nuggets and looking at all the cards he has, that he's sent to himself. It's a mega downer!

A depressing song I occasionally listen to when I have bad news is Marc & the Mambas with Black Heart http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZlGALy4kxU

Meanwhile, a song that sums up the mood of bad news in the run-up to Christmas came later the same year (1983) is Interferon with Steamhammer Sam http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SQYm...eature=related

DJ Sammy's Remix of Heaven for 9/11 is the most depressing song I've ever heard. If you don't get emotional listening to it you have no heart!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zr1pwZXf65w

Mad World by Gary Jules is definitely another one, very, very depressing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N3N1MlvVc4

Pink's Family Portrait gets me a lot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSjIz8oQuko

Alanis Morisette's Mary Jane
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv-FR3eXHOI

James Blunt - Goodbye My Lover, I can't even lkisten to this one all the way through, it just hurts inside lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVyggTKDcOE

Maybe it hurts because rather than singing he yelps like a puppy being kicked. Repeatedly. By someone with big hard boots on.

Dust In the Wind- Kansas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH2w6Oxx0kQ

Nightmare-MICHAEL SCHENKER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUDX4-lk74s

I guess this era had a lot of sad songs.

Lou Reed - Caroline Says (1 & 2)
Neil Young - On The Beach

Depressing and beautiful

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9xPNaq9uec

nah, 'patches' is just a 'pass the sick bucket' track, whilst 'ghetto child' is just a too happy sounding song , which totally mis-matches with the lyrical content.

theres alot of early 60's death songs that are depressing... 'tell laura i love her', 'ebony eyes', but THE most depressing song ever must be by the shangri-las 'remember (walkin in the sand)' ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6Y0CElF1xg
Last edited by mushymanrob : 09-05-2011 at 16:54

Bobby Goldsboro - Honey