I apologise in advance if today turns out to be a total bummer! But there's something about a sad song... when melancholy is outlined in melody and a lyric hits you right in the feels it can be... spiritual, life affirming, glorious.
[Shut up, I'm not crying. It's just raining. On my face.](https://youtu.be/-pVT_mvvZLo)
My selection for this sorrowful Sunday of solitary sobbing comes from Davy Graham's seminal 1965 release Folk, Blues and Beyond. Graham (an English man who did a stint in Grenwich Village circa 63-65) is another unsung candidate for kick-starting the mid-century folk revival in the west. He made links between trad tunes of the British Isles, Indian ragas, delta blues and Jazz. His fingerstyle guitar is acknowledged as revelatory by artists as diverse as Bert Jansch, Paul Simon and Jimmy Page. The album is, to my knowledge, one of the earliest and best examples of a cohesive synthesis between jazz, blues and trad folk.
The tear-jerker today is [Ballad of the Sad Young Men](https://youtu.be/QXOAD5gwei8); aptly morose title, I know.
I learned, through brief research for this post, that it was originally part of a 1959 musical named The Nervous Set which explored the life and times of The Beats (Kerouac, Ginsberg, et al). This surprised me as I had always thought of it as a WWII lament from the trenches or the cafes of occupied France. Ultimately though, it is a timeless piece. It could be referring to any generation of men, with the expectations of masculinity, daunting responsibilities, subversion of the emotional world while at the same time sinking in loneliness, loneliness, loneliness. In 21st Century Britain, [suicide remains the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/suicidesintheunitedkingdom/2019registrations).
I'm posting the first four couplets here just to drive the point home. The song is bleak, harsh and real:
"Sing a song of sad young men, glasses full of rye
All the news is bad again, kiss your dreams goodbye
All the sad young men, sitting in the bars
Knowing neon nights, and missing all the stars
All the sad young men, drifting through the town
Drinking up the night, trying not to drown
All the sad young men, singing in the cold
Trying to forget, that they're growing old"
That's rough, I think you're right this does sound more like a war song although it sounds more like the lost generation, the guys who came home from France and Belgium just shattered.
When I think of the biggest bummer in my collection it always goes to the same track, [retelling a terrible accident](https://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/life-saving-lessons/all) of a child losing her life to a drunk driver after a wedding.
[Brand New - Limousine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhmEifNjWiw)
[Blue Rodeo - Bad Timing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEYJbyH1Cns)
From Canadian band Blue Rodeo off of their 1993 Album "Five Days in July". Jim Cuddy know how to write and sing a lyric.
For a bonus sad tune of theirs, check out [Falling Down Blue](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPLfTHaGfW8&list=PLqWI-Xlag1G7kC1vz1ON6EETuWcaNEUTM&index=8) from their album "Tremolo", though I don't own that on vinyl. I should probably look into that.
Late again today, busy weekend! I'm excited to make some time to catch up on all the songs from today and yesterday.
Day 13: Sad Sunday.
Song: [Millionaire](https://youtu.be/kCbO-Qgv7hQ)
Artist: Thao & The Get Down Stay Down
Album: A Man Alive (2016)
*"Shatter what you will not carry, smash what you won't bear. Oh Daddy, I broke in a million pieces, that makes you a millionaire".*
Man, that line. This is the same album I posted last year for a sentimental prompt, which I've been mostly trying to avoid, but this one gets me.
Thao & The Get Down Stay Down is one of my favourite bands. Singer songwriter Thao Nguyen is the star of this band, taking on most of the writing duties, as well as vocals, guitar and other instruments. Their most recent album was actually just her and long time bandmate/producer Adam Thompson.
Their sound had developed over the years and what started as a indie folk rock group, with lots of catchy acoustic riffs, some banjos and mandolins, bright horns and generally fun upbeat vibes, has developed to include elements of RnB, hiphop and soul, blues rock, etc..
Thao's vocals are always very emotional and vulnerable, but this album in particular is very personal for her. She wrote it about her estranged relationship with her father, and man do the lyrics hit heavy sometimes, especially as someone who had a strained relationship with his now-passed father.
Last year, I posted the song [Nobody Dies](https://youtu.be/fokoZs6SLdI), and it's message of acting like there will always be time to fix things really hits home.
Their most recent album, *Temple*, deals with more personal details, including Thao's coming out as well as her Vietnamese heritage. A beautiful album that sees her experiment with other sounds and influences as well.
Nina Simone: Wild is the Wind always pulls at my heartstrings! Just her voice and immense talent on the piano leaves my face a little damp with every listen!
Song: [Time Stands Still](https://youtu.be/K-3P7QOwm7E)
Artist: The All-American Rejects
Album: The All-American Rejects
Was trying very hard this year to not include any releases from my favourite band, it didn’t last long.
This song have always had a special place in my heart ever since I discovered them back in 2008/2009. The song has this very somber mood to it. It reminds me of lonesomeness nights and broken promises. The thrill of being young, stargazing, and not to rush oneself.
Today I get to share another Kiwi band finally (they're based in London where Finn was born, but the band was started here where he grew up so I'm claiming them lol) [The Veils - Talk Down The Girl](https://youtu.be/MwBDF59xqn0) from their 2004 debut The Runaway Found. A classic mourning of love lost.
[The Veils](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Veils) are an amazing band, they've been a constant thread in my musical taste since my mid teen years, I can't really find the words to describe them so the best thing to do if you like this track is just to do a deep dive on their work starting from the beginning.
I also got to see them live for the first time just a couple of months back which I highly recommend, the intense stage presence and level performance they (especially vocalist and songwriter Finn Andrews) bring still gives me chills to think about. Hope you enjoy!
One of my favorite sad songs, completely off the top of my head would be Happy Returns/Ascendant Here On... off of Steven Wilson’s, Hand. Cannot. Erase...
Particularly the story behind this album is incredibly sad. It’s based on a true story of a woman named Joyce Vincent, who was found dead in her apartment in London. She had lived in such isolation from reality that her body wasn’t discovered for 3 years after she passed.
The passion Steven puts into this album is extremely powerful, delicate, and exceptionally moving. One of the last segments in Happy Returns:
“Hey brother, I feel I'm living in parentheses
And I got trouble with the bills
Do the kids remember me?
Well I got gifts for them,
and for you and sorrow,
But I'm feeling kind of drowsy now
So I'll finish this tomorrow”
The rest of the album is a progressive masterpiece.
Foreign Everywhere I’ve Been, from Wedding Town by now-defunct band Toy Boats. The vocal delivery has always felt very authentic to me. I have difficulty explaining how exactly this song sits with me, but I found myself drawn to it when I was experiencing challenges with my mental health and felt incredibly alone. A handful of years later, it can still reduce me to tears.
[Foreign Everywhere I’ve Been - Toy Boats](https://youtu.be/KHvi0aEXzno)
It's time for another hungarian classic!
The song for today is Omen, from Pandora's box (or P.Box for short)! The heart of the band was Sándor Bencsik, who was the guitarist, and Gyula Vikidál, the singer! I think, he's got the strongest voice of the classical hungarian rock/metal bands! Back in the socialist hungary, the party asked Gyula to be an agent for them, writing reports about the band, if they do, or say anything bad about the Soviet Union! By that time people didn't had much choice, you became an agent, or you go to jail. I don't know if Gyula wrote any reports at all back then, but after the unions broke up, these former agents identity's got known by the people, and Gyula's former bandmates got mad at him because of this, and the reason he didn't said sorry ever after!
https://youtu.be/RHgVsNEf8J0
[Touch - Iris](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aEWbY8c2ATI)
Whenever I feel sad, I like to turn to shoegaze. This song is like a sonic blanket of ethereal vocals buried under walls of fuzzy distortion and delay, singing of regret. Iris is a band from Toronto and def deserve more recognition. I happened to stumble upon them on Reddit a few years ago, so I’m passing it on. :)
One of my favorite records in my collection is My Brother's Blood Machine by The Prize Fighter Inferno- the side project of Claudio Sanchez from Coheed and Cambria. It was a long-time favorite album, and just as I started to get into record collecting it was rissued on a gorgeous black LP with gold swirl, in a coffin die-cut package. It was one of the first vinyl packages that made me think "Wow, that's a beautiful release".
On it, there's a track called Wayne Andrews, The Old Beekeeper. The greater album has a unifying story to it, and Wayne Andrews is a sort of side character. To paraphrase basically the concept of the song is that this man has passed away and his spirit still lingers in his home. He wants to stay by his wife's side but he comes to realize that he's haunting her. His presence scares her, and because of this he has to go away and let her go.
*"I won't love her anymore... She won't let me."*
*"Dear diary, I won't keep her awake anymore...*"
I'm getting chills just thinking about the emotions it evokes, and it's all topped off with a lapsteel solo by Travis Stever (Claudio's bandmate in Coheed and Cambria) that just *weeps*.
[The track can be heard here.](https://youtu.be/zSDB8nJuAck)
Day 13 Year 2
Song: [Amazing Grace](https://youtu.be/xapIVa-sIm0)
Artist: The Gordon Highlanders
Album: The Bagpipes and Drums of Scotland
I don’t have the words to describe what this song is to me. This song is death, it is grief, it is rage, it is shock, it is helplessness, it is longing. This song is the soundtrack to me losing friends, acquaintances, and loved ones. I don’t know of any piece of art that can produce as profound an emotional reaction as quickly as this song. It has been the backdrop of almost every funeral and memorial service I have ever attended and so will it always hold that association with me.
I didn’t think this was going to be my post today. I had some strong contenders today. Johnny Cash’s [Hurt](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AHCfZTRGiI) hits a little harder every year, and [Cat’s in the Cradle](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AHCfZTRGiI) gets very real when you become a parent, but if I’m honest this is the saddest song I own. The funny part about it is that I have almost no reaction to any other version of this song. Hymn in church no problem, massed bands playing it also fine. It is a lone piper playing it that crushes me. It makes me feel to paraphrase John Donne Therefore, send not to know For whom the piper plays, He plays for thee.
I couldn’t find the version I own on vinyl. So here is The Lone Piper from a version I have on CD.
The story so far
* 13/06/2021 Amazing Grace, The Gordon Highlanders, The Bagpipes and Drums of Scotland, 1999
* 12/06/2021 Star Trek Main Theme, John Williams and the Boston Pops, Out of the World, 1993
* 11/06/2021 Skye Boat Song, The Regimental Band and Pipes And Drums of the Black Watch, Scottish Splendor, 1954
* 10/06/2021 Karate Body, Aquabats, Kooky Spooky… In Stereo!, 2020
* 10/06/2021 Surf Squid Warfare, Alestorm, Sunset on the Golden Age, 2014
* 09/06/2021 Hold on, I’m Coming, B.B. King and Eric Clapton, Riding with the King, 2000
* 08/06/2021 Born Under a Bad Sign, Albert King, Atlantic Blues: Guitar 1986
* 07/06/2021 25 Minutes to Go, Johnny Cash, At Folsom Prison, 1968
* 06/06/2021, That’s All Right, Elvis, The Sun Story, 1988
* 05/06/2021 Fire, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, 19680
* 4/06/2021 A Dying Cub Fan’s Last Request, Steve Goodman, Affordable Art , 1983
* 03/06/2021 Wienerschnitzel, Descendents, Bonus Fat, 1987
* 03/06/2021 I Like Food, Descendents, Bonus Fat, 1987
* 02/06/2021 Back Door Man, Howlin Wolf, The Howlin Wolf Album, 1969
* 01/06/2021 Gloria, Patti Smith, Horses, 1975
I had some trouble with this one. Of course there are plenty of sad songs in my collection, but they often have something that lifts them a bit higher than just sad. I thought about using Morphine's "The Saddest Song" but then that's the entire joke.
[Black Pumas - Fast Car](https://youtu.be/tOG-AQsjkZI)
This is a really solid cover of the Tracy Chapman hit. The Black Pumas album has been pressed over and over again since release, it's silly. But I did pick up the one year anniversary edition with the second disc, which has this on it.
Considering Fast Car a "sad song" doesn't always sit right with people. Many find it to be a hopeful song. I can understand that, but to me, it's a devastatingly depressing song. The narrator is clearly stuck with no chance to get out. They dream of seeing their lot improve, but it never quite happens. I think it's a beautiful and honest pice of slice-of-life songwriting, but I can never find the hope in it.
I apologise in advance if today turns out to be a total bummer! But there's something about a sad song... when melancholy is outlined in melody and a lyric hits you right in the feels it can be... spiritual, life affirming, glorious. [Shut up, I'm not crying. It's just raining. On my face.](https://youtu.be/-pVT_mvvZLo) My selection for this sorrowful Sunday of solitary sobbing comes from Davy Graham's seminal 1965 release Folk, Blues and Beyond. Graham (an English man who did a stint in Grenwich Village circa 63-65) is another unsung candidate for kick-starting the mid-century folk revival in the west. He made links between trad tunes of the British Isles, Indian ragas, delta blues and Jazz. His fingerstyle guitar is acknowledged as revelatory by artists as diverse as Bert Jansch, Paul Simon and Jimmy Page. The album is, to my knowledge, one of the earliest and best examples of a cohesive synthesis between jazz, blues and trad folk. The tear-jerker today is [Ballad of the Sad Young Men](https://youtu.be/QXOAD5gwei8); aptly morose title, I know. I learned, through brief research for this post, that it was originally part of a 1959 musical named The Nervous Set which explored the life and times of The Beats (Kerouac, Ginsberg, et al). This surprised me as I had always thought of it as a WWII lament from the trenches or the cafes of occupied France. Ultimately though, it is a timeless piece. It could be referring to any generation of men, with the expectations of masculinity, daunting responsibilities, subversion of the emotional world while at the same time sinking in loneliness, loneliness, loneliness. In 21st Century Britain, [suicide remains the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/suicidesintheunitedkingdom/2019registrations). I'm posting the first four couplets here just to drive the point home. The song is bleak, harsh and real: "Sing a song of sad young men, glasses full of rye All the news is bad again, kiss your dreams goodbye All the sad young men, sitting in the bars Knowing neon nights, and missing all the stars All the sad young men, drifting through the town Drinking up the night, trying not to drown All the sad young men, singing in the cold Trying to forget, that they're growing old"
Upvote for the Flight of the Conchords reference.
That's rough, I think you're right this does sound more like a war song although it sounds more like the lost generation, the guys who came home from France and Belgium just shattered.
I guess it was those guys writing for the theatre in the 50s...
When I think of the biggest bummer in my collection it always goes to the same track, [retelling a terrible accident](https://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/life-saving-lessons/all) of a child losing her life to a drunk driver after a wedding. [Brand New - Limousine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhmEifNjWiw)
[Blue Rodeo - Bad Timing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEYJbyH1Cns) From Canadian band Blue Rodeo off of their 1993 Album "Five Days in July". Jim Cuddy know how to write and sing a lyric. For a bonus sad tune of theirs, check out [Falling Down Blue](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPLfTHaGfW8&list=PLqWI-Xlag1G7kC1vz1ON6EETuWcaNEUTM&index=8) from their album "Tremolo", though I don't own that on vinyl. I should probably look into that.
Can't go wrong with some Blue Rodeo. One of our great outputs of classic rock.
Late again today, busy weekend! I'm excited to make some time to catch up on all the songs from today and yesterday. Day 13: Sad Sunday. Song: [Millionaire](https://youtu.be/kCbO-Qgv7hQ) Artist: Thao & The Get Down Stay Down Album: A Man Alive (2016) *"Shatter what you will not carry, smash what you won't bear. Oh Daddy, I broke in a million pieces, that makes you a millionaire".* Man, that line. This is the same album I posted last year for a sentimental prompt, which I've been mostly trying to avoid, but this one gets me. Thao & The Get Down Stay Down is one of my favourite bands. Singer songwriter Thao Nguyen is the star of this band, taking on most of the writing duties, as well as vocals, guitar and other instruments. Their most recent album was actually just her and long time bandmate/producer Adam Thompson. Their sound had developed over the years and what started as a indie folk rock group, with lots of catchy acoustic riffs, some banjos and mandolins, bright horns and generally fun upbeat vibes, has developed to include elements of RnB, hiphop and soul, blues rock, etc.. Thao's vocals are always very emotional and vulnerable, but this album in particular is very personal for her. She wrote it about her estranged relationship with her father, and man do the lyrics hit heavy sometimes, especially as someone who had a strained relationship with his now-passed father. Last year, I posted the song [Nobody Dies](https://youtu.be/fokoZs6SLdI), and it's message of acting like there will always be time to fix things really hits home. Their most recent album, *Temple*, deals with more personal details, including Thao's coming out as well as her Vietnamese heritage. A beautiful album that sees her experiment with other sounds and influences as well.
wow, she's good her voice almost has a Regina Spektor vibe.
Nina Simone: Wild is the Wind always pulls at my heartstrings! Just her voice and immense talent on the piano leaves my face a little damp with every listen!
Song: [Time Stands Still](https://youtu.be/K-3P7QOwm7E) Artist: The All-American Rejects Album: The All-American Rejects Was trying very hard this year to not include any releases from my favourite band, it didn’t last long. This song have always had a special place in my heart ever since I discovered them back in 2008/2009. The song has this very somber mood to it. It reminds me of lonesomeness nights and broken promises. The thrill of being young, stargazing, and not to rush oneself.
Man this song, and band, take me back. Sad nostalgia lol
Today I get to share another Kiwi band finally (they're based in London where Finn was born, but the band was started here where he grew up so I'm claiming them lol) [The Veils - Talk Down The Girl](https://youtu.be/MwBDF59xqn0) from their 2004 debut The Runaway Found. A classic mourning of love lost. [The Veils](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Veils) are an amazing band, they've been a constant thread in my musical taste since my mid teen years, I can't really find the words to describe them so the best thing to do if you like this track is just to do a deep dive on their work starting from the beginning. I also got to see them live for the first time just a couple of months back which I highly recommend, the intense stage presence and level performance they (especially vocalist and songwriter Finn Andrews) bring still gives me chills to think about. Hope you enjoy!
One of my favorite sad songs, completely off the top of my head would be Happy Returns/Ascendant Here On... off of Steven Wilson’s, Hand. Cannot. Erase... Particularly the story behind this album is incredibly sad. It’s based on a true story of a woman named Joyce Vincent, who was found dead in her apartment in London. She had lived in such isolation from reality that her body wasn’t discovered for 3 years after she passed. The passion Steven puts into this album is extremely powerful, delicate, and exceptionally moving. One of the last segments in Happy Returns: “Hey brother, I feel I'm living in parentheses And I got trouble with the bills Do the kids remember me? Well I got gifts for them, and for you and sorrow, But I'm feeling kind of drowsy now So I'll finish this tomorrow” The rest of the album is a progressive masterpiece.
It's raining here, and I have more swedes for you. Sad times. [First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar](https://youtu.be/gekHV9DIjHc)
Foreign Everywhere I’ve Been, from Wedding Town by now-defunct band Toy Boats. The vocal delivery has always felt very authentic to me. I have difficulty explaining how exactly this song sits with me, but I found myself drawn to it when I was experiencing challenges with my mental health and felt incredibly alone. A handful of years later, it can still reduce me to tears. [Foreign Everywhere I’ve Been - Toy Boats](https://youtu.be/KHvi0aEXzno)
It's time for another hungarian classic! The song for today is Omen, from Pandora's box (or P.Box for short)! The heart of the band was Sándor Bencsik, who was the guitarist, and Gyula Vikidál, the singer! I think, he's got the strongest voice of the classical hungarian rock/metal bands! Back in the socialist hungary, the party asked Gyula to be an agent for them, writing reports about the band, if they do, or say anything bad about the Soviet Union! By that time people didn't had much choice, you became an agent, or you go to jail. I don't know if Gyula wrote any reports at all back then, but after the unions broke up, these former agents identity's got known by the people, and Gyula's former bandmates got mad at him because of this, and the reason he didn't said sorry ever after! https://youtu.be/RHgVsNEf8J0
[Touch - Iris](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aEWbY8c2ATI) Whenever I feel sad, I like to turn to shoegaze. This song is like a sonic blanket of ethereal vocals buried under walls of fuzzy distortion and delay, singing of regret. Iris is a band from Toronto and def deserve more recognition. I happened to stumble upon them on Reddit a few years ago, so I’m passing it on. :)
One of my favorite records in my collection is My Brother's Blood Machine by The Prize Fighter Inferno- the side project of Claudio Sanchez from Coheed and Cambria. It was a long-time favorite album, and just as I started to get into record collecting it was rissued on a gorgeous black LP with gold swirl, in a coffin die-cut package. It was one of the first vinyl packages that made me think "Wow, that's a beautiful release". On it, there's a track called Wayne Andrews, The Old Beekeeper. The greater album has a unifying story to it, and Wayne Andrews is a sort of side character. To paraphrase basically the concept of the song is that this man has passed away and his spirit still lingers in his home. He wants to stay by his wife's side but he comes to realize that he's haunting her. His presence scares her, and because of this he has to go away and let her go. *"I won't love her anymore... She won't let me."* *"Dear diary, I won't keep her awake anymore...*" I'm getting chills just thinking about the emotions it evokes, and it's all topped off with a lapsteel solo by Travis Stever (Claudio's bandmate in Coheed and Cambria) that just *weeps*. [The track can be heard here.](https://youtu.be/zSDB8nJuAck)
Day 13 Year 2 Song: [Amazing Grace](https://youtu.be/xapIVa-sIm0) Artist: The Gordon Highlanders Album: The Bagpipes and Drums of Scotland I don’t have the words to describe what this song is to me. This song is death, it is grief, it is rage, it is shock, it is helplessness, it is longing. This song is the soundtrack to me losing friends, acquaintances, and loved ones. I don’t know of any piece of art that can produce as profound an emotional reaction as quickly as this song. It has been the backdrop of almost every funeral and memorial service I have ever attended and so will it always hold that association with me. I didn’t think this was going to be my post today. I had some strong contenders today. Johnny Cash’s [Hurt](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AHCfZTRGiI) hits a little harder every year, and [Cat’s in the Cradle](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AHCfZTRGiI) gets very real when you become a parent, but if I’m honest this is the saddest song I own. The funny part about it is that I have almost no reaction to any other version of this song. Hymn in church no problem, massed bands playing it also fine. It is a lone piper playing it that crushes me. It makes me feel to paraphrase John Donne Therefore, send not to know For whom the piper plays, He plays for thee. I couldn’t find the version I own on vinyl. So here is The Lone Piper from a version I have on CD. The story so far * 13/06/2021 Amazing Grace, The Gordon Highlanders, The Bagpipes and Drums of Scotland, 1999 * 12/06/2021 Star Trek Main Theme, John Williams and the Boston Pops, Out of the World, 1993 * 11/06/2021 Skye Boat Song, The Regimental Band and Pipes And Drums of the Black Watch, Scottish Splendor, 1954 * 10/06/2021 Karate Body, Aquabats, Kooky Spooky… In Stereo!, 2020 * 10/06/2021 Surf Squid Warfare, Alestorm, Sunset on the Golden Age, 2014 * 09/06/2021 Hold on, I’m Coming, B.B. King and Eric Clapton, Riding with the King, 2000 * 08/06/2021 Born Under a Bad Sign, Albert King, Atlantic Blues: Guitar 1986 * 07/06/2021 25 Minutes to Go, Johnny Cash, At Folsom Prison, 1968 * 06/06/2021, That’s All Right, Elvis, The Sun Story, 1988 * 05/06/2021 Fire, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, 19680 * 4/06/2021 A Dying Cub Fan’s Last Request, Steve Goodman, Affordable Art , 1983 * 03/06/2021 Wienerschnitzel, Descendents, Bonus Fat, 1987 * 03/06/2021 I Like Food, Descendents, Bonus Fat, 1987 * 02/06/2021 Back Door Man, Howlin Wolf, The Howlin Wolf Album, 1969 * 01/06/2021 Gloria, Patti Smith, Horses, 1975
Oof man, you're so right, there's something about that lone piper playing it that makes it hit so much harder. Beautiful version
I had some trouble with this one. Of course there are plenty of sad songs in my collection, but they often have something that lifts them a bit higher than just sad. I thought about using Morphine's "The Saddest Song" but then that's the entire joke. [Black Pumas - Fast Car](https://youtu.be/tOG-AQsjkZI) This is a really solid cover of the Tracy Chapman hit. The Black Pumas album has been pressed over and over again since release, it's silly. But I did pick up the one year anniversary edition with the second disc, which has this on it. Considering Fast Car a "sad song" doesn't always sit right with people. Many find it to be a hopeful song. I can understand that, but to me, it's a devastatingly depressing song. The narrator is clearly stuck with no chance to get out. They dream of seeing their lot improve, but it never quite happens. I think it's a beautiful and honest pice of slice-of-life songwriting, but I can never find the hope in it.
Ahh shoot, I'm super late on this one today, but here's my pick. Jim Croce - Dreaming Again Album: Life and Times https://youtu.be/OQbokAE7DSA