h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Bat out of Hell .... by Meatloaf....

"Past, Present and Future" by the Shangri La's. It's a spoken-word performace by one of the band over Beethoven's already extremely-melancholic "Moonlight Sonata" and is easily the most depressing record I've ever heard. Grumpy stuff by Radiohead and Morrissey can't even come close.

Worse than Bat out of Hell even ? I can't believe that !

If you want depression with savage wit (and occassionally some *unbelievably raw emotional stuff), the try Loudon Wainwright III.

Kept all the talent for himself when his son and daughter were born, it would seem. Not even there mothers genes could save that pair of maoning minnies.

Don't know if anyone has said this as of yet:

Wildfire - by michael murphy

Son by Deconstruction. I doubt anyone has heard this. It is about a man trying to explain his drug addiction to his mother.

Has anyone heard the song by nickel creek. I can just about listen to it, if I try to sing it I burst into tears by the end of the second chorus

I do love it though

c x

"Forget Her" by Jeff Buckley is by far the most depressing song I've ever heard. It never fails to make me completely and utterly depressed (but that could just be personal significance )

I would say the most depressing tune is "i know it's over" by the smiths. Just the "mother, i can feel the soil falling over my head" line is enough to make me want to slit my wrists. But i still love it!!! The saddest song has got to be Hurt sung by Johnny Cash. I know it's a cover but i think it's the way he sings it that makes me blub.

At the moment I am obsessed with a John Lennon song called Look At Me. I don't think it is meant to be sad but that is how I read into it. Mind you, that could just be my mindset projecting onto it. Either way, it makes me weep!

There's a Richard Thompson song called "End of the rainbow"

"Life seems so rosy in the cradle
but I’ll be a friend, I’ll tell you what’s in store
There’s nothing at the end of the rainbow
There’s nothing to grow up for anymore."

I'm convinced OK ?

Haven't checked the backlog, but how about the Elvis classics, "Old Shep" and "In the Ghetto" ?

Dubliners singing The Band Played Waltzing Matilda, written by Eric Bogle. All about Anzacs in the First World War. Including such classic lines as -

Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over head,
And when I woke up in me hospital bed
And saw what it had done, well, I wished I was dead.
Never knew there was worse things than dying.

Until later...
BCNU - Crescent

On the subject of fates worse than death inflicted by wars

"One" by Metallica - about a guy who's had all his senses and limbs destroyed and is begging for his life support to be turned off so he can die.

THE END - The Doors


This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end

Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes...again

Can you picture what will be
So limitless and free
Desperately in need...of some...stranger's hand
In a...desperate land.................








Otherwise, everything's fine .

OH NO !! I'm crying here !

Hi, I have to say I don't really find any song depressing, but quite a few are extremely moving. Two that really stand out for me are: Don't give up - Peter Gabrial & Kate Bush, this song brings tears to my eyes everytime I here it and I defy anyone to find two better voices to sing it, on a differant level: Bet Midlers' version of Stay with me baby, a moving song and a major theatrical performance for anyone who has seen the video!

BTW I am a huge Pink Floyd/ Roger Waters fan and I find most of their songs thought provoking rather than depressing, but thats just me.

Walt

Quite a lot of the Beautiful South's output was poppy ( just had to correct a typo - an extra o and one less p - think this is my subconscious speaking), jangly tunes with bloody miserable words.

The End, depressing? How can you say that of any song with "Come on, YEAH!" in its lyrics?

I was going to mention "Old Red Eyes is Back" by the Beautiful South, but that's more of a tear-jerker, for me anyway

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the emotional scale, I had the distinct displeasure of listening to Rufus Wainwright the other night. The guy who put it on mentioned that he was a bit of a gay poster boy in the US. Well, good luck with that, Rufus, but quit the music *please*! After half an hour of him I wanted to bury myself alive