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

'Powderfinger' by Neil Young

lots of Neil Young, Vandergraaf Generator, Magazine, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen - in fact most of my music collection

Thought of an oldie.

Joy Division - Love will tear us apart.

I see that Leonard Cohen has figured a few times in this posting, a song of his called 'Dress Rehearsal Rag' must rate as one of his more down-beat compositions, but magnificently so. It's actually uplifting to know that there's someone out there, more depressed than yourself.

The Beautiful South - I'll sail this ship alone

Simon and Garfunkle - The Boxer.

This is getting to be good enough for an entry - do you fancy putting it together azahar? If not, I'm up for it.

D.I.V.O.R.C.E. - Tammy Wynette

Old Shep - Elvis Presley

Don't Cry Daddy - Elvis Presley

I don't want to talk about it - Everything But The Girl

It's my party (and I'll cry if I want to) and Maybe I Know - Lesley Gore

Lately - Stevie Wonder

Walk Away - Matt Monroe

Now I remember, it's a song that totally depresses me everytime I hear it which is not often. It's "Time" from the Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" I think that the clincher comes in the line "Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way"

One that never fails to make me cry but not necessarily in a depressed way - more sentimental - is "Leningrad" by Billy Joel.

My sentimental song is the luscious 'Nobody Said It Would Be Easy' by Sheryl Crow.

B

I just don't know what to do with myself - Dusty Springfield

Backstage - Gene Pitney

Leave Right Now - Will Young

A Broken Man - Paul Young

Alone Again (naturally) - Gilbert O'Sullivan

Let The Heartaches Begin - Long John Baldry

The Living Years - Mike and the Mechanics

Crying and Only The Lonely - Roy Orbison

Vincent - Don McLean

Without You - Nilsson

All By Myself - Eric Carmen

Have You Seen Her - The Chi-lites

How Can You Mend A Broken Heart - Al Green

(can you tell I've been through my record collection)

B you just reminded me of "Sentimental Song" by Herman's Hermits.

A few more downer songs:

Akira Yamaoka - Promise

Akira Yamaoka - True

Graig Gray - Fade Away

Nancy Sinatra - Bang Bang (not that crap remix)

Nobuo Uematsu - Aerith

Poets of the Fall - Late Goodbye

U2 - With or Without you

Stain'd: Fade, the singer is describing the effects of a friend's suicide and ends up screaming at him. Utterly depressing

On a slightly less serious note....I've never heard a song that depresses me so very instantly as much as that blooming crazy frog. If you can indeed call it a song....it chills me to my very core to think of the people paying good money to hear it

I think we're getting 'depressing' and 'atmospheric' mixed up here. If you actually listen to 'Love Will Tear Us Apart', although the lyrics are horribly depressing, (as most JD lyrics were,) the music, with the repeating keyboard riff and rousing chorus, is actually quite uplifting. I've never quite understood why they allied such doom-mongering lyrics with what was one of their poppiest songs.

Other depressing tunage:

Johnny Cash - 'I See A Darkness', 'Hurt' and 'I Hung My Head'
Very, very dark stuff. Nobody does depressing like Johnny Cash.

New Order - 'In A Lonely Place'
B-side of 'Ceremony', NO's first post-Curtis release. It goes on for about 8 minutes or something and is possibly the most depressing thing ever.

Spiritualized - 'Broken Heart'
Does exactly what it says on the tin. When they used to do it live they would run it into 'Come Together', meaning that you could have your heart broken and your head blown off within moments of each other.

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - 'The Carny'
Not since 'In A Lonely Place' has so much doom and despair been inflicted on an unsuspecting populace.

Black Box Recorder - 'Child Psychology'
See above. Only funnier.

The Wedding Present - 'Octopussy'
An example of how a record that is clearly incredibly depressing can actually be rather stirring and uplifting. Produced by steve Albini, who is very good at such things.

Roxy Music - 'Psalm'
Just don't set me off on this one or I'll start weeping.

Gallon Drunk - 'In The Long Still Night'
Likewise.

The Smiths - 'Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me' and 'How Soon Is Now?'
The Smiths weren't the cartoon depressed Northerners that everyone makes out they were - they were actually like that.

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I quite agree with you, Yalson. I made a joke in my first post saying that Leonard Cohen had not been included in the Guardian list, but in fact I don't find him depressing at all. Like Tom Waits he writes very 'atmospheric' tunes, quite beautiful ones. Some might be about somewhat depressing topics, but the songs themselves remain very well-written and could even be considered uplifting.

Horribly depressing songs I agree with (from the article) include that totally icky one Honey and also Tell Laura I Love Her and Seasons In The Sun. Depressing not only in subject matter but also just how depressingly BAD they were as songs. Gaaaaaa.


az

I don't get easily depressed, I supposed - more .. erm .. moved. Call me a softy, but things like Eminem's "Like Toy soldiers" reduce me to tears.

Shakespeare Sisters have a song called "Hello". The lyrics in themselves are probably not that depressing, but just the music and the way it is sung.

I was pleased at the new Coldplay song Speed of Sound. A song by them that makes you feel happy, rather than want to slit your wrists

Up The Junction - Squeeze

B

"Been Lovin' You Too Long" by Otis Redding..

Or "Hurt" by either Johnny Cash or Nine Inch Nails, can't get to the end of either of them.

I'm immune to Laughin Len and his Foottappin Wrist Slitters*, as my Dad is a huge fan, and used to make me listen to him as a punishment when I was little!!

*with apologies to Q magazine, and to Andy Kershaw!