But sad songs certainly have their place in the world, if for no other reason than to let you know that you aren’t the only one in the world that has ever been dumped or felt like shit for any given reason.
But then again, if you honestly belived you were the only one to ever go through any of those things, then you have more issues than a Rumbleseat song can cure...
6. Dashboard Confessional – The Places You Have Come To Fear the Most
What Makes it so Depressing
I haven’t listened to this record since highschool, and they didn’t make the cut when I cleaned out my iTunes a couple years ago (I swear), but, in highschool there was nothing better than getting dumped by your first (sorta) real girlfriend and sitting around sulking with Chris Carraba. There is nothing more sad and depressing than a man in his early 30s singing songs about highschool heartbreak. I guess that’s more sad in a pathetic way though. Or just plain creepy.
Particularly Morose Songs
"This Ruined Puzzle," “Screaming Infidelities,” "The Brilliant Dance."
Lyrical Proof
“So this is odd, the painful realization that has all gone wrong. And nobody cares at all, and nobody cares at all. So you buried all your lover's clothes and burned the letters lover wrote, but it doesn't make it any better,” (from “The Brilliant Dance”).
“This basement's a coffin. I'm buried alive. I'll die in here just to be safe. I'll die in here just to be safe. 'Cause you're gone. I get nothing and you're off with barely a sigh. I never said, ‘Goodbye.’” (from "This Ruined Puzzle")
5. Lucero – That Much Further West
What Makes it So Depressing
Everything sad about Lucero can be defined by the following lyric: “when you decided to leave, I never asked where you'd gone. when you decided to leave, I left you alone. it don't mean much to me what all you did while you're gone. it don't mean much to me as long as you come home.”
Particularly Morose Tracks
“The Only One,” “Tears Don’t Matter Much,” “When You Decided to Leave,” “That Much Further West.”
Lyrical Proof
There is a song where Ben Nichols sings “my tears don’t matter much, don’t matter much” over and over again. So, yeah.
4. Weakerthans – Left and Leaving
What Makes It So Depressing
John K Sampson must have been dealing with some real shit when he wrote Left and Leaving, because I assure you leaving Propagandhi didn’t cause this collection of auditory sadness. Perhaps it’s the quiver in his voice, but Sampson somehow finds a way to make the upbeat pop punk tunes “Aside” and “Watermark” make me want to drive my car off a bridge
Particularly Morose Songs
“Everything Must Go!” “Left and Leaving,” and “Aside.”
Lyrical Proof
“My ribs that show through t-shirts and these shoes I got for free. I'm unconsoled, I'm lonely, I am so much better than I used to be” (from Aside).
“Memory will rust and erode into lists of all that you gave me: a blanket, some matches, this pain in my chest, the best parts of Lonely” (from "Left and Leaving").
3. Against Me – the Disco Before the Breakdown
Why Its So Depressing
Tom Gable use to write amazing lyrics. Before he joined the pop rock notion that a chorus just needed to have one line mixed with a decent hook, he use to write choruses like “And we’ll make it up so that we’ve got a smile painted on all the time, no matter what its like on the inside,” which appears on this EP’s title track. What makes this three song party stopper so great is that its not just songs about girls. The Disco Before the Breakdown is one of the saddest songs ever, and its written about a gay couple who will never be able to be gay and happy in public society because of the perception of that. Its pretty fucking heartwrenching to say the least.
And then there’s the songs about wanting to die because a girl hurt you. And those are awesome too.
Particularly Morose Songs
All three of them
Lyrical Proof
“We'll keep this, keep us like a secret, because if my family and friends ever found out about the things we could never be, haunts we'll always keep, so fucking bittersweet” (from The Disco Before the Breakdown)
“I Can't believe how naive I was to think things could ever be so simple.” “It’s got me on my knees in a bathroom praying to a god I don’t even belive in, ‘dear jesus, are you listening?’ If this is the one chance that really matters, don’t let me fuck this up.” (from Toonight Were gonna give it 35%”)
“With your thought in mind I walk to streets down to the shores and I sink into the pacific. If this is everything up till now ending, it was nice to believe for a while.” (from "Beginning in an Ending").
2. The Good Life – Album of the Year
What Makes it so Depressing
Written in the wake of Tim Kashers divorce with his wife, there is not a metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel for Album of the Year. Every song is another forrary into the abismall doom that is Tim Kashers life. What makes this album so great though is when you compare it to Kashers content as he pulled himself out of depression: the new Cursive record and that new Good Life record weren’t that good. Something is to be said for a songwriter who can only write masterpieces while living in a constant state of wanting to hang himself.
Particularly Morose Songs
“Album of the Year,” “a New Friend,” “October Leaves,” “Inmates,” and “Under a Honeymoon.”
Lyrical Proof
“You used to call me on your break, but you’ve been so busy. You used to bring me tomato soup, but you keep forgetting. As the groundskeeper rakes up the October leaves, it occurs to me, trees can’t hide anything… “ and “I woke up this morning, you were off to work. No kisses, no coffee…. No morning paper.” (from October Leaves)
“And your mom’s got you convinced that he’s the one. He’s all you need, so forget me – marry him at once. But if you ever change your mind… I could still buy that box of wine. I still have your copy of Harold and Maude…” (from “A New Friend”)
“We started laughing til it didn’t hurt.” (from “Album of the Year”)
1. Park – Entire Catalog
What makes it Depressing
Goddamn EVERYTHING. Everything from the tone of the songs, to the brutally honest delivery of the lyrics, combined with the overtly whiney vocals, everything Park has ever done will unquestionably go down as the saddest bunch of songs in the modern era of punk, which says a lot given that we are in the Emo Gilded Age. While Ladd’s vocals are never quite dead on (they always seem to be a little flat or a little sharp), no one can question the sincere honesty in all of his lyrics and the way he sings them. Every song on every Park record (or at least of the three I own) is saturated with undeniable honesty. These lyrics seem so believable and sad that I feel like I should take it upon myself to personally monitor Ladd Mitchell in a 24 suicide watch.
Particularly Morose Songs
“S is for Susan” (off of No Signal), “Dear Sweet Impaler” (off of It Wont Snow Where You Are Going), “Clue Me In” (off of No Signal), “La Amoureux” (off of Building a Better _____), and pretty much everything off of It Wont Snow Where You Are Going (this record had the number for suicide prevention hotlines and a disclaimer, that’s how fucking terrifyingly sad it is).
Lyrical Proof
“nights like this, it's you I miss. Is this the effect you expected to get? So caught up and clueless and all these conclusions? Sorry i let you down just being myself.” (From “Clue Me In,” off of No Signal).
“I could hold my breath till I blow up and make this all seem. real no matter how hard I try I cant seem to win this stupid game, I apologize for keeping you up wasting all your time…So I'm stuck with the image you walking me to my car and how nice it felt to be alive in someone's arms. last night felt like the only time that we made sense and every moment after which shook it up chalk it up to coincidence.” (from the hidden track off of No Signal)
AND the winner of the scariest saddest lyric of all time:
“So why not end it all in one shot; this rope, tied in a perfect knot. Its better than anything ive ever had, it wont lose its grip or stop kissing my neck.” (from "Dear Sweet Impaler" off of It Wont Snow Where You Are Going)
God.damn.
1 comment:
I'm glad Park is number 1. As you know, I agree.
Hang in there.
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