The 50 Saddest Songs Of All Time

Musical topics not directly related to steel guitar

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b0b
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The 50 Saddest Songs Of All Time

Post by b0b »

Quite an interesting list. Jerry Byrd gets credit for "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", which comes in at #2.

http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/list ... -time.html
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Josh Sommovilla
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Post by Josh Sommovilla »

Personally, I'd vote for this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5IFMculBUg
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Post by Mitch Drumm »

I've heard exactly 7 of them, but then I don't get out much.

None of them written prior to "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"? Hmmmmmm......guess they didn't have teen angst prior to that.

Or maybe "Josh Jackson" was born yesterday.
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Post by Earnest Bovine »

I don't see Down To Seeds & Stems Again. My internet must be broken.
Last edited by Earnest Bovine on 12 May 2015 12:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by John Limbach »

Or maybe the entire album "When Tragedy Struck" by Hank Snow
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Post by Jack Hanson »

Earnest Bovine wrote:I don't see Down To Seeds & Stems Again. My internet must be broken.
Mama Hated Diesels missed the cut too.
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Post by Jim Cohen »

I'm dubious of any such list that omits Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life", as sung here by the finest ever to sing it, the inimitable Johnny Hartman!

https://youtu.be/7d6_LUDa_Zw
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John Peay
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Post by John Peay »

Not a Red Sovine song on the list??
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Jim Cohen
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Post by Jim Cohen »

Well, "Teddy Bay-er" ought to make the list too, methinks...
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Post by Jon Light »

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Curt Trisko
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Post by Curt Trisko »

I like that it includes multiple genres of music: Neutral Milk Hotel to Vern Gosdin is pretty broad.
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Post by b0b »

Nina Simone can get really sad at times.

https://youtu.be/VmO_0tIGo-4
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Post by Quentin Hickey »

I hope they put Vince Gill in there as well as Glenn Campbell wespecially Witchita Lineman.
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Ken Pippus
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Post by Ken Pippus »

No "Bringing Mary Home?"
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Post by Tim Herbert »

Gene Pitney's "I'm Gonna Be Strong"; plenty corny but still gets me every time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldcZkWLOTCI

And T. Graham Brown's "Wine Into Water" sure tells a story... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSdze_yYeKc

I'm going to crawl into bed and cry myself to sleep now.
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Post by John Peay »

Ken Pippus wrote:No "Bringing Mary Home?"
Oh man, for sure!
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Post by Clyde Mattocks »

If they think George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today" is sad, they must not have heard his "Mama Take Me Home".
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Post by Steve Pawlak »

Or maybe the entire album "When Tragedy Struck" by Hank Snow
My dad had this record and I would listen to it when I was a kid
Nobody's Child is pretty sad
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Bob Watson
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Post by Bob Watson »

Here are a few more wrist slitters that didn't get mentioned. Green Green Grass Of Home, Long Black Limousine, Sing Me Back Home, Misery and Gin, Smokey Mountain Memories, Flowers for Mama. The list could go on and on.
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Post by Jim Smith »

I guess Red Foley's "Old Shep" and Walter Brennen's "Old Rivers" were before their time! :\
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Post by Darrell Birtcher »

"Boulder to Birmingham" always does it for me.

Honorable mention has to go to The Louvin Brothers for "How's the World Treating You" or any of it's remakes, especially the version by Alison Krauss.

These also go especially well with steel.
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Post by Charlie McDonald »

Only six of these tunes were familiar to me (how did DIVORCE make it on to the sad list? unless we're talking about sad songwriting: 'little J-O-E...')

Where is 'You Don't Know What Love Is?' And 'Meaning of the Blues?'

Where is Barber's 'Adagio? or Moonlight Sonata?

I'd vote for Hank or Cash. That lonesome whipporwill....
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Post by Graham »

Cal Smith's "I Didn't Even Cry".
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Post by Roger Kelly »

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Post by Mark Carlisle »

Jim Cohen wrote:I'm dubious of any such list that omits Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life", as sung here by the finest ever to sing it, the inimitable Johnny Hartman!

https://youtu.be/7d6_LUDa_Zw
I backed a wannabe Sinatra vocalist on solo jazz guitar ala the Joe/Ella duets (although I'm no JP) One night he came in with a setlist: "Lush Life" "You Don't Know What Love Is" and "I'm a Fool To Want You" back to back. I told him he may as well provide a 38 at each table. Thanks, Jim, Johnny Hartman's/Coltrane version is chilling.
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