My Favorite Depressing Songs

It occurred to me today that some of my favorite songs are pretty depressing. I wondered how many I could come up with off the top of my head. Real quick. 

  • Table for One -Liz Phair
  • At Seventeen – Janis Ian
  • Picture – Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock
  • Space Oddity – David Bowie
  • Dark End of the Street – Veronica Klaus
  • Streets of Philadelphia – Bruce Springsteen
  • Fuck ’em All – Evangenitals
  • A Thousand Kisses Deep – Leonard Cohen

This is just a starter-list, in no particular order. And I’m willing to bump some if you can come
up with some that I like as well but still make me want to blow my
brains out. Ten would be a good number, don’t you think? Comments are open.

5 thoughts on “My Favorite Depressing Songs

  1. Well you should add Dead and Lovely by Tom Waits. I think its on the Real Gone album. Do they still call them albums? Another could be Madeleine Peyroux doing the song Once in a While Matt Sievert got me into her. Good luck with the list.

  2. The Johnny Cash version of Bird on a Wire is on the Coffee Zone iPod and I can confirm it’s wrist-slitter at 6:40 a.m. on a raining Monday.

  3. How about “Bird on the Wire”? An equally strong (and depressing) rendition of the song is done by Jennifer Warnes. Highly recommended for audiophiles.
    I also found a third rendition in my iTunes library of “Bird on a Wire”
    It is a very simple (bleak?) version by Johnny Cash.
    Wait…I’ve got another song that is even more depressing and beautiful:
    Ballad of the Runaway Horse by Jennifer Warnes.
    Last, but not least is a solo Cello piece played by Janos Starker.
    It is by Bach and is called: Suite for Cello Solo No.3 in C, BWV 1009 – 4. Sarabande
    So sad I’m starting to cry. It’s wonderful.

  4. For A Dancer – Jackson Browne
    Late Night Grande Hotel – Nanci Griffith
    Michaelangelo – Emmylou Harris
    Lives In The Balance – Jackson Browne

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