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Depressing Ballads

M

MsMusicRadio

Guest
What do you think are the most depressing ballads ever to fit the AC/soft AC format? I think of "Wildfire" and something horribly long by Wham. I know there are loads of them, most made in the Eighties, and usually played back to back between 3-5 AM.

Thanks
 
MsMusicRadio said:
What do you think are the most depressing ballads ever to fit the AC/soft AC format? I think of "Wildfire" and something horribly long by Wham. I know there are loads of them, most made in the Eighties, and usually played back to back between 3-5 AM.

Thanks
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Cat's In The Cradle - (or anything by) Harry Chapin!
 
Here in Greenville, SC, Entercom's Magic 98.9 WSPA-FM (http://www.magic989online.com) plays 'Butterfly Kisses' by George Carlisle at random times of the day....which sticks out like a sore thumb because they are a more uptempo-AC. Can't stand that song, I turn them when they play it. Add Luther Vandross' 'Dance With My Father' as well.
 
One of the most relentlessly depressing hits ever was Randy Goodrum's song "Broken Hearted Me" as sung by Anne Murray in 1978. Super-sadness from beginning to end. Then, on stations that may slip in some "standards"-type stuff, you can't beat Peggy Lee's 1969 unique "Is That All There Is?" When her "character" in the song contemplates suicide, you've almost gone over the top, saved only by the fact that she rejects "ending it all", but then again it's because for another depressing reason, as she sings... "I'm not ready for that final disappointment". Can you get any more depressing? Well, going way back, Billie Holiday singing about lynchings in a 1940s recording might do it. I think the song is "Strange Fruit".
 
Some of the most depressing song I heard are,

"Can't live without you", something like that, I think it was a early 70s hit. By Eric Carmen??

"feelings", a sad sounding song by--I don't know who sang it--it has the words "I wish I never met you girl"

And another 70s hit "You Light up My Life"
 
You light up was on the radio consultants list of "best songs to keep an audience" along with Feelion Stronger Every Day by Chicago
 
Prais said:
You light up was on the radio consultants list of "best songs to keep an audience" along with Feelion Stronger Every Day by Chicago
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I've never yet met a person who admits to liking "You Light Up My Life" even though it was one of the biggest selling records of all time.
 
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned "Alone Again, Naturally" by Gilbert O Sullivan.

On the country side, one of the saddest songs I've heard was "The Little Girl" by John Micheal Mongomery. Not sure that was the title but it was about a little girl who was hiding behind the couch and witnessed her dad kill her mom and then commit suicide. The little girl is then taken a new family takes her to church and she sees a picture of Jesus on the crossl. She tells them she doesn't know what the mans name is, but he was behind the couch the day my parents died holding her close to his side. That song gets to me everytime I hear it.

Another country tearjerker is "Alyssa Lies" by Jason Micheal Carol. A song about a little girl who lies to her teachers about her bruises. The song ends with us finding out she no longer lies to the teachers because she is lying with Jesus. That song doesn't make a grown man cry I don't know what will. Wikipedia describes how a trucker called a radio station and said he nearly wrecked due to all the tears in his eyes. I'll admit, I nearly lost it when I heard it on my walkman at work a couple of years ago.
 
Let's not forget all the teenage tragedy songs of the '60's!!!

Patches by Dickie Lee
Tell Laura I love Her by Ray Peterson
Ebony Eyes by the Everly Brothers
I Want To Be Wanted by Brenda Lee
Everybody Loves me But You by Brenda Lee
Tragedy by The Fleetwoods

Man I love those songs! But then I think some really sad songe are pretty. I don't need to be happy-happy all the time. I guess I like to hear some poor shcmo pouring his/her heart out!
 
Forgetting about depressing songs from the 50s, 60s and 70s, and there are lots of those, how about what I consider the top 3 depressing songs that AC stations currently play:

"Angel" by Sarah MacLachlan (worse)
"Because of You" by Kelly Clarkson (worser)
"My Immortal" by Evanescence (worstest!)

More often than not I've liked Ms. MacLachlan, but if any station wants to bring afternoon drive momentum to a screeching halt, that's a song to do it with. The Kelly Clarkson song is a two-fer, not only depressing but irritating. If you don't believe me, try standing in a busy checkout line at WalMart with that screeching in the background and you'll see what I mean. The Evanescence song is just dreadful on any scale.

I'm tempted to include the Titanic song from Celine Dion, but while it is depressing, it's not such a bad song and works within the context of the movie. Someone mentioned "Wildfire." That's a sad song for sure but not really depressing. The album version is quite pretty. "Cats in the Cradle" is an astute observation on parent-child relationships that has been rendered meaningless by overexposure.

"You Light Up My Life" always gets a bad rap, and for good reason, songwriting by the numbers as it is, but it isn't really depressing. In fact, as I recall it was supposed to be somewhat uplifting. I would verify that by listening to it but I haven't heard that song in 30 years and I don't want to break my streak.
 
radioman148 said:
Prais said:
You light up was on the radio consultants list of "best songs to keep an audience" along with Feelion Stronger Every Day by Chicago
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I've never yet met a person who admits to liking "You Light Up My Life" even though it was one of the biggest selling records of all time.
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I like it. It falls under standards these days. Unless it's LeAnn Rimes singing it.
 
John-Summers said:
"Angel" by Sarah MacLachlan (worse)
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Hate it
John-Summers said:
I'm tempted to include the Titanic song from Celine Dion, but while it is depressing, it's not such a bad song
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Yes it is.
John-Summers said:
Someone mentioned "Wildfire." That's a sad song for sure but not really depressing. The album version is quite pretty.
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I should try not listening to the words. It sounds good that way.
John-Summers said:
"Cats in the Cradle" is an astute observation on parent-child relationships that has been rendered meaningless by overexposure.
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Hate it.
 
Mike Sheridan said:
Let's not forget all the teenage tragedy songs of the '60's!!!

Patches by Dickie Lee
Tell Laura I love Her by Ray Peterson
Ebony Eyes by the Everly Brothers
I Want To Be Wanted by Brenda Lee
Everybody Loves me But You by Brenda Lee
Tragedy by The Fleetwoods

Man I love those songs! But then I think some really sad songe are pretty. I don't need to be happy-happy all the time. I guess I like to hear some poor shcmo pouring his/her heart out!
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I don't think I'm hearing these. My station certainly plays songs in that general category. One they do is "The End of the World" by Skeeter Davis. I don't know why that's considered country, but the country station I listen to used to play that music and I guess they've still got some of the old material around.
 
The song is, I think, "Without you" from Harry Nilsson. It's a cover of a Badfinger song and went top 5 in early 1972.
"Feelings" was Morris Albert. Huge hit but it still makes me cringe.
Eric Carmen did the tearjerker "All by Myself".

ddsparxx said:
Some of the most depressing song I heard are,

"Can't live without you", something like that, I think it was a early 70s hit. By Eric Carmen??

"feelings", a sad sounding song by--I don't know who sang it--it has the words "I wish I never met you girl"

And another 70s hit "You Light up My Life"
Click to expand...
 
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