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Sad vs Depressing
- Thread starter johnbasalla
- Start date
The New Seekers version is by far the best and most emotional. This is a good example of a potentially depressing record that only rises (or falls?) to the level of sadness thanks to the winning melody. It's so good that you have a sense of satisfaction after listening and that sense is not one of depression.
unitron said:
That word describes the execrable Red Sovine country hits of the mid-'70s, "Teddy Bear" and "Teddy Bear's Last Ride," perfectly.
Teddy Bear's last ride was not By Red originally.. It was by Diana Williams on Capitol records in the fall of 76 though I'm sure Red wished he had done it first..Red did some good straight country singing in the 50's 60's & early 70's with some sucess..It wasn't til the recitations with a tear in his voice that he became a mega star. Sometimes the tear sounded forced. Red wasn't a bad singer at all though his version of Lay Down Sally in 1978 didn't do for for me...Quite possibly the saddest song ever was One More Year Of Daddy's Little Girl by Ray Sawyer of Dr. Hook fame in 1976..That one made me want to stick a rusty nail in my eye though I'll admit to sniffling a little bit when i hear it now. Also A Letter to Mama by Lee Smith in 1988 was almost too much to take.
How about 1962's Sukiyaki? Though sung in Japanese, the lyrics were said to be generic, applicable to almost any wistful mood. The writer was reportedly inspired by his own frustration over Japan signing a shared-security agreement with the U.S. I once read another review citing Sukiyaki as a first person reflection of a condemned inmate facing execution. Had a very pleasing beat though.
I've heard that "Sukiyaki" was just a bastardized name-change for the U.S., or maybe other English speaking country's of a song that is actually called, or has the lyric... "I Look Up When I Walk". It's supposedly as maudlin lyric, to steal a useful word from a previous post.
So adding the word "maudlin" to the mix, would it be from sad to maudlin to depressing or maudlin to sad and then to depressing? In other words, which is closer to "depressing", maudlin or sad?
So adding the word "maudlin" to the mix, would it be from sad to maudlin to depressing or maudlin to sad and then to depressing? In other words, which is closer to "depressing", maudlin or sad?
o)radiobum said:
I vaguely remember that but I don't recall the artist. I do remember the parodies of various country songs by "Ben Colder" (Sheb Wooley) and Homer & Jethro.
There was a takeoff of "Running Bear" called "Running Bare." ("Running bare, through the bushes...") And a spoof of Jimmy Dean's "Big Bad John" called "Big Bad Bruce." (You thought "The Ballad of Ben Gay" and Rod Hart's "CB Savage" were full of gay stereotypes? "Big Bad Bruce" was worse. Instead of dying in a mine cave-in, Bruce dies when his hair dryer catches fire.) I have forgotten the singers' names.
rnigma said:
The use of "Bruce" as a stereotypically gay name ended, thankfully, when Bruce Springsteen became a superstar.
Could you repeat the question?johnbasalla said:
"Sylvia's Mother," as sung by Dr. Hook, is sad, sad enough that if you were depressed while listening to it, it might send you over the edge! But if you are in a much better frame of mind, you might snicker at how "forced" the "sadness" sounds in places during that one.
"Sylvia's Mother" cartoon-forced "sadness" does make it a novelty song. To me, it's not only not depressing, but it's not really sad either due to what you mentioned.
jfrancispastirchak said:
In 1981, the group Taste of Honey brought "Sukiyaki" back to the charts in an English translation (written by the group's own Janice Marie Johnson) which turned the song into a lament about the end of a love affair. Reportedly they recorded the cover version as a "thank you" to Japan for Japanese record buyers' support of their music. Their version, however, upped the melancholy factor a bit - it got turned from a toe-tapper into a slow ballad with a very Japanese-oriented instrumental track, and the singer even added a mournful, whispered "Sayonara" at the end. It went #1 on the R&B and Adult Contemporary charts and #3 on the Hot 100. In 1994, the group 4 P.M. used the same set of English lyrics for their version of the song (recorded a cappella), which also hit the top 10.
Barry Manilow's version of "Can't Smile Without You" is another example of a song with depressing lyrics that was kept from being a truly depressing experience (unless you're a Manilow hater, of course) by its arrangement. I've read that Clive Davis essentially pushed the song on Manilow, who was not too fond of it and decided to purposely turn it into a "showstopper" - reportedly he even wanted to include a tap-dance solo! I also don't find "Mandy" all that depressing because the chorus is so catchy.
I can't believe no one has mentioned "I Can Never Go Home Anymore" by the Shangri-Las yet. Unlike "Leader of the Pack," this one is a TRUE downer... no campy revving-motorbike sound effects, just the lead singer relating a more-spoken-than-sung tale of her regret at running away from home to be with her boyfriend, which caused her mother to die of a broken heart. The most emotional parts, for me, are the bridge where she shouts, "Mama!" and the ending... "...and that's called Sad."
Interesting topic....there were 11 new posts as I read the comments. There was an episode of the Odd Couple TV Show that Felix wrote a song called Happy and Peppy then a famous person (so famous I can't remember) was to sing his song at a club and Felix was upset when the tempo was slowed down so much it was depressing. (which was funny) I know when I did a lot of mobile DJ work couples would request Me and Mrs Jones and when I told them it was about cheating they said they didn't care. (maybe the guy was out dancing with his mistress) I thought the Gilbert O'sullivan song Alone Again had the lyrics of Visiting a Nearby Town (not tower). One incredible song that could be depressing but sends chills up my spine is Larry Santos singing We Can't Hide It Anymore which did well on the charts but most people never heard. (It's on the Lost 45s CD that Barry Scott sells) Here is a song that should be depressing but most people never thought of...Bee Gees with You Don't Know What It's Like. Isn't the guy saying to the girl that you has such low intelligence to be able to understand my huge capacity of emotions? Some people watch the news on tv because it makes them feel good to know all of those bad things did not happen to them.....so I guess there is a lot of interpretation and reflection to determine if something is depressing. On that note I hope I did not depress anyone with these comments, unless you are a therapist and make a living helping depressed people.
ChrisInMI said:
stevations said:
That was Jaye P. Morgan, probably more famous (or infamous) for her performances as a panelist on "The Gong Show" in the late '70s than for her career as a pop singer in the '50s and '60s.
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