I always thought that it would be cool to have the “Most Depressing Songs Collection” featuring the most depressing songs of the 60s, 70s, 80s, etc…
Maybe Time/Life would put it out. Anyway here are some of my personal favorites. I think these are all from the 60s and 70s.
Eve of Destruction (Barry McGuire) Theme: We’re going to blow ourselves up
All by Myself (Eric Carmen) Theme: I’m really, really lonely and I can’t take it anymore
Dust in the Wind (Kansas) Theme: Vanity, Vanity, All is Vanity
Eleanor Rigby (Beatles) Theme: Some lives don’t matter to anyone
Blowin in the Wind (Dylan) Theme: Lot’s of injustice…no answers
Cat’s in the Cradle (Chapin) Theme: You were a rotten parent
It’s Over/Cryin (Orbison) Theme: Desperate love unreturned
Yesterday (Beatles) Theme: She left me without explaining
Masters of War (Dylan) People who profit from war should die
At Seventeen (Ian) Perhaps the most depressing girl song ever written.
Theme: Only pretty girls get valentines and go to dances
Feel free to give me your list or add to mine
thoughts... fr. dave 
Just a couple…
Dan Fogelberg…Same Old Lang Syne
REM…Everybody Hurts
Michael Murphy….Wildfire
John Denver…The Box
and last but not least…Mr. Bojangles…(have no idea who did that one)
Thanks for your addition. Mr Bojangles was written by Jerry Jeff Walker. I remember the version by David Bromberg.
Imagine by John Lennon (No heaven, this is it? nice…actually Yoko wrote the words as a poem, I think)
Captain Jack by Billy Joel ( teenage suffering in suburbia, brief hapiness through drugs, dad’s suicide in the swimmingpool, so cheery…)
Imagine there is anarchy. That is depressing. How could I forget Captain Jack? One of the best!
Sitting on the dock of the Bay by Otis Redding: all about loneliness, the pointlessness of life… and was recorded right before his death.
Its so hard to say goodbye to yesterday by BoyzIIMen
Lets just kiss and say goodbye by the Manhattans
Ok, I’ll stop. This is getting depressing
Good choices.
side note:
A friend of was still in the theater after seeing Otis when the announcement came of his death. Dock of the Bay was recorded only three days earlier and became his greatest hit. Sad.
Just bouncing from link to link and came across this post, and of course, had to add my 2 cents:
I like most of those songs, but I find them helpful, in that they remind me to pay attention to my kids (cat’s), my place in this world (Eve of destruction), my final reward (dust in the wind). They can be depressing though if I am not in the right frame of mind. One of my most favorite songs is Sarah Maclachlan’s Angel, but it can be taken as extremely depressing too. A hauntingly beautiful song I just found is Gary Jules’ “Mad World” could be taken as a most depressing song too.
Agreed, but I’m not sure how to find a bright spot in Mad World.
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I’m dying
Are the best I’ve ever had
…so why is it that we love those sad songs so much?
By the way, the music genre that has a corner on the market in depressing songs is country!
Diggin up bones….
Here I am again mixing misery and gin…..
You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille…
Etc. ad naseum!
All I’ve got to say is, “Here’s a Quarter Call Someone Who Cares”
rape me – nirvana
im a loser – beck
unforgiven – metallica
time takes two – robert cray
jagged little pill – alanis morrisette
I said depressing…not suicidal.
LOL!!!! I love it!
seasons in the sun….terry jacks..
alone again naturally….gilbert o’ sullivan
billy don’t be a hero….paper lace
daddy don’t you walk so fast….wayne newton
without you…..bread
i started a joke……bee gees
i’ve gotta get a message to you…..bee gees
mad world – gary jules
by far the most depressing song ive ever heard
yesterday – the beatles is pretty damn sad too
Excellent. Certainly.
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