No matter the circumstance, sometimes all it takes to lift your spirits is a song to feel better is for something to resonate with us emotionally. Luckily, music provides plenty of songs that can bring comfort when times get rough – all you need to do is search your speaker system!
Here are 50 of the greatest sad songs, from R&B tearjerkers to 12-bar blues classics.
Azad Omar
Music Sad Fast Mehrab is a trending song available to stream or download on Wynk Music. Featuring tracks across multiple genres and popular artists such as P!NK and U2 (among many more!), this MP3 album will surely have something suitable to suit every mood imaginable – with lyrics that are simple enough for anyone unfamiliar with Arabic to comprehend so you can appreciate its musical qualities regardless.
Azad was a journalist and editor who published several journals, such as al-Hilal and al-Balagh, to cultivate among Muslims an appreciation of religious obligation that could aid in fighting British imperialism. Furthermore, he welcomed western knowledge that seemed consistent with Islamic ethical teachings.
Nur Said plays an integral role in Omar’s election to the Minnesota legislature and can be seen enjoying lunch and engaging with other Somali men during her campaign, attending rallies and polling places with her, eating lunch with them and staying behind after polls close with them. Although rarely shown directly speaking into camera, he can occasionally be found appearing as background footage at her election-night victory party.
Townes Van Zandt
Van Zandt was best-known for his plaintive singing style and West Texas mysticism, making him one of the most influential songwriters in American history. Many of his songs – such as “Pancho and Lefty,” “To Live Is to Fly,” and “Tecumseh Valley” – have become classics of modern country music. Additionally, he published many novels and short stories before succumbing to heart attack caused by years of substance abuse in 1997.
van Zandt battled both heroin and alcohol addiction throughout his life, becoming so intoxicated on stage that he often forgot the lyrics to his songs. In 1976, he hired Harold Eggers as his tour manager and 24-hour caretaker; Eggers would remain with Van Zandt until his death on New Year’s Day 1997.
Van Zandt was not widely popular during his lifetime, yet left an extensive legacy of folk/country songs which have been covered by many artists as well as inspiring numerous other songwriters. He was honored with induction into Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame; two books and documentary film were published about him before he passed away from cardiac arrhythmia at 52 on January 1, 1997. His recordings included For the Sake of the Song, Our Mother the Mountain Townes Van Zandt Blues
The Shangri-Las
In the 1960s, four Queens girls known as the Shangri-Las were one of the world’s most beloved groups. Their streetwise image and darkly dramatic music helped pave a trail for future girl groups that would follow. They would make history.
Contrary to most teenage groups at the time, four sisters from Cambria Heights in Queens eschewed saccharine music in favor of songs about doomed rebel love, teenage runaways and dead bikers. Their innocent adolescent charm combined with operatic-esque recitatives could both captivate and heartbreak audiences; behind-the-scenes was producer George “Shadow” Morton who may have rivaled Phil Spector in terms of eccentric creativity.
After their success with “Remember (Walking in the Sand),” the group signed with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller’s Red Bird label and their first major hit “Leader of the Pack,” an emotional ballad about tragic, doomed rebel love complete with revving motorcycle and shattering glass, became their signature song.
The Shangri-Las continued their chart success both nationally and regionally with their next release, “Out in the Streets”. Following an appearance at New York’s CBGB club, they disbanded later that same year.
Basildon
Basildon residents must feel despair when their community is being torn apart on the news, whether that means its hospital or gangs being targeted by media attention. But rest assured, Basildonans are proud and resilient – a perfect combination of Londoners who moved there during the 50s and 60s, alongside Essex boys and girls born and bred within its boundaries.
As Depeche Mode’s hometown, Dagenham boasts swift transport links into central London as well as lush outdoor spaces to relax in. Furthermore, it features top-tier restaurants and bars.
Basildon boasts an amazing community spirit, with numerous events and activities taking place year-round. Additionally, there are multiple parks and nature reserves in the area such as Wat Tyler Country Park, Marks Hill Nature Reserve and Vange Hill that add charm to this town.
Young
Huron and Anderson found that four key acoustic features most closely correlated with an instrument’s ability to express sadness–pitch-bending, mumbling, dark timbre–were related to its capacity for playing small intervals. According to Huron and Anderson’s interpretation, this finding suggested that low energy instruments (cellos and violins in particular) produce pitches similar to human vocal pitch. Although other factors could also play into music’s expression of sorrow.
Wendy Rene
Sad music can help express our emotions during times of heartache or depression, providing comfort that others are feeling the same thing and creating an important sense of community. Studies have even indicated that listeners of sad music were more likely to form stronger relationships.
Mary Frierson, later known by her stage name Wendy Rene, made waves in soul music when she signed to Memphis’ Stax Records during the early ’60s. Starting as part of a group called the Drapels, Wendy Rene soon earned the attention of Stax co-owner Jim Stewart with songs she had composed; Stewart eventually split them apart into separate acts and recorded her debut single as Wendy Rene with Booker T and the MGs backing her up.
Rene needed only her mournful vocal hook (later sampled by Wu-Tang Clan) and some subtle Booker T organ work to craft this timeless classic that both laments lost love and condemns misery as eternal. Unfortunately, three years later Otis Redding died tragically while traveling from Georgia to Madison Wisconsin for an engagement at Madison Theater, prompting her to retire from music permanently.