Put on some sad music, grab a box of tissues and prepare yourself for an emotional, tear-filled rollercoaster ride.
Melody, timbre, dynamics, and harmony all play key roles in making music sad or happy. Consider two versions of “Frere Jacques,” for instance: one uses a major key while another employs minor notes.
1. “Stormy Weather” by Etta James
Etta James’ “Stormy Weather” captures the sensation of walking through crumbled remains with its slow and atmospheric melody, effectively conveying emotional impact in its lyrics and music.
No coincidence here: studies reveal that listening to sad songs can reduce feelings of isolation. Hearing an emotive melody like this seems as though someone understands our pain–even if that person is just an artist hiding behind a recording studio wall.
Music can be an effective medium for communicating emotions, and composers use different techniques to make their compositions seem sadder. For instance, many sad songs use minor keys because these tend to produce more emotionally charged music with lower pitched notes.
Huron and colleagues conducted two studies to examine how instrument contrast can impact emotional responses in music. For Study 1, graduate music students evaluated 44 instruments according to their musical knowledge and experience in terms of how easily they produced certain acoustical effects, such as being easy for quiet playing or slow tempo, producing dark tones and being capable of “bending” their pitch by small intervals.
Results revealed that producing low, dark timbre was key in making music sound wistful and melancholic, along with playing short intervals to create this effect. According to researchers, these findings suggest it might be challenging to produce emotive pieces without employing these acoustic characteristics.
2. “It’s October 1” by Billie Joe Armstrong
Billie Joe Armstrong has taken part in the “Wake Me Up When September Ends” meme with an amusing social media music teaser clip involving an alarm clock with its alarm sounding, as a rooster crowed, then sitting up in bed while hearing an excerpt of an unreleased track play out for only seconds before going back to sleep again.
The video ends with him giving Mary, the singer who played his daughter in American Idiot on Broadway, a guitar and lyrics of his sad song about his father’s death in September 1982 – something which moved him deeply – as a gift. He said “I wrote this for her” before beginning to cry himself. The lyrics of this sad tune reflect his sorrow over losing his father.
By no means is this tune lighthearted, yet its significance should never be neglected or underestimated. With such an emotive, emotional heart behind its tune, its emotional impact cannot fail to move us all.
Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong recently spoke to Vulture about some of his favorite songs and albums from their catalog. When asked which track on American Idiot was his favorite, Armstrong chose “Jesus of Suburbia.” Armstrong described this song as being personal to him because he found its lyrics about his father’s death every September to be emotional – making it one of their most powerful hits and one that you should definitely check out!
3. “Inside Llewyn Davis” by Oscar Isaac
Oscar Isaac delivers an energetic performance as folk singer Llewyn Davis at the brink of his career in this period black comedy. It follows him over one week as he navigates Greenwich Village while sleeping on couches or staying with strangers’ apartments while performing small gigs at local cafes; yet success eludes him despite his obvious talent.
Llewyn’s feelings of dejection and resignation can be sensed throughout this performance. His face betrays his disappointment over his failure and body language indicates his knowledge that auditioning with Bud Grossman will only waste his time. Llewyn sings the song with an emotional yet comical hollowness, making his performance truly heartbreaking and comical at once.
The Coen Brothers created this soundtrack to reflect their characters’ emotions, using folk songs and clever lyricism to do just that. Each tune conveys different feelings; its lyrics were chosen carefully to mirror different stages in Llewyn’s grieving process – for instance “Fare Thee Well” by Cat Power & Sia captures his resentment for Mike while “Good Woman” by them expresses anguish over an end-of-relationship romance.
Musically, melancholy chord progressions and minor key instruments tend to sound sad and are commonly employed by composers to add sadness into their music.
Scientists and brain researchers are studying why people enjoy listening to sad music. According to studies conducted on humans, listening to sad songs may provide comfort by making one feel less alone while stimulating production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for feelings of pleasure and reward; its release can boost moods while decreasing feelings of depression according to research published in Science Advances journal.
4. “Home” by Adele
Music fans of all types have playlists for virtually everything; be it workout tunes for cardio workouts, party jams to get friends dancing at parties, or love songs for their significant other – there’s sure to be one on their streaming account dedicated specifically to deep, emotional hits!
Sad songs can bring out all kinds of feelings for anyone going through a breakup, grieving a loss or simply feeling lost in new changes in life. Luckily, there are many incredible artists like Olivia Rodrigo, Conan Gray and Phoebe Bridgers available who make adding some sadness into your day simple.
Adele’s 25 album contains an emotional ballad titled “Home”, which captures Adele’s feelings towards London as home and her evolution over the years, yet also highlights her need for familiar surroundings as she moves forward with life. This song speaks volumes.
Another beautiful song that captures the emotion of losing someone is Lewis Capaldi’s debut album track “Stone Cold.” This heartbreaking track chronicles the sadness of watching your loved ones find happiness with someone else, sure to leave you in tears. Other heartbreaking tracks include Death Cab For Cutie’s 2005 track “Godspeed,” as well as Solange’s 2016 record “Cranes in the Sky,” both which represent wanting love to endure beyond both your lifetimes. These dark and serious music pieces would work perfectly in political themes or dramatic scenes where piano and violins provide mournful sounds that create an introspective feel that works great for sad videos or human drama!
5. “Sad Songs” by Joni Mitchell
Every music lover needs playlists for almost everything: workout music to help get moving, dance party playlists for when your friends want to dance the night away and sad song playlists that help heal pain.
Joni Mitchell has long been one of the go-to artists for heartbreak music, her songs being an effective way to help audiences express feelings ranging from loneliness and heartache to loss and depression. However, not everyone understands what constitutes an effective sad song and how they should write one themselves.
When writing a sad song, it helps to focus on an event from your or someone close to you that took place and how that experience changed you; also how you came away with new wisdom as a result of it.
An important component of an excellent sadness song are its lyrics. To create an emotionally powerful experience for listeners, they should use poetic language like metaphors and similes that paint an accurate picture for listeners – such as using words such as “roses and kisses” can show that they long for something sweet in life.
Joni Mitchell’s classic sadness song, “Both Sides Now”, serves as a fine example. It tells a beautiful and painful love/loss tale before concluding by accepting that sometimes things must end – an invaluable lesson for anyone coping with grieving the death of a loved one.