Some of you may remember the very popular top 10 depressing rock songs. This is our sequel! In the words of our submitter: Burn the incense, slip out the razor and get ready to cry your favorite shade of mascara–here are the real odes to frustration, depression, and subliminal agony.
A brilliant song. A beautiful voice. A genius set of lyrics. The most tender subject matter. Unless you commit suicide before it’s even over, this ultimate song of breakdown is the definite breakup song. And it’s pretty too.
For those still with us after depressing song number 10, this song is one of the most beautifully sad songs of all time on the subject of being filled with apathy towards the world around you.
Ian Curtis and his suicidal tendencies never had as much effect on any song as it did in this ode: “Here are the young men, a weight on their shoulders/here are the young men, well where have they been? We knocked on the doors of hell’s darkest chambers/Pushed to the limit we dragged ourselves in.”
You want alienation, mutilation, deprecation and annihilation? Look no further than Richey James Edward’s stream of consciousness tale about voyeurs and exhibitionists who “conceive a god on video” and “everyone I love or hated always seems to leave.” For further heartache, listen to the entire album, The Holy Bible.
The surreal, fantastic tale of a woman submerged in society’s darkness and her eventual, deliberate drowning to escape. Interpol’s dark atmosphere and esoteric lyrics have cemented their place as the new kings of goth pop. This song is part of the reason why.
“I am just a restless liar/I am just an imbecile/I will only complicate you/Trust in me and fall as well.” Guitars wail through this song. Maynard Keenan’s voice whispers of sullen depravity and then shouting in a merciful plea. This is all the metal paranoia one could ever possibly endure. And it is awesome.
The Cure have to be one this list. But of all their self-deprecating songs, this is the one that makes you sick to your stomach with anxiety about the future. “Over and over we die, one after the other.” And that’s not even the half of it. Any song that begins “It doesn’t matter if we all die!” isn’t going to be an inspirational hymn of any sorts. Listen without sharp objects in hand’s reach.
Teen love eventually equals teen angst, and no one ever got this more than Morrissey. The feeling of being buried in the rejection of a lover you never had is a tale wonderfully told all through its six minutes of sorrow. “Love is natural and real…but not for such as you and I, my lover.” Morrissey’s voice was never so pure and so submissive.
Lou Reed was never a subtle person, but on no song did he so emulate the pathetic beauty of Baudelaire than on this spiral into sweet addiction. Personal note: the first time I heard this song, I literally felt sickened. Oh, the power of confessional writing.
Trent Reznor, who has possibly the most bitter and horrendously fragile heart in rock, composed this farewell to the aspects of Love during the Fragile sessions, and was so personal and remorseful it wasn’t even released until a few years later on an Internet-only compilation. The music is faux-blissfully enchanting and allows itself to take you distantly to hell and back. The lyrics speak for themselves: “Please/take this/and run far away/far as you can see/I am tainted/and happiness and peace of mind/were never meant for me…in my nothing/you meant everything/everything to me.”
Contributor: F. McClure
I adore all of these bands except Interpol… and I’m not a morbid person, honest…
Wow! Great list!
Just one thing-it is spelt “imbecile” , isn’t it?
Pretty much all of The Fragile makes me want to whip out the razors, especially the first song.
Thanks, Trent.
F. McClure, you have set the tone for my day.
I liked your list.
i’m glad that jeff buckley made it on both lists, but i think that an elliott smith song deserves a place here somewhere, like “condor ave” or “last call”. nothing says downer like elliott smith acoustic
eve – thanks for the correction – fixed
These songs are depressing, but does it mean that they are emo? emo as in the make up wearing, wrist slitting, gay type.
WHAT? No Welcome to the Black Parade!? (My Chemical Romance)
emo as in the make up wearing, wrist slitting, gay type.
You callin’ me a fag!?
hmm floyd nice, well in all truth the whole album The Wall is actually rather depressing some more so then
Comfortably Numb
Tool has a lot of really depressing songs if you listen to the words. “Pu*****” might be the most of all. Of theirs, anyway…
7. Denzell – WTTBP? Are you serious?! That songs about hope and isn’t even worthy of this list anyway.
Great that you included Interpol. Love them. But for a NIN song, I personally would’ve made number one ‘Something I Can Never Have’ or ‘A Warm Place’.
Were is Frankie Teardrop from suicide??? it is the most depressing, disturbing and scary song ever made and it is not in none of the lists. Please listen if you can.
The related lists section is showing “Top 10 British comedy songs”! A British comedy song is obviously no laughing matter.
Otherwise I can’t comment, because I don’t know any of these songs, and I don’t want to find out the hard way.
A Tout Le Monde by Megadeth would have been a great addition to the list.
Try ‘Casimir Pulaski Day’ (from ‘Come on Feel the Illinoise’) by Sufjan Stevens about the death of a childhood sweatheart and a subsequent crisis of religious faith…
It starts like this…
“Goldenrod and the 4H dome/
Are what I brought you/
When I found out you had cancer of the bone…”
I’m not in total agreement with calling these songs ‘depressing’ – they’re sad and that can be a good thing.
Now the Jonas Brothers – that’s depressing.
lol
the images of the And All That Could Have Been clip are actually from The Perfect Drug. But’s funny how well it fits.
It’s also funny that Trent Reznor appears in every depressing song list. This with Hurt itself (in the original list) and the Great Below are good examples of this kind of lyrics.
Nice list.
Thanks for the support, guys. I forgot the Elliot Smith song Waltz No.2(X/O) which is equally depressing and beautiful as the rest, but these 10 are the ones that made me weep consistently for days.
Yes, it is imbecile. I was in a hurry, the bell was about to ring.
The best And All That Could Have Been clip is the one featuring Requiem for a Dream.
Oh yeah, and it’s “witless liar.” My bad.
I used to lover her, but i had to kill her – Guns N Roses
By the way…. isnt it ” Im just a worthless liar” in sober??? and what about these songs???
3libras – APC
Snuff – Slipknot ( really powerful song )
Passive – APC
Severed – Mudvayne
world so cold – Mudvayne
Wonderful list. Excellent work. I would have thought The Jesus and Mary Chain should be here, along with Mazzy Star, but I don’t feel like quibbling today. Manic Street Preachers was a great choice, as was the ever-depressing Joy Division (but I was a fan of both bands back in the day).
Some Candy Talking? Yeah, I should have used that.
Mudvayne is only depressing for people forced to listen to that kind of muck.
For the last time, it’s “witless liar.”
A really depressing song I have heard recently is The Herb Girls of Birkenau by Rasputina. It contains everything that there should be in a sad song: wailing cellos, no solution and *sigh* just sadness:( But the subject matter is important. We must not forget history.
Faces In Disguise
Sometimes
Both by Sunny Day Real Estate.
Fantastic list, the music lists on LV are always great!
Anna-
Most of Rasputina is pretty depressing.
My Little Shirtwaist Fire is about girls burning to death.
They have an entire album called Oh Perilous World… you can imagine how happy it is.
Brilliant list, There’s not much I could change but may I suggest just one song: Something in the way – Nirvana.
Randall~
I was thinking the exact same thing about J&MC. thought I was the only one who truly enjoyed them…
what about Concrete Blonde or Poe? a depressing song doesn’t have to just have mournful riffs, you know.
like these lyrics from a fave Poe song…
“I dreamt tomorrow had a prettier face
I dreamt tomorrow would have better things to say
Than, “You look like *****, what’s your problem, *****?
You’re legs feel like sandpaper, you can’t do anything right.”
‘Cause that day never should have taken place
‘Cause this day in my life still cannot explain
Why I listened in the first place
to you”
ouch. makes me want to go key some jerk-off ex-boyfriends car right now!(not that I would have, or ever have, committed blatant acts of vandalism… I’m far to conniving for that. I’m the gal who would just mail those picture we took of you in my underwear to your boss…)
rox
Denzell is right, where are the emo bands?? they’re famous for being depressive *****s, you’d make a list of the worst emo songs, that’d be hillarious.
great lists.. some other songs i find depressing
the end- the doors
november rain- g&r
changes- 2-pac
the calender hung itself…- bright eyes
and pretty much most songs by bright eyes, their still amazing though
Manics rule!
what about no surprises of radiohead? or pyraimd song?
or how about “untitled 1 the vaka song” from sigur ros?
great list
Evanescence (aka The Amy Lee Show lol), semi-emo as they are, are really depressing. Tourniquet i can’t even listen to. “Hello”, also on the album, though not a rock song, is the most haunting piano song I’ve ever heard.
Most Interpol fans know that Stella Was A Diver is about a blow job.
During my recent move, I rediscovered Jeff Buckley’s Grace album. Such a beautiful voice!
I came across Eric Clapton’s 2005 live release with the most emotional song I have heard, and equally sad. “River Of Tears” has this epic ending where he just screams “How long, how long, how long is th…(unitelligible)”
He can’t even get out the words! Amazing.
I can think of several other Nine Inch Nails songs that would qualify for this list, And All That Could Have Been wasn’t even one that I was thinking of! Something I Can Never Have would have been a good choice. Great job, Tool’s Sober was a good choice also.
Heroin is one of my all time favorite songs. A true masterpiece by Lou Reed and the Velvets. “River of Tears” is a heartbreaker by Clapton, but “Tears in Heaven” and “Layla” should also get some consideration for most depressing songs. Not only does Layla have some of the best guitar work ever to be laid down, it has some of the most depressing lyrics you could ever hear in a love song. He’s essentially baring his soul for Patti Boyd Harrison for 7 wailing minutes with nothing to protect him except for is shredding guitar. Possibly the greatest and most depressing song of all time.
Yay! One Hundred Years by The Cure.
That was my favourite song when I was 18. Happy days!
How about cheesy depressing?
Alone Again, Naturally – Gilbert O’Sullivan
Well, it made me cry when I was a teenager and I played that damn 45 over and over.
Someone has mentioned My Chemical Romance. Their songs “Helena” and “Mama” are very depressing indeed-but I love them
For real misery try the album it’s from. *****ography….
one more day like today and i’ll kill you
a desire for flesh
and real blood
i’ll watch you drown in the shower
push my life through your open eyes
i must fight this sickness
find a cure
i must fight this sickness…
I like the idea of a Top 10 Worst Emo Songs. Anyone else interested comment now. I’m working on one anyway…
“Dancing with Mr Brownstone” from Guns and Roses(heroin addiction)
“Hit me with your best shot” from Pat Benetar
“Im goin to leave you” from Led Zepplin
“Janeys got a gun” from Aerosmith
They are all kick ass songs though except the first one!!!!
i agree with tears in heaven.. after all its about his son dying
@40. F. McClure
I can’t help you, but go on.
I saw an emo clip in a bar few days ago, of a song called “The Worst is still to Come”. I left the bar after reading that menace.
Great list! I had to go 3 days without lists because of Hurricane Ike… man, I take you guys for granted! But, luckily I have my power back, and I can get my daily fix!
Gotta love a bit of The Smiths – there’s a song for every variant of “moody” on every album – Strangeways being my favourite.
Hey JabberingJanet-
If you’re going to suggest songs, at least get the titles right. It’s “Mr. Brownstone” by G&R, “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” by Zeppelin, and “Jamie’s Got a Gun” by Aerosmith. And Pat Benetar sucks so her song shouldn’t be included anyway.
“one” metallica
Listen to “Vedrai, vedrai” (“You’ll see”) by Luigi Tenco
http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=BrW67O3HX48
he sang it at sanremo around 40 years ago, then committed suicide!
this list made me think of “black” by pearl jam.
And not a single Opeth song…
What kind of list is this without Opeth!?
i read number seven wrong and thought it was made by the band Yes
lol me too XD
1000 Oceans by Tori Amos always gets me. http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=AitJRzyjjJ4
i agree about “all that could have been”. so sad yet so beautiful.
i like some of these songs
Sodom South Georgia & Upward Over the Mountain by Iron and Wine both make me cry like a baby (You know, flail my arms, scream, poop my pants… sorry)
Also, although it’s on the other list, I think How to Disappear Completely by Radiohead should be on every incarnation of this list as number one. My best friend has had about five friends kill themselves, and she says she listened to that one song over and over every time, it was the song that most resembled how she felt. Now that’s depressing.
Hey didn´t you promise last week that you wouldn´t post depressing lists on mondays?
And the list is missing Mad World (REM version)
did you guys all here about Pink Floyd’s keyboardist dieing?
it apparently only happened an hour ago.
Wow, I seriously wonder what happened to Trent Reznor in his life. The Smiths were the kings of depression songs until NIN’s Hurt came out. He snatched that title and has never given it up. I’m kind of going through a crap and depressing time in my life, but after listening to #1 (which is an amazingly beautiful song, I’d never heard before, tyvm), I seem amazingly joyous compared to him. I’m constantly amazed at how beautifully he captures pain in his lyrics, videos and how clearly his emotions come across through his music. Thanks for this list.
25. caboose: Agreed- at least the Unplugged in New York version (is that the only one they did?)
53. Tim: “Me and a Gun” is even more depressing. It’s about Tori choosing whether or not to kill herself after she was raped.
I forget if I mentioned it on the other list (or even if it’s there- I’m being lazy) but the most depressing song I ever heard was “Flight Recorder from Viking 7″ by the Matthew Good Band. It’s basically the same concept as “Ground Control to Major Tom” by David Bowie, only very, very depressing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0L5irMDG3Y is the song on youtube with a still picture (hard to find song).