Smooth and slow, Alicia Key sings from the soul, and even adds rap elements. It's a mix of Macy Gray, Erykah Badu, and Lauryn Hill, sung (as usual) with beautiful lyrics. The sad song appears in her album, 'Songs in A Minor,' which sold 450,000 copies the second week and sold more than 6.2 million copies in the US alone.
The song is about a man who lost his sweetheart. He's sad because now he feels like "There's a sad lookin' moon / Shinin' down on me / There's a sad lookin' sky / As far as I can see." The song was co-written by contributor Greg Fowler, bassist Teddy Gentry, and lead singer Randy Owen. Interestingly, Gentry and Owen are first cousins and they learned how to play the guitar together.
The song is a pretty typical rock song, but it's certainly catchy. The band formed when vocalist/bassist Tyson Ritter and guitarist Nick Wheeler teamed up in high school. Now, the two band members are inspired by AC/DC, Def Leppard, and Bon Jovi. You can hear the influence particularly in 'One More Sad Song.' The lyrics are particularly revealing: "One boy, one girl, two hearts, their world / Time goes by, secrets rise / One more, sad song."
We've all done it. We wonder what went wrong in a relationship with such "good love": "You said nothing could change your mind / It breaks my heart to see us part / So sad to watch good love go bad." The sad song was released 1960 during a turning point in their career, shortly after they signed with Warner Brothers. But their impressive streak on the charts was trumped once they were both enlisted into the United States Marine Corps, only to return to the music scene in 1963 with limited chart success.
Listening to the blues can be the best remedy to feeling sad, according to this tune. With lyrics like -- "When all hope is all, sad songs say so much" -- it's no wonder the 1984 tune became such a hit. John wrote this during a rough time in his life. Sadly, a few years later in 1986, his famous falsetto voice was gone due to throat surgery to remove non-cancerous polyps from his vocal cords.
'The Sad Cafe' appeared in their 1979 album 'The Long Run.' You can feel a sense of the Eagles' history in the song, and you can tell they love playing together. It is here in this sad cafe where, "Some of their dreams came true / Some just passed away / And some of them stayed behind / Inside the sad cafe." We all suffer loss, have dreams, and fall in love, but this song is about is about more; It's about a time in your life when (sadly) nothing seems to change.
Enrique Iglesias -- who claims his favorite singer is "The Boss" -- willingly covered 'Sad Eyes' in 2000. Sadly, Inglesias' overly sexual music video failed to capture Springsteen's original intent. At least we're always safe with Springsteen's original tune! This song was produced in 1990 at a time when Springsteen was apparently re-evaluating his life.
This country/rock reflective song was featured on their 2001 album 'Pneumonia.' In between labels, the album was shelved for a couple years, creating underground buzz once bootleg copies circulated. It was later released under the label, Lost Highway Records, by popular request.
The 1986 highly-emotional single by Ocean was a US and UK No. 1 hit. The undeniably catchy song (and my personal favorite) enriched his success, which was established with the release of his 1984 'Caribbean Queen.' 'There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)' will make you want to crank up the volume, sing along, and even reaffirm your feelings to your loved one.
The Grammy Award-winning and international R&B hit flooded the airwaves in the summer of 1993, and for a good reason. Along with Braxton's passionate vocals, the lyrics are solid: "It's just another sad love song / Rackin' my brain like crazy." The song was featured on her self-titled debut, which reached platinum and sold over 15 million copies throughout the world. It's our No. 1 Sad Song, but is it yours?
List Your Top 10 Sad Songs
Let us know what's on your list of the saddest songs in the comments below. Plus, don't miss our list of the 10 Best Breakup Songs.
Listen to Breakup Songs Radio
51. Concrete Angel-Martina McBride
God's Will-Martina McBride
Independence Day-Martina McBride
Flowers-Billy Yates
The Little Girl-John Michael Montgomery
Who You'd Be Today-Kenney Chesney
That's Why I'm Here-Kenney Chesney
Perfect-Simple Plan
Posted at 9:01PM on Oct 8th 2010 by stacy0525