Monday, November 22, 2004

Top 10 Melancholy Songs of ALL TIME!!!

I've been mulling this post over for a few days. I'm a big fan of melancholy music, and in the spirit of all of the countdown shows that have permeated the airwaves lately I thought I'd compile a list of the top ten melancholy songs of all time. Of course, by all time I mean this century and the last, and mostly the second half of the last, and by top ten I mean my favorites. I haven't settled on a definitive list yet and am soliciting contributions from my fellow melancholics. Here are my candidates so far in no particular order.

1. Walk Away Renee- The Left Banke
2. Everybody's Talkin'- Harry Nilsson
3. Adia- Sarah McClachlan
4. Twilight- Elliot Smith
5. What'll I Do?- Written by Irving Berlin
6. Oh Girl- Chi-Lites
7. Linger- The Cranberries
8. And now the pick everyone's sure to hate, You Were Meant for Me- Jewel

As you can see the list is far from complete, and who knows which of these will make the final top 10? Post some suggestions and we'll see what we come up with. I've already had suggested: Silent Lucidity by Queensryche, Cat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin Carpenter Montgomery and Gentry, Candle In the Wind (1987 Live Version - Not the Butchered Princess Di rewrite), Look Away - Chicago.

8 comments:

Shannon said...

I'd have to go with Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah." That's probably my favorite. There's lots of classical music too, such as Schubert and Bach and even some Beethoven (Moonlight Sonata), that is pretty melancholy. But as those aren't "songs" per se...guess they don't qualify.

Making arbitrary rules for arbitrary lists is fun!

Michael said...

Twilight by Elliot Smith is an AMAZING pick!!

"But your candle burned so bright, that I almost forgot it was twilight"

Good work!
-Michael

kleknes said...

what about Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division or Nick Drake - Northern Sky? Pretty melancholic.

Unknown said...

elizabeth on the bathroom floor - the eels
please, please, please... - the smiths
slide - dresden dolls
how it ends - devotchka
the flowers - regina spektor

Anonymous said...

Mad World - Gary Jules

Anonymous said...

What about I'm Only Happy When It Rains by Garbage? That's like a melancholic hymn

Anonymous said...

Maybe Tomorrow - Stereophonics

Anonymous said...

In no specific order
1) Just One Last Time-David Guetta ft. Taped Rai
2) I'll Look After You- The Fray
3) I'll Never Love Again-Usher
4) Please, Please- The Smiths
5)Where The Story Ends-The Fray