Today, I’m sharing my list of really, really sad songs. It’s a long playlist, so bookmark it to return to if you ever need a good fit of sobbing. I know last year was rough for many of my readers, and I hope you’re not bottling it up. It’s good to have a good cry, and it helps humans sort through the often-tangled emotions of anger and sorrow. Just don’t throw anything, okay? (Unless you’re playing fetch.)
This first sad song is “Cold Missouri Waters,” and it’s about a forest fire… I’m not going to tell the story, I’ll let the singer do that. This video should be nominated for some sort of youtube award because the human who put it together did a very nice job. I’m not sure if it’s about death or life, though.
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The next one is by Pearl Jam, a band that my master likes to listen to on roadtrips. The song is called “Black” and is a classic for any kid who was a teenager in the 90’s, so he says. I’m seriously not sure why we have to pull the car over so he can get all teary-eyed over Eddie Vedder and the waning of grunge– but it happens.
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I can’t have a list of sad songs without John Denver‘s classic tear-jerker “I’m Sorry.” It’s no doubt one of the saddest songs ever, and even though I have no clue what happened in China, after listening to this song, I’m sorry about it, too. If you’re lucky, there’s still a funny commercial before this video (that you can skip in 5 seconds if you want to avoid laughing).
Of course I am going to include “500 Miles” by Peter, Paul, and Mary— and it is NOT the song by The Proclaimers, which was simply a disaster and not sad in the least. In fact, that song is downright peppy– thoroughly inappropriate for this post. Here’s the tear-jerker:
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This next one is called “Children of the Wild World” and it is by Michael Martin Murphy, who encourages us to go there now and take what’s left of living with us. There must be a mountain somewhere…? No, Michael, thanks to mountain-top removal, there’s not.
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Below is the full version (9:45) of Chuck Mangione‘s “Feels So Good.” Chuck, you are the King of Ironic Titles. And I bet that feels good. My master said that he first heard this song in his teens, and that it’s always stuck with him because of the friend who introduced him to it. Isn’t it interesting how humans connect music and memory?
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Why is it that Willie Nelson doesn’t make my blog enough? I’ll never know. He fits the bill today, though, and he really is one of my favorites. Tip your hat to this short little sad song:
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Another throwback to days you wish you might forget, here’s a little Richard Marx. In dog time, just the introduction to this song is an hour long, so consider yourself getting out this one easy…
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ada.mae.compton 
Great list…even if you’re not looking for sobs
My person says a lot of these songs brought back old memories.
I particularly loved the Cold Missouri Waters song about the Mann Gulch fire. It took me on a fruitful trip down memory lane to my favorite academic article of all time on organizational behavior. I re-read it and placed the url below if you’re interested in a densely written but insightful piece. It analyzes the Mann Gulch disaster in terms of how a small group unravels and what to do about it. Factors in the blaze disrupted their very ability to make sense of the world, their identity, and their relationships. I find the parallels to families and my personal life striking, particularly relative to dealing with mental and physical illness. I think I’ll use it for a paper in school, applying similar concepts to family therapy. Drop your tools, interact with respect, and lay down in the escape fire! Thanks!
Click to access The_Collapse_of_Sensemaking_in_Organizations_The_Mann_Gulch.pdf
Russel, Your unique way of viewing the world is always a blessing. Glad to hear from you, pal!
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