Let's get a list of moving, powerful, ineffable, vulnerable, wrenching songs. An example I have is Eddie Vedder's Long Nights. It's lonely, it's harrowing, and when his voice trembles it's like the character is trying to keep a stiff upper lip, but it's shaking, which just breaks me.
Are there any songs you can think of that give you the sense of someone trying to be strong while showing cracks in their armor? Sometimes, it's more tragic and heartbreaking to see/hear/witness than outright, bashless (word?) sadness.
For the last few months I've been hung up on one track in particular - a lo-fi cover of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land," re-imagined as a song about moving on after a failed relationship, performed as a duet, and written by a complete unknown: Country Death - This Life is My Life. On its face there's nothing exceptional about the song - the production value is zero, the lyrics are simple, the artists aren't particularly skilled, the subject matter is mundane, and the fact that it's merely a re-contextualized classic folk song means that it could never be considered particularly original. But each and every one of those flaws, in this special case, seems to be a reason I enjoy it more - as if they make the song more authentic or genuine. Perhaps those aren't even the words I should be using. Regardless, it is as though the song bypasses the usual critical lens with which I enjoy most music and goes straight to some low-level system of emotional processing that directly transcodes the song into vivid feeling - and it feels very real and... present. Not like a message that is communicated from artist to listener, but as though it's a real situation and I am suddenly in its midst. I think what you're looking for here would be "unabashed."bashless (word?)
This life is my life, that life is yours. Ain't that the truth these days! We just moved into a new house and I was pleased that the neighbors were kind enough to come over and introduce themselves. But, we do tend to lock ourselves in our little boxes and only come out to go to other boxes and lock ourselves in there. Not much of a communal society.
I actually hadn't considered the song from that perspective, which is odd, since it seems it would be the most obvious being that it is the literal inversion of Guthrie's original message (especially considering the verse that is nearly always omitted: " there was a big high wall there that tried to stop me/a sign was painted, said 'private property'/but on the back side it didn't say nothin'/this land was made for you and me "). Perhaps it's due to my familiarity with the rest of the artist's work (and what diverse work it is) that I instantly viewed the song as referencing a breakup, but the line " we've already tried to make it one life " pretty much cemented that interpretation for me.
Strange Fruit - Billie Holiday It's Cool, We Can Still Be Friends - Bright Eyes Running to Stand Still - U2 (Covered by Elbow) Songs without words: Cello Suite no 2 in D minor BWV 1008 - Sarabande - J.S. Bach The Lark Ascending - Ralph Vaughan Williams String Quartet no. 1: 2nd Mvt - Samuel Barber more commonly known as the "Adagio for Strings" in his arrangement of the movement for String Orchestra. String Quartet no. 8 - Dmitri Shostakovich was allegedly left as a suicide note.
I know I'm late to this, but I only just rememberd this song by Sufjan Stevens: Read the wiki on John Wayne Gacy Jr. It makes the song truly one of the most tragic I can fathom.
It's certainly a "tragic" song. For me, it's one of the most bone-chilling songs ever written. Great album! For me, the saddest song from it is Casimir Pulaski Day
I just found this explanation of that song. Never thought of it like that. Still, JWG Jr is sung with so much emotion, as if Sufjan can't deal with the issue as well. Especially when he sings the oh my god part, it never fails to move me.
As for the link, I've thought about the lyrics of this song a lot. A close friend of mines daughter got bone cancer when she was about 18 years old. She was a big Sufjan fan then and relished this song, it really connected with her. I think she was determined to not end up like the girl in the song. Thankfully, she didn't. To the best of my knowledge, she is doing very well. -She's a lovely human being, I'm glad she beat it. When I hear this song, I see her in my minds eye and while the lyrics are sad, I get a bit happy knowing that she kicked cancer and that this song helped her do so.
I won't fault you there, it's extremely moving. As a friend of mine put it, the most beautiful song about a serial killer ever.
Henryk Górecki - Symphony Nº3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs)... Is exactly what it says. Very heartbreaking. I think the second movement might be most pertinent to your request: It's taken from a prayer written by a woman in the walls of a concentration camp telling her mother not to cry and that heaven will help her.
I've got many to contribute, but I'll stick to just one that fits almost all if not all of the criteria above mentioned. Keaton Henson - Party Song. Incredibly simple melody and arrangement, making it that much more powerful and affecting.
I've always thought Sometime Around Midnight by The Airborne Toxic Event was awfully moving. Just another song about an ex, but most people have been there and can identify. It's a good song regardless. Also, The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot by Brand New.
Hmm. More armor. Anyway, how about someone that has given up even trying at all? Johnny Thunders:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_LAFvjyLCM Doesn't mean I didn't try. I just never know why.Are there any songs you can think of that give you the sense of someone trying to be strong while showing cracks in their armor?
Glenn Porter - Self Destruction comes to mind. A rap song about alcoholism. And ID3 - Alone feat. Jett is more ambient. Very melancholic with a touch of hope.
I've been thinking of making a thread similar to this. The saddest songs I know are these two: About Today by The National, and Videotape by Radiohead Both of these make my heart wrench. I have my own interpretations, but I'd love to hear anyone else's.
I have mentioned this song before on Hubski, but Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes fits this description for me. It's probably not heart wrenching to most people but I find it adequately portrays a feeling of loss of innocence and idealism that happens as you get older. It's at times like holding a mirror up in front of my face. It is a beautiful song that is almost hard to listen to for me.
if you haven't checked out Sigur Ròs, absolutely give them a try. They're an Icelandic band--many of their songs are purely instrumental though. I'd recommend their songs: Fjögur Píanó, Valtari, Untitled #3, and their album "með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust". really atmospheric stuff.