I know there’s already a thread about sad/depressing music, but this is something different.
So I’ve been listening to a lot of Aqualung lately. And I’ve found that his music suits me most when I’m feeling a bit blue; actually it sometimes makes me feel like crying a little (hey, I’m a girl, it’s allowed!) Granted, with lyrics like I feel so grey, the world got smashed to pieces and put back together the wrong way and I'm losing faith/I'm losing all faith/you’re breaking my heart again it makes sense. But then again, even songs like Brighter Than Sunshine (What a feeling in my soul/Love burns brighter than sunshine/Let the rain fall, I don't care/I'm yours and suddenly you're mine), or 7 Keys (Darling believe you're closer than anyone has even been/Oh baby don't leave me alone/I'm yours for eternity/You hold the seven keys to my soul) give me that gloomy feeling.
And this got me thinking: What is it about music that strikes a melancholy chord in a listener? Is it melody alone, or lyrics, or a combination of the two? What about tempo – does a song have to be slow to be depressing? I guess its partly person-specific, but I’m curious as to the common denominator.
One of my friends, when asked about the saddest song she could think of, said REM’s Everybody Hurts. Now there’s a song with an uplifting message if I’ve ever heard one, and yet makes her feel sad. Seems almost oxymoronic. And there was a time when Metallica’s Black Album made me feel kinda depressed. Or maybe angry, I don’t know, I was a teenager then.
So, what's the saddest song you know? Basically, I’m interested in what songs affect you loungers in the way I’ve described, and what specifically about them (if you analyze that sort of thing) does.
So I’ve been listening to a lot of Aqualung lately. And I’ve found that his music suits me most when I’m feeling a bit blue; actually it sometimes makes me feel like crying a little (hey, I’m a girl, it’s allowed!) Granted, with lyrics like I feel so grey, the world got smashed to pieces and put back together the wrong way and I'm losing faith/I'm losing all faith/you’re breaking my heart again it makes sense. But then again, even songs like Brighter Than Sunshine (What a feeling in my soul/Love burns brighter than sunshine/Let the rain fall, I don't care/I'm yours and suddenly you're mine), or 7 Keys (Darling believe you're closer than anyone has even been/Oh baby don't leave me alone/I'm yours for eternity/You hold the seven keys to my soul) give me that gloomy feeling.
And this got me thinking: What is it about music that strikes a melancholy chord in a listener? Is it melody alone, or lyrics, or a combination of the two? What about tempo – does a song have to be slow to be depressing? I guess its partly person-specific, but I’m curious as to the common denominator.
One of my friends, when asked about the saddest song she could think of, said REM’s Everybody Hurts. Now there’s a song with an uplifting message if I’ve ever heard one, and yet makes her feel sad. Seems almost oxymoronic. And there was a time when Metallica’s Black Album made me feel kinda depressed. Or maybe angry, I don’t know, I was a teenager then.
So, what's the saddest song you know? Basically, I’m interested in what songs affect you loungers in the way I’ve described, and what specifically about them (if you analyze that sort of thing) does.