This Particular Sadness is a melancholy mix for hopeful people. You can see the light at the end, but you’re still in the damn tunnel. At least the radio’s working.
If you have a song that has helped you through a particular challenge, please leave it in comments. Of particular note: Frank Ocean is one of my new favorite artists, so be sure to hit that. Typhoon is an amazing band out of Portland, they’re on heavy rotation too. Please watch the video for Big Jet Plane above. Touching.
This Particular Sadness on Spotify
This Particular Sadness on Rdio
Links to individual songs:
Swim Good from Frank Ocean
Holocene from Bon Iver
No Nostalgia from AgesandAges
Big Jet Plane from Angus and Julia Stone
Sadness is a Blessing from Lykke Li
Famous Blue Raincoat from Leonard Cohen
Someone Else’s Life from Joshua Radin
Yes I’m Cold from Chris Bathgate
The Sickness Unto Death from Typhoon
Oviedo from Blind Pilot
Civilian from Wye Oak
Past Mixes:
Simple Present Mix
Yep, Yep. The 2012 Victory Mix
Dancing Alone in Your Underwear Mix
Mighty Girl 
It’s a bit cheesey, but Matthew Wilder’s Break My Stride has always at least pulled a crooked smile out of me.
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Maggie, I see big jet plane is still striking a chord. It sticks doesn’t it. I hope you find the end to your tunnel soon. Dani
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Such an important theme! Mine are the following, : When My Time Comes by Dawes, Feist’s I Feel It All, Blackbird by the Beatles, Awake My Soul by Mumford and Sons.
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I’m looking forward to giving this a listen.
For me, it’s Makers by Rocky Votolato. It’s dark and depressing, but that’s somehow comforting to me when I’m facing a dark time.
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Big Jet Plane is such an amazing song. I get feelings when I listen Landslide by Fleetwood Mac too
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The Shins’ ‘Sleeping Lessons (RAC Mix)’ got me through the hell hole that was the latter half of 2011.
And for whatever reason, Death Cab For Cutie’s ‘Stay Young, Go Dancing’ never fails to put a smile on my face. It just makes me feel all hopeful.
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Simple Song by The Shins. New but I turned it up way loud in the car today and ached … in a good way .. the way an excellent song makes you ache.
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Suffering, by Satchel.It’s been on almost every playlist I’ve ever made. (And for you old timers, it was featured in the movie “Beautiful Girls.”)
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We Are Only Getting Better – Joshua Radin
Keep Breathing – Ingrid Michaelson
Both of these songs have seen me through some tough times and I still listen to them when I need a pick-me-up.
Also, We Are Okay – Joshua Radin
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Jason Mraz, “Tonight, Not Again” is, to me, such a great song of sadness, aloneness, followed by hope. “It’s when you cry just a little, but you laugh in the middle, that you’ve made it. And don’t it feel all right, don’t it feel so nice…” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_pdtUR1uHQ
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Better Now – The Hereafter
Take it Easy – The Hereafter
Too Many Ghosts – John Elliott (anything by John Elliott, actually. That guy’s music has been with me through many a dark time.)
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As silly as it sounds – I Will Survive. Also, that video was amazing.
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Many the Miles by Sara Bareilles
Little Lion Man by Mumford & Sons
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCvrwRXyiBg
Nina Simone – Little Girl Blue
Good piano just hits me.
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nothing is good enough – by Aimee Mann
(ignore the visual)
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Sad, but optimistic: All I Need, by Hannah Georgas
Full on mope: I Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You, by Colin Hay
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“Orange Sky” by Alexi Murdoch
“No Other Way” by Paolo Nutini
“The Last Day of our Acquaintance” by Sinead O’Connor
“Someone You Used to Know” by Zee Avi
I think I’m gonna cry just typing these……….
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Oh, Leonard Cohen. Is there anyone more deliciously melancholy than my man Leonard? Maybe Antony Hegarty singing Leonard Cohen, but that’s it.
Oh, wait. And Elliott Smith singing anything. But especially Elliott Smith covering a Big Star song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdDrZtOREcE
Sometimes I feel as though sad songs that make me feel good are my particular forte.
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Kathleen Edwards – Pink Champagne
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A cup of ginger tea and “We Have A Map Of The Piano” by Múm. Works every time.
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The Swell Season by Glen Hansard (instrumental only, but a lovely and pure moment and heartbreaking all the same).
Somebody that I used to know – Gotye. Anything by Gotye is good. I promise.
I second Holocene and love the Bon Iver album. Might be my favorite release of 2011.
This is darker and louder, but I’m absolutely obsessed with Florence + the Machine’s “Seven Devils” from her new album, Ceremonials. Very dark, though. Not so much “light at the end of the tunnel”. More like “you’ve been going through the tunnel and realize a boulder fell over the opening on the other end”. Dark.
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Across The Great Divide- Nanci Griffith’s version of the song because it’s the first one I heard.
Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes- Paul Simon. I still love the album Graceland.
Blue Moon- Django Reinhardt’s instrumental version. You can rarely go wrong with Django.
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The Wind by Cat Stevens. Which is not to say that I would not want any water if I were sitting upon a setting sun, just that I like the way he sings about it.
Also, Debaser by The Pixies. Because after that song is over I could breathe fire if I wanted to.
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I’m going to throw in an oldie here, because I just love singing the words at the top of my lungs: “The Great Pretender” by The Platters.
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Anything by Ryan Adams, but a few that get me everytime are:
Come pick me up
When the stars go blue
Two
Just out and seriously heartbreaking is Kathleen Adams….just listen to Pink Champagne.
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Ha! I realize how narrow my music taste is lately when the first song that came to mind was, “Let Me Live in Your City” by Paul Simon, which I suggested for one of your other mixes, too. Or maybe it says more about Paul Simon, that goddamn national treasure. Am I right?
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Oh, I’ve got bunches.
Victory, by Trampled by Turtles
A Little Bit of Rain, by Karen Dalton
And of course, Nina Simone’s cover of ‘Here Comes the Sun’
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Oh, and Whiskeytown’s cover of Dreams
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My husband claims I have the most depressing taste in music possible. That being said, I love this track by Great Lake Swimmers called Everything is Moving So Fast because it’s great background music for pondering big thoughts…plus I found the drumming absolutely hypnotic when I saw it live.
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I can’t recommend Gotye enough, thanks for beating me to it Rebekah!
Of his, go to Bronte and watch the youtube video. Makes me cry every time.
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Oh god, others have said Gotye but “Somebody That I Used To Know” makes me feel every emotion under the sun. Beautiful song.
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“I Stand” by Idina Menzel (I prefer the accoustic version)
“Love Over Gold” by Dire Straits
“River Flows in You” by Yiruma
I second “Famous Blue Raincoat” (this sung by Jennifer Warnes got me through university)
and more recently “Turning Tables” by Adele
Huh. Now that I see them all summed up, it appears the piano is my go-to sad day instrument. Good to know!
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outtasight – wilco
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My go to is “A Better Son/Daughter” by Rilo Kiley. Also “Plainsong” by The Cure–that opening chord gets me every time.
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Really enjoying Freelance Whales – Generator 2nd Floor. Pump the volume and have a little dance party in my kitchen. It’s hard not to smile..
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KT Tunstall – Silent Sea
Kept me going when I was cut loose and had lost the controls.
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Proving that I will always be an angsty teenage girl at heart, Fiona Apple. All of her songs, for always, forever will make me feel like it is okay to be me. Whoever the heck that is……
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Also Everything But The Girl was what inlistened to on repeat last time I was in the tunnel. Especially ‘missing’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAZthLPMcZY&feature=youtube_gdata_player
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Maggie, I love when you post about music. Thanks for sharing.
Definitely agree about Civilian by Wye Oak!
Also get that mournful but stubbornly hopeful feeling from…
Waiting in the Airport by River City Extension
Permanent by the Milk Carton Kids
Any thing by Jeff Mangum
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I agree with Gotye and Mumord and Sons. Great stuff.
“Rootless Tree” by Damien Rice is both very sad and intensely angry. Anything by him is great, really. Also, “Keep Breathing” by Ingrid Michaelson helped me realize that, sometimes, all you can do is let go and survive.
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Alanis Morissette. More specifically, and when that particular sadness is of a brokenhearted nature, this one:
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Through a particularly tough time last year, I got comfort from “We’re All In The Dance” by Feist.
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Florence and the Machine’s Breaking Down and Never Let Me Go.
The former track is particularly interesting to me; I’ve taken it to mean she’s talking about darkness or depression. When she talks about it creeping into her life, lurking at the edges, it paints a very vivid picture in my head of a little dark cloud hovering.
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First high school breakup: Don Henley, End of the Innocence. Man, I’m cool.
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For me recently it’s been an obsession with La Roux.
Bulletproof
Tigerlily
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The best song for transitional melancholy (and total cool points!) is Changes by Black Sabbath.(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otSXkJWeSFoz0)
Don’t let the hard rock front scare you. It’s a great song that perfectly balances harmony and fear of the unknown. As far as break up songs Meg has that on lockdown here (http://webebrave.blogspot.com/2012/01/have-your-friends-collect-your.html)
so good because it’s so hard.
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“this year” by the mountain goats. works like a charm every time. also “going to georgia”.
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One day I’ll tell you how spot on this was for me right now.
Thank you.
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I have to mention The Ark with “Tell me this night is over” and Snow Patrol’s current single “This isn’t everything you are”. I am not one for subtleties when stuck in tunnels, no.
The Ark: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMY_EUw1MUI&ob=av2e
Snow Patrol: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_hhc-QLbyQ
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Eet by Regina Spector
Disarm by The Smashing Pumpkins
I wish I could go back to college from Avenue Q (yes, I am that kind of a dork)
Motorcycle Drive-By by Third Eye Blind
Pretty much anything off of REM’s Automatic For the People
Natalie Merchant
Counting Crows (esp Recovering the Satellites)
Coming Around Again by Carly Simon
Way, way too many more
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