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I thought I'd write about some sad songs today. I actually wrote 85% of this post last week and then somehow backed out of it and lost it all, so it seems all the more appropriate that I'm writing about songs that make you wanna bawl. And since I'm prone to list let's call it:

GEORGE'S TOP 5 SADDEST SONGS

1. Leonard Cohen- "Famous Blue Raincoat" (from Songs)
I adore Leonard Cohen's early albums before he had to go and start using synths in the 80's. I consider him to be just as brutally morose as Ian Curtis, though I don't think people perceive him in the same way. This song has it all- faint wind chimes, a gently finger-picked acoustic guitar, the creepy Stepford Wives-esque backup vocals, some sparse strings near the end, and in the middle of it all is Leonard's booming voice awash in reverb. The lyrics are written in the form of a letter from Leonard to his estranged friend who apparently hooked up with Leonard's wife. Ouch. And then it ends with one of the coolest last lines ever- "Sincerely, L. Cohen"

2. Joseph Arthur- "The Real You" (from Come To Where I'm From)
This could be not only one of the saddest songs ever, but also one of the heaviest. With lines like "I feel like taking a razor blade, and on my wrist write an invitation" there's no question as to how bad Joseph Arthur is taking the breakup that surely spawned this song. Though this track is hidden close to the end of his album, the title Come To Where I'm From is a line from this song, perhaps indicating that this track is the heart of this collection of songs. I love his voice, love the guitar, and even love the rickety and poorly recorded drums.

3. Morrissey- "Seasick, Yet Still Docked" (from Your Arsenal)
Having a list of sad songs without Morrissey on it would be like having a list of best dance songs without James Brown, so with that I chose one of many possible contenders from his solo albums. Though many of you could laugh at lines like "I am a poor freezingly cold soul...", I eat that shit right up. Throw some cool washed out atmospheric guitar in there and I'm hooked. Worth mentioning is the underrated production on the first few Morriseey albums. In fact, that's why I always preferred his solo albums over The Smiths. Yes, I said it.

4. Yo La Tengo- "Tears Are In Your Eyes" (from And Then Nothing Turned...)
One of my favorite albums of all time became that because it got me through the worst breakup of my life, and oh yeah, it's fucking brilliant. I used to stay up all night staring at the ceiling listening to this album over and over again until I would eventually fall asleep. Georgia sings this one and her voice always sounds like honey oozing out of my speakers.

5. Prince- "Sometimes It Snows In April" (from Parade)
I know what you're thinking- "What the hell is Prince doing on this list?" Well, that's why Prince is the MAN. Just when you have him pegged as a funk rock madman who just makes you wanna do dirty things with your pelvic region, he goes and writes this achingly beautiful song about a good friend dying. Though most of the Parade album is hard for me to get into, this song and it's placid simplicity kills me. With just piano, acoustic guitar(yet another song on this list with acoustic guitar!) and the pristine harmonies of Wendy & Lisa, Prince brings all the funksters to tears. You get extra bonus points for playing this song when it actually does snow in April.

Ok, so there they are. I'm sure there's more that I'm forgetting that you wanna tell me about in the comments, so let's all be sensitive and share. Yech, did I really write that?

Lastly, I wanted to mention THE GREAT COVER BAND PROJECT. As some of you may remember from my post about cover songs my band(EL JEZEL) would never do, I mentioned forming a supergroup cover band that would comprise of a rotating cast of all the super talented people I know. Well, I'm getting the ball rolling on it and if you think it sounds cool you can check out all the details right HERE. So far the response has been promising and I hope to start putting it all together soon!

Be good, kids.
-george jezel