And that is the saddest of all, my girl....

Ken and I watched the movie Adventureland last night. Both of us being total music lovers, we enjoyed the soundtrack just as much as the story line. We also both count mix tapes high on the list of our favorite things, so a scene where a mix tape called J's Bummer Songs caught both of our attention. We agreed to the challenge of the best bummer mix tape. I don't know who will be the judge. Like everything else, we will just decide that we both win...Secretly, I know that he has a much stronger musical focus than I do and his tape will blow mine out of the water, but don't tell him that. And yes, when I say tape I am actually referring to a CD.

So I have started my list. I will try to remember to share it later. In thinking about what I wanted to include, I realized that there are so many wonderful, beautiful, heartbreaking songs that I love that it will be hard to narrow it down to 18 or 19. This is my honorable mention list of 10.

1. If It's the Beaches - The Avett Brothers. Neither of us can use this one because we both love it so much that it cancels each other out. Really, anything by The Avett Brothers is cheating (just like bacon).

2. Space Oddity - David Bowie. "Ground control to major Tom, your circuits dead, there's something wrong." Ugh.

3. Brick - Ben Folds Five. Tragic. What can I say? "Now that I have found someone I'm feeling more alone than I ever have before." Saddest of all, it's true.

4. Tomorrow, Wendy - Concrete Blonde. I dare you to listen to it.

5. Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles. "Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name. Nobody came."

6. Luka - Susan Vega. Whatever. Listen to the lyrics of this pop song and you will hear one of the saddest stories there could be.

7. Fire and Rain- James Taylor. Not only one of my favorite sad songs, one of my favorite songs period. "I always thought that I'd see you again..."

8. Comfortable - John Mayer. Shut up. I love JM. I have often said that this song makes me want to fall in love, get dumped, and be broken-hearted just so I can sing it with the ferver and emotion that it deserves.

9. Always On My Mind - Willie Nelson. Classic story of too little, too late. Get's me every time.

10. Beloved Wife - Natalie Merchant. "A depth so deep into my grief without my beloved soul I renounce my life." It was hard for me to decide between this one and "Seven Years" (both are from Tigerlilly, Natalie Merchant's first solo album).

Listing these 10 has made me think of at least 20 more that are noteworthy. I can remember so many times in my life where I was devastated for one reason or another and the perfect song made me feel altogether better and so much worst all at the same time. This particular verse from the song "That Day" by Poe was the nail in the coffin of a particularly lengthy breakup:



Oh yeah, something else...

I hope one day you call up your father

And you have the guts to tell him how he hurt you

And he made you hurt another

Cause it makes me sad.



There are at least 25 songs by Tori Amos that could be on this list of 10. Same goes for Dar Williams. And Jonatha Brooke. And...the list goes on and on. Then of course there are those songs that make you sad not necessarily because they are the saddest of all but because they hold significance for a particular time or event. I better not start listing those...I could write that post all day.



So here's the challenge: Listen to these 10 songs and see if you don't at least sigh a little. If I listen to all 10 in a row I will be a blubbering fool. Or if you don't like my picks, think about your own. Music is such a driving force. Let it drive you wherever you need to go.



"Put on some old sad bastard music, see if I care." - Jack Black, High Fidelity