Friday, July 15, 2011
THEY SAY SO MUCH, SO FAST: This week's Friday playlist originates with an audience suggestion (yes, we do take them) from frequent commenter Watts--"uptempo sad songs." As I was mulling over what an appropriate theme this week would be on my way to work this morning, Mumford and Sons' "Little Lion Man" popped on the iPhone, and that's almost a paradigmatic example of what I'm looking for there--some seriously melancholy lyrics coupled with a banjo solo that wouldn't be out of place on Banjo Boogie Bonanza. Add as you see fit, ladies and gents.
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The first thing that came to mind is Joe Jackson's entire Look Sharp album. So depressing, yet so danceable.
ReplyDeleteUnhappy Birthday by the Smiths comes immediately to mind for me. Also Motorcrash by the Sugarcubes. And Last Kiss by any number of artists over the years. Still digging...
ReplyDeleteI like Joshua Radin.
ReplyDeleteWhatever Happened To Fun: Candy
ReplyDeletePeace, Love and Understanding: Elvis Costello
Synchronicity 2: The Police
The latter two may be more "angry" than "sad" though.
My first thought was an indie artist I follow on YouTube. Forgive the camera angle, it was never intended to be a video, but he posted it to entice followers to vote in the YouTube NextUp Europe contest. Upbeat piano, but deceivingly melancholy lyrics. http://youtu.be/4qIA3-GSO08
ReplyDeleteThe Mountain Goats do some very fast folk ditties with VERY bleak (yet frequently comic) lyrics. "No Children" is the Gotterdammerung scorched-earth Hiroshima of break-up ditties; i'm not sure if any other uptempo break-up tune ever needed to be written after this one.
ReplyDeleteWhile they've taken a serious left turn a few years ago, the first 3 or 4 pop-punk albums from Alkaline Trio would probably collectively qualify for this. Stuff like "Donner Party (All Night)" - it's about what you think it's about, played lightning fast.
Is that the album with "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" Because that's perfect.
ReplyDeleteMarsha introduced me to Todd Rundgren's "Something to Fall Back On," which I just love, and I think it's a somewhat good fit for this category. (Maybe not "sad" so much as "resigned and a little bitter"?)
ReplyDeleteTotally not the season, but the first thing that came to mind is a fav of this list - The Pogues & Kristy MacColl - Fairytale of New York
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Maybe more appropriate - Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA
I just came up with another one--Rilo Kiley's "Portions for Foxes." Never have the words "I'm bad news, bad news, bad news!" sounded so peppy.
ReplyDelete<p>Lissie - When I'm Alone, though maybe not sad so much as longing
ReplyDelete</p><p>Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Even the Losers (alas, the luck didn't last)
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Yeah, I was going to mention BitUSA (which also could might be a better fit in the angry bucket with the two StvMg suggestions above), but also a couple other cuts from that album: "Working on the Highway" and "Glory Days."
ReplyDeleteAlso -
ReplyDeleteDoves - Kingdom of Rust
David Gray, "The One I Love". It was a long time before I realized that the song was about somebody who was dying in a field.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Frank Black does a lot of songs like this, or at least did did while solo or with The Catholics. St Francis Dam Disaster, pretty much everything off the "Show Me Your Tears" album. I'm drawing a blank otherwise on his songs, but it's worth checking out - different from his work with The Pixies.
ReplyDeleteArmy - Ben Folds Five - a dude looking back on the wreck of his life, and begging that he not get humiliated... AGAIN... on a huge stage that night, even though he feels it chasing him down.
ReplyDeleteMac the Knife -- at least certain renditions -- fits the bill pretty well. Although perhaps more "evil" than "sad"
ReplyDeleteA lot of those are midtempo or downright slow. How about "Keep Yourself Warm" or "Things" by Frightened Rabbit?
ReplyDeletegoing retro, how about "Moonshadow by the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens?
ReplyDeleteVoxtrot's "Your Biggest Fan" fits into this for me....it's a great, peppy-sounding break-up song and so much of it is sort of a triumphant saying goodbye, and then the lyric at the end, "<span>And then I knew, t</span><span>hat I would measure everybody against you. </span><span>Yes I would measure everybody against you," is so sad. Love that song.</span>
ReplyDelete"Bloodbuzz Ohio" by The National, "We Both Go Down Together" by The Decemberists, "Die Die Die" by The Avett Brothers, "Madder Red" by Yeasayer
ReplyDelete"girls with accents" by fences. chorus is nsfw, but incredibly catchy and depressing at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI've been running to quite a few of them lately.
ReplyDeleteStranger Than Fiction by Bad Religion.
The Patient Ferris Wheel by Gaslight Anthem.
Pumped up Kicks by Foster the People
ReplyDeleteI never realized how much I love this genre!
ReplyDeleteI might put "The Dog Days are Over" by Florence and the Machine in this slot too.
Loneliness by the Horslips (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXixe_2WBcU)
ReplyDeleteOrdinary Weekend - JWH.
ReplyDelete--bd
Pretty much every Dead Kennedys song on Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables.
ReplyDeleteLet's Lynch the Landlord
California Uber Alles
I Kill Children
Drug Me
Holiday In Cambodia
Police Truck (I have a Cherry Red UK pressing, and it's on that version of the album, so there)
I know that proto-thrash punk wasn't exactly what you were going for with "Up-tempo", but, you know, 240 beats a minute is about as uptempo as you can get.
--bd
Some of the fallback examples I use to demonstrate what I mean are:
ReplyDeleteBand of Gold - Freda Payne
Memphis, Tennessee - Chuck Berry
Take a Letter Maria
Ana Ng - They Might Be Giants
Veronica - Elvis Costello
Semi-Charmed Kind of Life - Third Eye Blind
Brian Wilson - Barenaked Ladies
Like, you're hearing the song, you're snapping your fingers, maybe shaking your rear a little, and then you listen to what you're singing, and you're like Whoa. That's harshing my merry.
(As per usual, I'll make us a playlist sometime soon from this thread. I gotta say - dance tunes as suggested by Thing Throwers got me through processing several carts of books the other day.)
<span>"Oh where, oh where, can my baby be? The Lord took her away from me..." Um, no, it was your shitty ass driving.</span>
ReplyDelete--bd
Not sure I fully grasp the criteria (my first thought was "well, every other song from 'Sigh No More' to start with...), but if we're looking for songs that are "melancholy/sad" but still "up-tempo," my first thoughts are a couple of 80s songs: Heart's "Alone" and Laura Branigan's "Solitaire."
ReplyDeleteNot to get hyperliteral here, but "Alone" is about 90 beats per minute, which is really slow. I think of march tempo as midtempo. Too fast to march, that's uptempo. Marching to "Alone," you wouldn't get very far.
ReplyDeleteNow that I say that, even the Frightened Rabbit songs I cited are more midtempo.
Ok. How about The Riverboat Gamblers' "A Choppy Yet Sincere Apology," a terrific and very fast song about depression? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ94leC0mUs)
ReplyDeleteEvery person in my family knows Mack the Knife b/c it was my grandfather's favorite song (he wanted it played at his funeral-- we refused). Last week, at a family party, my 6 year old niece was singing and snapping her fingers along with all the adults!
ReplyDeleteI had to google a little to remember this song (which I totally hated when it was out) but perhaps Natalie Imbruglia's Torn would fit the bill?
Yup. Also "Sunday Papers," "Happy Loving Couples," and "Throw it Away."
ReplyDeleteTough this week, so I'll offer a few:
ReplyDeleteLinkin Park "Numb"
Moby "Natural Blues"
10000 Maniacs "What's the Matter Here?"
Lily Allen "Alphie"
How about:
ReplyDeleteA Silent Film "You Will Leave a Mark"
Crystal Castles feat. Robert Smith "Not in Love"
I guess these are sort of uptempo sad songs....from the 80s
ReplyDeleteLuka by Suzanne Vega
Missing You by Tom Waits
Voices Carry by 'Til Tuesday
Your Love by the Outfield
I don't know, maybe I'm stretching, but I was thinking of the lyrics
Oops, that was me.
ReplyDeleteThe Police, "So Lonely"
ReplyDeletesome really old Blues Traveler, "Alone"
Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind.
ReplyDeleteThere's an artist from Quebec who goes by Coeur de Pirate who has a few songs that would fall into this category. My favourites are Ensemble, which sounds like it could be an iPod commercial (my students almost always say that when I play it for them) and Berceuse, which means lullaby but really isn't. It isn't as uptempo as Ensemble, but it kinda sounds like it would belong at Oktoberfest - sort of oom pah pah.
ReplyDeleteThe comments interface on blogger mobile is a lying liar who lies.
ReplyDeleteAs I thought I posted last week, here are some of my examples:
Veronica by Elvis Costello
Band of Gold by Freda Payne
Memphis, Tennessee by Chuck Berry
Take a Letter Maria by R. B. Greaves
Ana Ng by They Might Be Giants
and ChinMusic's already mentioned Semi-Charmed Life
Ooh, Veronica - good one!
ReplyDeleteI'm five days late for this, but "Don't Stop Believin'" is a song about depression and loneliness. The "Midnight Train Goin' Anywhere" is either drugs or suicide, I never could decide.
ReplyDelete