30 Day Song Challenge - Day Four

A Song that makes you sad.

This is a most difficult category for me because I don't tend to listen to music which makes me sad. The ballads I like don't make me sad; think Poison's 'Every Rose Has its Thorn' or Skid Row's 'I Remember You'. These are perfect rock ballads which for many people would remind them of trying times. Maybe, but they are also songs you can sing your heart out to knowing all the words and pull that perfect 'rock ballad a la Michael Bolton face' whilst singing, so really they are potentially guilty pleasures for someone who likes Metalcore, Thrash, & Black Metal.

There are those songs which give you that 'tingling' feeling, perhaps not particularly sad feelings but the songs could be used to emphasise those moments. Someone who introduced me to this challenge (check out her blog http://staceinspire.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/30-day-challenge-day-four/) chose a song from Les Miserables and to me there are definite moments of sadness in this remarkable musical. 'Bring Him Home' and 'On My Own' are two masterpieces, both of which can evoke sad and tingling feelings.

Then there are those songs which are used in films with the sole purpose of making the audience feel emotionally drained, 'My Heart Will Go On' from Titanic. Now I don't want to spoil it but the big boat doesn't have a great voyage and it's quite sad at the end I believe. I'm guessing here from what limited knowledge I have as I have never seen the movie (oh and Celine Dion always makes me feel sad). Then there is Aerosmith's 'I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing' from Armageddon - a 'Rock Face' ballad but set into the movie after a roller coaster emotional ending.

So it is to the movies I head for my sad song. It was a close run thing between two titans of music from two massive films when I was young. Both made me cry, both still create that sad feeling. The trauma they created for many young people was equal to no other and was shared equally amongst all who watched these films as a young person.

The runner up is the music from E.T. - just cast your mind back to the grey, dying little alien and tell me you can't feel the sadness returning. http://youtu.be/WJHMg77pQck (plot spoiler averted).

But my winner has to be the one that would still make me cry if I watched the movie today. The film that I am sure traumatised so many children and adults alike, turned many into vegetarians and did wonders for the Pet industry.

The song which (still) makes me sad http://youtu.be/MODq81_cDKI.

Now where are the tissues :-(