The Saddest Songs - The Final Cut

The Saddest Songs
"What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?" - High Fidelity

This morning, Evan and I hashed out the first of many playlists to come. The theme was Saddest Songs. I'm actually overjoyed that this one is over and can be put to bed. I've been listening to little else other than these tunes and my psyche cannot take anymore. I'm miserable because I listen to pop music, how about you?

Highlights of our discussion:
Re: My Inability to Discern Between Gay and God...

9:08:13 AM Allison Rowland: Let's talk about Sufjan Stevens.
9:08:23 AM Allison Rowland: I'm a little weirded out by your response there.
9:09:22 AM Evan: it's a song about jesus
9:09:28 AM Allison Rowland: No it is not
9:09:35 AM Allison Rowland: Oh wait.
9:09:36 AM Allison Rowland: Maybe it is.
9:09:39 AM Evan: clearly
9:09:43 AM Evan: not a sad song about some girl/guy he loves who he'd do anything to be with
9:09:46 AM Allison Rowland: Did Jesus climb a tree?
9:10:10 AM Evan: yea...ever heard of the crucifixion?
9:10:13 AM Allison Rowland: I thought this was a song about Sufjan being gay and the man he loved having to leave everything for him.
9:10:20 AM Allison Rowland: Oh, they count that as a tree?!
9:10:25 AM Evan: nah...it's a jesus song
9:10:31 AM Evan: well it's made out of wood...
9:10:43 AM Evan: and i know you don't call paper "tree"
9:10:49 AM Evan: but i think he was being all symbolic and shit
9:10:57 AM Allison Rowland: This kind of ruins the song for me. :(
9:12:04 AM Evan: yup...ruined it for me, too
9:12:48 AM Allison Rowland: Well, I'm going to try and imagine it as a tree and a normal man and not a cross and a zombie
9:13:25 AM Evan: yup...i think it'd be funny if it was a song about sufjan having sex with the zombie
9:13:38 AM Allison Rowland: ZOMBIE SEX
9:13:44 AM Allison Rowland: GAY ZOMBIE SEX!
Evan Changed status to Offline (9:14:04 AM)
Evan Changed status to Online (9:15:14 AM)
9:15:34 AM Allison Rowland: Did "GAY ZOMBIE SEX" kick you off the Internet in Singapore?
9:15:38 AM Allison Rowland: Are you going to get deported?
9:15:52 AM Evan: i think so...
9:16:08 AM Allison Rowland: Sorry, I'll try to keep those comments to a minimum.
9:16:13 AM Evan: hahaha

Re: How "Hold Me Down" Came to Be Added

9:25:58 AM Evan: you wanna know the truth?
9:26:22 AM Evan: i think hold me down is the saddest of the songs you didn't include
9:26:36 AM Evan: but at 5:19, it'd be selfish for me to fight for it
9:26:57 AM Allison Rowland: No no.
9:27:14 AM Allison Rowland: Of the faster songs, Hold Me Down is the only one I'd consider.
9:27:22 AM Allison Rowland: I'm sorry, I'm not ever putting The Choke on this.
9:27:28 AM Evan: that's fine
9:27:33 AM Allison Rowland: And the Of Montreal song? Just not sad enough for me.
9:27:41 AM Evan: yea i understand that
9:27:59 AM Evan: that one was a "for me" song
9:28:16 AM Evan: i've had a few friends i've lost along the way for their inability to accept the fact that people change
9:28:30 AM Allison Rowland: Ditto.
9:28:53 AM Evan: when i made the list...i tried to think of events that have made me sad
9:29:17 AM Evan: then attached songs i associated with that event, or songs that described it
9:29:45 AM Evan: unrequited love in middle and high school always tormented me...hence The Choke
9:29:52 AM Evan: etc...
9:30:16 AM Evan: fuckin holds me down is so true...so honest
9:30:36 AM Allison Rowland: I can agree to Hold Me Down, which would leave us with 2:27.
9:30:49 AM Allison Rowland: So if that's the one, we're probably not going to get another on there.
9:30:50 AM Evan: yea so i say put that first in queue then let's talk about yours
9:31:05 AM Allison Rowland: All of my biggest ones are on there.
9:31:16 AM Allison Rowland: The only ones I would put up a big stink about at least.
9:31:21 AM Evan: keep in mind holds me down would make a great encore OR penultimate song on the playlist
9:38:10 AM Allison Rowland: We could do Editors and Jeff Buckley - they add up to 7:25
9:38:16 AM Allison Rowland: Or Hold Me Down and nothing else.
9:38:22 AM Evan: hmmmmmmmm
9:38:23 AM Evan: choices
9:38:47 AM Allison Rowland: I say Hold Me Down.
9:38:47 AM Evan: what do you think makes it "saddest"
9:38:51 AM Evan: yea me too
9:39:01 AM Allison Rowland: I think it's unexpected.
9:39:10 AM Allison Rowland: Jeff Buckley: expected.
9:39:23 AM Allison Rowland: dour-sounding Brits: expected.
9:39:30 AM Evan: i worry that editors and buckley won't stand out amongst the others that have similar approaches
9:39:42 AM Allison Rowland: And I kind of like the idea of it being the penultimate track.
9:39:43 AM Evan: and i think hold me down is a different take from everything else on there
9:39:50 AM Evan: yea it's a good one
9:40:19 AM Allison Rowland: So... we're settled?
9:40:24 AM Evan: settled
9:40:30 AM Evan: i like our first list

Here's the final list:

The Saddest Songs

Kyle Fischer - It Seems to Me (I've Long Been Dead) - 4:11 - A

M. Ward - Vincent O'Brien - 2:38 - E

Bayside - Winter - 4:27 - E

Damien Rice - The Blower's Daughter - 4:48 - A

The Reindeer Section - Your Sweet Voice - 4:47 - A

Elliott Smith - Needle in the Hay - 4:16 - E

Owen - One of These Days - 3:44 - A

Snow Patrol - You Could Be Happy - 3:02 - A

Coldplay - Shiver - 4:58 - E

Ben Folds Five - Brick - 4:31 - E

Stars - Heart - 5:56 - A

Johnny Cash - Hurt - 3:38 - E

Gary Jules - Mad World - 3:03 - E

The Format - On Your Porch - 5:12 - E

Ryan Adams - Wonderwall - 4:09 - A

The Weakerthans - Left & Leaving - 4:46 - A

Motion City Soundtrack - Hold Me Down - 5:19 - E

Joy Division - Atmosphere - 4:08 - A

You can upload a single track with all the songs here. (Limited time offer, as Evan and I don't want to go to jail.)

And, finally, if you'd like some artwork to go with that mix, here you go:

For the billionth day in a row, it is rainy and miserable in Boston. How can this be summer? Looks like The Saddest Songs is getting one final spin. Then it's onto brighter things.