Top Songs That Make You Cry – As Voted By You

Yesterday we posted about a recent UK survey on the top ten “songs that make men cry the most” which revealed the following as the ten tracks most likely to illicit saline drip from tear ducts:

1. ‘Everybody Hurts’ — R.E.M
2. ‘Tears in Heaven’ — Eric Clapton
3. ‘Hallelujah’ — Leonard Cohen
4. ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ — Sinead O’Connor
5. ‘With or Without You’ — U2
6. ‘The Drugs Don’t Work’ — The Verve
7. ‘Candle in the Wind’ — Elton John
8. ‘Streets of Philadelphia’ — Bruce Springsteen
9. ‘Unchained Melody’ — Todd Duncan
10. ‘Angels’ — Robbie Williams

The overwhelming consensus of Pedestrian readers is that the list above is one for sookie-boys, queersicles, pussies and lameos, and soon enough we had superior suggestions pouring in a mile a minute / 17 people commented (some with mocking). And so – removing the gender stipulation – we devised our own list based on your suggestions in the comments section, facebook and twitter… So without further adieu:

SONGS THAT MAKE YOU CRY – a list by you and me.

‘The Ship Song’ — Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
The low down: Just Nick Cave, a baby grand, and a little Gothic love ballad. The most wonderful part is Nick is singing to this unknown person but it’s kept secret as to what the relationship is: a failed romance? Is he letting someone go? Is it about death? The two sides of a tumultuous relationship – the ship being the good times, the dog being the bad? The mystery is all part of its beauty. Sniff.
Lyric excerpt: We talk about it all night long / We define our moral ground / But when I crawl into your arms / Everything comes tumbling down
Cry worthy? Yes.
Credit: Mike Jennings (and me).

‘Roads’ — Portishead
The low down: Of their seminal trip hop debut Dummy this echoing, haunting album centrepiece is pure shiver-inducing melancholia with Beth Gibbons’ incomparable voice.
Lyric excerpt: can’t anybody see / We’ve got a war to fight / Never found our way / Regardless of what they say
Cry worthy? Cry worthy? It’s desperate. Tissue up, y’all.
Credit: Jason Gook Ling
Portishead – Roads by user2011328

‘We Flood Empty Lakes’ — Yndi Halda
The low down: English makers of cinematic, orchestral post-rock in the vein of Mogwai, Sigur Ros, Mono. This track from EP Enjoy Eternal Bliss sounds like slow, steadily building depression. Utterly shit hyperbole aside, this track is all about the “sweeping violins”.
Lyric excerpt: Instrumental
Cry worthy? It’s a bit anti-climactic but still depressies.
Credit: @tweebs

‘Down by the river’ — Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
The low down: Bruce was in the other list too, but this one is a far superior choice. It’s one of The Boss’s darkest songwriting with some of his best storytelling. And a haunting harmonica part.
Lyric excerpt: That sends me down to the river / Though I know, the river is dry / It sends me down to the river, tonight
Cry worthy? Sadsville.
Credit: “Baz”

‘True Love Waits’ — Radiohead
The low down: Desperate, forlorn freak out tune that is one particular Radiohead song that non-Radiohead fans really seem to love.
Lyric excerpt: I’m not living I’m just killing time
Cry worthy? Refer to (arguably) most depressing lyric of all time above + Thom Yorke voice = man tears.
Credit: Chris from Pedestrian

‘Dream Brother’ — James Buckley
The low down: Pedestrian reader “MK” explained this song is “A plea to his friend not to abandon his [the friend’s] wife and children the way Buckley’s father abandoned him.”
Lyric excerpt: Don’t be like the one who made me so old / Don’t be like the one who left behind his name / ‘Cause they’re waiting for you like I waited for mine / And nobody ever came
Cry worthy? OH. That all makes sense now. That IS pretty sad. Thanks MK.
Credit: MK.

‘The Blowers Daughter’ — Damien Rice
The low down: What has become Irish multi-instrumentalist and troubadour Damien Rice’s signature song after being featured in the fantastic but incredibly depressing film Closer as Natalie Portman walks down the road in slow motion literally turning heads.
Lyric excerpt: And so it is just like you said it should be / We’ll both forget the breeze most of the time
Cry worthy? I just got a little shiver thinking about N-Port walking down street in slo mo.
Credit: “kurtca86”

‘The Queen and The Soldier’ — Suzanna Vega
The low down: Romeo and Juliet style song of unrequited love between a queen and a soldier. The soldier dies.
Lyric excerpt: She took him to the doorstep and she asked him to wait / She would only be a moment inside. / Out in the distance her order was heard / And the soldier was killed, still waiting for her word
Cry worthy? Katie: “I can’t even bear to listen to it.” Zing.
Credit: Katie from Pedestrian

‘Kettering’ — The Antlers
The low down: Off their wonderful and somewhat underrated (or at least under-promoted) album Hospice that’s all about an emotionally abusive relationship. ‘Kettering’ is a shimmering, beautiful tune about a hospice worker and terminally-ill patient.
Lyric excerpt: walking in that room / when you had tubes in your voice / they’re singin’ morphine alarms out of tune .
Cry worthy? Okay, so it’s more than a little melodramatic. But it’s very much impressively depressing. High score.
Credit: Bondy

‘Tear Drop’ — Massive Attack
The low down: Superb understated trip hop at its most melancholy.
Lyric excerpt: Teardrop on the fire / Feathers on my breath / You’re stumbling a little
Cry worthy? It’s called “tear drop”.
Credit: @CakeFace_Blog; and @Polly_Apple_
Massive Attack – Tear Drop by mari-mari

‘Troubled Waters’ — Cat Power; ‘Metal Heart’ – Cat Power
The low down: There were a few Cat Power requests. Chan Marshall’s bluesy minimalism and smokey vocals lend themselves to a decent bawl fest. ‘Metal Heart’, in particular, is a winner with Mick Turner and Jim White of the Dirty Three providing guitar and drums for the record.
Lyric excerpt: Losing the star without a sky / Losing the reasons why / You’re losing the calling that you’ve been faking / And I’m not kidding
Cry worthy? Her angsty teenage vibe always makes me a little wet eyed.
Credit: @simonwstockdale, @OWLSAYEAH

‘Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis ‘ — Tom Waits
The low down: To pick a Song That Makes You Cry from the epic Tom Waits catalogue is like picking bed bugs out of your partners crotch: you can’t do it. This is the saddest Christmas song with the saddest punchline ever. It’ll make a whiskey drinker out of the staunchest champagne fan.
Lyric excerpt: and he says that he loves me / even though its not his baby / and he says that he’ll raise him up / like he would his own son
Cry worthy? Sob.
Credit: Dave; Suz at Pedestrian.

‘Together Alone’ — Crowded House
The low down: NZ represent. Crowded House have churned out a few tearjerkers through the years. This track, off the fantastic album of the same name, uses traditional maori rhythms and lyrics.
Lyric excerpt: Together alone / shallow and deep / holding our breath / paying death no heed / I’m still your friend
Cry worthy? Usually, however watching the hilar video below I couldn’t stop laughing (note the description by the youtube user).
Credit: jk

‘Hurt’ — Johnny Cash
The low down: The Man in Black’s cover of Nine Inch Nails’ ode to nihilism turned into a beautifully poignant send off for Cash when it was released just prior to his death.
Lyric excerpt: and you could have it all / my empire of dirt / I will let you down / I will make you hurt
Cry worthy? Trent Reznor, who wrote the song, puts it best: “Tears welling, silence, goose-bumps… Wow. I felt like I just lost my girlfriend, because that song isn’t mine anymore.”
Credit: Ted Walker
Johnny Cash – Hurt by drink4u

Not satisfied?
Still smiling?
Please add suggestions in the comments section and we’ll put them on the list (unless they aren’t great).

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