The 1972 hit "Alone Again (Naturally)" by Gilbert O'Sullivan is without question the most depressing song ever recorded. It describes the singer's plans to commit suicide and goes on to describe in excruciating detail the death of his parents. The rhythm is so plodding and downtempo that it would be devastating without a single word being sung.
The seventies had their share of depressing songs. "At Seventeen" by Janis Ian and "Diary" by Bread come to mind. Perhaps even sadder still is the Henry Gross song "Shannon" about the death of a dog owned by one of the Beach Boys. Listen and read about that one here.
So it is no small feat to be the saddest song in a decade with such stiff competition. But here's another claim to fame for "Alone Again" - it caused hip-hop artists to have to actually acquire permission to sample music. The Grand Upright Music, Ltd v. Warner Bros. Records Inc case involved rapper Biz Markie and ultimately changed the face of hip-hop.
The critics weren't exactly kind to O'Sullivan. In 1972, the United Press International (UPI) called Gilbert O'Sullivan "the worst potential influence on the direction of pop music since Tiny Tim." However, his song did win three Grammies and spend six weeks at number one.
Gilbert himself is a rather interesting character. In the beginning he often sported clothing monogrammed with a giant letter "G" and a pudding bowl haircut.
Of course, it wouldn't be long before ol' Gil started showing us his lady killer side.
Obviously, which song stands out as the single most depressing is a matter of taste. I've already mentioned a few personal joy killers. Here's some more morose music:
"Wishing You Were Here" by Pink Floyd.
The band's leader had long since gone insane, and their feeling of loss is palpable in this song. During the recording, Syd Barret actually showed up in the studio horribly overweight, head completely shaved, and manically brushing his teeth. A disturbing image to say the least.
"Dust in the Wind" by Kansas
I know life is short and sort of meaningless in the grand scheme of things. But somehow when Kansas says it, the brevity and insignificance of life becomes all too real. Now, if only I could get the hilarious image out of my mind of Will Ferrel singing it in Old School it would be sad again.
"Reflections of My Life" by Marmalade
Wanna kill a happy mood? This may be the worst three minutes you ever spend. Lip quivering lyrics include: "The world is a bad place. A bad place. A terrible place to live. Oh but I don't wanna die ...".
I wrote an entire post on this underrated band here.
"Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin
"Seasons in the Sun" by Terry Jacks
"Rainy Days and Mondays" by the Carpenters
"All By Myself" by Eric Carmen
"One" by Harry Nilsson or Three Dog Night
Freddie Gage's LP below wins the prize for most depressing album cover.
Freddie released one of my favorite off-beat albums, Drugs and Youth - an anti-LSD record which can be found here. It's kind of psychedelic and the album cover proclaims :
HEAR THE TURNED-ON PREACHER.
HE IS OUT OF SIGHT.
HE IS ON THE "IN" TO WHAT IS HAPPENING
But I digress. Back to "Alone Again (Naturally). Here's the lyrics to the song and a video clip.
In a little while from now,
If I'm not feeling any less sour
I promised myself to treat myself
And visit a nearby tower,
And climbing to the top,
Will throw myself off
In an effort to make it clear to who
Ever what it's like when your shattered
Left standing in the lurch, at a church
Where people saying,
"My God that's tough, she stood him up!
No point in us remaining.
We may as well go home."
As I did on my own,
Alone again, naturally
To think that only yesterday,
I was cheerful, bright and gay,
Looking forward to, but who wouldn't do,
The role I was about to play
But as if to knock me down,
Reality came around
And without so much as a mere touch,
Cut me into little pieces
Leaving me to doubt,
Talk about God and His mercy
For if He really does exist
Why did He desert me
In my hour of need?
I truly am indeed,
Alone again, naturally
It seems to me that
There are more hearts
Broken in the world
That can't be mended
Left unattended
What do we do? What do we do?
Alone again, naturally
Now looking back over the years,
And what ever else that appears
I remember I cried when my father died
Never wishing to hide the tears
And at sixty-five years old,
My mother, God rest her soul,
Couldn't understand, why the only man
She had ever loved had been taken
Leaving her to start with a heart
So badly broken
Despite encouragement from me
No words were ever spoken
And when she passed away
I cried and cried all day
Alone again, naturally
Alone again, naturally
The seventies had their share of depressing songs. "At Seventeen" by Janis Ian and "Diary" by Bread come to mind. Perhaps even sadder still is the Henry Gross song "Shannon" about the death of a dog owned by one of the Beach Boys. Listen and read about that one here.
So it is no small feat to be the saddest song in a decade with such stiff competition. But here's another claim to fame for "Alone Again" - it caused hip-hop artists to have to actually acquire permission to sample music. The Grand Upright Music, Ltd v. Warner Bros. Records Inc case involved rapper Biz Markie and ultimately changed the face of hip-hop.
The critics weren't exactly kind to O'Sullivan. In 1972, the United Press International (UPI) called Gilbert O'Sullivan "the worst potential influence on the direction of pop music since Tiny Tim." However, his song did win three Grammies and spend six weeks at number one.
Gilbert himself is a rather interesting character. In the beginning he often sported clothing monogrammed with a giant letter "G" and a pudding bowl haircut.
Of course, it wouldn't be long before ol' Gil started showing us his lady killer side.
Obviously, which song stands out as the single most depressing is a matter of taste. I've already mentioned a few personal joy killers. Here's some more morose music:
"Wishing You Were Here" by Pink Floyd.
The band's leader had long since gone insane, and their feeling of loss is palpable in this song. During the recording, Syd Barret actually showed up in the studio horribly overweight, head completely shaved, and manically brushing his teeth. A disturbing image to say the least.
"Dust in the Wind" by Kansas
I know life is short and sort of meaningless in the grand scheme of things. But somehow when Kansas says it, the brevity and insignificance of life becomes all too real. Now, if only I could get the hilarious image out of my mind of Will Ferrel singing it in Old School it would be sad again.
"Reflections of My Life" by Marmalade
Wanna kill a happy mood? This may be the worst three minutes you ever spend. Lip quivering lyrics include: "The world is a bad place. A bad place. A terrible place to live. Oh but I don't wanna die ...".
I wrote an entire post on this underrated band here.
"Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin
"Seasons in the Sun" by Terry Jacks
"Rainy Days and Mondays" by the Carpenters
"All By Myself" by Eric Carmen
"One" by Harry Nilsson or Three Dog Night
Freddie Gage's LP below wins the prize for most depressing album cover.
Freddie released one of my favorite off-beat albums, Drugs and Youth - an anti-LSD record which can be found here. It's kind of psychedelic and the album cover proclaims :HEAR THE TURNED-ON PREACHER.
HE IS OUT OF SIGHT.
HE IS ON THE "IN" TO WHAT IS HAPPENING
But I digress. Back to "Alone Again (Naturally). Here's the lyrics to the song and a video clip.
In a little while from now,
If I'm not feeling any less sour
I promised myself to treat myself
And visit a nearby tower,
And climbing to the top,
Will throw myself off
In an effort to make it clear to who
Ever what it's like when your shattered
Left standing in the lurch, at a church
Where people saying,
"My God that's tough, she stood him up!
No point in us remaining.
We may as well go home."
As I did on my own,
Alone again, naturally
To think that only yesterday,
I was cheerful, bright and gay,
Looking forward to, but who wouldn't do,
The role I was about to play
But as if to knock me down,
Reality came around
And without so much as a mere touch,
Cut me into little pieces
Leaving me to doubt,
Talk about God and His mercy
For if He really does exist
Why did He desert me
In my hour of need?
I truly am indeed,
Alone again, naturally
It seems to me that
There are more hearts
Broken in the world
That can't be mended
Left unattended
What do we do? What do we do?
Alone again, naturally
Now looking back over the years,
And what ever else that appears
I remember I cried when my father died
Never wishing to hide the tears
And at sixty-five years old,
My mother, God rest her soul,
Couldn't understand, why the only man
She had ever loved had been taken
Leaving her to start with a heart
So badly broken
Despite encouragement from me
No words were ever spoken
And when she passed away
I cried and cried all day
Alone again, naturally
Alone again, naturally
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