This article by Miles Mathis, published on October 21, 2023, compiles a list of the best sad songs, arguing that the 1970s were the peak era for this genre. Mathis contends that sad songs from this decade were more genuinely melancholic, unlike later songs that delved into darker themes like angst and manufactured pathology, which he attributes to government influence and the pharmaceutical industry. He contrasts this with the perceived innocence of music before artists like Morrissey, Nine Inch Nails, or radiohead, highlighting the 1970s as a “Golden Age” of radio music where songwriters like Paul Simon and Leonard Cohen pushed the boundaries of emotional impact.
The article then presents a numbered list of sad songs, featuring artists such as Steven Sondheim, Judy Collins, Nick Drake, Fleetwood Mac, Lobo, Jim Croce, Moody Blues, Eva Cassidy, Michael McDonald, Simon and Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, Don McLean, 10CC, Robert John, Ambrosia, Janis Ian, John Denver, Dave Loggins, Beatles, Roy Orbison, Gotye, Looking Glass, Four Seasons, Snow Patrol, Chicago, Eric Carmen, Leonard Cohen, Michael Martin Murphey, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Terry Jacks, Elton John, Temptations, Hollies, Phil Coulter, The Dubliners, Barry Manilow, Guess Who, Nirvana, Sinead O’Connor, Keane, Bonnie Raitt, James Blount, Olivia Newton John, England Dan and John Ford Coley, Commodores, Randy van Warmer, Air Supply, Henry Gross.
Mathis also offers recommendations for classical pieces that evoke sadness, suggesting specific compositions and performers. These include works by Bach (“Blute nur, du liebes herz” from St. Matthew Passion), Haydn (Cello Concerto no. 1), Heinz Holliger (Oboe Concerto in D minor), Albinoni (Adagio in G minor), Purcell (“When I am laid in Earth”), Faure (Pie Jesu from Requiem), Pergolesi (Stabat Mater dolorosa), Marcello (Oboe Concerto in D minor), and Bach (Cello Suite no. 5), noting the influence of St. Colombe and Marin Marais, and recommending the French movie “Tous les Matins du Monde” and performer Jordi Savall. He concludes by advising that using an oboe or cello in D minor can enhance the success of writing sad songs.