Most depressing songs of the 80s: Top 20

What better person to introduce the final 20 songs from the Most Depressing Songs of the 80s list than "Gary" from "Last American Virgin."

I'm going out on a limb here and proclaiming that Gary (played expertly by the much-underrated Lawrence Monoson) is the saddest movie character of the 80s. If you don't know why, then it's time to rent the movie again. (Even sadder that his signature tune ''Just Once" didn't make the top 20, but another song from the movie did.)

This list is for all the Gary's out there. (Click here to see Nos. 21-30, 31-40, 41-50)

MOST DEPRESSING SONGS OF THE 80s: The Top 20

20. With Or Without You (U2): "Sleight of hand and twist of fate, on a bed of nails she makes me wait." [Video]

19. Love on the Rocks (Neil Diamond): "First they say they want you, how they really need you. Suddenly you find you're out there, walking in a storm." [Video]

18. Throwing It All Away (Genesis): "Late at night when you call my name, the only sound you'll hear is the sound of your voice calling, calling after me." [Video]

17. Separate Lives (Phil Collins): "Some day I might find myself looking in your eyes. But for now, we’ll go on living separate lives." [Video]

16. The Bitterest Pill (The Jam): "I wish this grave would open up and swallow me alive." [Video]

15. Since You're Gone (The Cars): "You're so treacherous when it comes to tenderness." [Video]

14. Goodnight Saigon (Billy Joel): "And who was wrong? And who was right? It didn't matter in the thick of the fight." [Video]

13. Against All Odds (Phil Collins): "I wish i could just make you turn around, turn around and see me cry." [Video]

12. Fairytale of New York (The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl): "Happy Christmas, your arse, I pray God it's our last." [Video]

11. Is This The World We Created? (Queen): "If there's a God up in the sky looking down, what can he think of what we've done?" [Live video]

10. Dear God (XTC): "If there's one thing I don't believe in... it's you." [Video]

9. Voices Carry (Til Tuesday): "He tells me tears are something to hide,  and something to fear." [Video]

8. Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper): "You said go slow. I fall behind. The second hand unwinds." [Video]

7. The River (Bruce Springsteen): "No wedding day smiles, no walk down the aisle. No flowers, no wedding dress." [Live video]

6. Mercy Street (Peter Gabriel): "Tugging at the darkness, word upon word." [Video]

5. No One Is To Blame (Howard Jones): "You can feel the punishment but you can't commit the sin." [Live video]

4. Blasphemous Rumors (Depeche Mode): "When I die I expect to find him laughing." [Live video]

3. Here Comes A Regular (The Replacements): "I used to live at home, now I stay at the house" [Listen]

2. Same Old Lang Syne (Dan Fogelberg): "We drank a toast to innocence. We drank a toast to now. And tried to reach beyond the emptiness. But neither one knew how." [Watch video]

1. Fast Car (Tracy Chapman): "We leave tonight or live and die this way." [Watch video]

Comments

[Mike in Austin]

Well done, well done Steve!

M in A

[Walter Cox]

Wow, Phil Collins was one melancholy cat in the 80s, huh?

[Jeff in Cuba]

I was waiting for the enivitable Fogelberg tune (how could you stop with just one?) A friend of mine won 2 tickets to a Dan Fogelberg concert back in 1982 (I think second prize was 4 tickets), and I was the only one who would go with him.
It's hard to convey what an alarmingly wimpy and emasculating evening it was. We were actually handed a box of tampons when we walked into the arena (OK, that might not be true, but if it didn't happen, it certainly should have.)
Here's the essential dating dichotomy of the Fogelberg concert. If a guy brought a date to the concert, she'd perceive him as "warm and sensative" and becuase he went, he'd probably get lucky. If a guy came stag to the same concert, women would perceive him as "wimpy and probably gay" and because he went, he might never get lucky again.

[Tim in D.C.]

Great list! I pretty much agree with how each song placed, although I would probably have moved Voices Carry up to the Number One spot...

[mike]

Blasphemous rumours by depeche mode??
Are you kidding me?
The only hit they had in the 80's was People are Strange.

Nobody ever even heard of blasphemous rumours except obviously somebody who compiled this list of songs.

The replacements was another fringe band back then. They got more popular in 90's.

never heard of the Dan Fogelberg tune. But then again, who has?

Mercy Street by Peter Gabriel? Never heard of it.

Weird list. I know tons of popular tunes from the 80's. I think somebody dug this list out of their personal cd collection.

[KateB]

Dude! Where's Careless Whisper? "And I'm never gonna dance again, guilty feet have got no rhythm...." Maybe the saddest song ever, except for Honey by Bobby Goldsboro.

[Brad]

Jeff in Cuba - you owe me a new monitor. I spewed coffee all over it when I read the line about the box of tampons.

Depressing 80's song #51: Billy Vera - At This Moment. How did I forget to submit that one?

[Spears]

Mike, you're insane if you're being serious in your last post. Please tell me you're joking. Or that will be the most depressing thing yet in this list.

[chase]

Great List gang, and I'm especially proud that I was one of the backers for "fast car," man, that's a hopeless song if I ever heard it ... "we're poor, and we're going to continue being poor, and there's nothing good about it ... by the way, he hits me."

[hoop4you]

I have to echo the sentiments about George Michael? If not Careless Whispers, how about One More Try? By the way, what's the song in the Top 20 from "The Last American Virgin."

[Ray]

When I think of 80s sad songs, two artists always come to mind -- Bruce Springsteen and Don Henley.

You Must Not Be Drinking Enough (Don Henley): "I can see that you haven't recovered from the girl who let you down and you'd sell what is left of your soul for another go-round"

Not Enough Love In The World (Don Henley): "I was either standing in your shadow or blocking your light. Though I kept on trying I could not make it right"

Hungry Heart (Bruce Springsteen): "Got a wife and kids in baltimore jack. I went out for a ride and I never went back"

Fade Away (Bruce Springsteen): "Now baby I don't wanna be just another useless memory holding you tight or just some other ghost out on the street to whom you stop and politely speak"

Brilliant Disguise (Bruce Springsteen): "Now you play the loving woman Ill play the faithful man, but just don't look too close into the palm of my hand"

Great list, Steve!

[Spears]

The Cars' "Since Your Gone" was the top 20 song from Last American Virgin.

But it wasn't the only Cars song in the movie. Can anyone name the other?

[Tonianne]

Shake it Up!

[Spears]

Tonianne is right as always. The Cars are the only band to have more than one song in the movie.

Great list Steve. Again, I think I own most of these songs, and a few of them were my suggestions.

[Bassnote]

Sorry, that last one was me.

[Mike in Austin]

Steve the list was great! You covered every base. In fact, I'm going to get in my car, throw in a cassette tap and sing sad songs with my kids!

All the best,

M in A

[Marissa]

Blah blah blah...none of it matters because my songs didn't make the list. Now I'm really depressed. I guess I wasn't desolate enough in the 80s for depressing songs to resonate with me.
I'll make up for it now in the 00s.

[Spiky Sandy]

Goodnight Saigon (Billy Joel) always makes me cry. I wasn't even thinking of this song when you started the list. This is a great song to see him sing in person. When I saw him in 1994 (I was huge with child), the whole scene was amazing! Consequently, my now 13 year old son, Timothy, loves Billy Joel. I'm so proud!

Same Old Lang Syne (Dan Fogelberg) is such a sad, what-we-could-have-been song. Jeff in Cuba, maybe it's because I'm a girl, but Dan Fogelberg put on an awesome free, radio sponsored show in Vinoy Park. My husband and I were blown away, he was such a great performer. I'm sorry you went with another guy, because you're right, with the right woman, you would have gotten extra points for going with her.

Great list, Steve!!!

[Brett]

Steve,

Great list! I notice that The Bitterest Pill by The Jam made the list! Great band. The song is depressing as all hell. And, it's not even their most depressing (Private Hell takes those honors), just the most depressing well known song they had.

I would have put Howard Jones "No one is to blame" at number 2 behind Tracy Chapman. Those two songs played back to back could make you suicidal, though.

keep up the good work...

[Spears]

I consider pretty much any song in the top 5 to be equally depressing.

"No One Is To Blame" was truly the saddest song I'd ever heard when it came out, especially when Howard plays it solo on the piano. The remix version is too poppy.

[Marissa]

I'm still depressed over the song list.

[Spears]

Marissa -- What songs did you want on the list that I left off?

[Marissa]

::sniffle:: it doesn't matter now, Steve. I'm wallowing in my depression (and listening to the new podcast...which might make me happy).

[Jayson Barclay]

Wow, great list. I personally would have included The Nails - 88 lines about 44 women. Who can argue with such uplifting lyrics as:

"Rhonda had a house in Venice,
lived on brown rice and cocaine.
Patty had a house in Houston,
shot cough syrup in her veins.
Linda thought her life was empty,
filled it up with alcohol.
Katherine was much too pretty,
she didn't do that (expletive)at all.

Uh-uh. Not Katherine."

[pierrette]

Kate - yeah careless whispers man - how could you leave that one out, or what about frozen ghost:
'Love of my life
I don't have a lot to give you
What's in my heart
Is all that I can really give you
Love, undying love is all I have
A handful of words, that might make you laugh'

[Tonianne]

I can't believe we overlooked Paul Hardcastle's "19."

"According to a Veteran's Administration study, half of the Vietnam combat veterans suffered from what psychiatrists call Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder. Many vets complain of alienation, rage, or guilt. Some succumb to suicidal thoughts.
Eight to Ten years after coming home almost eight-hundred-thousand men are still fighting the Vietnam War."