Nobody's mentioned Suzanne Vega yet - I can never listen to one of her albums without feeling sorry for the poor woman. Her latest is "Songs of Red and Gray," and I highly recommend it. Using the terms in this thread, I'd have to categorize it as "wallow" music, but with a definite sense of strength underneath the self-pity.
[OT] Best music to listen to when depressed
- Thread starter LightPhoenix
- Start date
barsoomcore
Unattainable Ideal
Most of these have been mentioned, but I think it's time to delve into specifics rather than just list off great depressing bands.
The Smiths
Perfect if you're under 25. Once you're into your late twenties, if Morissey is still telling you things that seem important, you kinda need to get a life. But in your teens and early twenties, he says just about everything you need to know.
Joy Division
If you're serious about your depression, there's nothing else out there. Atmosphere, Unknown Pleasures and Love Will Tear Us Apart. I tell you, after a bad breakup, dancing with wild abandon to Love... is a religious experience.
Portishead
Not only do they share your pain, whatever it is, they make you feel incredibly cool just for having it. Try this: Stay up till 3AM or so. Put Portishead on and lie down on your back on the floor. Put on sunglasses and light a cigarette. Let the smoke trail out of your mouth and watch the curls twist their way into nothingness and reflect on the pointlessness of your entire existence. Very effective.
The Cure
One of the greatest emotional experiences you'll ever have is to sit by yourself and listen first to Pornography. The bleakness and horror that subsumes that entire album will crush your spirit and make you understand how futile and pathetic your life is. Now listen to Faith. I can't explain it, but while you will suffer just as much, you'll understand something even more important -- and you'll want to go on.
Some basic suggestions. I also support nominations for Hank Williams, The Smashing Pumpkins and many of the other fine suggestions on this thread.
But trust me on Pornography and Faith.
The Smiths
Perfect if you're under 25. Once you're into your late twenties, if Morissey is still telling you things that seem important, you kinda need to get a life. But in your teens and early twenties, he says just about everything you need to know.
Joy Division
If you're serious about your depression, there's nothing else out there. Atmosphere, Unknown Pleasures and Love Will Tear Us Apart. I tell you, after a bad breakup, dancing with wild abandon to Love... is a religious experience.
Portishead
Not only do they share your pain, whatever it is, they make you feel incredibly cool just for having it. Try this: Stay up till 3AM or so. Put Portishead on and lie down on your back on the floor. Put on sunglasses and light a cigarette. Let the smoke trail out of your mouth and watch the curls twist their way into nothingness and reflect on the pointlessness of your entire existence. Very effective.
The Cure
One of the greatest emotional experiences you'll ever have is to sit by yourself and listen first to Pornography. The bleakness and horror that subsumes that entire album will crush your spirit and make you understand how futile and pathetic your life is. Now listen to Faith. I can't explain it, but while you will suffer just as much, you'll understand something even more important -- and you'll want to go on.
Some basic suggestions. I also support nominations for Hank Williams, The Smashing Pumpkins and many of the other fine suggestions on this thread.
But trust me on Pornography and Faith.
Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon is just unbelievably good to keep a dark mood going. If you really get into it, the alarm clocks in Time will scare the crap outta ya. 
Tool's new CD is good for that too. But it borders on the angry, dark mood rather than just sitting in your funk.
Hmm, I think I hear Shine on You Crazy, Diamond calling me.....
Tool's new CD is good for that too. But it borders on the angry, dark mood rather than just sitting in your funk.
Hmm, I think I hear Shine on You Crazy, Diamond calling me.....
Avatar of the North
First Post
Um, i mentioned that on the first page, but i was think more along the line of songs like 'And all that could have been', 'Hurt', 'Something i can never have', and 'Leaving hope'
I don't find ringfinger to be that depressing of a song compared to the others i mentioned.
I second the October Rust from Type O.
In a way Korn can actually hit the depression thing, though they tend to release it more as anger than depression
Ciaran
First Post
For me, there's a handful of individual songs that I like to listen to when I'm depressed. I tend towards the "wallow in my depression" kind of music, rather than the "pissed off at the world" variety. The selection does change over time, though, so I've finally managed to shake most of the 80s tunes that I used to endlessly replay. Here's the current list:
"The Boys of Summer" by Don Henley
"Take Me Home Tonight" by Eddie Money
"Everlong" by Foo Fighters
"Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls
"When You Come Back Down" by Nickel Creek
"Red Rain" by Peter Gabriel
"Every Breath You Take" (among others) by the Police
"Sign of the Zodiac" (among others) by Rasputina
"Save Yourself" by Stabbing Westward
"Missing You" by Tom Waite
"Aenima" by Tool
"Winter" by Tori Amos
... and just about anything by Bright Eyes. Man, that stuff is depressing! Good thing I'm rarely depressed anymore...
- Eric
Here's the current list:"The Boys of Summer" by Don Henley
"Take Me Home Tonight" by Eddie Money
"Everlong" by Foo Fighters
"Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls
"When You Come Back Down" by Nickel Creek
"Red Rain" by Peter Gabriel
"Every Breath You Take" (among others) by the Police
"Sign of the Zodiac" (among others) by Rasputina
"Save Yourself" by Stabbing Westward
"Missing You" by Tom Waite
"Aenima" by Tool
"Winter" by Tori Amos
... and just about anything by Bright Eyes. Man, that stuff is depressing! Good thing I'm rarely depressed anymore...
- Eric
Chimera
First Post
Pink Floyd, definitely. Listen to 'Comfortably Numb' as a metaphor for life in general.
Peter Gabriel finally gets a mention. 'Family Snapshot' when you're really feeling mental. 'Mercy Street' when you need it.
U2: Joshua Tree is a two-edged sword. You've got "Still haven't found what I'm looking for", and the ever so depressing "Mothers of the Disappeared".
Talking Heads and B52s are good pickups.
I'll step out of the 80's now...
Peter Gabriel finally gets a mention. 'Family Snapshot' when you're really feeling mental. 'Mercy Street' when you need it.
U2: Joshua Tree is a two-edged sword. You've got "Still haven't found what I'm looking for", and the ever so depressing "Mothers of the Disappeared".
Talking Heads and B52s are good pickups.
I'll step out of the 80's now...
Warrior Poet
Explorer
<Hmm, I think I hear Shine on You Crazy Diamond calling me.....>
An excellent choice, except that's from Wish You Were Here, not Dark Side of the Moon. Wish You Were Here is easily one of Pink Floyd's best albums, and a great one for wallowing. The title track is very mournful, Shine On You Crazy Diamond is a great lament, and Welcome To The Machine is good old fashioned dark-and-sinister. Even Have A Cigar has a brooding element to it. Excellent wallowing-in-a-depression music.
Also excellent for wallowing, and this was mentioned earlier in the thread by Sir Osis of Liver, is Alice In Chains' Jar of Flies. The song Don't Follow is a great one.
Another good wallower: Dire Straits' Brothers In Arms from the album of the same name. The front side of that album is pretty fluffy, bouncy stuff, which is the side they're most famous for, which is too bad, because the second side is really outstanding music.
There isn't enough bandwidth to encompass the list of Blues artists responsible for great music in which to wallow. Some choice examples: Robert Johnson, Sun House, Billie Holiday, Leadbelly, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Muddy Waters, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, Bessie Smith ... you get the idea
Great pick-me-up-and-get-me-out-of-depression music is, as Henry mentioned, AC/DC. There's just too much raw power there to sit still - it's great to exercise to, and generally get motivated about things. Everything they produce grabs you by the insides and slams you into an electric fence.
Iggy Pop's got some great songs to rev up to as well, like Lust For Life, Kill City, and Cold Metal.
Pogues: nothing like loud, drunken, Celtic rage to get you pumped up.
Beethoven is great for getting the blood flowing: Try Symphonies # 2 and #9. Early 19th century Rock-and-Roll.
The Cult: Electric. The whole album - insert into CD player, push play, feel blood pressure increase.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Accapella music that elevates the spirit.
Stevie Ray Vaughan has plenty of Blues to wallow in, but he's also got a great one to cheer up by, off the Family Style album (assisted by brother Jimmy Vaughan, blues guitarist par excellence in his own right), called Hard To Be. Get-up-and-dance-around music.
Look for a CD from Rhino Records called Risque Rhythm. Its various R&B tunes from the 50s that were the target of a "decency" crusade in 1954 because the lyrics are suggestive. The music positively jumps - if you don't feel good listening to this, check your pulse.
There's lots more ... there always is
Warrior Poet
An excellent choice, except that's from Wish You Were Here, not Dark Side of the Moon. Wish You Were Here is easily one of Pink Floyd's best albums, and a great one for wallowing. The title track is very mournful, Shine On You Crazy Diamond is a great lament, and Welcome To The Machine is good old fashioned dark-and-sinister. Even Have A Cigar has a brooding element to it. Excellent wallowing-in-a-depression music.
Also excellent for wallowing, and this was mentioned earlier in the thread by Sir Osis of Liver, is Alice In Chains' Jar of Flies. The song Don't Follow is a great one.
Another good wallower: Dire Straits' Brothers In Arms from the album of the same name. The front side of that album is pretty fluffy, bouncy stuff, which is the side they're most famous for, which is too bad, because the second side is really outstanding music.
There isn't enough bandwidth to encompass the list of Blues artists responsible for great music in which to wallow. Some choice examples: Robert Johnson, Sun House, Billie Holiday, Leadbelly, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Muddy Waters, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, Bessie Smith ... you get the idea
Great pick-me-up-and-get-me-out-of-depression music is, as Henry mentioned, AC/DC. There's just too much raw power there to sit still - it's great to exercise to, and generally get motivated about things. Everything they produce grabs you by the insides and slams you into an electric fence.
Iggy Pop's got some great songs to rev up to as well, like Lust For Life, Kill City, and Cold Metal.
Pogues: nothing like loud, drunken, Celtic rage to get you pumped up.
Beethoven is great for getting the blood flowing: Try Symphonies # 2 and #9. Early 19th century Rock-and-Roll.
The Cult: Electric. The whole album - insert into CD player, push play, feel blood pressure increase.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Accapella music that elevates the spirit.
Stevie Ray Vaughan has plenty of Blues to wallow in, but he's also got a great one to cheer up by, off the Family Style album (assisted by brother Jimmy Vaughan, blues guitarist par excellence in his own right), called Hard To Be. Get-up-and-dance-around music.
Look for a CD from Rhino Records called Risque Rhythm. Its various R&B tunes from the 50s that were the target of a "decency" crusade in 1954 because the lyrics are suggestive. The music positively jumps - if you don't feel good listening to this, check your pulse.
There's lots more ... there always is
Warrior Poet
Last edited:
Aryoche
Explorer
Chimera said:
Okay, well I'll step right in...
Lots of good music being mentioned in this post, I found myself nodding at the great taste in music on these boards!
I'm not one to really stay depressed for any amount of time, but if I need a good pick me up, I put on some Jethro Tull (anything accoustic), old Genesis (Pre- "I can't dance era'), Peter Gabriel, INXS, NIN, Type O, Stabbing Westward, Rob Zombie/White Zombie, Metallica, Queensryche, Thrill Kill Kult, Electric Hellfire Club, KMFDM, Ministry/RevCo/Pigface/et al. the list goes on and on...
But if I wanna chill out, it tends to list towards the Cure, Sisters of Mercy, Depeche Mode, New Order, Enigma, Tori Amos, SRV, Jethro Tull, Skinny Puppy...
Okay, so my tastes go to extremes....
When you want to stay depressed: NIN always helps. Tom Waits Bone machine is always good for a wallow. Putting the stone roses song 'I wanna be adored' on repeat is always good for a few hours of woe-is-me from time to time. Bob Mould's _black sheets or rain_ is always good for a rough spell.
For a good pick me up: Go to an Irish bar. Go to the Jukebox. Play all of _rum, sodomy, and the lash_, by the Pogues . Drink. A lot. At least one beer or whiskey per song. Get very drunk. Make bad decisions. Leave the bar. Vomit. A lot. Before you go to bed mutter "I'm never doing anything this stupid again" When you get up the next day, depression cured!(the hangover, of course, might still be there)
Cullain
For a good pick me up: Go to an Irish bar. Go to the Jukebox. Play all of _rum, sodomy, and the lash_, by the Pogues . Drink. A lot. At least one beer or whiskey per song. Get very drunk. Make bad decisions. Leave the bar. Vomit. A lot. Before you go to bed mutter "I'm never doing anything this stupid again" When you get up the next day, depression cured!(the hangover, of course, might still be there)
Cullain
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