# Music that makes you cry



## Zedcars (Jul 5, 2022)

My father passed away 2 years ago during the lockdown (UK). I’ve always loved this song but, for me, the words carry far more significance than they ever did before. I wasn’t able to be with him when he passed due to lockdown restrictions.

I don’t listen to it very often but it does affect me greatly.



Are there any pieces of music in any style that make you cry or feel sad?

Edit: they can be tears of joy of course, not just sadness!


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## PeterN (Jul 5, 2022)

Good thread.

Christina Perri "A thousand years" - no idea why.


But it must communicate in "another language" which is understood spiritually. Haven't even bothered to check the lyrics, or any story related, it "sings" whatever it sings, and its enough. Simple, but must be an emotional masterpiece.


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## Henrik B. Jensen (Jul 5, 2022)

There’s so much emotion put into how O.R. sings this, and the lyrics are of that “everyday situations / memories”-type that Taylor Swift is also superb at writing:


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## Heizenhaus (Jul 5, 2022)

Where to start? 

There are a couple of songs from the Red Dead Redemption 2 soundtrack, D'Angelo's "Unshaken", Daniel Lanois' "That's The Way It Is". "Compass" by Jamie Lidell from the Red Dead 1 soundtrack.
Johnny Cash's version of "Hurt".
Anything sung by Chris Cornell really...


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## Double Helix (Jul 5, 2022)

Some songs that connect with my adolescent years' experiences with early love(s) & loss; I get more wistful than sad:
Don't Worry Baby
Caroline No


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## PeterN (Jul 5, 2022)

Zedcars said:


> My father passed away 2 years ago during the lockdown (UK). I’ve always loved this song but, for me, the words carry far more significance than they ever did before. I wasn’t able to be with him when he passed due to lockdown restrictions.
> 
> I don’t listen to it very often but it does affect me greatly.
> 
> ...



Btw, that Mike & the Mechanics song, its an emotional masterpiece - as well. Hard to even imagine anyone being able to watch it/isten, for years, when a father passes away. Maybe its cathartic. I think when father passes away (and things looking bad right now) that song will be on my ban list at least 2 years. Or maybe it can help to pour out sorrow. It would POUR - like a flooding.


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## creativeforge (Jul 5, 2022)

Zedcars said:


> My father passed away 2 years ago during the lockdown (UK). I’ve always loved this song but, for me, the words carry far more significance than they ever did before. I wasn’t able to be with him when he passed due to lockdown restrictions.
> 
> I don’t listen to it very often but it does affect me greatly.


Sorry to hear about your father passing and in these circumstances... What a song it is...

I lost a dear friend two years ago as well, she was in a class of her own, a towering soul, musician, who sacrificed career to care for her severely autistic son, early departed. I'm still in shock at all the words I never dared say that swirl in my mind, unspoken, and the miles I didn't travel (damn Covid) and the void her leaving left in my life...

Beside multiple broadcasts of Jazz At The Lincoln Center we watched together from across the country, this is a song I shared with her, it made me think of the impact her son's life had on so many, unaware. Never suspecting it would be forever tied to her memory...


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## Rob (Jul 5, 2022)

this one always moves me to tears...


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## creativeforge (Jul 5, 2022)

Another from Sleeping At Last, with scenes from Up... always gets me...


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## Studio E (Jul 5, 2022)




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## Pier (Jul 5, 2022)

Heizenhaus said:


> Red Dead 1 soundtrack


That moment when you finally cross to Mexico mid-game with this song was unforgettable.


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## Marcus Millfield (Jul 5, 2022)

2 pieces actually:

Remembrance of the passing of my beloved grandmother in 2010:


The song my wife and I picked for our wedding ceremony in 2019:


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## Pier (Jul 5, 2022)

There was a time in my life that I was feeling low and this track by Dario Marianelli made me cry and lifted me up.


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## Lionel Schmitt (Jul 5, 2022)

why only songs so far? Interesting.

there have been quite a bunch over the years but only in the right times.. some recent ones.









7:14 (but I'd listen to the whole track if its the first time for a build)




I'm suing this guy soon... recently there hasn't been much by other composers.
But I'm also low in music listening due to time constraints.
And everyone else writers media music or public music. Thomas writes from the heart and out of inspiration.


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## Lionel Schmitt (Jul 5, 2022)

Pier said:


> There was a time in my life that I was feeling low and this track by Dario Marianelli made me cry and lifted me up.



oh yea, this one did it for me too... First non-song :D :D Thank you!!! 

been a while though. I listen rarely to some favorite pieces


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## Rudianos (Jul 5, 2022)

Johnny Cash has done this for me probably more than any artist.


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## Marcus Millfield (Jul 5, 2022)

Lionel Schmitt said:


> why only songs so far?



Good question! The choreography and way it was filmed really underscores Debussy's Clair de lune beautifully.



It does fall in the almost-tear-jerking category for me, so sorry to OP that I went OT...


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## Marcus Millfield (Jul 5, 2022)

Rudianos said:


> Johnny Cash has done this for me probably more than any artist.



His voice is so pronounced yet subtle. You can't escape it and hits home. Thanks for sharing!


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## Zedcars (Jul 5, 2022)

Marcus Millfield said:


> Good question! The choreography and way it was filmed really underscores Debussy's Clair de lune beautifully.
> 
> 
> 
> It does fall in the almost-tear-jerking category for me, so sorry to OP that I went OT...



No worries. It’s not OT. I added “makes you sad” at the end.

Love that piece too.


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## NekujaK (Jul 5, 2022)

Oh where to begin... there are so many reasons a piece of music can bring tears to my eyes. The music itself is so achingly beautiful, the lyrics are especially poignant, the performance is so intense and beautiful, or it was just associated with a special memory in my life (happy or sad).

In no particular order, and for various reasons:













https://youtu.be/tjW5q20oDwg

https://youtu.be/O_9a7jrs9QQ

https://youtu.be/eLRyYETnoIE

I could go on....


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## b_elliott (Jul 5, 2022)

Sometimes it isn't just popular radio songs. For instance...

In my high school concert band, we had the pleasure to hold a 2-week band camp with daily performances in Bermuda (early 70s). 

For that tour, our band director (Ron Mackay) had written an original concert piece for the occasion, _We Love Bermuda_. We performed it at dozens of clubs, once on a cruise liner, in parks throughout the island. 

Summer passed then my band resumed practicing in the new fall school year. For kicks, we pulled out the "_We Love Bermuda_" chart-- after the first phrase sounded it released tears 1st in the girls but quickly rolled through the band (75 teary eyed tennie boppers). It was sudden and unexpected. Wonderful tears.


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## Laurin Lenschow (Jul 5, 2022)

If I exclude film music, this is the one that comes to mind. For anyone who doesn't know Thomas Bergersen's work or this album specifically: "Seven" is comprised of seven pieces that are each representing a different step or experience of the human life. "Return to sender" is the last one of them.



If film music is allowed as well (it's kind of an uneven "fight" because when I'm listening to the music I'll always think of the scene it was written for), it has to be this one:


When John says "But she wasn't supposed to be like that!" (and even when I'm just listening to the music I know _exactly _when that happens) it just does something to me. (Sorry for the not very eloquent description - English is not my first language 😅)


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## NekujaK (Jul 5, 2022)

Just a recent anectdote of an incident where the power of music made not only me, but a veteran recording engineer, cry our eyes out.

My jazz-singer wife was recently in the studio recording her next album (sorry, can't disclose details until it's released later this year).

Anyway, there are a couple of delicately vulnerable love ballads on the CD, and as my wife and trio were recording them, the engineer, who's a crusty and somewhat cynical old veteran, and I were monitoring in the control room, and neither of us could help but bawl like babies.

Whether it makes you laugh, cry, or feel whatever - it's the ultimate gift a piece of music can give. I treasure those moments.


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## osterdamus (Jul 5, 2022)

When my son was only a few months old I played this for him while I held him. He totally relaxed and we just sat there, looking at each other, during the entire piece. Powerful moment I’ll never forget and it still makes my eyes sweat when I hear it.


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## RogiervG (Jul 5, 2022)

overall music doesn't trigger tears for me. it's often the situation where the music is used in (e.g. an emotional scene in a movie, or a heartbreaking news event, documentary etc)

But, some classical works do tickle my tear tubes, and well. add one ingredient to it (seeing people enjoying the music).. and i start to feel a bit wet around my eyes.. (not really crying.. but just some little wet areas like when you walk head straight into strong windblows..)
One example: nessun dorma - puccini, especially the ending where it all comes together. amazing... and when i see others go in tears of joy, i soon as said, get wet around my eyes too...


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## Zedcars (Jul 5, 2022)

Great content posted so far. I wasn’t expecting quite so many replies but I guess an emotional response will always resonate more deeply than anything else.

I added tears of joy to my first post as that can also be very powerful too.


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## Double Helix (Jul 5, 2022)

osterdamus said:


> When my son was only a few months old I played this for him while I held him. He totally relaxed and we just sat there, looking at each other, during the entire piece. Powerful moment I’ll never forget and it still makes my eyes sweat when I heart it.



We've all heard the Adagio seven-hundred times, but _*this*_ rendering by Dudamel? Absolutely top-tier
Thanks, @osterdamus

Two more short contributions: The love theme from _Sophie's Choice_ gets me every single time, without fail


Stanley Myers' "Cavatina," from _The Deer Hunter_ (here performed by "the other John Williams")--reminds me of Barber's Adagio in its poignancy


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## PeterN (Jul 5, 2022)

Zedcars said:


> My father passed away 2 years ago during the lockdown (UK). I’ve always loved this song but, for me, the words carry far more significance than they ever did before. I wasn’t able to be with him when he passed due to lockdown restrictions.
> 
> I don’t listen to it very often but it does affect me greatly.
> 
> ...



Did you notice the enormous "hiss" in the track Living Years? I never noticed it until I now listened on M1 speakers. Or is that a mistake in YouTube version? I mean, one third of the tracks db is pink noise or something. Heh! I shouldn't have listened on this laptop. Or maybe only those of us who started mixing ourselves notice it!


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## muk (Jul 5, 2022)

The Adagio from Schubert's String Quintet is without a doubt the most most heavenly, saddest music I know:



Also out of the world beautiful and sad:




Not particularly sad music per se, but it always gives me goosebumps:



(Used to great effect in the movie 'Shawshank Redemption').


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## doctoremmet (Jul 5, 2022)

Heizenhaus said:


> Anything sung by Chris Cornell really...


Comment of the week.


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## doctoremmet (Jul 5, 2022)

The lyrics fit my personal life


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## sostenuto (Jul 5, 2022)

How Love Should Be _ Chris Botti /Paula Cole. Music = outstanding / Lyrics = magical. 

[Verse 1]
Flowers for my heart with tender words
And a gentle touch that says so much
This is how I've heard that love should always be
[Verse 2]
With love light in his eyes he'll look at me
And in one bright moment I will see
That all my dreams of love are just as love should be
[Bridge]
I have dreamed that he will give me wings to fly
And give my soul a taste of paradise
That I will feel the magic of romance by his side
[Verse 3]
There'll be music in my head when I hear him say
That he loves me now and everyday
This is how I've heard that love should always be
[Bridge]
I will feel the magic of romance by his side
[Verse 4]
No matter how long it takes to find him
I will let my dreams remind me
That somewhere out there he's waiting for me
Just waiting to show me how love should be
[Outro]
Show me, show me how love should be
_________________________________________________



https://genius.com/Chris-botti-how-love-should-be-lyrics



Have looong been so frustrated to not be able to purchase piano sheet music for this beautiful song. 
Seems so unusual for such publicly peformed, and recorded, music. 🤷🏻‍♂️


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## dcoscina (Jul 5, 2022)

Mahler had a premonition of the death of one of his daughters, expressed in this movement... sadly it came true. 


cannot keep a dry eye for this movement no matter how many times I hear it. Those string suspensions get me every time. from 3:09... heartbreaking.


this might not be "sad" to most but I was listening to this around the time we lost our son and it will forever be associated with that horrible time. I don't usually listen to it because it's too painful.


This part especially hits me, every time.


This one goes without saying..


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## danielh02 (Jul 5, 2022)

As a father of a coming-of-age boy, this one kills me every time:

Cat Stevens - Father and Son

-Dan


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## Zedcars (Jul 5, 2022)

PeterN said:


> Did you notice the enormous "hiss" in the track Living Years? I never noticed it until I now listened on M1 speakers. Or is that a mistake in YouTube version? I mean, one third of the tracks db is pink noise or something. Heh! I shouldn't have listened on this laptop. Or maybe only those of us who started mixing ourselves notice it!


I confess that I didn’t listen to the video version. I was clearing out a cupboard and found my old cassette tape version. But then rather than load up my cassette player I listened on Apple Music. I have a big load of music on old cassettes which I don’t suppose I will ever listen to. But I just can’t bring myself to bin them as they mean a lot to me.


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## PeterN (Jul 5, 2022)

Zedcars said:


> I confess that I didn’t listen to the video version. I was clearing out a cupboard and found my old cassette tape version. But then rather than load up my cassette player I listened on Apple Music. I have a big load of music on old cassettes which I don’t suppose I will ever listen to. But I just can’t bring myself to bin them as they mean a lot to me.





Double Helix said:


> We've all heard the Adagio seven-hundred times, but _*this*_ rendering by Dudamel? Absolutely top-tier
> Thanks, @osterdamus
> 
> Two more short contributions: The love theme from _Sophie's Choice_ gets me every single time, without fail
> ...



Cavatina is a *masterpiece*. I threw it in search here a few weeks ago and "judged" this website by how many times its been mentioned (since most here is film music) The score was low.

Joking! (half joking)


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## Crowe (Jul 5, 2022)

Zedcars said:


> Are there any pieces of music in any style that make you cry or feel sad?


Hardcore.


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## The Retroblueman (Jul 5, 2022)

This one!


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## angeruroth (Jul 5, 2022)




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## EanS (Jul 5, 2022)

(don't care for the lyrics. Levin, Bush and Gabriel are a perfect wave of agony, haunting and also hope here)


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## Quasar (Jul 5, 2022)

Pavarotti is famous for singing this, but Tucker is better:



And this, from _Butterfly_, timestamped. From 20:30 to 21:02 makes me cry:


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## PeterN (Jul 5, 2022)

EanS said:


> (don't care for the lyrics. Levin, Bush and Gabriel are a perfect wave of agony, haunting and also hope here)



a bit strange lyrics.


_When times get rough
You can fall back on us
Don't give up
Please don't give up_

ect.

Don't give up
You still have us
Don't give up now
We're proud of who you are


--

who are these _friends_, the lyrics keep talking about?  maybe there's some hidden message, like angels or something, or is it just some random writing. These are two artists, hard to believe they just decided to sing some random half gibberish lyrics. But who knows. (Wikipedia has an article on "background" but it doesn't fit lyrics really, so the Wikipedia is not to be trusted - me say. Someone bring Peter Gabriel or Kate Bush here for comment.)


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## cedricm (Jul 5, 2022)

muk said:


> The Adagio from Schubert's String Quintet is without a doubt the most most heavenly, saddest music I know:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Off-topic: regarding Gauthier Capucon:
Le violoncelle selon Gautier Capuçon


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## muk (Jul 5, 2022)

cedricm said:


> Off-topic: regarding Gauthier Capucon:
> Le violoncelle selon Gautier Capuçon


Thanks Cédric!


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## Hadrondrift (Jul 5, 2022)

Love this song - This live version stands out for me because of the emotional synergy between Carole and the audience.


It never ceases to amaze me with this piece how much emotion is communicated despite what at first glance appears to be so simple.


And I have a Johnny Cash, too. A very intense audiovisual message, sometimes even difficult to endure for me:


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## danielh02 (Jul 5, 2022)

I love this thread and this forum. Lots of great suggestions to listen to.

This thread would never survive on KVR... just saying...

-Dan


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## EanS (Jul 5, 2022)

PeterN said:


> a bit strange lyrics.
> 
> 
> _When times get rough
> ...


I really don't care about any lyrics but while reading this, I think it's the story of a beta cuck and Kate is just telling him to not count on her at all.


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## newbreednet (Jul 5, 2022)

Great topic for a thread. My first thought was to say "Genesis" by Devin Townsend, but in order to verify the soundness of my claim, I went to listen to it again first. Yup, still checks out. I let myself get carried away and listened to the whole rest of the album that the song spawns from (Empath) and by the end of the closing track "Singularity", I was in full on hugging-myself-while-tears-rolled-down-my-face mode. When I opened my eyes again, the room seemed much bigger....


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## NekujaK (Jul 5, 2022)

And why not a touching song about crying...


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## Jackdnp121 (Jul 5, 2022)

not exactly a crying sad song , but I do sometime listen to this great piece by EWF when i’m feeling abit down


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## HCMarkus (Jul 5, 2022)

Out of tune instruments and voices make me very sad. 

But seriously, so many fine pieces of music here. Thanks all for sharing.


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## NekujaK (Jul 5, 2022)

A couple of years back, I needed to learn this song for a local community performance. I was aware of the song, but never paid much attention to it. But when I sat down and learned the lyrics and tried to sing it, I'd get so choked up I'd have to stop. Eventually I got thru it, but even when I hear it now, it still brings a tear to my eye...


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## Robo Rivard (Jul 5, 2022)

The soul of my people (Québec).


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## LearningToCompose:) (Jul 5, 2022)




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## Quasar (Jul 5, 2022)

Two sentimental tear-jerkers that sort of get to me:


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## Hywel (Jul 5, 2022)

Blimey... over 50 posts so far and yet no mention of Elgar's Nimrod... my personal tear jerker.


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## PeterN (Jul 5, 2022)

NekujaK said:


> And why not a touching song about crying...



I was hoping they dont throw in percussion and more background, but drive it through with only solo string setting and piano. But there was probably some expert in production team, saying verse 2 must have buildup, percussion, repetition, and fuller ensemble.


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## psy dive (Jul 20, 2022)

♥️


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## Zedcars (Jul 20, 2022)

Requiem: VII: In Paradisum by Gabriel Fauré:


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## Loïc D (Jul 20, 2022)

Les 7 Doigts de la Main - Ten Thousand Years (from the show Reversible)



Joe Hisaishi - The Sixth Station



Ennio Morricone - Deborah’s theme


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## doctoremmet (Jul 20, 2022)




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## Trash Panda (Jul 20, 2022)

This is the only song that has ever made me cry, and even then, it was only once on a random repeated listen.


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## ag75 (Jul 20, 2022)

I’ve always loved this song:


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## davidson (Jul 20, 2022)

This, always.


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## NekujaK (Jul 26, 2022)

OMG, just stumbled onto this. This really got the waterworks going.

Knowing the story behind the song makes it even more moving:
"...a first-person narrative to her father, whose neglect of his family was used as a juxtaposition to her husband's unconditional love for her and their daughter, whom they both promised to never abandon."


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## sostenuto (Jul 26, 2022)

NekujaK said:


> OMG, just stumbled onto this. This really got the waterworks going.
> 
> Knowing the story behind the song makes it even more moving:
> "...a first-person narrative to her father, whose neglect of his family was used as a juxtaposition to her husband's unconditional love for her and their daughter, whom they both promised to never abandon."



Woooshh ! This _ just after your Keith Urban post ......... 💦💦💦


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## synergy543 (Jul 26, 2022)




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## Denkii (Jul 26, 2022)

80 % of final fantasy OST.


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## PeterN (Jul 26, 2022)

Hong Kong has joined


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## PeterN (Jul 26, 2022)

and the Sufi prayer


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## elucid (Jul 26, 2022)




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## NuNativs (Jul 26, 2022)

ALL music makes me cry, as means that I am still A/Live and a reason to rejoice.


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## alcorey (Jul 26, 2022)

Andreas Vollenwieder - probably a lesser known song from his catalog - but I have it on my favorites playlist and when it comes on while entertaining friends, "many times" I have been asked to turn it up, or start it over from the beginning - but a little louder. Seeing it has stood that test of piqued interest amongst many 1st time listeners, and having been one of my all time favorite emotional songs - I share it in this thread


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## alcorey (Jul 26, 2022)

OK - one more that always brings tears straight from my heart - an absolutely striking rendition
of Over the Rainbow - which I played for everyone at the end of my eulogy when my mom passed - all were in beautifully happy tears because they knew - she had made it over the rainbow...............


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## timbit2006 (Jul 26, 2022)

I would not say this makes me cry but this intro makes me feel some intense feelings of sadness with the way it is written. If something made me truly cry upon hearing it I would never share it.


I did actually know a girl in grade school that uncontrollably cried whenever she heard female vocal country music. We made fun of her for it since we were kids but thinking back I think she told us some close family member died and it reminds her of that.


I guess this one's also pretty easy to get sad while listening to.


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## elucid (Jul 26, 2022)




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## TomislavEP (Jul 27, 2022)




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## Vik (Jul 27, 2022)

A new discovery... great songwriter, guitar player and singer:


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## PhilA (Jul 27, 2022)

This never fails.



Such a shame such talent is mostly known for one fairly poor movie soundtrack hit.


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## alanmcp (Jul 27, 2022)

The Adagietto from Mahler's 5th, conducted by Karajan or Bernstein. I'm in total awe (and dispair) of how this makes me feel. An extraordinary piece of work.


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## elucid (Jul 29, 2022)




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## Lionel Schmitt (Jul 29, 2022)

how can anyone even come up with such wonderful harmonies?
Super expressive playing too.


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## LudovicVDP (Jul 29, 2022)

I can get emotional with many tracks, according to their context and what they are used for.
But there is one track I simply can't listen to. Ever.

It's Tears in Heaven from Eric Clapton.
In there, he speaks to his young son who tragically died (in a horrible way I might add).

The simple idea I could lose my son (or my daughter, obviously) terrifies me and brings up tears every time it crosses my mind.


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## elucid (Jul 29, 2022)

This but especially this version.


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## PerryD (Jul 29, 2022)

For an unusual genre of music that can make me tear up... When a top drum corps _*gets it right*_. Typically the corps also knows when they've had a great show. I am so aware of the hard work that goes into those DCI shows. Being part of a large crowd that is also appreciative helps. I am thankful I have seen other people affected in the same way.


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## TonalDynamics (Jul 29, 2022)

PeterN said:


> Good thread.
> 
> Christina Perri "A thousand years" - no idea why.
> 
> ...



This is my favorite female vocalist of the 2000s right here, and that's a really nice song about the timelessness of true love. This coming from a guy who usually abhors pop songs, but ever so often you have songs like this that breaks the mold of genres and labels.

She just has a genuine nature that comes through eh?


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## TonalDynamics (Jul 29, 2022)

Marcus Millfield said:


> Good question! The choreography and way it was filmed really underscores Debussy's Clair de lune beautifully.
> 
> 
> 
> It does fall in the almost-tear-jerking category for me, so sorry to OP that I went OT...



Dude, that bounce and return to the stair @1:30 was smooth AF...


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## TonalDynamics (Jul 29, 2022)

This excerpt from Rachmaninoff's 2nd would be the most recent example for me... in this clarinet solo I can hear the litany of suffering of the Slavic peoples during the 19th and 20th century, distilled into what I am convinced is Rach's own pains as well... I heard he suffered from a condition that caused him a lot of neurological pain and ailments, and I think it comes through here.

What strikes me the most is how the 'bed' of strings that persist in the background are constantly oscillating by half tones and whole tones, unsure whether to be major, minor, suspended, as if barely managing to restrain their own tears, and finally arriving at the sweetest Amaj after a long season of grief and weary struggling.

To me it is a sublime underscoring of the bittersweet nature of life by a true master.

Thank you for this thread.


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## MegaPixel (Jul 29, 2022)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vhhTvcLoRw


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H6l6-_elF0


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## Jish (Jul 29, 2022)

Context is king for this, agreed that music on it's own- without an subjectively emotive lyric or scene/sequence rarely is enough on its own to bring out the waterworks.


Pier said:


> There was a time in my life that I was feeling low and this track by Dario Marianelli made me cry and lifted me up.



I also think he really nailed it on this sequence in particular- I recall in an interview w/ Christian Henson him referring to it as the 'split' effect and what it can have on a viewer in a scene.



Another example of the 'split' atleast in a sense, is here in Queen's Gambit- Church choir leading into the found photograph and Carlos Rivera's score- I think both examples carry alot of emotional weight for similair reasons of context and how two pieces of music end up sort of 'weaving' together in a catharsis.


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## PeterN (Jul 29, 2022)

TonalDynamics said:


> She just has a genuine nature that comes through eh?


I think you nailed it. Well done.


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## timprebble (Jul 29, 2022)

Marcus Millfield said:


> Good question! The choreography and way it was filmed really underscores Debussy's Clair de lune beautifully.
> 
> 
> 
> It does fall in the almost-tear-jerking category for me, so sorry to OP that I went OT...




Have you seen the film TOKYO SONATA by Kiyoshi Kurosawa?
Clair de Lune plays a very special role in this film...


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## Marcus Millfield (Jul 29, 2022)

timprebble said:


> Have you seen the film TOKYO SONATA by Kiyoshi Kurosawa?
> Clair de Lune plays a very special role in this film...


No I haven't but will check it out. Thanks for the tip.


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## creativeforge (Jul 29, 2022)

Davida Scheffers suffers from an extremely painful neuromuscular condition that derailed her career, and she thought she would never get to play in a professional orchestra again...

But Davida has lived her dream in winning a contest and the opportunity to play with the Dutch Orchestra. The young blond lady is her daughter, who turned 18 years old that day.


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## carlc (Jul 30, 2022)

Heizenhaus said:


> Anything sung by Chris Cornell really...





doctoremmet said:


> Comment of the week.


I figured I was not the only one. Here is one particularly poignant example, and also one of the best live performances I have ever heard. Not only is Chris' vocal amazing, but the piano player kills it.


EDIT: Another one that gets me is the tribute that Norah Jones did five days after Chris passed at the same theater in Detroit where he gave his last performance.


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## Hadrondrift (Jul 30, 2022)

Here is a piece sung by Nina Simone, whose voice and emotional expressiveness I appreciate very much.


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## danevaz (Jul 30, 2022)

Joni Mitchell's Blue, and For the Roses albums, late at night, in a room with all the lights turned off.


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## danevaz (Jul 30, 2022)

(And for Joni fans, she just made a surprise appearance at the Newport Folk Festival this past weekend - it's on YouTube. Some of the performances are uneven, but she managed to get through one song playing her guitar and gave a heartfelt reading of Both Sides Now. Brava, and if you're a fan, have tissues handy.)


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## Pincel (Jul 30, 2022)

This track never fails to make me emotional, and I can't explain exactly why... I mean it's a beautiful song, but something about it is so poignant and liberating and really resonates with me. It's funny how things affect us in different ways.

Edit: Just listening to this again, and there we go, my eyes always start to get watery by the mid of the song. This one just messes me up, dammit. lol


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## Baronvonheadless (Jul 30, 2022)




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## Baronvonheadless (Jul 30, 2022)




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## jafhouse (Jul 31, 2022)

Still a fav of mine...


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## KEM (Jul 31, 2022)




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## KEM (Jul 31, 2022)

And when it comes to film scores definitely this, I’ve never even seen the movie but this piece of music is just so moving


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## elucid (Jul 31, 2022)




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## PeterN (Jul 31, 2022)

jafhouse said:


> Still a fav of mine...



the melody/chorus and many parts here are stunning compositions. this track deserves to go down in history. if this *was *made by zim plenty his other stuff can be forgiven. what is the emotional base for this, does anybody know? it hovers between humans and gods.

this must be the best arrangement of it - brought tears I the eyes


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## Akarin (Jul 31, 2022)

Once, I was driving back from work. This one came in an auto-generated playlist:



It made me cry. I didn't understand why but I felt that I needed to comprehend this feeling. That's when I started to learn about music. Shortly after, I quit my job and am now doing music only. 

As a bonus, I could eventually get in touch with the composer who gifted me this:


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## Sirocco (Jul 31, 2022)

One that make me happy, sometimes sad, but everything in between because reminds me where i came from, what i am and where i want to go; always.


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## NekujaK (Jul 31, 2022)




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## Bruhelius (Jul 31, 2022)

Tom Waits (Picture in a Frame, Alice)
Mahler (end of 2nd symphony and 8th)


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## Double Helix (Jul 31, 2022)

Although I admire the virtuoso musicians, I am not a huge fan of Country music; however, someone gave me this song thirty+ years ago (hadn't thought of this number in quite a while)
There are dozens of versions, but here's a nice live performance:


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## Satorious (Jul 31, 2022)

This one is currently riding quite high on the emotionometer for me - beautiful, sad, and profound:


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## PeterN (Jul 31, 2022)

3DC said:


> The Cliff - Red Army Choir. Dubbed the saddest folk song in Russia. Mede even comrade Leonid Brezhnev cry.


Never heard before, but what a great one.


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## creativeforge (Aug 1, 2022)

Nai Barghouti - I don't understand the language (some subtitles) but her voice just pulls on my soul unexpectedly... (The words are from Palestinian poet and author Mahmoud Darwish).


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## creativeforge (Aug 1, 2022)

Lévon Minassian (Duduk) - "They Have Taken the One I Love". No so much tears as mesmerizing, deeply moving...


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## lp59burst (Aug 1, 2022)

Piano Sonata No. 14 "_Moonlight_" - 1st Movement


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## Technostica (Aug 1, 2022)

This is a piece that gets me and it reaches a beautiful peak late on.
There’s a single note that pushes me over the edge.


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## Technostica (Aug 1, 2022)

This hit me very hard after a very significant breakup.
I don’t like the original but this is amazing.


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## Technostica (Aug 1, 2022)

I only just realised that this concert recording was filmed


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## Technostica (Aug 1, 2022)

Two more:


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## NekujaK (Aug 1, 2022)

Not only this song, but the entire album - an aging man's introspective reflection on life, love, and youth. And oh those string arrangements by Gordon Jenkins.

Sinatra's masterpiece IMHO. To be savored with a good bottle of your favorite spirits...


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## creativeforge (Aug 1, 2022)

Sirocco said:


> One that make me happy, sometimes sad, but everything in between because reminds me where i came from, what i am and where i want to go; always.



In 1978 I befriended a Spanish jeweler who had moved to Sherbrooke, Quebec, with his wife. Manual and Eva Mayoral. I don't recall how I met them, maybe mutual hippie friends. They brought a lot of Europe with them, the good parts I think - culture, they especially had a fantastic taste in music.

He opened a jewelry shop in town and I'd hang out there often. I painted his front window in a stained glass style during that time. They often invited me over for amazing food and laughter.

One day at their home, he put that vinyl on. That's the first time I heard _Mediterráneo_ by Juan Manual Serrat. Two other songs that I really liked by Serrat, not even understanding the lyrics, were _Lucia_ (and _La mujer que yo quiero_).

These will always stay with me even if I get dementia one day... ♥


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## creativeforge (Aug 2, 2022)

Petru Guelfucci - Corsica

First heard on TV, with piano, cello, and a few men... it was spellbinding to me. In Quebec, we adopted them immediately, we felt the song of their pride and struggle, echoing our own... Still a unique and emotive song... here a live version with Guelfucci and French singers... in Quebec.



In a corner of the world,
There is a little tenderness
In my heart, majestic,
Balm of purity
Jewel of wonders,
Don't look for similar,
You won't find it's equal;
None, only dear...
Corsica.

It is always trigerring envy
This rock tumbled into the sea,
Treasure that spoils
Sacred as an altar.
Calm, sweet as a lamb,
Generous welcoming,
He revolts and rebels
If a man despises his people.


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## Futchibon (Aug 2, 2022)

elucid said:


>



Thanks for sharing, a unique and beautiful cover


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## retroreel (Aug 2, 2022)

Time by Hans Zimmer. THE most beautifully sad and moving piece of music EVER, imo.


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## bitbrain (Aug 7, 2022)

The Other Side - Michael Nyman

True Love Waits - Radiohead


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## TomislavEP (Aug 7, 2022)




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## Vik (Aug 7, 2022)

TomislavEP said:


>



Thanks, I hadn't heard that piece. It's very refreshing when a short theme like this with a simple melody and simple arrangement really communicates something.


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## person (Aug 7, 2022)




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## Great Zed (Aug 8, 2022)




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## RobbertZH (Aug 8, 2022)

The song "Fields of Gold" by Sting, covered by Eva Cassidy:


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## PeterN (Aug 10, 2022)

Beijing


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## PeterN (Aug 10, 2022)

imagine sitting under Karachi sunset and you hear this


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## ag75 (Aug 21, 2022)

KD Langs live version of Hallelujah from the 2010 Olympics was STUNNING. No other voice like hers.


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## PeterN (Aug 21, 2022)

ag75 said:


> KD Langs live version of Hallelujah from the 2010 Olympics was STUNNING. No other voice like hers.



Here is Jimmy Levy to counter it:


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## creativeforge (Aug 21, 2022)

THE HEART ASKS PLEASURE FIRST
It's 1993, I'm months away from breaking free from 4 years of a descent into the hell of an addiction to hard drugs, I lost everything including myself. All I had were a few piano tuning gigs, and the dream of getting out of this season alive in order to pursue music without the traps of self-destruction.

That's when I made my way to a theater in Montreal to watch this new movie _*The Piano*_. I was deeply moved when I heard the music from the movie. Having had no formal training myself, like Ada, I was in awe at the composer's ability to produce a theme/track that sounds like an improvisation from an untrained piano player. Folksy, primal, raw, real, abundant, restless, impatient, overflowing, urgent.

As a teen I had a crippling stutter and a remnant of severe Tourette's (causing a lot of social stigma, bullying and mockery), but as soon I was shown 4 chords on the piano (Let It Be) it opened a door of expression that changed my life. From that day on, I'd play almost every day. 50 years ago.

Ada's journey and connection to the piano - her truest voice - mixed with the music, brought me to tears a few times, and was a kind of validation of my own journey with music, amateur as it is.



TRIVIA EDIT : From what I gathered, Holly Hunter is the one playing the piano on this ▲ recording from the movie. 

► "I wanted to be the one to play the piano in the movie," says Hunter. "I didn't want to be dubbed by a concert pianist. I thought I could get so much information out about Ada through the way she played. And, in fact, (the movie's composer) Michael Nyman and I play the same pieces entirely different. His take is very male and my take is very female."









HOLLY HUNTER STRIKES DEEPER CHORDS IN 'THE PIANO'







www.mcall.com





► "Then, not too long after the film's release, Michael Nyman unveiled The Piano Concerto, based on the film's musical themes..."

"What the composer was hoping for, by revisiting and reworking the film's themes, was that he could create a more coherent structure for the musical material, elaborate upon the texture for full orchestra and make the piano part more virtuosic. After all, a piano concerto for a star soloist is something quite different than the self-contained, almost impromptu pieces played by Ada in the film."









Nyman: The Piano Concerto - Full Works Concert Highlight of the Week


Anne-Marie Minhall writes that Michael Nyman's concerto always brings back haunting memories of the movie, The Piano.




www.classicfm.com


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## person (Aug 21, 2022)

PeterN said:


> imagine sitting under Karachi sunset and you hear this



God is great indeed, that someone could sing so beautifully.


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## PeterN (Aug 21, 2022)

person said:


> God is great indeed, that someone could sing so beautifully.


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## C.R. Rivera (Aug 22, 2022)

I am 66, so have a ton of those. The finale of "The Fire-bird Suite", the very first word of the Platter's version of "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", Duane Allman's slide solo on "Mountain Jam" from "Eat A Peach", "Whiskey Lullaby" as my fiance drank herself out of existence four decades ago, the ending of "Supper's Ready" by Genesis, James Taylor's "Fire and Rain" when he gets to the line about asking Jesus to help him, and the secret softly spoken word at the end of Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer". Trying reading Zorba the Greek's interpretation of the difference between crying and madness and compare it to today's world.


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## Jimbo 88 (Aug 22, 2022)

Anytime one of my children had a concert and the conductor lifted the baton...and all the students looked up wide-eyed. The power of that moment. I thought , "how do you get kids to sit still, listen and perform as one...Music."


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## MarcusD (Aug 22, 2022)

Weirdly, the only pieces that have ever gotten me to well-up are ones without vocals. Anyone else experienced this? One of those pieces is;

Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on A Theme by Thomas Tallis

​


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## river angler (Aug 22, 2022)

Like a lot of people from my generation I first heard the climax theme to this astonishing piece in the BBC 70s seafaring series "The Onedin Line" when I was a child. It must be one of the most if not the most stirring "build up" themes ever written. When it reaches its crescendo it never fails to fill me to the brim with all that's majestic, wondrous and ultimately lost in the timelessness of life itself. A life we question yet feel compelled to enjoy: that sense of sheer anticipation and longing for answers yet hovering precariously on its cusp between elation and sadness. Aram plucked this one from the infinite skies for sure!...


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## Nyran (Aug 23, 2022)

Great thread, thank you. I would like to contribute two more pieces.

For my late uncle:


And Tchaikovsky in a breathtaking performance with the amazing Myung-Whun Chung:


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## river angler (Aug 23, 2022)

Nyran said:


> Great thread, thank you. I would like to contribute two more pieces.
> 
> For my late uncle:



What's fantastic about these kind of threads is that you get to hear some incredible gems you've never heard before! That's a stunning performance of a Tchaikovsky classic! but I'd never heard that Melody Gardot song before and one of the most beautiful music videos I've ever seen- thanks so much for sharing!


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## Superabbit (Aug 23, 2022)




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## Zedcars (Aug 23, 2022)

This one doesn’t exactly make me cry but it does make me stop what I am doing, ponder life and feel like I’m tumbling through the cracks on the surface of atoms and down into the depths of subatomic particles in the quantum world.


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## Brian2112 (Aug 23, 2022)




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## pmountford (Aug 23, 2022)

So many beautiful pieces mentioned, many of which can easily toy with my emotions. However, personally hits the spot.


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## Zedcars (Aug 29, 2022)

This piece is often used in documentaries about Auschwitz. But the piece alone is enough to get me going. It is so very sad and ponderous. Spiegel im Spiegel (mirror in the mirror) was written by Arvo Pärt in 1978 just before departing from Estonia (his home country):


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## SkyPirate (Sep 1, 2022)

Need a soundtrack for a sentimental slideshow and you don't want a dry eye in the house? Harry Nilsson's "Remember (Christmas)," performed by Raul Malo. I like Kasim Sultan's version too.


An artist we lost far too soon, Soraya, "Pueblito Viejo." Back before the day's of iTunes and streaming, I had to find her English language albums where I could, Germany and Japan.


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## BassClef (Sep 1, 2022)

Caoineadh Cu'chulainn (Lament) - From Riverdance


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## ryst (Sep 1, 2022)

I saw Tom Waits live in Atlanta back in 2009 I believe. Best show I ever saw. And since I love this song so much, watching him perform it live hit me like a ton of bricks.


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## PeterN (Sep 7, 2022)

Stunningly beautiful from Россия with love (to Europe) - but they should have ended in in minor (big minus)


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## PeterN (Sep 11, 2022)

Power of music


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## styphonthal (Sep 11, 2022)

Recently went to a Heilung performance which brought tears to my eyes. More of a spiritual event than a musical concert.


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## Remnant (Sep 12, 2022)

I love this thread. I hope it goes on forever. Here is one I could not even listen to for years. Apparently it is about a simple high school breakup, but it was much more to me, and came to represent an extraordinary loss that I could never get over.


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## Remnant (Sep 12, 2022)

And because film music is my best friend, I have to pick one, although I could go with dozens. First one that came to mind goes to Silvestri:


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## Barrel Maker (Sep 12, 2022)

3rd movement of the 9th. Gets me e v e r y time.


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## GtrString (Sep 12, 2022)

I listened a lot to Jan Johansson during my mom’s illness and passing, the whole album still makes me stare and jumble my thoughts. That and Marianne Williamson’s book “Return to love”, which is also music to my ears..


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## A. Coppejans (Sep 16, 2022)

I have seen this movie (Once upon a time in America) so many times i can't even count it anymore.
Ennio's wonderful score makes me cry every single time. 

Also the theme of "Malena" gives me the same feeling.


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## redlester (Sep 16, 2022)

There are two songs on the album "Handful Of Earth" by Dick Gaughan, who was the main man behind the 1970's folk-rock outfit Five Hand Reel, both of which get me very emotional.

The first is "Erin Go Bragh" which is, for me, the greatest anti-racism song I've ever heard. When he gets to the line "Come all you young people wherever you're from, I don't give a damn to what place you belong" I always well up.


The other is the closing track on the album, "Both Sides The Tweed". The Tweed river approximately runs along the line of the historic English-Scottish border. My parents and all of my blood relatives were/are from the southern Scottish borders region, but I was born in England after my parents moved here in the late 50's, hence I have a love of 'both sides' of the Tweed. I had this song played at my mother's funeral in 2015.


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## Hadrondrift (Sep 18, 2022)

Beautifully interpreted version of 'Longina', which I remembered once again today after many years (and I was quite surprised to find it on youtube).


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## vitocorleone123 (Sep 18, 2022)

Not many songs make me cry, unless I’m already primed to do so from something else.

There’s been 2 or 3 tracks from VNV Nation that got me the first few times I heard them. These two are probably the best examples (I’ve heard them so much they don’t have quite the impact, but still are emotionally evocative - just the first few notes can give me chills all these years later).

These are among the best electronic songs I’ve ever heard, transcending, in my mind, into art. Not everything from VNV Nation does, but they’ve been one of the few bands in the broad genre that could, just every once in awhile, completely and utterly floor me emotionally with near-perfection.

Especially Beloved. Damn. Yeah, ok, so I’m listening again and there’s some dust in the air… ‘cause my eyes are clearly just bothering me….



Also, this excellent, but seemingly innocuous track by Amanda Palmer completely snuck up on me when I actually listened to it and paid attention, and it can still render me to tears because it’s not about what you think it is. It takes a turn (brilliantly done). This one is best played loud on speakers - it can be helpful for me to sing(?) along a bit toward the end, especially the last bit.


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## The Gost (Sep 26, 2022)




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## Michael Antrum (Sep 30, 2022)

Last night, my wife and I went to see the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra playing a selection of music from 6 decades of cinema. We were seated about 6 feet from the conductor and orchestra leader. We had Goodwin, Barry and a whole bunch of Williams and many, more.

I must admit I started getting a bit misty eyed when they played Out of Africa, as it was my father's personal favourite. But when they followed this up with Schindler's List, with the lead violin standing just feet away, I ended up in a puddle on the floor.

No matter how crazy and generally crap this world can be, there is always beauty to be found in it...

(The orchestra leader seemed to take this as a great compliment, which if you think about it, it was.)


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## IFM (Sep 30, 2022)

There’s a lot of music that can do this to me from over the years (most all instrumental). This one here does it because of different reasons. 
The sheer joy of Anna, the reaction of the audience because it wasn’t expected, and the sound of that organ just enveloping everything.


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## Dirtgrain (Sep 30, 2022)

Sad times in my past:


Strong emotional content:


This song has saved some people's lives:


I'm a teacher, and this one especially gets me:


Lastly, how many people must have cried over this one?


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## davidnaroth (Sep 30, 2022)

this always gets me emotional


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## PeterN (Dec 18, 2022)

Just stumbled on this channel. It is an American young woman, who went solo travel to meet the Taliban. Just two weeks. There's like 3 episodes - all are stunningly beautiful stories. Real art, and from an American, which makes it unique. When the music kicks in, the eyes get wet. Cathartic! I could recognise Stratus by Spitfire Audio. Love to Afghanistan.


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## PeterN (Dec 20, 2022)

Another stunning one. Canadian woman, severe anxiety (see beginning), she cant take it just crying, prays for a miracle - and *it happens* - she breaks out of The Matrix, ends up marrying in Pakistan. What an amazing story. Tears in the eyes.


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## nolotrippen (Dec 20, 2022)

The final minutes of Dvorak's 9th as he reintroduces themes from the previous movements into one tear-inducing epic. And that last sighing chord.


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## d4vec4rter (Dec 20, 2022)

It's already been posted but it has to be Johnny Cash's Hurt for me. Of course, the original song was written by Trent Reznor and performed by his band Nine Inch Nails. Johnny's cover though was released with an incredibly powerful and emotional video that many say was his eulogy. The fact that his wife June Carter died not long after with Johnny following seven months later is especially poignant.

Reznor was, at first, a little sceptical about letting Cash cover the song but now admits it's pretty much not his song anymore.

I've watched this video so many times but the tears always flow.


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## JohnS (Dec 20, 2022)




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## ChrisCross (Dec 20, 2022)

Here are a few that are extremely moving to me.

Basically all of Keaton Henson's songs are sad but this one is especially deep and touching.


This one is almost too painful.


My favorite song by Damien Rice and there still isn't even a studio version but I just love the raw sound of this live recording.


Glen Hansard gives absolutely everything in this performance and it's breathtaking.


The ending is incredible here.


The Fountain is my favorite soundtrack and this piece is just phenomenal.


Sorry if this list got a bit too long 😅


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## PeterN (Dec 20, 2022)

ChrisCross said:


> Sorry if this list got a bit too long 😅


Not too long - it was too short. Great list.

(Waiting for list 2.)


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## ChrisCross (Dec 20, 2022)

PeterN said:


> Not too long - it was too short. Great list.
> 
> (Waiting for list 2.)


Thank you, Peter! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Okay I'll use that as an excuse to listen to more sad songs hehe. Here are a few more of my favorites~

The lyrics here somehow made me tear up when I first listened to this song.


Another one where the lyrics really got me.


I don't know how many times I watched this performance.


Sincere lyrics about the creation of art.


Beautiful song and lyrics.


This is also a really special performance that always moves me when everyone starts singing together at the end. Somehow this gives me hope for humanity.


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## husker (Dec 20, 2022)

Double Helix said:


> Some songs that connect with my adolescent years' experiences with early love(s) & loss; I get more wistful than sad:
> Don't Worry Baby
> Caroline No


Massive Brian Wilson fan here. Same two for me, plus God Only Knows.

Much may be tied up into what Brian was going through at the time, and knowing what his future would be.


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## telecode101 (Dec 20, 2022)

This Randy Newman track always got me

url --> httttppps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOPb4QUXlu0



> The milk truck hauls the sun up
> And the paper hits the door
> The subway shakes my floor
> And i think about you
> ...


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## JSteel (Dec 21, 2022)

There are plenty of them. I just can't remember them because of some growing fog in my head, like Alzheimer or something like that. (not kidding)

The one i remember is just an intro, but...



If i remember more i'll post them.


And this Masterpiece for sure:


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