OnePoll conducted a survey with 2,000 participants that named R.E.M. as the saddest song of all time ( American Songwriter ).
The aim of the research was to explore how music impacts people's moods. 48% of participants said that music had a great impact on their feelings, while 36% said they opt for sad music when they are feeling nostalgic and 24% like to listen to sadder music after the end of a relationship.
Besides R.E.M.'s success topping the list, the Top 5 was made up of Sinead O'Connor of "Nothing Compares 2 U" in second place, Eric Clapton Whitney Houston 's "I Will Always Love You" in fourth, and The Beatles in fifth.
“As expected, age differences influenced people's choices. Younger audiences voted for Adele instead of REM, but what is revealing about the research is that the youngest age group chose 'Yesterday' by The Beatles. Perhaps this is a reflection of the recent film of the same name and the importance that films and videos have in providing context for music,” commented Robert Till , representative of the International Association for Popular Music Studies.
Check out the complete list of the 30 saddest songs of all time:
- REM – “Everybody Hurts”
- Sinead O'Connor – “Nothing Compares 2 U”
- Eric Clapton – “Tears in Heaven”
- Whitney Houston – “I Will Always Love You”
- The Beatles – “Yesterday”
- Adele – “Someone Like You”
- Celine Dion – “My Heart Will Go On”
- Roy Orbison – “Crying”
- Eric Carmen – “All by Myself”
- Robbie Williams – “Angels”
- Bill Withers – “Ain’t No Sunshine”
- James Blunt – “Goodbye My Lover”
- Toni Braxton – “Unbreak My Heart”
- Eva Cassidy – “Songbird”
- Coldplay – “Fix You”
- U2 – “With or Without You”
- The Beatles – “The Long and Winding Road”
- Al Green – “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?”
- Sam Smith – “Stay with Me”
- Amy Winehouse – “Back to Black”
- Carole King – “It’s Too Late”
- Lewis Capaldi – “Someone You Loved”
- John Lennon – “Jealous Guy”
- Simon & Garfunkel – “The Boxer”
- Gary Jules – “Mad World”
- Adele – “Easy on Me”
- Boyz II Men – “End of The Road”
- Neil Young – “Only Love Can Break Your Heart”
- Passenger – “Let Her Go”
- The Fray – “How to Save a Life
