I'm a giant wuss. A total crybaby. Tito, get me a tissue!
Those twisted folks at Rhino Records recently reissued the heart-squishing works of Jim Croce. And I'm telling you, I could barely get past six seconds of Time in a Bottle — "If I could save time in a bottle …" — before losing it. Total sobathon. If a co-worker had strolled by, they would have thought I had just dropped an anchor on my toe.
But in considering my own Kleenexian tendencies, I realized that a lot of you are big beautiful ninnies, too. Misery digs company, and when I asked readers for their saddest songs of all time, the waterworks opened with startling honesty. Wow, you guys are a mess … and I love it.
You unloaded all five of the classic caterwauling categories: breakup songs, pet owners mourning Fido, bride and groom first-dancers, losing battles with the Grim Reaper and, of course, the atom bomb of tissue tunes, the daddy's little-girl lullabies.
Because we all need a good cry now and then (or, you know, every time we drive to work or go home for Thanksgiving), here's a sampling of Times' readers favorite weepers. Fair warning: If you're a big softie like me, this is a minefield of malaise. Go on, tough guy, squirt a few …
You're Going to Die Soon … Now Sing Along!
The Dance, Garth Brooks
I Hope You Dance, Lee Ann Womack >>
Live Like You Were Dying, Tim McGraw
Under Pressure, Queen and David Bowie
Time in a Bottle, Jim Croce
The Living Years, Mike + the Mechanics
When I Get Where I'm Going, Brad Paisley & Dolly Parton
(Says Sherrie: "My son actually changes the radio station as soon as he recognizes a tune that will reduce me to mush. Jim Croce, Bread. The list is endless.")
Father-Daughter Devastation
Cinderella, Steven Curtis Chapman
There Goes My Life, Kenny Chesney
Father and Daughter, Paul Simon
You'll Be in My Heart, Phil Collins
Goodnight My Angel (Lullabye), Billy Joel
, Wind Beneath My Wings, Bette Midler
(Says Marissa: "Wind Beneath My Wings … reminds me of my dad who passed away in '99. It was our father-daughter dance at my wedding reception.")
Nobody Loves You
Aubrey, Bread
And So It Goes, Billy Joel >>
Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word, Elton John
Baby Come Back, Player
The Smile Has Left Your Eyes, Asia
I Can't Make You Love Me, Bonnie Raitt
Both Sides Now, Judy Collins
Send in the Clowns, Frank Sinatra
Keep on Loving You, REO Speedwagon
(Says Guy of listening to REO: "Driving to college after saying farewell to my then-gal pal, I was shocked to discover I actually had tear ducts, as I felt a solitary drop run down my face.")
Your Dog Is Dead
Shannon, Henry Gross
(Little Deb says: "Shannon, the 1976 worldwide hit by Henry "Sha Na Na" Gross, was a song written about the passing of Beach Boy Carl Wilson's Irish setter dog of the same name.")
I Now Pronounce You Man and Wife ... Until You Croak or Get Divorced. Sucks, huh?
Forever and Ever Amen, Randy Travis
, When You Say Nothing at All, Alison Krauss
Walking Her Home, Mark Schultz
(Says Bassnote: "That last verse of Walking Her Home causes uncontrolled sobbing.")
Sean Daly can be reached at sdaly@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8467. His Pop Life blog is at blogs.tampabay.com/popmusic.
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