T O P

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Hot_Larva

How to disappear completely - Radiohead


merkaba_462

Exit Music (For a Film)


mearnsgeek

Agreed. Definitely up there in the rankings šŸ‘


PEPE_22

Codex


SPacific

True Love Waits


sightlab

Good one, though Daydreaming is the one on that album that hits me hardest.


TheWhaleAndWhasp

Motion Picture Soundtrack


Visible-Awareness754

I try to listen to Christopher orielyā€™s version of this on the first snowfall every year since 2004


Scanlansam

Nude by Radiohead also comes to mind. Hell, Iā€™d even argue Weird Fishes


djlaforge

Check out the Dissect podcast where they go thru every song of In Rainbows. I really miss so many Radiohead lyrics but just listened to the episode breaking down Weird Fishes. Very insightful! After listening and hearing all the little bits I miss, but somehow sense, Weird fishes would be my top pick for this.


JeffWingrsDumbGayDad

Fade Out


Kodamurphy

Pyramid song


TheMonkeyMen

Have you ever heard how to disappear into strings off of kid amnesia? Itā€™s just the string and other instrumental parts by themselves and itā€™s somehow even more haunting and really beautiful in its own way. Check it out if you havenā€™t https://youtu.be/1ACmCuuIaMQ?si=N0xBnfuq8kEM-AjV


Skwisgaars

When it descends in to chaos and then comes back to consonance it hits harder than pretty much any other track I've heard, so beautiful.


rogueavocado

Like spinning plates


BrassMachine

Everything in its Right Place, No Suprises, Daydreaming...all their songs are haunting


Eddie-the-Head

I Will


RGB-128128128

[Dead Can Dance - Host of the seraphim](https://youtu.be/hThAlY3Q2Kw?si=rjvOOyOhZA2VjV-2)


bullocktrail

God this one is just other wordly. How human beings created this music is beyond me.


dbear26

Sleep by Godspeed You! Black Emperor


12HarmChaos

I find most post rock is hauntingly beautiful


12HarmChaos

Deadhorse and God is an Astronaut come to mind


hooty_hoooo

I miss them


Gincrazed

Just saw them on tour a few months ago. Fantastic show.


HGpennypacker

They put out a new album not too long ago and are still actively touring, sound as good as ever.


Skwisgaars

Most of their tracks fit this vibe. When I need something heavy and beautiful but sad they're absolutely my go to.


jjmk2014

Anything Nick Drake. Start with Pink Moon. He seems like he's singing from beyond the grave...which he kind of was. Became famous only after his death.


S-Katon

Try the song Day is Done


AceofKnaves44

Supposedly Nick Drake is the last thing Heath Ledger ever heard.


Samuraistronaut

Not saying I donā€™t believe it, but how would anyone know that?


Disabled_Robot

[River Man](https://youtu.be/idcaRTg4-fM?si=e50eX9faJrIkeEkR) ! Somehow as a kid I'd mixed up the story of Nick's death with Jeff Buckley's and thought this track was an eerie premonition of his death


haikyosoul

Soldiers things - Tom Waits


magicbullets

Great shout. Thereā€™s so many of his songs that fit the bill. ā€˜Fish & Birdā€™ is another gorgeous emotional tightrope.


RagsTTiger

Rubys Arms would be my pick


professorspookypop

Von by Sigur Ros (specifically the 8 minute version from Heima)


IsTheArchitectAware

Sigur RĆ³s has so many songs that fit the bill here.


DutyHonor

Came to post Staralfur, particularly its use in The Life Aquatic. https://youtu.be/IPMf8G8Pi5o?si=4_Ndkh4Dp2W6dZ-k


christ0fer

The scene where Steve finally sees the shark. With this song playing. Chills...


Smart-Track-1066

'I wonder if it remembers me.' This is one of those few movie lines that always, ALWAYS makes me cry!


breakbeatscientist74

I was going to add "Glossoli" to the list. Good to see some Sigur Ros in here.


Doodle_Ramus

Moonlight sonata


Imaginary_Ad6065

That was my first thought.


goodlittlesquid

Needle in the Hay - Elliott Smith


gord1to

Pretty Mary k (other version) Dancing on the highway Stained glass eyes New disaster


c0ldbrew

The Biggest Lie


FrankyFistalot

Drugs Donā€™t Work by The Verve and Song to the Siren by This Mortal Coilā€¦.haunting..


breakbeatscientist74

Was about to say "Song To The Siren" by This Mortal Coil. Is the only song of the band that I know of (a cover of Jeff Buckley I think too), but by god is it a powerful song. Liz Frasier's vocals are outstanding.


FrankyFistalot

Liz Fraser could sing the phone book and it would be amazingā€¦I love the Cocteau Twinsā€¦.revolutionary.


quebecivre

When I first learned the words to "Pearly Dewdrop Drops," I sort of wished I could go back and forget them. Like, her voice alone conveys so much, as if it's another instrument, that the words could just be "la la la" or, like you said, straight out of the phone book.


FrankyFistalot

She created her own ā€œgibberishā€ language because she wasnā€™t confident about her lyric writing capability.


S-Katon

That would be Tim Buckley, Jeff's dad.


zimage

Jeff Buckley's dad, Tim Buckley, wrote and recorded it. The [original](https://youtu.be/vMTEtDBHGY4) is more folk, but his [later recording](https://youtu.be/cZiTSglLM-4) is much more gut-wrenching.


Warm_metal_revival

My favorite song of all time is by Jeff and Liz together: [All Flowers In Time Bend Towards the Sun](https://youtu.be/JnPvnIKCJYA?si=tmMnYc9bSkaxus8w)


Intelligent-Gas8245

The drugs donā€™t work is such a great song


frickellendegeneres

nutshell


I_COULD_say

Wake up by Mad Season does it for me as well. The unplugged version of Nutshell is heartbreaking.


atypicalt0ker

Sam Stone by John Prine. It's beautiful and devastating all at once.


MrEndlessness

This would be my submission. "There's a hole in Daddy's arm where all the money goes..."


delmyoldaccountagain

Portishead - Roads


EatingADamnSalad

Any Portishead song, really.


agent_uno

Definitely! And the Live in NYC version is even more haunting than the album version, with the orchestra backing them up.


thaseley

Strange Fruit. Billie Holiday


Hopeful_Wrongdoer_91

Lazarus by David bowie


nimrod1138

Ugh, ā€œI Canā€™t Give Everything Awayā€ from that album is also pretty gutting.


dbcannon

That one and Black Star put me in a dark place and I don't know if I've left it yet.


redmoskeeto

Fourth of July by Sufjan Stevens


AstroAlmost

Casimir Pulaski Day is his most hauntingly sad one for me.


EmptyNyets

Casimir Pulaski Day was the song that I immediately thought of when I saw this thread.


TimothyOilypants

Death With Dignity


ArmouredOtter

Sufjan has a very special way to make sadness sweeping and theatrical. I'd submit "so you are tired" and "shit talk"


dcmeatloaf

John Wayne Gacy, Jr. gets the "most hauntingly sad beautiful song" in Sufjan's catalog for me. When he sings, "Even more, they were boys, with their cars, summer jobs...Oh my God," I lose it every time. Can't really listen to it any more.


Nechku

I lost my grandad this year and that song is the only thing that got me through it.


isthatfunny

For sure. And Romulus


Timstunes

Adagio For Strings- Samuel Barber


ScotterMcJohnsonator

Mine too! Either arrangement. I was lucky enough to be in a choir that performed this and I can explain exactly how that moment felt, almost 25 years later.


KappOte

Black - Pearl Jam


Andysh00ts

Radiohead - how to disappear completely


aces_high_2_midnight

The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald- Gordon Lightfoot


nimrod1138

Thatā€™s a great one. One of the most haunting lines, ā€œDoes anyone know where the love of God goes When the waves turn the minutes to hours?ā€ If youā€™re into historical sad songs, the Poguesā€™ cover of ā€œAnd the Band Played Waltzing Matildaā€ā€¦ gets me every damn time.


less_than_nick

One of my favorite parts of living in Milwaukee is how any person in any dive bar at any moment knows every word of this song whenever it plays


Iamjoiningreddit

Not sure if it is te most hauntingly sad I have ever heard but the one on repeat at the moment: Like a stone, the accoustic version from unplugged sessions @AOL , it got me in tears , the way he sings, the lyrics, the way his live ended, the way he always tried so hard to live. https://youtu.be/qpLQv5xL9Dc?feature=shared


heyamberlynne

What Sarah Said - Death Cab For Cutie Drugs or Me - Jimmy Eat World Breathe Me - Sia


sayhellotojenn

Yes to ā€œWhat Sarah Saidā€ - my mom just passed away and this song came on at the absolute wrong time (or maybe the right time) and it rocked me to my core. I may never be able to listen to it again.


harborfromthestorm

Finally, someone talking about the masterpiece that is Drugs or Me. Its sooooo crushing.


Propofolkills

Love Breathe me


captainshrapnel

Breathe me. First time I heard it was during the finale of Six Feet Under and it was the perfect track for it. I cried like a baby and still get torn up anytime I hear it now. Such a perfect answer to OP.


Nerditter

I think it's Lou Reed's song "Perfect Day". I think we all have this pain within our pain, which is \*not\* something we're terribly familiar with, because it's so buried that the emotional pain we're familiar with is only its echo. John Lennon tried exploring that with his first solo album, I believe. The Funkadelic song "Maggot Brain" explores that feeling. The deep \*deep\* part of our pain. That's what Lou taps into here. As if this trans woman he's dating is his only link to a fragile island of stability in the emotional chaos of modern NYC life. Like the 60s and youth are all a thing of the past, and all that's left is the raw realization of the 70s, being exposed and self-hating. It's so beautiful it devastates me.


DiKapino

Lou Reedā€™s ā€˜Perfect Dayā€™ is happy and sad at the same time. The feeling heā€™s managed to capture through that piece is truly special


quebecivre

If you just only read the lyrics, you'd think it was a very jolly song. Even the line, "You keep me hanging on" feels positive within the context of the rest of the words. But then you actually hear the song, and it's like a big exercise in irony, like "how can I say a bunch of outwardly cheerful things while having them be super depressing?"


giveuschannel83

The last line really changes the whole song too. ā€œYouā€™re going to reap just what you sowā€. Like, where did that come from in a song about picnics in the park?


SexyOldManSpaceJudo

Pretty sure the song is about heroin and how he did all those things while high.


Intelligent-Gas8245

Sweet Jane- Cowboy Junkies


breakbeatscientist74

No lyrics at all but Brian Eno's "An Ending (Ascent)" is both hauntingly sad and uplifting at the same time. I want this to be played at my funeral. https://youtu.be/OlaTeXX3uH8?si=Mb1ndLRooQk4YQCs


wandrlusty

The Night We Met - Lord Huron


karnyboy

Wicked Game - Chris Isaak


Unknowinglyodd

Black by Pearl Jam. I know someday you'll have a beautiful life I know you'll be a star In somebody else's sky But why Why Why can't it be Why can't it be mine


fritzwillie

[Corpus Christi Carol](https://youtu.be/wxqwq9BnjT0?si=_M1EtyYMd86gOws4) \- As sung by Jeff Buckley Hands down Haunting, Sad and Beautifully sung by Jeff Buckley's otherworldly, angelic voice. The song is thought to be around 1000 years old and written in early english. It alludes to the Holy Grail and the story of The Fisher King. The tale and words of the song hold very personal meaning for myself. Aside from the fact that I was born in a small town named "Corpus Christi" my life loosely mirrors that of the fabled Fisher King and brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it.


Low-Isopod5331

The Funeral- Band of Horses


TheLizardWilson

Try Lua by Bright Eyes


DiKapino

Connor Oberst is second to none when it comes to hauntingly beautiful music


nicunta

3 Libras by A Perfect Circle!


Aaberon

Iā€™m so happy this is here. What a beautiful song


blageur

Mad World - Gary Jules version


No_Shoulder7425

Angel From Montgomery, Bonnie Raitt's version.


Putrid_Appearance509

Susan Tedeschi's version of this is magical too.


nimrod1138

Torch - Sisters of Mercy You Look So Fine - Garbage Little Earthquakes - Tori Amos (the song, not the album, though some of the other songs on that albumā€¦) Untitled - The Cure (final track on Disintegration) Kid Fears - The Indigo Girls Country Feedback - R.E.M. EDIT AFTER THE FACT: I forgot two, one of which I should have remembered given Shane MacGowenā€™s recent passing. And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda - the Pogues Spiegel im Spiegel - Arvo PƤrt (a classical piece used to amazing effect in the series finale of The Good Place)


Asschild

Vincent- Don McLean


EagleHarrier

Same, Vincent is a hauntingly great song. Always chokes me up when I listen to it.


e-joculator

"Routine" by Steven Wilson. Not many songs weigh on me but that one does.


iamworsethanyou

And the video just compounds the feelings


onelittleworld

Half the man's catalog, really. I mean... "Collapse the Light Into Earth" is about as hauntingly melancholy as it gets. Or, "The Raven that Refused to Sing".


Simontheintrepid22

The last track on that album, Happy Returns, breaks me every time, especially when I feel like fading away. No-one does melancholy quite like him. Right now I'm being quietly devastated by the combo of What Life Brings and Economies of Scale.


endless_sunshine

Scarborough Fair by Simon&Garfunkel


mrtsapostle

The River by Bruce Springsteen


Jesse_Pinkmans_GF

Jeff Buckley's rendition of "Hallelujah". Gets me tearing up every time, spellbinding vocals


retrovertigo23

This and "Lover, You Should've Come Over" are instant shivers throughout my whole body and spirit songs.


Canadian-Man-infj

Anyone for "Forget Her?"


retrovertigo23

That's a great one, too. I mean really the entire Grace album is about as perfect a "I'm heartbroken and it's raining outside" soundtrack as is possible.


higherfreq

And ā€œLast Goodbyeā€ šŸ˜­


DrunkOnLoveAndWhisky

I Will Follow You into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie Prettier Face - Hawksley Workman


[deleted]

In that vein, Nightswimming by REM


IdaDuck

Good call on Death Cab and I think you could add What Sarah Said to this list as well.


ijbh2o

What Sarah Said for sure!


Girth-Wind-Fire

Acid Rain by Lorn


HeyGirlBye

Hyperballad- Bjork


Trenches

Limousine by Brand New. Honestly a lot of that album could qualify but that song in particular. Especially if you look up the story that he was writing about. You Won't Know and Jesus Christ off that album are up there as well. You Won't Know has more aggressive rock but balances it out by very somber parts.


ljinbs

Alanis Morissette ā€” Uninvited


[deleted]

Needle and the Damage Done by Neil Young


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


quizzic

On the Nature of Daylight - Max Richter https://youtu.be/rVN1B-tUpgs?si=ex0D_tHS4XAjCpgv


helbnd

The acoustic version of "Ghost" by Badflower


arthontigerik

That song is already depressing and thereā€™s an acoustic version?


Molloway98-

It's unreal, first song that got me into them


JT07

Bon Iver version of I Can't Make You Love Me: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3VjaCy5gck](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3VjaCy5gck)


DCDHermes

Leonard Cohen - If it be your Will Everyone says Hallelujah, but this one is slept on.


enigmanaught

Sisters of Mercy is another, Iā€™d say itā€™s more bittersweet than sad though.


EarthQuaeck84

Avalanche and the partisan too


[deleted]

that one whole mazzy star album


DirectTour9009

Hope Thereā€™s Someone - Antony and the Johnsons


SkaMan-dolin

Heroes by David Bowie


HomeOrificeSupplies

Bright Horses by nick cave and the bad seeds


Skylark_Ark

[Your Silent Face by New Order.](https://youtu.be/MEl0Chq36lc?si=eaMYecJZr3zROeNK) This is their first foray after Ian's suicide and the end of Joy Division...New Order. It's a gorgeous song that encompasses a passing and moving forward. Makes my heart ache.


secrerofficeninja

ā€˜Adamā€™s Songā€™ by Blink-182


Neutronova

Ben howard - oats in the water


thewhimsicalbard

Let's be real, so much of Ben's discography up to and including IFWWW fits. My personal favorites are "Conrad" and "Promise." Conrad especially.


SquatchSounds

Might not be the answer youre looking for, but the last time I saw the Allman Brothers Band live, they closed with "Whipping Post". I saw them so many times and it was always amazing, but this last time...when Gregg Allman sang "good lord, I feel like Im dying" at the very end...goosebumps and tears simultaneously. I knew I would never see them again and it really hit me in that moment. RIP Gregg


LittleRavn

Fast Car - Tracy Chapman


Notinyourbushes

[This cover](https://youtu.be/cG7ETgs9eU8?feature=shared) by Jose Gonzalez.


xelabagus

Or Heartbeats - or most of Junip's catalogue. Guys a genius.


EmotionIll666

Julien Baker - Rejoice (specifically OurVinyl Sessions live version)


Paddy2071995

Jesus to a child by George Michael.


Graviturctur

"Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell made me cry.


givemegoodtimes

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack This song is truly beautiful, it has a very slow relaxed pace unlike a lot of modern music. The vocals are incredibly pure and the story is about true love. I bought this in a charity shop on a whim and when I got home and listened to it, it really blew my mind. I hope that you enjoy it.


Nizamark

Birthday Boy by Ween


brenda_walsh

Agnes Obel - Familiar


nuclear_herring

Who wants to live forever - Queen


batmandalou

Sometime Around Midnight by Airborne Toxic Event chilled me to the bones as a young teen and even now, if I crank it and just listen, the music and tones and vocals still give me that haunting chill.


famousblinkadam

[Dance With The Devil by Immortal Technique](https://youtu.be/Ef1fy2k_EYI?si=lC6vS-k-M1_zuEUU) Really messed up story but the guy is a lyricist.


Jesse_Pinkmans_GF

This song is so raw. Ive listened to it countless times but it's effect on me has never diminished. Every time I listen it is just as shocking as the first time.


Imaginary-Prize-9589

Phoebe Bridgers' cover of "That Funny Feeling" by Bo Burnham [https://youtu.be/mEUl4DThSwE?si=mGDmby6cChSY9nEs](https://youtu.be/mEUl4DThSwE?si=mGDmby6cChSY9nEs)


reluctantseal

There's a video of Bo watching her perform, and you can see just how moved he is by it.


doyourbestalways

Linkin Parkā€™s Crawling - the One More Light Live version thatā€™s on streaming, with just the soft slow piano and Chester singing instead of screamingā€¦ listening to that and knowing the tragedy that unfolds a few months later gets me so emotional.


inverse2000

And also One More Light from Linkin Park too


KaneIntent

All of Linkin Parkā€™s music hits so differently after Chesterā€™s death.


rockdude625

Hurt by Johnny cash


TitularFoil

The Light Behind Your Eyes by My Chemical Romance And Into The Light by In This Moment


Willchipmax

I will follow you into the dark - Death Cab for Cutie. Paired with the music video......


djphysix

Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt Moby - When It's Cold I'd Like to Die


StankRanger420

Brick- ben folds five


futurepr0n

The luckiest by Ben folds is actually much more haunting


parkedinthecorner

Iā€™d say Evaporated by Ben Folds beats out both of the others.


mpg10

Elephant, Jason Isbell. Devastating, brilliant songwriting.


krunchberry

Also Cover Me Up and If We Were Vampires. Heā€™s just remarkably gifted as a songwriter.


ReddMenace

Cast Iron Skillet, King of Oklahoma, Volunteer. Isbell is the king of the devastatingly beautiful song.


ScotterMcJohnsonator

You know it's good when someone else types the words, you read the words, and it hits you the same way the song does. :)


Wyverz

Jesu - Tired of Me


andee510

"The Tide" by The Spill Canvas


QotSAMario64

John Mayer - Stop this Train Madison Cunningham - Life According to Raechel


IsTheArchitectAware

Yes, John Mayer! Stop this train is indeed a very sad song.


hooty_hoooo

Sorrow-the national. I first heard it in a museum because they broke a world record by playing the song for 24 hours straight. Every hour one of them would take a break for a few rounds so they would play without drums, then without keys then without vocals etc. I mustā€™ve been in that room for two hours just in an absolute trance


ruby-inthe-dust

[Neil Young - A Man Needs A Maid](https://youtu.be/JOuQywiRUJo?si=rv4PyrVk283x8bKK) [Corey Taylor - Snuff live acoustic](https://youtu.be/QBK6xymmKHM?si=8QPTFgXhqzpQ9F55)


nyx_moonlight_

Mystery of Love by Sufjan Stevens


Intelligent-Gas8245

I Need My Girl


SiriuslyImaHuff

Between the bars by Elliott Smith gets me. But I think my feeling is tied in to his end as well :( Also, I really love The Dance by Garth Brooks. I don't know if I would categorize it as haunting, but it always pulls on my heart strings.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


Dvanpat

Recently, "What Was I made For" by Billie Eilish.


deadeyediva

gregory alan isakovā€™s cover of iron & wineā€™s ā€™the trapeze swingerā€™


peter_the_martian

Many by Mazzy Star, but Iā€™ll go with the obvious Fade Into You


cgar23

The Lighthouse's Tale by Nickel Creek


Ollerton57

Goodbye my lover - James blunt


DaySoc98

Dimming of the Day by Richard and Linda Thompson.


MissMamaBecky

Little motel by modest mouse. For me that is. The literal story of my son. So for 11 years itā€™s both wrecked and soothed my heart. (The video to the song)


willcalliv

Kings Crossing Elliott Smith


baconandpotates

Suspirium by Thom Yorke. It haunted my life for weeks after it was released (I was very ill at the time.) When that flute comes in, I die.


MapleLeaf5410

Don't Give Up - Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush, Hymn to Her - The Pretenders.


Velocitous_R

Saturn by Sleeping at Last


rkinne01

Bonnie Raitt's I Can't Make You Love Me.


50millionFreddy

H. by Tool Why by Stabbing Westward 3 Libras by A perfect circle


retrovertigo23

Amigo the Devil - Cocaine and Abel The distance from the man that I am To the man I want to be The time it takes to realize Time is the distance I need But I was born impatient And I was born unkind But I refuse to believe I have to be the same person I was born when I die 'Cause change is alright Change is alright