Sad songs on the uke?

BasicUke

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I am guessing there are a couple people on here that are like me and wear their emotions on their uke. Normally I like the happy uke sounds and they cheer me up when I am feeling down.

Today I found some bad news. Anyone got a decent sad song for the uke I can play to wallow in my misery for a day or so?

Thanks,

Jim
 
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I'm sorry that you got such bad news about your mom... but to answer your question, check out the music of Craig Robertson. He's primarily a soprano or concert uke player, and most of his songs aren't happy. I think sad songs sound even sadder on uke.
 
James Hill does a workshop on very, very, very sad songs.
Mood Indigo, Hard Times Come Again No More, True Love Don't Weep.
 
"Carmelita" by Warren Zevon
and
"Down to seeds and stems again blues" by Commander Cody
 
"Spanish" Romance d'Amour always made me feel a little sad. (Not sure if that's due to past luck with romance). There's some pretty decent uke arrangements, and it's better if you can pull it off with tremolo.
 
Cats In The Cradle
 
Seasons in the sun by terry jacks, i made my wife cry playing that, but it may of been my singing that made her cry, but its a great thoughtful song and works well on the uke, also hurt by johhny cash that works great on the uke .hang in there and hope the grey clouds shift soon all the best from me :)
 
Not sure about a sad song, but I do know that Dm is the saddest of all keys. After all, who am I to dispute the word of Nigel Tufnel?
 
One of the best, but most depressing, songs I've ever heard is "Our Song" by the criminally-underrated Jack Jones.



JJ
 
Richard Thompson has about one so-sad-you'll-cry-in-your-beer song per album. "End of the Rainbow", "Can't Win", "Waltzing's for Dreamers", and "Uninhabited Man" come immediately to mind. "Hide It Away" is another one, and I know for a fact it can be played on uke because I've been playing it lately.

Robyn Hitchcock's "Luminous Rose" is also one of the most morbidly sad songs I've ever heard.
 
Richard Thompson has about one so-sad-you'll-cry-in-your-beer song per album. "End of the Rainbow", "Can't Win", "Waltzing's for Dreamers", and "Uninhabited Man" come immediately to mind. "Hide It Away" is another one, and I know for a fact it can be played on uke because I've been playing it lately.

Robyn Hitchcock's "Luminous Rose" is also one of the most morbidly sad songs I've ever heard.

+1 on Richard Thompson. Saddest songs written in the English language. Pernice Brothers, too.
 
"I Started a Joke" by the Bee Gees has to be one of the saddest songs I know, but I love playing it. Because of the lyrics, it is easy to sing with full emotion.
 
Our State song here in Louisiana is surely a candidate. It was so popular, it's author was elected govenor in the '30s and is now in the Country Music Hall of Fame. He's still known here as "Govenor Jimmie" (Davis).

Nobody thinks of it as a sad song, and that is in large part due to Govenor Jimmie himself. On the campaign trail he changed it up and sang it as an upbeat, cheery, happy little ditty. It was very popular that way, and is still almost always sung that way today. Very few know it as the slow heart-wrenching country ballad it was meant to be. It's an easy song to sing - easy to play on the ukulele. Slow it down, and let it be what it truly is. Here's one verse:


The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping
I dreamed I held you in my arms.
But when I woke, dear
I was mistaken,
So I hung my head and I cried.

You are my sunshine,
My only sunshine,
You make me happy,
When skies are gray.
You'll never know, dear,
How much I love you.

Please don't take my sunshine away.
 
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"Dust in the Wind" by Kansas. I play this regularly. It doesn't get much sadder.
 
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