Categorizing the 90s as definitively good or bad is a challenge, especially since I wasn’t born during that decade. Drawing from primary sources like my parents and the words of Charles Dickens, who famously said, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” I agree, despite my lack of qualifications for a definitive judgment. Nonetheless, we owe a great deal to the decade, as it’s nearly impossible to imagine life without Beanie Babies, “The Titanic” and Shoegaze.
Without further ado, here are my favorite sad songs from arguably the best thing to happen in the 90s.
“Dagger” by Slowdive
Talk about a song that makes you want to kill yours- for the sake of a future employer reading this, I will leave that sentence unfinished. Still, this song makes me feel gutted. If you’re looking for sad shoegaze, look no further than Slowdive.
“Kick The Tragedy” by Drop Nineteen
Despite having maybe 20 lyrics in a nine-minute song, “Kick The Tragedy” makes me feel like I’ve been kicked in the gut. There is something so angsty and aged within the layers of guitar and drum, despite the lyrics presenting a teenage self-reflection on youth. I don’t know what it means to kick the tragedy, but if it’s anything like that song, then I’m almost sure the tragedy will kick me.
“Me and the Birds” by Duster
Yeah, I know Duster is more slowcore than shoegaze, but I choose to ignore it, just as I’m ignoring the fact that I’ve used this song in a past Dejamz. I don’t know how anyone can listen to this song and not feel like they are at rock bottom. To quote myself in a previous Dejamz, “This song makes me crave a cigarette and I don’t even smoke.”
“Sometimes” by My Bloody Valentine
Typically, when any track from My Bloody Valentine’s 1991 masterpiece “Loveless” comes on, I want to do a little jig. However, whenever “Sometimes” graces my ears, I feel like coughing up blood in the best way possible. Something about the grainy instrumentals and muddled lyrics makes me feel like getting my therapist on speed dial.
“Avalyn I” by Slowdive
You really thought I was going to include only one Slowdive track? Are you insane? “Avalyn I” recently became one of my favorite songs. There is something so agonizing about Rachel Goswell’s voice that it makes me feel like I’ve been tied to a rock and sacrificed to a God who abandoned us long ago. Anyways, stream Slowdive where you get your music, or else you have 48 hours after reading this left.
