Question of the Week: What song brings you to tears?
Local Spins’ Question of the Week (Jan. 7, 2021)
What song brings you to tears??
This week’s winner of Local Spins merch: Email subscriber Angie Chase, who responded to the Question of the Week and was entered into a prize drawing. Sign up for email updates and the weekly newsletter here: https://localspins.com/subscribe-local-spins-mailing-list/
THE READER RESPONSES:
Susan Park – “Free as a Bird” by The Beatles, but it’s the lyric in the bridge that sets me off: “Whatever happened to the life that we once knew? Can we really live without each other? Where did we lose the touch that seemed to mean so much? It always made me feel so….Free as a Bird.” Rips my heart out every time.
David Kuzma – “Missin You,” Little Feat
Fred Bueltmann – Rickie Lee Jones, “Company”
Hugo Cruz – Kate Bush, “This Woman’s Work”
Sam Kenny – “Empire Of The Sun,” Suo Gân
Angie Chase – I get tears when I hear Stevie Nicks sing “Landslide” and the beginning of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin”: “She’s a good girl, loves her mama …”
John Sinkevics – Several Patty Griffin songs have made me cry over the years (I defy anyone to listen to “Wild Old Dog” from 2013’s “American Kid” without getting choked up), not to mention May Erlewine’s “That’s My Home,” John Prine’s “Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow),” Elton John’s “Goodbye” (from “Madman Across the Water”) and so many others.
Mark Sellers – Listen to “Man in the Bed” by Dave Alvin and if you don’t cry, there’s something wrong with you.
Mike Filkins – Most of the songs from “The Greatest Showman,” in particular “This Is Me”
Terry Oosterhart – Glen Campbell, “Not Gonna Miss You”
Dave Adams – “Sleepwalk” from Santo and Johnny is emotional for me because I always think of the scene from La Bamba when his mother finds out about Ritchie’s death. “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong reminds me of my mother’s funeral.
Gary D. Hanks-Carpenter – Liz Longley, “Unraveling “
Roger Kintner – Mudcrutch, “I Forgive it All”
Matt Marn – Dawes, “A Little Bit of Everything”
Mike Dodge – Hendrix’s version of “Little Wing” from the “In the West” album. That version hits me.
Joel Schultze – Arcade Fire’s “No Children”
Chad Michael Wedeven – XTC, “Your Dictionary.” Also a second on Elton John’s “Goodbye.” I sing that one in empty stairwells when no one’s around.
Brennan Heldt – The “Blackbird” cover by Brad Mehldau and his jazz trio.
Elle Lutz m- “Simple Twist of Fate,” Bob Dylan
Michael Van Denend – John, I’m going with Patty Griffin, too, but for “You’re Coming Home to Me” from her Downtown Church release.
Barry Bazza Crawford – “Famous Blue Raincoat” — sung my Jennifer Warnes, by Leonard Cohen.
Matthew Farage – No one really leaves me in tears other than maybe at a funeral and hearing “On Angel’s Wings.” Because they played it at most all the funerals I’ve been to. I always liked “Beth” by Kiss. Thought it was a mover.
Jerry Kolb – “Crow’s Feet” by The Accidentals.
Brian J. Bowe – There are a couple for me, but the one that I find the most fascinating is Funkadelic’s “Maggot Brain.” That song is always such a journey that unfolds in phases. When it starts off, I think, “hmmm, this is pretty cool.” After a while, I start to think, “Oh, maybe this is all a bit much.” And then, suddenly, I think “Oh, when did I start crying?” The tears come from some place beyond thinking, and Eddie Hazel yanks them out with both hands.
Jill Wylie Wenger – “So Many Roads”
Kyle Rasche – Phoebe Bridgers’ “Funeral”
Christian J. VanAntwerpen – “Passing Afternoon” by Iron and Wine.
AJ Dunning – Richard Hawley, “For Your Lover Give Some Time”
Evan D. Rossio – “Keep Me in Your Heart” by Warren Zevon
Kim Masters – I always liked Jackson Browne’s “Song for Adam.” When he did it as a duet with Gregg Allman a while ago, it is powerful! Only months before Gregg’s death, you can hear the sorrow in his voice.
Joe VanAcker – “Against All Odds,” Phil Collins, or “Bridge Over Troubled Water”
Laurie Laing – Cathie Ryan’s “Rock Me to Sleep, Mother.” Also John Prine’s “Summer’s End.”
Alex Austin – Last one I remember really making me cry is Holly Williams’ “Waiting On June.”
Aurora Lesert Lewis – “Siren Song,” May Erlewine
J Ryan Berends – Jason Isbell, “Elephant”
Joshua Newman- Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Freebird”
Michael Dause – “715 CR££KS” by Bon Iver can get me there for sure.
Harry E Rutherford – Far too many to list here. So I’ll just put “Watermelon in Easter Hay” by Frank Zappa, from “Joe’s Garage, Act III.”
Greg S. Lewis – “Fisherman’s Blues” by The Waterboys
Buck McDougall – For me, it’s “Teddy Bear ” by Red Sovine. I can’t help but cry like a baby every single time!
Amber Buist – Ben Folds, “The Luckiest”; Alison Kraus, “Gravity”; Dar Williams, “Farewell to the Old Me”; Kim Richey, “Straight as the Crow Flies”; May Erlewine, just about everything on “Mother Lion”; Accidentals, “Chekhov’s Gun,” “Crows Feet,” “Marrow.”
Bradley Raffenaud – Warren Zevon, “Keep Me in Your Heart”
Jeff Yonker – “Fragile,” Ralston Bowles
Mark Swanson – Many, many songs do it for me. But off the top of my head: Jackson Browne’s “Sky Blue and Black,” and Paul Simon’s “An American Tune,” John Gorka’s “Let them in, Peter.”
Matthew Fouts – “Man From Mars,” Joni Mitchell
Jack Clark – “Temporary Things” by Channing & Quinn
Robert Kozak – “Shannon” by Henry Gross, written by Brian Wilson about his dog.
John Nowak – “Forever and Ever Amen,” Randy Travis
Linda Rankin – “Both Sides Now”
David Winick – Kim Richey, “Come Around”
Melodee Van Bogelen Horsford – The one that has always done it for me is “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd.
Jeff Yantz – Steve Earle, “Last Words”
Barbara Weatherhead – John Prine, “Hello in There”
Steve Damstra – “Goodbye My Friend,” Karla Bonoff
Mary Ellen Murphy – Sinatra’s “Softly as I Leave You.” Lennon’s “Oh My Love.”
Springsteen, “Drive Fast.” Joni Mitchell’s “River.” Wait. One more: Springsteen “Meeting Across the River.”
Todd Lewis Monroe – “Don’t This Way,”The 77s
Dan Terpstra – So many but internationally is Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark’s “Was it Something I Said.”
Cory Olsen – Tim McGraw, “Don’t Take the Girl”; Our Lady Peace, “4 am”; Bruce Springsteen, “Downbound Train.”
Lin Otherlyn – We have yet to perform Dan Fogelberg’s “Run for the Roses” without tears streaming down my face.
Pete Guidera – Elton John, from “Tumbleweed Connection” – “Talking Old Soldiers.”
Rick Reuther – So many. Jackson Browne, “Fountain of Sorrow.” Garth Brooks, “The Dance.” Paul Simon, “An American Tune.” Bob Dylan, ”Tangled Up in Blue.” Frank Sinatra, in the Wee Small Hours of the Morning.” Ella Fitzgerald, “Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered.” Judy Garland, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Instrumental theme from “An Affair to Remember.” Instrumental theme from “The Summer of 42.”
Paul Brewer – “Un bel dì, vedremo” from Puccini’s opera, “Madam Butterfly.” Donny Hathaway’s version of “You’ve Got A Friend.” George Strait: “A Father’s Love.” Jerry Goldsmith: “Friends” an instrumental interlude from the 1965 film, “A Patch Of Blue.” “Nature Boy” as interpreted by The Singers Unlimited. “Tema D’Amore” by Ennio Morricone from the film, “Cinema Paradiso.” “Let It Be” as sung by Paul McCartney.“Who Can I Turn To” as sung by Tony Bennett and Queen Latifah. “Graduation Day” as sung by The Four Freshman. “Che farò senza Euridice” as sung by Janet Baker from Gluck’s opera, “Orfeo ed Euridice.” Duke Ellington’s “All Too Soon,” as sung by Ella Fitzgerald with Joe Pass accompanying on guitar (with poignant lyrics by Carl Sigman). Harold Arlen with lyrics by E. Y. Harburg: “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” as sung by Judy Garland. Eubie Blake with lyrics by Andy Razaf: “I’d Give A Dollar For A Dime,” as sung by Joe Williams. “My Man’s Gone Now,” as sung by Cynthia Clarey in Trevor Nunn’s 1993 revival of George Gershwin’s opera, “Porgy and Bess.”
Kym Reinstadler – Bread – “Everything I Own”
Steve Talaga – Too many to count, for many different reasons. A few from the world of pop/rock: “River” from Herbie Hancock’s album of the same name. “Watcha Gonna Do Today” by Tony Williams’ Lifetime, “Same Old Lang Syne” by Dan Fogelberg. “Original Sin” by Elton John. “Biggest Part of Me” by Ambrosia. “Suite Judy Blue Eyes” by CSN.
Scott Veenstra – So many, but I’ll name a few off the top of my head. Bill Evans Trio “I Loves You Porgy” (from the album “Waltz for Debbie”, recorded live at the Village Vanguard). Bonnie Raitt “I Can’t Make You Love Me”; Norah Jones, “Don’t Know Why” just tore me up the first bunch of times I heard her original recording of this. Quite a few of John Coltrane’s ballads can bring me to tears, and it is always a sort of bittersweet feeling. Just reaches down in and touches the heart at a very deep level. And also George Jones, “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” Devastating.
Stephen Aldrich – Anything on fake country radio, but not in a good way.
Irene Bullerman – “Late for the Sky,” Jackson Browne
Bob Yokabitus – Yes, “Onward”
Dale Wicks – “Beloved Wife” by Natalie Merchant, about her grandparents dying within days of each other. I can’t even make it through a verse or read the lyrics.
Amy Gibbons – “Song For You” by Leon Russell, especially when Leon, Ray Charles and Willie Nelson sing it together. “Leader of the Band” by Dan Fogelberg – reminds me of my dad.
Brad Miller – Right now, “America The Beautiful.” The tune that’s etched in my mind but the version by Noel Paul Stookey specifically.
Tom Rademacher – “Adios” by Linda Ronstadt
Charity Knight – “Mouthful of Cavities,” Blind Melon
Scott Steiner – “Flamenco,” Tragically Hip
Daniel Parsons – Peter Gabriel, “Father Son”
Jay Jylkka – “Fragile” by Ralston Bowles, “Keep Me In Your Heart” by Warren Zevon, “For Good” from “Wicked,” “Seasons Of Love” from “Rent,” and “Better Place To Be” by Harry Chapin.
Kelley Root Guthrie – “10,000 Miles” by Mary Chapin Carpenter. And “Rider of Days” by Patty Griffin. Every time.
CT Revere – Prine’s “Hello in There.”
Pattrick Yockey – “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again,” song by Danny Gokey.
Curt Hines – Martha,” Tom Waits.
Michael J Vizard – “Father and Son,” Cat Stevens
Eileen Briesch – There’s a Karla Bonoff song, “Goodbye My Friend” that always makes me cry. She wrote it about letting go of her black cat who was ill, and it reminds me of all the cats I’ve had to euthanize when they became old and too ill to go on.
John Olszewski – “Sweet Old World” by Lucinda Williams. “Louise” covered by Bonnie Raitt.
Ryan Johnson – Cat Stevens, “Trouble”
Greg Chandler – “I and Love and You,” by the Avett Brothers.
Scott Stefanski – Did everyone miss “Cats In The Cradle?” LOL. How about “For Emily Whenever I May Find Her,” Simon & Garfunkel, “Opened Once,” Jeff Buckley, “Both Sides Now,” Joni (from the 2000 album with strings), and that Richard Hawley tune mentioned earlier.
Al Haaksma – “Amazing Grace” by anyone.
Jeff Frazier – “Ernie and the Jets.”
Brent Nowak – “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”
Laura Bennett – “Lullaby for Wyatt,” Sheryl Crow; “Love Song,” Elton John
Jess Williams Edward Macintosh – “In the Folow,” Son Volt
Lee Chase – “Song for You” by Gram Parsons is one.
Sam Mendales – “Skip Rope Song,” Jesse Winchester
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