Weekly Opinion Poll: Crybaby
Normally, I arrive at our favorite karaoke joint well-prepared with notebook in hand featuring a carefully thought out set list that showcases my very limited vocal range. But this Wednesday, I was just a mess. I arrived late, forgot my special mini karaoke notebook, and neglected to hit the ATM in advance. I frantically flipped through the song books, desperately hoping something would inspire me. Fortunately, it didn’t take long:
I grabbed Natasha’s arm, and said, “Oooh, Boys of Summer! I just love that song!”
“Cool – you should sing it!”
My eyes widened. “NOOOOO! I can’t sing that!”
“Why not? Too high?”
“No – too sad. That song always makes me cry.”
Nat paused a moment, and then got a smirk on her face as she said, “Okay, Boys of Summer makes you cry? Which part – the convertible part or the wayfarer sunglasses part?”
“The whole thing! I mean come on – ‘I thought I knew what love was. What did I know? Those days are gone forever. I should just let them go…’ How can that not make you cry?”
Natasha stopped chewing on her straw, shook her head, and said, “You’re a freak.”
“Okay, ice queen. What song makes you cry?”
Nat averted her eyes, shrugged her shoulders a little, and muttered, “No songs.”
“Yeah, right. Give it up!”
“Okay, fine. So maybe [unintelligible] makes me cry a little.”
I leaned in closer, and said, “Wait – what did you say?”
“I said that maybe, Because You Loved Me makes me cry a little.”
“Oh, you have got to be kidding me! By Celine Dion? You were my strength when I was weak? My voice when I couldn’t speak? And you’re ripping into me for Don Henley?”
Natasha laughed, threw a crumpled up napkin at my head, and went back to compiling her karaoke set list. This just piqued my curiosity, though. I really wanted to know what songs would make people get choked up, so I decided to expand my survey a bit. I looked around the bar and said, “All right, let’s get a guy’s opinion here. Seamus! Seamus – c’mere. Hey – name a song that makes you cry.”
“Makes me cry? Ummm, probably Pachelbel’s Canon.”
Nat and I just looked at each other with eyebrows raised, and I said, “Huh? Taco Bell Cannon?”
Seamus got a disgusted look on his face, and said, “PACHelbel’s Canon. With a P. You know it – it’s always played right before weddings.”
“How’s it go?”
“Uh, kind of like, Hmm hmm dee dee dah dah dee dee… like that. I know you’d know it.”
“Hmmph. Well, I said Boys of Summer.”
“Oh yeah, that’s totally sad!”
“See, Nat! I told you it’s sad! Why is your heart made of wire and glass shards? Why are you all, ‘I am the Tin Man. This does not compute. Highly illogical. Hello, my name is H.A.L.’”
As if on cue, Seamus started walking back and forth behind me doing the Robot, to emphasize my point. Natasha was just about to throw another napkin at my head, when she was called up on stage to do a spot-on performance of Brandy.
But I left karaoke with more questions than answers, which leads me to today’s Opinion Poll:
Question: Which of the following songs makes you get a lump in your throat, causes your voice to crack, gets you teary-eyed? (Write ins will be accepted)
A. Boys of Summer by Don Henley
B. In My Life by The Beatles
C. Because You Loved Me by Celine Dion
D. Pachelbel’s Canon by… well, Pachelbel, I guess
E. The Boxer by Simon & Garfunkel
F. Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton
Filed under: Opinion Poll on June 23rd, 2005
June 22nd, 2005 at 11:43 pm
Oooh, ooh, ‘Think of Laura’ by Christopher Cross. Although I try to laugh when I think of her. I know she’d want it that way.
June 23rd, 2005 at 12:34 am
The Boxer! It was my father’s favorite song, and it was performed live by his musician friends at his funeral.
So, yeah, of course it makes me cry.
Sorry if that is TMI.
June 23rd, 2005 at 7:08 am
OK, I admit it. Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven gets me a little weepy. He wrote it about his son, right? I think if it were just some made-up, random song it wouldn’t get to me. No really, I swear!
June 23rd, 2005 at 8:13 am
Okay, Tears in Heaven always gets me…
That said, my husband and I played In My Life at our wedding but it was Dave Matthews’ cover – I know I’ll prolly get slammed for this, but it’s just a bit more soulful than the Beatles’ version.
June 23rd, 2005 at 10:19 am
In my life when performed by Bette Midler makes me weep like a little girl. The song that really gets me though is the the theme song from the movie Ice Castles. “Through the Eyes of Love”. *sniffle*
June 23rd, 2005 at 10:34 am
Jenny…check out this post, It’s my 10 Most Depressing Songs of All Time!! I encourage you all to check it out!!
10 Most Depressing Songs
Oh, and The Beatles, “A Day in the Life” ALWAYS makes me cry.
June 23rd, 2005 at 11:17 am
B: Ooh – Christopher Cross! But his saddest song of all, of course, is Arthur’s Theme… Arthur he does as he pleases…
A: Not TMI at all – thanks for commenting. It’s a beautiful song. It’s those last two lines that will just kill me everytime, though: I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains.
AB & J: Yes, that is about his son, so it had to make the list. I’ve never heard the Dave Matthews version – maybe that would make me like him more…
S: OMG! That’s actually the version I was thinking of. She sings it in some movie – One For The Boys? She’s singing to Vietnam troops and they all hold up the peace sign after she’s done. Oh crap. Eyes. welling. up…
G: Thanks for the link – I had a couple alternates that made your list, including Landslide and Streets of Philadelphia.
June 23rd, 2005 at 12:09 pm
Okay, it’s not on the list, but I’m going with the Dixie Chicks and “Top of the World.” Alone or coupled with the video, it’s extremely powerful (and not country at all). Check it out…if for some reason you need a good weep suddenly.
June 23rd, 2005 at 12:53 pm
I can’t answer this one since Pachelbel’s Canon is the only song on your list I know. And I’ve never sung karaoke.
I’m starting to feel deprived.
June 23rd, 2005 at 2:37 pm
Ok… I am sure no one knows this song. But, from the soundtrack to Meet Joe Black there is this “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” medly sung by this African guy that chokes me up every time. His name is Israel Kamakawiwo’ole (try to say that one three times fast). If you can find it online… you MUST listen to it!! What a tear jerker…
June 23rd, 2005 at 2:42 pm
I would like to amend my previous comment… Israel Kamakawiwo’ole is Hawaiian, not African. Ooops. My bad…
June 23rd, 2005 at 4:15 pm
From that list, definitely not Celine Dion. I can’t stand her voice. I know she is very talented, but her vibrato drives me crazy…ah, I’m getting off the subject.
I guess Tears in Heaven gets to me sometimes. The song that always brings a tear to my eye is What A Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong’s version). That’s the song that my father and I danced to at my wedding–it’s very special to me. Unfortunately, unless I start shooting up testosterone, I will never be able to karaoke to it.
June 23rd, 2005 at 5:41 pm
Ok, from your list I’ll vote for Tears from Heaven. However, the song that chokes me up each and every time I hear it is God Bless the USA by Lee Greenwood.
June 23rd, 2005 at 8:03 pm
Hey, I am the Anonymous up there with the happy The Boxer comment. I didn’t feel anonymous at the time. I had no idea.
Me! It was I!
June 23rd, 2005 at 10:16 pm
erm. bettemidlerthewindbeneathmywings.
June 24th, 2005 at 8:16 am
None of the Listed Few give my throat the lumpies, but there are tunes that overwhelm my Manly Manliness. To be honest, it’s actually not too hard to broach those barricades, but one does like to keep up appearances.
The songs on my own list would include After The Rain by Blue “no, it’s probably just allergies or something” Rodeo, the cover of Wild Horses by The “that wasn’t a sniff, it was a sneeze” Sundays, and That’s How Strong My Love Is by Otis “I hope everyone else leaves the cinema before the lights come on” Redding.
Oh, and Dancing With Tears In My Eyes by “I can’t come up with another funny nickname” Ultravox–it ain’t the song itself, but the memory of that damn 80s music video of the guy rushing home to dance with his wife before a nuclear meltdown takes out the city. Come on, I’m not made of steel.
June 24th, 2005 at 10:05 am
Build me up..buttercup..don’t MAKE ME CRY MY EYES OUT.
Yeah, I don’t understand, either.
June 24th, 2005 at 10:45 am
Whenever I hear “Batdance” by Prince I burst into tears.
Also True Love Waits (Radiohead) is good.
June 24th, 2005 at 12:50 pm
I belive the movie was: “For The Boys”. It was a most excellent movie.
June 25th, 2005 at 1:39 am
When I was in university, I had told my roommate about Tears in Heaven, which had just been released. We waited for it to come on the radio, and after she heard it she WAILED! Full-on sobbed “that’s soooo sad!!”
I have a couple write in’s, “Everybody Hurts” by REM, “Brick” by Ben Folds Five, and “Sour Suite” by The Guess Who. Sad sad sad. *sniff*
My mom always cries to “The Heart of the Matter” by Don Henley, and “In the Living Years” by Mike and the Mechanics. (Positively 4th Street, by Dylan is her angry song!)
June 25th, 2005 at 6:19 pm
Say Goodbye – Dave Matthews Band
June 26th, 2005 at 11:07 pm
I like In My Life a whole big bunch. Doesn’t make me cry…just love it.
I’m with Junebug. I love Iz’s music. Hawaiian music in general makes me weepy because I just love it there.
Eva Cassidy’s version of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” makes me weep. It was like listening to that song for the first time ever.