"Sad Songs Say So Much"

Have you ever noticed how much more powerful sad songs are than happy ones? Don't get me wrong, I love a good pop song. On a beautiful summer day, there's nothing better than rolling the windows down and singing along to a Britney Spears or Taylor Swift song at the top of your lungs. And yet, turn on some Mumford and Sons or Civil Wars, and there is something that cuts deep into me, in a way that Britney and Taylor never could.

I'm not quite sure what it is, but a great sad song that breaks my heart can make me feel just as good--and sometimes better--than a fun, upbeat song. There's beauty and truth in sadness, I think. Happy songs often feel so generic to me, but many sad songs feel unique, and yet the great ones really touch on something universal. I think that's what makes them so powerful, when you can cut through to the heart of people, and find a way to tap into something everyone has experienced, but you have to look at it in a new light. 

I should say, I realize I may be in the minority in feeling this way. While I do love fun pop songs and silly, fun movies, my favorite books, movies, and songs are often dark and sad. I realize not everyone feels this way, and there are quite a few people who will very consciously avoid the things I seek out. But I love sadness and darkness and conflict. Because it's something that we all have in common. Yes, being confronted with that darkness in your entertainment can be difficult and scary, but it also makes you think and feel. And that's what I love about great art--happy, sad, and everything in between--if it isn't making you feel something, it isn't doing your job. 

One of my favorite dark/sad movies is Blue Valentine. I freaking love that movie. I think it's so well acted, and yes it is terribly sad. But it's so well done. And part of what's so great about it is how REAL it is. You can't help but watch that movie and picture yourself in the characters' shoes. What happens to them could happen to anyone. And it's scary to think that your marriage could take that turn, especially seeing how happy they were once. But the fact that you can see yourself reflected in them, even when their lives are very different than yours in many, many ways, is powerful. And I think sad movies and sad songs and sad books often do a better job of tapping into that universal human experience better than most happy stories do. 

Why is that? Is it because while we're happy it's great, but it's the pain in our lives that lingers? Does the experience of pain make it more memorable, even when it's gone? I know I tend to hold onto and dwell on negative experiences and feelings far more than I do positive ones. It's hard to try and remember a happy time when you're not happy, but it's often far easier to tap into a sad memory, even when you are happy. Those experiences are more vivid. So maybe that's why no matter how much fun I have bopping along to "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry, it's Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah" that sends chills down my spine.