35Regina Spektor - Samson
Did you know?The song is about the biblical Samson and Delilah. Samson, the fierce warrior, was betrayed by his love Delilah. The song is written from her perspective.
Moment you'll tear up:
You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first, I loved you first
34Sarah McLachlan - I Will Remember You
Did you know?
This song has been--and will be--used as the soundtrack to melancholy moments:
- Sarah McLachlan performed this song during an "in memoriam" slideshow at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards, held on September 20, 2009
- She has also signed up to honor the victims of 9/11 with a special concert to mark the opening of the Flight 93 National Memorial, one day before the 10-year anniversary of 9/11
Moment you'll tear up:
I'm so tired but I can't sleep
Standin' on the edge of something much too deep
It's funny how we feel so much but we cannot say a word
We are screaming inside, but we can't be heard
33The Verve - The Drugs Don't Work
Did you know?
Lead singer Richard Ashcroft wrote the song in early 1995; in an interview at the time, he related it to his drug usage:
There's a new track I've just written [...] It goes 'the drugs don't work, they just make me worse, and I know I'll see your face again.' That's how I'm feeling at the moment. They make me worse, man. But I still take 'em. Out of boredom and frustration you turn to something else to escape.
While the exact meaning of the song remains unclear, it is widely believed that Ashcroft wrote the song in response to the death of his father.
Moment you'll tear up:
Now the drugs don't work
They just make you worse
But I know I'll see your face again
'Cause baby, ooh, if heaven calls, I'm coming, too
Just like you said, you leave my life, I'm better off dead
32Boomtown Rats - I don't like Mondays
Did you know?
According to Bob Geldof, he wrote the song after reading a telex report at Georgia State University's campus radio station, WRAS, about the shooting spree of 16-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer. Spencer shot at children playing in a playground at Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego, California on January 29, 1979. She killed two adults, and injured eight children and a police officer. She showed no remorse for her crime, and her full explanation for her actions was, "I don't like Mondays; this livens up the day."
Moment you'll tear up:
And all the playing has stopped in the playground now
She wants to play with the toys of war
And school's out early and soon we'll be learning
That the lesson today is how to die
31Foo Fighters - Friend of a Friend
Did you know?
The song was written by then Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl in 1990--and recorded in secret the same year. It was about his first impressions of new bandmates Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic. Grohl first wrote it in Cobain's Olympia apartment when he stumbled upon Cobain's acoustic guitar--referring to the lyrics, "It was his friend's guitar."
Moment you'll tear up:
He's never been in love
But he knows just what love is
He said nevermind
And no one speaks
30Hank Williams - I'm so lonesome I could cry
Did you know?
This song about loneliness was largely inspired by his troubled relationship with wife Audrey Sheppard.
Moment you'll tear up:
Did you ever see a robin weep
When leaves began to die?
That means he's lost the will to live
I'm so lonesome I could cry
29Bon Iver - Skinny Love
Did you know?The musician Birdy recorded her own cover of Skinny Love, which, at the time of this writing, has over 100 million views on YouTube. She was only fourteen when she released the cover.
Moment you'll tear up:
Come on skinny love what happened here
Suckle on the hope in light brassiere