take a deep breath ...

Well, I'm officially on break. We get a nice 2 week break before the next quarter, which starts Dec 1st. And then we have a break just a few weeks later for Christmas, so the end of the year is actually not too bad. Not exactly sure what I'll be doing over break but even doing nothing is nice sometimes.

Musical point to ponder:

Sad Sack Song Titles

There are a lot of contenders, and certain songs here and there stand out. Every band or artist has a sad song or 3. You could argue that pretty much all of the blues and the lion's share of country music deals with hardship and heartaches. However, there are some artists who seem to thrive on anguish, to wallow in wretchedness like a pig in mud and embrace it almost willingly. Look at Chris Isaak for instance -- he's made a career on wistful woe. And there are sad songs, and then there are sad songs with equally gloomy and bitter titles. I'm talking about ones that you can just tell are going to be "fetch a length of rope and a wobbly 3-legged chair" from the get-go. If I had to pick the King of Pathetic Woe-Is-Me miserable tunes, it would have to be the melancholy Morrissey, AKA "The Pope of Mope", both in his solo career and with the Smiths. Here are a couple of gems showcasing his sorrow and suffering:

• How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel
• Angel, Angel, Down We Go Together
• Now I Am a Was
• The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get
• We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful
• I Am Hated for Loving
• (I'm) the End of the Family Line
• Sorrow Will Come in the End
• I Don't Mind If You Forget Me
• What Difference Does It Make
• Girlfriend In A Coma
• I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now
• Unlovable
• Oh Well, I'll Never Learn
• Satan Rejected My Soul
  
• The Boy With a Thorn In His Side
• The World Is Full of Crashing Bores (actually I'm with him on this one)
  

and my personal favorite:

• Get Off The Stage (sheesh, apparently he thinks even his fans despise him)
  

Honorable Mention goes to Ryan Adams for cheery classics like:

• Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart
• I Taught Myself How To Grow Old
  
• Clearly Destroyed
• I Hope It Rains At My Funeral (For Once, I'd Like To Be The Only One Dry)

and some truly tormented album titles like:

• Love is Hell
• The Suicide Handbook
• Faithless Street
• Cold Roses
• Those WEREN'T the Days

If anyone else has some truly bleak additions, leave them in the comments please.

And since I hate ending the post on such a dreary note, here is something guaranteed to make you smile:

The (Van) Damme Dance!


<-- I have no idea what is going on in this picture, but I'm thinking maybe some popping and some locking