Brightest Young Things

and then, have some rerun crying music (we initially ran this last March) on top of crying movies for today. Tomorrow we turn to requited love, I promise-ed

Now, I have not cried in any form of transportation in years, ever since a flight home from California where after a bad weekend of bad news someone rudely bumped me from my exit row seat to a middle seat in the back, so they could sit with next to their girlfriend (add some salt to the wound! go on!) and then they played "Garden State" as the in-flight movie.
Shut up.
You probably would have cried too.

BUT...

This Saturday, as I ran out of RNR, and into a (as always on H street) shared cab, the girl next to me (a complete stranger) proceeded to shed crocodile tears all the way to Metro center, where I imagine, she proceeded to cry on the train.

I, of course, felt uncomfortable and just proceeded to text everyone I know (about someone crying next to me, which everyone felt was HI-LA-RI-OUS) and avoided eye contact at all costs.

Maybe I should have asked "Are you ok?" (the person next to me on that plane did and also bought me some wine, which helped more than the question) but then...maybe she needed to cry in peace.
In any case, because of that, and because its a slow Monday and because everyone needs a good cry once in a while...I bring you my "crying in a cab" playlist, of songs that would make a grown (wo)man cry.
And by "grown woman", I mean me.
The numero uno being this one:

Elvis Costello "Good Year for The Roses"

This was a tough one to edit out ("Two more years" by Bloc Party I may actually add in last minute), btw, because, apparently, a lot of stuff makes me cry.
I just hope I can make it through writing this whole thing.

Please feel free to add your favorites in the comments.
You Know You're not too tough for it.

Leonard Cohen "Famous Blue Raincoat
Now, was there ever going to be a "crying" playlist without Leonard in it?
He could have his own playlist here.
I purposefully did not go with "Suzanne" because I prefer nameless crying songs.
That way I can pretend they're about and just for me.
Its a preference, ok?
Regardless,
This is possibly the saddest, most melancholic song ever and the fact that it is in the form of a letter makes it all the worse and more personal.

Tindersticks "Tiny Tears"
Cue the strings. That pull at your heartstrings. There is something about a crying song that is actually about crying that just seals the crying deal in, you know.

George Jones "He Stopped Loving Her Today"
I bumped out "Nothing Compares 2 U" for this one mainly because it is underappreciated. And by underappreciated-I mean half of you (or more) have never heard it before. And as anyone worth their crying playlist salt knows, you NEED some country in your crying playlist (I am not ashamed to admit having cried to Shania's "You're still the one" more than once), and if its country this good, you may as well start pulling out. True love NEVER dies.

Willie Nelson "Crazy"
Speaking of country, it was obvious this song HAD TO BE IN IT. It was just a question whether to do the Patsy or the Willie version.
And it was a tough one, but I made my choice. Mainly because Willie comes with no frills. Just his heart on a plate here.

Iron and Wine "Naked as We Come"
Till death. Or this song. Also, some virtuoso guitar picking that you could melt even the iciest of souls.

and then...some girls chime in:

Keren Ann "In your Back"
A recent favorite. I have not felt like crying lately but when I do...I'm putting this one on.

it creeps up with : And don't ever mention the stains that you left on my track
How from a beautiful girl I became someone ruined and wrecked

and goes for the guttural with:

It's funny how now that I'm not in the palm of your hand
You're still running blindly to save me again and again

Rebekah del Rio "Llorando"
Crying is better in Spanish.
Somehow, it is a better heartbroken language.
llorando por tu amor

David Lynch used this on the "Mullholland Drive" soundtrack and when it kicks in and Rebekah crashes and burns mid-chorus, no eye is dry in the house.

Caetano Veloso "Cucurrucucu Paloma"
I almost forgot about this one and as I was writing about "Llorando" I added it.
Also used on a soundtrack (Almodovar's "Talk to her") it (much like a lot of other Caetano stuff) makes me want to hug myself, my pillow and anyone else in the ten yard proximity, just so I don't have to bear it alone.

Etta James "I'll be seeing you"
Initially this song had something like 85 jazz songs in it (some Miles, Blllie, a sprinkling of Blossom), but then I edited them all out for across-the-crying-board-variety though I could not let this one go. Its all Etta's stunning voice and an occasional piano drop. To match your occasional tear drop.

Rachel Yamagata "Be Be Your Love"
Someone fucked Rachel Yamagata up. And so she went and wrote a whole bunch of sad, piano-driven songs on her self-titled album, and while the whole female singer-songwriter schtick is a little trite and doesn't really work for me for that reason, I've definitely had this on repeat through some tough college times, and as such evocativeness of it still kinda kills me.
Its the song you play when you're just kind of not ready quite yet to give up on things, though everyone around you tells you you should.
And you know you should.
But you can't.

Air "Playground Love"
Everyone loves the movie this song is from. But if you have not read the "Virgin Suicides" book, you should.
It is possibly the most palpable slice of nostalgia produced in the 90s.
And this song is possibly the most relatable 3 minutes of teenage yearning I've ever heard.
And lets face it, most people never overcome that.

which leads into the more contemporary portion of this beast of a playlist

Shins "When I goosestep"
Domestic violence be damned, I really wanted a Shins song on here (much like I really didn't want to succumb to any "Transatlanticism" feelings that started creeping up).
And this one really doesn't get played enough.
And is under three minutes long.
And I am RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND resisting the urge to put it on loop.

Snow Patrol "Run"
Snow Patrol has some flirtations with Colplay disasterousness but on this one, I forgive them because the symphonic sweeping in
works in a way a big, fat, tearjerker of a movie works.
I also purposefully left this CD at an old boyfriend's house forever a go because I didn't want to deal with this song alone. Ever.

You've been the only thing that's right, in all lifetime. And I can barely look at you, but every single time my dear....

Shit, man.
SHIT.

Travis "Writing to Reach You"
And while we're in the symphonic pop realms, lets hear it for Franny and the boys and every long distance thing you've been through. Ever.
Consider "Flowers in the window" the cure for this one.

Cardigans "Been It"
Now, some people are going to say...you don't have The Smiths or Cure on this list but you have a perker of a Cardigans number in?
Well, listen now, just because a song is not downtempo does not mean it is not sad.
Proof positive.
Nina Persson is giving up. She's not listening to that Rachel Yamagata song now, she's done.

who can ask me for more?

Marianne Faithful "As Tears Go By"
In the same vein, there was no way I was going to leave out Marianne's first hit out (penned by her then boyfriend Mick Jagger and his band). This is a pretty good one to shed a tear to in public, because it is not as super obvious as some of the ones mentioned above. But Marianne has a beautiful cracked, weary voice which, while not as sweeping as say, some of the professional tear jerkers of later day (there is purposefully NO Mariah or Whitney or Toni on here) is infinitely more relatable, and hence more affecting.

and finally

Stop your Crying -The Pretenders
because hell, by now, you should be ready to snap out of it.