WORDS.

Sponsored by Big Tissue.

I've always been somewhat puzzled by people who say “I don't like music”. The notion of listening to a song and having no reaction, either positive or negative, is so far removed from my existence, and in writing this, I found out it's actually a condition called musical anhedonia, which affects 3-5% of the population, which is fair enough, I suppose. Music is something that, for better or worse, has always made me feel something; I don't think I've ever heard a song that elicited a Partridge-style shrug of the shoulders.

Webster's Dictionary defines crying as “calling for notice”, which is odd as I usually don't want people to know I'm crying. Having said that, I'm going to write a bit about some songs that move me to the point of tears. I originally had this as an idea for a stream, but I figured that would be an incredibly tough watch, so it's just going to be words on a screen. I understand reading about this kind of thing can be kind of odd if you're not in the right headspace to be able to relate to what I'm writing, so I've tried my hardest not to be so corny about it all.

A couple of ground rules: For the purposes of this article, I'm going to focus on one song per artist, and I'm going to choose songs that, at the very least, give me a lump in my throat every time I hear them. That's right, you've been clickbaited.

█ 1. Haruomi Hosono – “Talking” (1984)

Right, let's get the long one out of the way first, shall we? I'm going to start off by making this piece of music sound awful, as it's 15 whole minutes of slight variations of a 12-second instrumental loop. There is a reason for this though, as Japanese retailer Muji commissioned Yellow Magic Orchestra's Haruomi Hosono to compose background music to play in their stores. The result is his 1984 album Watering a Flower, containing just two minimalistic songs.

The first of these is “Talking”, which I have a hard time picturing playing through shop speakers, unless I was popping in to buy a toaster and a bath. It has a bittersweet and nostalgic quality to it, with large pauses throughout (other than a quiet beep acting as a metronome of sorts), allowing you a bit of time to think about all the fond memories you've had that you'll never be able to experience again because everything's changed, you've drifted apart from old friends, and Curly Wurlys aren't as big as they used to be.

Going back to what I said at the start, it's 15 whole minutes of slight variations of a 12-second instrumental loop. But that doesn't mean you'll grow tired of it.

Now, if you're down with the kids, you may be thinking “Hang on, I've heard this before!”, and you'd be correct, as this music was sampled by Vampire Weekend on their track “2021”, but I'm not linking to it because I don't like it.

█ 2. Boz Scaggs – “You Can Have Me Anytime” (1980)

Love songs generally aren't my cup of tea. They're not something I can relate to, and more often than not, they're all basically the same thing anyway. So while Boz Scaggs' ballad “You Can Have Me Anytime” makes this list, it's not necessarily for its lyrical content, which tackles the often tackled subject of an unrequited love.

That's not to say they're bad lyrics, mind you. Quite the opposite in fact, read them without the music and it could be a poem, and either way, Scaggs' voice lends itself perfectly to them, even though many claim he sounds like Kermit the Frog (which, honestly, I kind of get). They just aren't much of a factor in why this song makes the list. That honour goes primarily to the guitar solo, performed by the inimitable Carlos Santana, and poorly mimed by someone else in the video.

I pay little attention to those who think the best guitarists are the ones who shred constantly. All the best guitarists know when to play and when to pause, when to hold a note and when to noodle about. That's why Santana is one of the true greats, and why this is quite possibly my favourite guitar solo of all time. Each note has a purpose, nothing feels out of place or unnecessary, and most importantly, it suits the song to a tee. Give it a listen, hopefully you'll see exactly what I mean.

█ 3. Hey Ocean! – “Islands” (2012)

What's that? A band from the 21st century featuring on this website?

I was first introduced to Hey Ocean! by an old Twitter pal who lived in Vancouver, where the trio (plus a rotating set of session musicians) were based. It's unusual for me to get into their kind of music, but it's so infectiously fun... for the most part. “Islands”, from their album IS (loyal BapyCal Twitch viewers will remember this from my Desert Island Discs stream in March 2022) is a more mellow tune, delicately sung by guitarist David Beckingham, with regular vocalist Ashleigh Ball providing backing vocals, though they share the chorus. It is a love song, and stand by what I said earlier, but this one is a bit more substantial than “Ooo, I love you, babygirl” or whatever:

“We could build an island
You and I could swim beside
Where we could ride the tides
Until we fall asleep at night”

It's a relatively simple sentiment, but still very sweet all the same. 

However, if I heard this for the first time, it probably wouldn't make me cry on its own. I first heard this song when it came out in the summer of 2012, back when I was a big old teenager, and hearing this song reminds me of those times. They weren't great times per se, but nostalgia has its way of making you forget all the rubbish stuff, so you can focus on those summer nights playing Pro Evolution Soccer on the PlayStation 3 at my dad's place, sipping on cider, and trying to get rid of the smell of cigarettes being smoked by the people living below us while we both had our windows wide open. My only worries were about my GCSEs. No rent to pay. No £7.50 tubs of Lurpak. Just vibes.

█ 4. Rush – “The Garden” (2012)

The final track from Rush's final album Clockwork Angels, “The Garden” is one of the greatest songs the trio ever wrote. Granted, there's no self-indulgent noodling à la “La Villa Strangiato”, but from a songwriting and lyrical perspective, it's a fitting end to a band that lasted over forty years, somehow only undergoing one personnel change, drummer/lyricist Neil Peart replacing John Rutsey in 1974. The lyrics ponder the passing of time and the preciousness of life in typical Rush fashion:

“The future disappears into memory
With only a moment between
Forever dwells in that moment
Hope is what remains to be seen”

After a very tasteful solo from Alex Lifeson is the heartbreaking big finale, with a string section that doesn't go overboard (a rarity for this kind of song), with a repeated refrain:

“In the fullness of time
A garden to nurture and protect
It's a measure of a life”

A few more repeats of the final line, and it all ends with a single cello note as their glorious career fades to black. A poignant masterpiece that, if anything, has only improved with age.

I'm trying so hard to stick to my “one song per artist” rule here, but I can't pass this opportunity by without mentioning a few other Rush songs that make me emotional. Their 1982 song “Losing It” is eerily prophetic considering Peart was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2016 and passed away in 2020, “The Pass” from 1989's Presto deals with teenage suicide, with a really hard-hitting ending, and “Nobody's Hero” is a highlight of their Counterparts album, with lyrics about tragedies that friends of Peart's had endured.

█ 5. Thin Lizzy – “Little Girl in Bloom” (1973)

Most Thin Lizzy fans would say their saddest song is “Still in Love with You”, and they may be right, but I've picked a lesser-known track for this list. Taken from 1973's Vagabonds of the Western World, “Little Girl in Bloom” starts off with some vaguely Frippertronics-esque guitar feedback, before the bass enters with a simple double stop riff. It's simple but effective, with a tasteful solo from Eric Bell at the end, but the real gut-wrencher is the story behind the song. Phil Lynott often gets a bit of stick for his lyrics (“Jailbreak, somewhere in this town” etc), but anyone who's listened to more than Lizzy's hits is aware of just how great a poet he could be. He does a fantastic job of painting a vivid picture of a woman who is hiding her pregnancy, and what she is dealing with:

“Little girl in bloom carries a secret
The child she carries in her womb
She feels something sacred
She's gonna be a mammy soon”

His soft vocal style certainly sells it, particularly when he plays the part of the invisible confidant:

“When your daddy comes home
Don't tell him till alone
When your daddy comes back
Go tell him the facts
Just relax and see how he's gonna react”

It's especially emotional when you take into account Lynott's mother, Philomena, gave birth to him out of wedlock in 1949, and he grew up not knowing his father. Long after he died in 1986, it emerged that Lynott himself fathered a son who was given up for adoption, just five years before this song was released.

█ 6. Boston – “To Be a Man” (1986)

This is probably the most unusual song on the list. Not your regular tearjerker by any means, “To Be a Man” is an effort from Boston's Third Stage that largely went under the radar compared to the album's hit “Amanda”. However, it's a very meaningful song, especially to me, with words and music (and pretty much everything else) by rock music's favourite basement dweller, Tom Scholz. As you may have guessed by the title, it's about what it takes to be “a man”, and if most other bands at the time had written this song, they'd be singing about being tough or having sex with underage girls. Boston had other ideas:

“The will to give and not receive
The strength to say what you believe
The heart to feel what others feel inside
To see what they can see”

I feel it's a bit redundant to say this is sung well, as it's the one and only Brad Delp, who might just be the greatest vocalist in rock and roll history (and I'm not usually one for hyperbole). Only he could hit those ridiculous high notes and still convey a great deal of emotion.

After a few more soaring guitars and a lovely little solo, the spotlight is back on Delp again, and this is the part that really moves me:

“A man is something that's real
It's not what you are
It's what you can feel
It can't be too late
To look through the hate and see
I know that's what a man can be”

Meaningful, easy to understand, and fitting. The three barometers of a good lyric.

Boston: Destroying toxic masculinity since 1986.

█ 7. Yes – “To Be Over” (1974)

Clocking in at over nine minutes (prog!), “To Be Over” is the final track of three (prog!) on Yes' 1974 album Relayer, which I should maybe enjoy more than I do, given that it's progressive rock mixed with jazz fusion. I've got no issues with this song though, it's a truly wonderful number featuring some stellar electric and lap steel guitar work from Steve Howe throughout.

It's not a song that makes me well up from the first note, rather the energy slowly builds up over the course of seven and a half minutes before being released into a chorus of layered-up heavenly chants by singer Jon Anderson, which may be nonsense or may be French. Finally, everything begins to slow down, instruments fade, and Howe's guitar fizzles out after repeating a simple but gorgeous riff. You'd be hard-pressed to think of another musical journey with such a perfect conclusion.

And the lyrics! While I have a hard time figuring out what they're really about (prog!), I like to think they're about the journey of life. There are a few lines before the final section that always get to me:

“After all
Your soul will still surrender
After all
Don't doubt your part
Be ready to be loved”

To me, those lyrics are basically saying “someday, you'll die, but don't worry, you'll always be loved”, which is such a touching sentiment to include in a song.

This song doesn't make me cry because it's sad. It's not sad at all. It's just so beautiful.

█ 8. Simon & Garfunkel – “The Boxer” (1969)

“In the clearing stands a boxer
And a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of every glove that laid him down
Or cut him till he cried out
In his anger and his shame
I am leaving, I am leaving
But the fighter still remains”

Again, I'm not one for hyperbole, but this song has to contain some of the best lyrics in the history of popular music, but that verse stands head and shoulders above the rest. Who can honestly say they've never felt that way before? We all make our way through life, taking punch after punch, rolling with them until one day, something in us snaps, and we feel we can't take it any longer. But, as I write this and you read this, we're still here. It's the perfect metaphor for a perfect song.

Seriously, there are no flaws here. From the graceful pedal steel guitar/piccolo trumpet solo, to Art Garfunkel's sensitive harmonies, to the pounding reverberated snare during the chorus. Even the gentle subtleties in the two guitars as the song comes to a close just add that little something to make this piece of music stand out over everything else. Not even “Bridge Over Troubled Water” from the same album compares, and that's an incredibly emotional song in its own regard.

Bonus emotional moment: Here's a video of Paul Simon playing this song live in 2016, stopping mid-song to announce the death of Muhammad Ali, before launching into the final chorus.

█ 9. Peter Gabriel – “Family Snapshot” (1980)

In all honesty, I could easily write an article titled “10 Peter Gabriel Songs That Make Me Cry Every Time”. “Biko”, “Wallflower”, “Don't Give Up”, “Washing of the Water”, “I Grieve”, and a fair few others will always make me emotional. I think it's not only a testament to Gabriel's songwriting, but also his voice. It has a breathy, gravelly quality that came through after he left Genesis, which almost makes it sound as if he's holding back tears himself. I don't think any other song showcases it better than “Family Snapshot” from his third self-titled album, commonly referred to as Melt.

The song is about a man who plans to assassinate a politician (Gabriel took inspiration from a book by Arthur Bremer, who later assassinated Alabama governor George Wallace), and it begins simply with Gabriel's vocals and piano, before, like so many other songs on this list, it builds and builds until we're treated to a thumping drum beat and even some saxophone. This is where the narrator shoots his victim, but it's the final minute where the song gets me.

We cut back down to just vocals, piano, and bass, as we flashback to his childhood and find out how he ended up in this position: he was desperate for love and attention, which he never got from his parents:

“Come back, Mum and Dad
You're growing apart
You know that I'm growing up sad
I need some attention
I shoot into the light”

Anyone who witnessed their parent's break-up as a child knows how traumatic it can be, and will feel they can relate to those lyrics in some regard.

Even if we didn't grow up to kill someone.

█ 10. Christopher Cross – “Sailing” (1979)