3 One-Hit Wonders That Will Just Make You Feel Sad

Sometimes you just need a good cry. Sometimes, there’s just been enough going on in your life that you feel beaten down. And you just need to sit in your car or on your sofa and let it all out. But if you need something to help push you over the teardrop edge, we’ve got the perfect three-song playlist. We think it’s healthy to get the feelings out. It’s only natural. So, here are three songs for the very moment needed to release all the emotions. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders that will just make you feel sad (and that’s okay).

Videos by American Songwriter

“Wicked Game” by Chris Isaak from ‘Heart Shaped World’ (1989)

This is no slight on the iconic love song “Wicked Game” by the fabulous Chris Isaak. Instead, it’s just a commentary on the unique mood he built in the offering. It instantly bends its way into the dark part of your soul, the part that rarely sees light. Even to acknowledge that portion of you summons up sad emotions. It’s an amazing magic track by the songwriter. And it’s the reason his song has stayed in the collective consciousness ever since its release.

“Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” by Crash Test Dummies from ‘God Shuffled His Feet’ (1993)

This somber, sobering song tells three sad stories of kids growing up in difficult social circumstances. It makes you think of what it was like to be a kid, surrounded by your peers who were all trying to figure out who they were. Ridicule was around every corner for kids who got bullied growing up. Life was just hard then, even if you didn’t have to pay bills and buy gasoline. The Canadian-born group Crash Test Dummies summed up that mood expertly, and it’s impossible not to feel as if your heart got a little heavier after you heard this song. But that’s the power of art. It helps you feel and remember.

“I Try” by Macy Gray from ‘On How Life Is’ (1999)

Here’s a sad entry on our list of one-hit wonders that acknowledges that sometimes, you just won’t succeed. Sometimes you’re just able to reach for the gold ring, but it’s just out of your reach. Sometimes you try, but it doesn’t work out. You try to say goodbye and you choke, you try to walk away but you stumble. While this song has a pleasant beat, sometimes hearing a little empathy and the fact that someone else knows what it’s like to come up short can bring along those happy-sad tears.

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