5 Crushingly Sad Songs You've Never Heard

1. Rilo Kiley - Ripchord

This song is about the late Elliott Smith, the iconic singer-songwriter who died in 2003 from supposedly self-inflicted knife wounds to the chest. Not your run-of-the-mill tribute song, Ripchord is almost bitter in its treatment of his death. Smith had become consumed by the 'depressed artist' persona, much to the dismay of friends. There's a sense of inevitability about the lyrics that makes it all the more powerful. Bleakest moment - "So come on kid/Look at what you did/I don't know if you meant it/But you did yourself in/And I was even having a good day/When I'd found out we lost you."