Gulp, sniff, sob... five songs that make me cry.

I knew I shouldn't have done that last meme as this time I've been tagged, by Garry from Blog Up North to carry on a meme called "Five songs that make you cry". I have to admit, my heart sank when I saw it as I thought I would struggle to put it together. That makes me sound like a heartless cow but I'm not, I was just devoid of inspiration but when I've actually thought about it, the inspiration has flowed. The trouble I was initially having was that although songs often remind me of a particular time and place, but often they are quite trivial occasions that have stuck in my mind. And all of them were fairly happy times of my life too, so no inspiration there. Not only that, I sometimes have to actually HEAR the song before I'm reminded of the time and the place.

So, here are my five in no particular order.

1. Dido - Here With Me

The reason this song makes me cry is because of Love Actually. In the film, Keira Knightley plays a bride at her wedding where Andrew Lincoln plays the best man and friend of her now husband. He's very cold towards her and she thinks he doesn't like him. When she finds out her wedding video is no good, she turns up at his place hoping to see his unofficial wedding video. As she watches it, she realises that virtually the whole thing is close ups for her and realises that the coldness towards her is that he has feelings for her. He walks out and they play this song as he walks around London. The lyrics are so perfect for the storyline  "And I won't go/I won't sleep/I can't breathe/Until you're resting here with me". It is one of many, many times in that film that there are tears in my eyes. Even playing it again on Youtube tonight started me off.



2. Gladys Knight and the Pips - You're The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me

There is a very very good reason for this one. My mum had it played at my Dad's funeral as the music at the end. My Dad died just before Christmas in 2000 and the funeral was a on sunny but cold day between Christmas and New Year. In fact, it was snowing and it was icy. I actually watched the hearse skid slightly to the left as we neared the crematorium, I remember, but we made it there in one piece. I didn't know my Mum had chosen this for Dad but it made me cry.

A few months later, I got High Fidelity out on video and was watching it alone, because I am a huge fan of John Cusack. In the film, his character owns a record shop and is forever compiling top fives for every occasion. His ex-girlfriend's father dies and during the funeral scene, he talks to camera about what songs he'd like played at his funeral and he mentions that he hopes a beautiful,  tearful woman chooses exactly this song. That was it - the tears flowed, I was in bits. I couldn't believe the coincidence. Now I can't listen to it without thinking of my Dad, who I miss hugely, and that scene in the film. I try not to listen to it, in fact - when I found it on Youtube, I had to turn the sound right down so I could barely hear it.



3. Black - Sweetest Smile

No particular reason that is personal to me for this one. It's just the story behind it that is so so sad. I really loved the album that this came from. It was written by Colin Vearncombe (Black) around the time of a painful relationship break up. You get the idea that he might not have seen it coming but others probably did. "I think my heart must be made of clay/Cos everybody said it would be broken someday/And now I've come to that fateful day/I sit on the floor with my head in my hands." Gets me every time.



4. Tasmin Archer - In Your Care

This one makes me cry because of the subject matter. I love Tasmin Archer and Sleeping Satellite was a lovely happy tune. This song was the follow up single to that and couldn't be quite opposite. It seems very poignant but when you listen to the words, or read the lyrics, you realise that it's about child abuse. In fact, profits were donated to Child Line at the time, I believe. It utterly captures the fear and desperation of a child abused by a family members and it's heart-rending.



5. Dean Friedman - Lydia

My older sister and I were both big fans of Dean Friedman in the 70s and 80s (and don't tell anyone, we even went to see him in the 90s too.... ). The music and words are sad but whilst it tells a story as so many of his songs, there is a lot left unsaid. It's partly some form of unrequited or forbidden love and if I listen to this when I'm feeling blue, you can guarantee the tears will flow and but it will also make me well up when I'm feeling happy.



So that's my five songs. Bit of an eclectic mix, that. Music from four decades, I make that. There could've been others actually in the end.

And now, it falls to me to tag some more people to carry on this meme, so I will tag:

Joanna at At Home With Mrs M
Jay at journey of the mocha bean(s) and mummy
Very Bored in Catalunya
and Heather from Notes from Lapland

And I'm off for a lie down to get over the emotion of doing all that.