Sad Songs

"Cheer up." "Stop wallowing." And our personal favorite: "It's going to be all right." Which is easy for everyone else to say. They didn't just get cheated on after a five-year relationship or lose a loved one to the wicked, unpredictable ways of fate. Welcome to one of those nights, when your music collection is the only thing that truly understands you and the only way to feel better is to cry along to the desperately beautiful "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley or sublime sob-fest of Elton John's "Candle In the Wind".

Jam, "Honey", Sad Café . . . find nourishment for your poorly soul, in Next Steps.

Don't bother getting up. Just press play and lie back in bed as the majestic, melancholy magic of Randy Van Warmer's "Just When I Needed You Most" envelopes you like the arms of a loved one . . . who's long gone. Even tough guys cry sometimes, so take consolation from the Jam ("So Sad About Us") before ordering up a large mug of heartbreak with Sad Café ("Every Day Hurts"), accompanied by a round of despair on toast, sweetened only marginally by Bobby Goldsboro's "Honey".

Chris Isaak joins a-ha in the bottomless puddle of sadness formed by our Deep Cuts.

Did you shed a tear or is that just something in your eye? The former, eh? Well, don't wipe it away or hang your head in shame. Let those salty raindrops pour into a puddle on your bedroom floor. No one's here to judge you; in fact, they're here to help, whether it's the Nordic balm of a-ha ("Crying In the Rain"), the beefcake twang of Chris Isaak ("Wicked Game"), or the soulful pop of the Four Tops ("When She Was My Girl').

Elton John was right. Those sad songs say so much. So turn 'em on, folks, whatever the reason you're down in the dumps . . . whether you're feeling uncomfortably numb because of Cupid and his crappy aim or stuck in an existential head-lock with Grandfather Time, who has just reminded you of the cold, hard, we're-all-going-die-someday reality of life. Fear not — we have a suggestion for this night at least: allow the likes of Enrique Iglesias, Marvin Gaye, Bob Dylan, and David Bowie to lend you their shoulders to cry on. All you need to do in return is listen, and before long you'll be humming along like it's the first day of spring.