I don't know if it qualifies as a "sad song" as much as a Blues song (sort of), which by definition is kinda sad, but I was deeply enthralled by all the kids in my kids' generation who could drop anything at any moment and cheerfully sing every single word (loudly! together!) to Old Crow Medicine Show's song Wagon Wheel. Especially here in rural New York, all those little kidlets singing emphatically about escaping to finally and happily die south of the Mason Dixon was bizarre and weirdly charming.
That is the perfect word for it, thank you. I think Blues and spirituals generally bring us together in the way you describe, somewhat by design. They remind us that we all lament. That we all seek comfort when it feels like there is none to be found. That we are all sometimes heartbroken, and that this living business can be a trial. As you say, we don't need to be reminded we're all in this together when things are good, but when they're bad and hard and it feels like there's no hope? Then we need each other. We need to be reminded that someone's been here before and look! They managed to write a song about it, which is a sign of survival.
My "music drops out and the crowd sings a capella" moment was at the 2014 Manchester Road Race. There's always a big ol' American flag hanging over Main St. which you run under on your way to the finish line, and right before the race starts you turn around and face the flag while a talented local person sings the anthem. In 2014 the audio dropped and within half a second there were 10,000+ runners and spectators who picked it up. I was there, it was really cool and there's a video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJPgskNTifw
I don't know if it qualifies as a "sad song" as much as a Blues song (sort of), which by definition is kinda sad, but I was deeply enthralled by all the kids in my kids' generation who could drop anything at any moment and cheerfully sing every single word (loudly! together!) to Old Crow Medicine Show's song Wagon Wheel. Especially here in rural New York, all those little kidlets singing emphatically about escaping to finally and happily die south of the Mason Dixon was bizarre and weirdly charming.
I think Wagon Wheel 100% counts. It's definitely not triumphant. I'd say, plaintive!
That is the perfect word for it, thank you. I think Blues and spirituals generally bring us together in the way you describe, somewhat by design. They remind us that we all lament. That we all seek comfort when it feels like there is none to be found. That we are all sometimes heartbroken, and that this living business can be a trial. As you say, we don't need to be reminded we're all in this together when things are good, but when they're bad and hard and it feels like there's no hope? Then we need each other. We need to be reminded that someone's been here before and look! They managed to write a song about it, which is a sign of survival.
My "music drops out and the crowd sings a capella" moment was at the 2014 Manchester Road Race. There's always a big ol' American flag hanging over Main St. which you run under on your way to the finish line, and right before the race starts you turn around and face the flag while a talented local person sings the anthem. In 2014 the audio dropped and within half a second there were 10,000+ runners and spectators who picked it up. I was there, it was really cool and there's a video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJPgskNTifw
that video and description is so cool, Beau!