Subversively Sad Songs

In his marvellous lecture 'Secret Life of the Love Song' Nick Cave talks about the quality within certain songs called "saudade" ... a Portuguese word meaning a certain kind of longing, of sadness - you really need to listen to the lecture, but hopefully you get the idea ...

But anyway, he uses the example of Kylie Minogue's 'Better the Devil You Know' to explain that saudade can lurk in the most unlikely of places - a superficially upbeat banger hiding an inner core of utter desolation.

I've always been fascinated by this. The right combination of singer and song can steal heartbreak and despair into the most unlikely places.

The modern maestro of smuggled saudade is Robyn - whose songs seem to permanently hover between euphoria and unbearable sadness. I wrote years ago about 'With Every Heartbeat' (rather clumsily),  and my feeling for that song has only grown. It is a thing of uncommon, uncomfortable beauty, and perhaps the definition of what I'm looking for.

It's a certain type of song, this. Not just a sad song. There are 1000s of those.

Of course, there are ballads, and big sad pop songs, but that's not quite what I'm talking about. Not something like 'Someone Like You' or 'In the Air Tonight'. The sentiment there, and the desired emotional effect is clear.

It's the ones which are somehow joyful and danceable but then gradually something nags at you that all is not quite right ...

It can only be personal taste. I'm quite sure 'Baby One More Time' would fit the bill for a lot of people, but it's never done it for me ... the lyrics are there, but somehow the vocal and tune aren't. Likewise 'Tainted Love' ... I feel that too much was given over to it being a banger in the Soft Cell version for its dark heart to quite survive, though Marc Almond's voice ought to ideally suit that balance.

Anyway ... here are a few across a few different eras. Can you think of any more?

Umbrella - Rihanna
Into the Groove - Madonna
Chandelier - Sia
Help! - The Beatles
Green Light - Lorde
A Little Respect - Erasure
Dancing On My Own - Robyn
Burn Baby Burn - Ash
Get Happy - Judy Garland
What a Fool Believes - The Doobie Brothers
Born Slippy - Underworld
I Wanna Dance With Somebody - Whitney Houston