Sad songs written in major keys?

**ll00l0l** · 10-16-2023, 10:27 PM

Can you think of a song written in a major key (maybe even at a fast tempo) which manages to sound sad or wistful?
Here are two I can think of:
David Gray: Please Forgive Me

Letters to Cleo: I Could Sleep

**mr. beaumont** · 10-16-2023, 10:30 PM

Here's that Rainy Day (and yes I know some people make the I chord minor)

**sgosnell** · 10-16-2023, 10:48 PM

Just off the top of my head:

It Never Entered My Mind
My Old Flame
Mean To Me
A Foggy Day (ends happily, but still...)
Ghost Of A Chance
Tons of songs about lost love

**Bobby Timmons** · 10-16-2023, 10:52 PM

My favorite wistful af song right now.

You want some seriously sad songs that are in major? Elliott Smith tunes are heartbreaking and he usually wrote in major. Although he was really good with chromaticism, so I chose this one because the major tonality is really prevalent. Really sad and wistful. I don't think it's uncommon for major to have sad tunes. Minor is more dark and obvious, but major works great too.

Don't cut urself:

**mr. beaumont** · 10-17-2023, 07:53 AM

Elliot Smith was one of the best songwriters of all time.

**pamosmusic** · 10-17-2023, 08:08 AM

Misty.

**nevershouldhavesoldit** · 10-17-2023, 08:24 AM

I Wish You Love
Just Friends

**James W** · 10-17-2023, 08:49 AM

The saddest song I know. Actually there are quite a few Smiths songs that are in major keys but sad.

**Bobby Timmons** · 10-17-2023, 11:00 AM

^ Love The Smiths. Good song and example.

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

Elliott Smith was one of the best songwriters of all time.

Yes he was!

**John A.** · 10-17-2023, 12:03 PM

Days of Wine and Roses
Girl from Ipanema (wistful, if not exactly sad)
A billion blues tunes
Gone with the Wind
God Bless the Child

**GodinFan** · 10-17-2023, 12:53 PM

A House Is Not A Home by Bacharach & David.

**Peter C** · 10-17-2023, 01:14 PM

It doesn't necessarily work that way by any means: A Horse With No Name (Eagles) is in a minor key, for instance, and I can't think of any Blind Lemon Jefferson song that isn't in a major key. (John A already cited the blues).

**Liarspoker** · 10-17-2023, 02:48 PM

Always With Me, Always With You by Joe Satriani. Ok, I know, not jazz....

**Bobby Timmons** · 10-17-2023, 03:27 PM

I'll go all day mofos.

**Litterick** · 10-17-2023, 04:42 PM

Unrequited love is sad.

**sgosnell** · 10-17-2023, 08:07 PM

Without unrequited and lost love, music would be almost impossible. And I agree that minor does not necessarily mean sad, nor major necessarily happy. There's much more to it than that.

**himself** · 10-19-2023, 02:10 PM

Does anybody differentiate sad by lyrics or by music itself? Without a lyrics Ipanema is not sad to me at all.

**ragman1** · 10-19-2023, 09:49 PM

Blue Christmas :-)

**Bobby Timmons** · 10-20-2023, 12:01 AM

**teeps** · 10-20-2023, 03:38 AM

Trad. blues like "Trouble in Mind"

**emkc** · 10-20-2023, 06:33 AM

**John A.** · 10-20-2023, 10:24 AM

Originally Posted by Peter C

It doesn't necessarily work that way by any means: A Horse With No Name (Eagles) is in a minor key, for instance

America, not Eagles.

**Peter C** · 10-20-2023, 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by John A.

America, not Eagles.

LOL, It's all the same to me bro

! Shows how much attention I paid to that song when it came out, just when Brit prog rock was taking off.

Here's another "happy" minor key song: Oye Como Va (Santana)

I was also thinking that the 1 major chord in blues is misleading in terms of "Western" harmony.

**teeps** · 10-20-2023, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by teeps

Trad. blues like "Trouble in Mind"

Thinking it over that song has sufficient amount of optimism to motivate being major.
It is not indefinitely sad, just momentarily sad

**sgcim** · 10-20-2023, 04:16 PM

Most people think the song "Wildfire" is a happy song about a girl and her horse. In actuality, it's about a farmer starving to death. Major key.
Same thing with Rhinestone Cowboy. It's about a musician on the skids. Major key.