Bittersweet Songs
@puddleglum (1380)
United States
April 22, 2016 12:16pm CST
Isn't it interesting how circumstances or memories can make a happy song feel like a sad one. This video is from the last episode of the classic 50s show "I Love Lucy." Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were about to divorce at this time, so when Edie Adams sang this song about eternal love, it was sadly ironic.
I thought the same thing the first time I listened to Captain and Tennile's "Love Will Keep Us Together" a couple of years ago, after hearing the famous musical duo had divorced.
I also feel that way when I hear Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable" because it was sort of my parents' "song." They are also divorced now.
I'm not sure why I'm thinking about all this today, but I thought I'd share.
Do you have any bittersweet songs?
From the episode, "Lucy Meets the Moustache" of the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour. The song meant so much more since it was the last episode of the popular I Love Lu...
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9 responses
@just4him (307136)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
23 Apr 16
@puddleglum One of my favorite songs was from my time in the Navy. It is called Brandy. It's about a woman who is in love with a sailor who is in love with the sea.
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@puddleglum (1380)
• United States
23 Apr 16
A lot of people don't have a special song. Sometimes there are songs from a certain time period that spark memories, but no special one song.
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@puddleglum (1380)
• United States
23 Apr 16
@just4him I know that song. It has a great melody and vocals.
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@Drosophila (16573)
• Ireland
22 Apr 16
Simon and Garfunkel's last recording "bridge over troubled water" shortly before their split in 1970.
I heard of this tune and story in 2010, and it always had a haunting effect on me.
It was me and my ex's song.. and I had never thought we'd break up.
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@Drosophila (16573)
• Ireland
22 Apr 16
@puddleglum also, you know when "simon & garfunkel" sang this song, and promised to be "the bridge over troubled water" to each other, during the most turbulent time of their partnership right?
They were never able to reconcile their difference, which led to a permanent split only 1 years later.
Paul also said the split hurt him more than any divorce ever could. It was a painful song to listen to, if you consider the artists back stories.
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@puddleglum (1380)
• United States
22 Apr 16
@Drosophila That is very sad. It's unfortunate that such a creative and unique partnership could not be salvaged. The song is, indeed, particularly poignant in that light.
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@puddleglum (1380)
• United States
22 Apr 16
I like that song, but I see why it has different meaning and sadness for you.
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@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
25 Apr 16
I think Wonderful Life by Black - it is a very downbeat delivery - also Bobby Ferrin's Don't Worry, Be Happy which actually sounds miserable but also funny
Music video by Bobby McFerrin performing Don't Worry Be Happy.
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@puddleglum (1380)
• United States
25 Apr 16
Those are good examples, since the theme doesn't exactly match the mood of the songs. I think Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole is sort of like that too.
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@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
27 Apr 16
@puddleglum yes, quite a dark take on it
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@puddleglum (1380)
• United States
22 Apr 16
Yeah, I think context is what can make some songs sad. "Unforgettable" is a happy song for many people.
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@marlina (154165)
• Canada
27 Apr 16
@puddleglum Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable" song is a lovely song. Too bad that it doesn't bring happiness to all who listen to it.
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@puddleglum (1380)
• United States
27 Apr 16
@marlina It is a lovely song, and I love most of his songs. That one just brings back memories.
@HebrewGreekStudies (1646)
• Canada
14 May 16
Yeh, that is something I had noticed, how a song's context can change for us throughout our lives-I think one of the biggest things in relation to that is love, and faith. Like, a love can be lost...and faith as well. A lot of Leonard Cohen songs seem to have this kind of dual relationship with that-Hallelujah is often mistaken by some as a song of faith, and...it's actually more cynical, akin to his version of the Binding of Issac-and yet that could easily change, and sometimes when Cohen sings Hallelujah, there is almost more to it...he almost sounds like one who has travelled the wilderness, and that bitter cynical confession, seems to have taken on more meaning over time.
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@JudyEv (326127)
• Rockingham, Australia
23 Apr 16
There is the one Agnetha from ABBA sang 'The Winner Takes It All'. I don't know how she managed to sing it as I think they had just divorced.
The Winner Takes It All by ABBA song meaning, lyric interpretation, video and chart position
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@JudyEv (326127)
• Rockingham, Australia
23 Apr 16
@puddleglum We do too. With some of their songs (Take a Chance on me comes to mind) it is nearly impossible not to get up and dance. The beat is just so ... driving, I guess although that's not quite the right word either.
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@puddleglum (1380)
• United States
23 Apr 16
@JudyEv I know what you mean. I was actually listening to Take a Chance on satellite radio today. What a coincidence. 
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@puddleglum (1380)
• United States
23 Apr 16
Thanks for sharing the backstory. It is definitely an emotional song. I would think the performance would be difficult for everyone involved.
I really like ABBA.
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@puddleglum (1380)
• United States
10 May 16
I know what you mean. "That's All" is a beautiful song anyway, but I think it brings out even more complicated feelings in the context of this moment in tv history.
@puddleglum (1380)
• United States
22 Apr 16
It's probably still my favorite tv show. You're right, it was fun to watch them together. The on screen chemistry was also great with the other cast members--Vivian Vance and William Frawley.
@LeaPea2417 (36504)
• Toccoa, Georgia
25 Apr 16
That song that Frank Sinatra sings "Strangers In The Night", always makes me think of a certain guy.
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@puddleglum (1380)
• United States
25 Apr 16
Sinatra's music is very evocative anyway, so I'm sure the personal association makes it that much more poignant.
It's amazing how a song can bring a certain someone to mind that you may not have even thought about in awhile. Not to get too PDA here, but the Broadway classic "I Got Lost in His Arms" is like that for me.
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