10 Most Depressing Songs In Rock Music

Feature Photo: by Brian Kachejian 2024

We’re not trying to bring anybody down by writing an article full of depressing songs. However, as a classic rock history website, we aim to cover every aspect of music. Naturally, many songs have been written not just about depression but are inherently depressing. Many artists write these songs because they are in a depressed mood themselves or, like many of us, have experienced it at some point. Others may compose them as part of their craft or to maintain an image.

The question is, does listening to depressing rock songs make you feel better, or does it make things worse? Only you can answer that. Nonetheless, we will be careful with our picks for many reasons.

# 10 – Fell On Black Days – Soundgarden

It wasn’t easy listing Soundgarden’s “Fell On Black Days” because of the loss of Chris Cornell and the way we lost him. But it’s also one of the reasons why we felt we had to include this dark song about depression. What everyone needs to recognize is that when they know someone who is going through it, they need to get them help, because the consequences can often be irreversible.

Released in early 1995 as the final single from Superunknown, “Fell on Black Days” is a brooding, introspective track penned by frontman Chris Cornell. The song, rooted in grunge and psychedelic rock, explores a sudden, inexplicable descent into despair, a theme Cornell described as an ongoing fear of realizing one day that everything in life is unraveling. Structured in a 6/4 time signature, the song features a seamless rhythmic execution, with drummer Matt Cameron playing a straight beat that masks the complexity of the meter. Guitarist Kim Thayil later noted that Soundgarden often discovered their use of odd time signatures only after writing a song, making their intricate compositions feel natural rather than forced. “Fell on Black Days” peaked at number four on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, securing its place among the band’s most successful releases.

Recorded at Seattle’s Bad Animals Studio during the Superunknown sessions in 1993, the track features Chris Cornell on vocals and rhythm guitar, Kim Thayil on lead guitar, Ben Shepherd on bass, and Matt Cameron on drums. The album, produced by Michael Beinhorn alongside the band, marked a turning point for Soundgarden, solidifying their mainstream success while maintaining their signature dark and intricate songwriting. The single was released in multiple versions, including B-sides like “Kyle Petty, Son of Richard” and “Motorcycle Loop.” A demo version, later retitled “Black Days III” for the Superunknown 20th Anniversary reissue, featured alternate lyrics and a heavier, detuned guitar arrangement in DGDGBE. This early version was performed live during Pearl Jam’s Self-Pollution satellite radio broadcast on January 8, 1995, a Seattle-based pirate transmission picked up by various radio stations across the country.

The music video for “Fell on Black Days” was directed by Jake Scott, who later worked with the band on “Burden in My Hand.” Filmed in October 1994 at Bad Animals Studio, the black-and-white video captures a live performance of the band in a controlled studio setting, with Brendan O’Brien producing the audio. Released in November 1994, the video was later included on Alive in the Superunknown, a CD-ROM companion to the album. The video version of the track also appears on the Fell on Black Days single, Songs from the Superunknown, and the Deluxe Edition of Telephantasm, the band’s 2010 career-spanning compilation.

# 8 – Paranoid – Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” is the perfect example of a song that talks about depression but sounds upbeat due to its melody, driving chord changes, and energetic production. This is one of the band’s most famous hits, but I think it could be argued that many people haven’t listened to the lyrics. If they did, they would understand that the song is about depression, sadness, and, of course, paranoia. Geezer Butler, who wrote the lyrics, has often said in interviews that the song is about depression.

# 7 – Down In A Hole – Alice In Chains

If there’s one topic that grunge music surely focused on when it began dominating rock and roll in the early ’90s, it was depression. We could have probably filled this entire list with songs from Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. With lyrics like, “Down in a hole, and I don’t know if I can be saved, see my heart, I decorate it like a grave,” it becomes quite evident what we’re talking about with grunge music.

Released in 1993 as the fifth and final single from Dirt, “Down in a Hole” stands as one of Alice in Chains’ most emotionally raw compositions. Written by guitarist Jerry Cantrell, the song was initially a deeply personal reflection on love, vulnerability, and self-doubt. Cantrell had penned the lyrics as a tribute to his then-girlfriend, Courtney Clarke, expressing the fear of losing someone he cared about. While he initially hesitated to present the song to the band, concerned it might be too soft for their signature sound, its haunting melody and introspective lyrics ultimately made it a vital piece of Dirt‘s narrative.

The song was recorded between April and July 1992 at Eldorado Studios in Burbank, California; London Bridge Studio in Seattle; and One on One Studios in Los Angeles. Alice in Chains worked with producer Dave Jerden, who helped shape the track’s atmospheric sound. Featuring Layne Staley’s lead vocals, Cantrell on guitar and backing vocals, Mike Starr on bass, and Sean Kinney on drums, the song’s dynamic rests in its blend of acoustic and electric elements, creating a melancholic yet powerful arrangement. Written in A-flat minor and utilizing the Dorian mode, “Down in a Hole” stands out for its layered harmonies between Cantrell and Staley, reinforcing its somber tone.

Upon its release, “Down in a Hole” spent 21 weeks on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, peaking at number 10.

# 6 – Something In The Way – Nirvana

We were hesitant to include any Nirvana songs on this list because of what happened to Kurt Cobain. However, it’s probably more important to include some of his music, as many of his songs seem to be a cry for help. Everyone loved his music because it was so genuine, so real, and so touching. And, of course, very depressing. We could have chosen many songs, but this one just hits hard.

# 5 – Cold Cold Ground – Tom Waits

There have been many interpretations of this song. Many people have written that they believe it’s about poverty, while others think it deals with a return to nature in its most simplistic form. Others, of course, believe it’s all about death. No matter your interpretation, the one common denominator is a depressing vocal performance about topics that aren’t usually great joys to talk about—unless you’re a history professor. Yeah, this one is pretty freaking depressing. You can’t hide it. The song was originally released on Tom Waits’ Franks Wild Years album.

Read More: The Heroines In Tom Waits Songs

# 4 – Paint It Black – The Rolling Stones

From the song’s opening haunting guitar notes through lyrics like “I want to see a red door and I want it painted black,” The Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black” is indeed a dark look into the pain of depression and the severity of all that comes with it. In everything Mick Jagger sings, he wants to turn it into darkness to match the feelings he is experiencing. The creepiness of the song’s melody and its lyrics defined its suitability in many horror movies for its cinematic qualities.

# 3 – Without You – Harry Nilsson

While this is definitely one of the saddest breakup songs ever written, it’s very depressing in the same way that Harry Nilsson explains he just can’t go on living without the person he’s singing about. There is always great pain in losing someone you love, and Harry Nilsson showcases that pain in his vocal performance better than almost anyone else I’ve ever heard, singing with such sadness and despair.

The song was originally written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans, members of the band Badfinger, who released it on their album No Dice. Many artists have covered it—almost 200 different versions exist—with the two most famous being Harry Nilsson’s 1971 version and Mariah Carey’s 1994 number-one hit. However, surrounded by Paul Buckmaster’s stirring strings, Gary Wright’s haunting piano, and the guitar work of Klaus Voormann and John Uribe—all brought together by Jim Keltner’s drums—Harry Nilsson’s Without You stands as one of the saddest and most depressing recordings of all time.

# 2 – Yesterday – The Beatles

Only Paul McCartney could write such a sad, depressing song with such a beautifully sweet and warm melody. It’s quite possible that this is the best-selling depressing song of all time. Does it get any more hopeless than lyrics like, “Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away, now it looks as though they’re here to stay”? Yes, this song is all about a breakup or loss of some kind. Yet Paul seems to imply that it’s all over—game over. It doesn’t get much more depressing than that. The song “Yesterday” first appeared on the original UK edition of Help!. It was later included on the US Capitol Records release Yesterday and Today.

# 1 – The River – Bruce Springsteen

While many critics and fans have regarded Bruce Springsteen’s The River as a party album that supposedly showcases how he sounds live, the fact is the album contains some of the most depressing songs Springsteen has ever written. Of course, there is a party aspect to the album, with songs like “Crush on You,” “Two Hearts,” “You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch),” and “The Ties That Bind.” However, even “Hungry Heart,” though it has a happy, Beach Boys-like melody, is more of a depressing song hidden beneath its upbeat sound.

Ultimately, there are a lot of depressing songs on The River that we could have included on this list—songs like “Drive All Night,” “Point Blank,” “Stolen Car,” “Fade Away,” and even “The Price You Pay.” Yet the album’s most depressing piece of music stands out because it features some of the most genuine lyrics Springsteen has ever penned. When The River was released in 1980, times were hard. We were in the middle of a recession, and finding work was not easy. I remember searching for months before finally landing a job at a supermarket. Springsteen addresses these economic struggles in the song.

But the most heartbreaking aspect of “The River” is the failed marriage at its core. It tells the story of people getting married far too young—a common narrative for his generation and the one before. The marriage is often the result of a pregnancy, as it is in this song, and eventually, everything falls apart. Toward the end of the song, Springsteen reminisces about the early days when life was beautiful between them, and what makes it so deeply depressing is how those memories haunt him in the present. That sense of loss and regret is inescapable.

# 1 – The entire Wall Album – Pink Floyd

If I’m in a good mood, the last album I’m going to listen to is Pink Floyd’s The Wall. It’s not the only Pink Floyd album that depresses the heck out of me, but it is definitely the most depressing. Everything about this album is dark, from the lyrics to the production to the scary, creepy vocals by Waters and Gilmour that all seem to be a cry for help. I mean, this is probably the most successfully depressing album of all time. We picked the song “Don’t Leave Me Now” as a perfect example of depression mode 101.

Conceived by bassist Roger Waters during the band’s In the Flesh tour in 1977, the album was largely inspired by his growing disillusionment with the audience’s behavior during live performances. The idea of a psychological “wall” separating the artist from the world became the basis for the narrative, which followed Pink from childhood through his self-imposed isolation as a rock star. The album was recorded between December 1978 and November 1979 at multiple studios, including Super Bear Studios in France, CBS 30th Street Studio in New York, and Britannia Row in London. Despite initial mixed critical reception, The Wall was a commercial juggernaut, topping the U.S. charts for fifteen weeks and becoming one of the best-selling albums of all time, with over 30 million copies sold.

The creative process behind The Wall was tumultuous. Waters exerted unprecedented control over the project, leading to significant conflicts within the band. Keyboardist Richard Wright was fired during production, although he returned as a salaried musician for the subsequent tour. Financial pressures also loomed over the band, as mismanagement had left them in dire straits, necessitating the album’s swift completion. The elaborate recording sessions involved complex orchestration, with Michael Kamen overseeing arrangements performed by musicians from the New York Philharmonic and New York Symphony Orchestra. The album’s production was technically ambitious, incorporating layers of sound effects, theatrical spoken-word segments, and innovative studio techniques that enhanced its immersive storytelling. The tension between Waters and Gilmour was evident, particularly in the recording of “Comfortably Numb,” where the two clashed over its orchestration and final arrangement.

Three singles from the album became enduring classics: “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2,” which became the band’s only number-one hit in both the UK and US, as well as “Run Like Hell” and “Comfortably Numb.” The album was performed live in an elaborate stage show from 1980 to 1981, featuring giant inflatable puppets, massive projected animations by Gerald Scarfe, and the construction—and eventual destruction—of a literal wall between the band and the audience. In 1982, The Wall was adapted into a feature film directed by Alan Parker, starring Bob Geldof as Pink. Waters later revived the production between 2010 and 2013, turning it into one of the highest-grossing solo tours of all time. The album’s themes of war, oppression, and personal isolation continued to resonate, making it a landmark in rock history.

With its immense commercial success, The Wall remains Pink Floyd’s second best-selling album after The Dark Side of the Moon. Outtakes from the album sessions later surfaced on The Final Cut (1983), an album that further expanded upon The Wall’s anti-war themes. The album has been reissued multiple times, including remastered editions in 1994, 2011, and 2016, ensuring its continued influence across generations. Its impact extends beyond music; The Wall has been adapted into an opera, a ballet, and even inspired a full-length tribute album.

The Wall is a deeply personal album. Waters drew heavily from his own experiences, including the loss of his father in World War II, struggles with fame, and his deteriorating mental state. Its exploration of psychological isolation, authoritarianism, and personal trauma has cemented its legacy as one of the most compelling narratives in rock history and truly one of the most depressing.