Elton John/Tear Jerker
Nobody can ever accuse this singer/songwriter of only doing happy-go-lucky songs.
- "Empty Garden". Just...damn.
- "Don't Let the Sun go Down on Me" is pretty powerfully Tear-jerking.
- Other Elton John songs that can make the trick are "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Sacrifice".
- Perhaps more so than "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" would be "Goodbye" from Madman Across the Water? That song's not even two minutes long and it'll still hit you hard if you haven't heard it in a while.
- Then there is was "Daniel".
- And then his version of "Circle of Life."
- "Skyline Pigeon" is another one.
- "Rocket Man" is definitely another one, especially when you understand how lonely the man in the song would be.
- "Candle In the Wind", both the original version dedicated to Marilyn Monroe and the 1997 version dedicated to Princess Diana, can really hit some people right in the heart.
- Then there is "American Triangle", written to commemorate Matthew Shepherd.
- The epic intro to "Funeral For A Friend" could also be one.
- "Someone Saved My Life Tonight", especially when you know the story behind the lyrics. If it doesn't affect you then...
- "Tiny Dancer" is a triumphant tearjerker.
- There are also "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word", "I Feel Like A Bullet (In The Gun Of Robert Ford)", "One More Arrow", "Song For Guy", "Ticking", and "The Greatest Discovery".
- "The One" is of the "Tears of Joy" variety, and Elton himself says that when he first sang it in the wake of events in his life (among other things, sobering up) and his acceptance of who he really was Taupin's lyrics really hit home.
- "Harmony".
- "I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues"
- "The Last Song." Do not follow this link if you wish to keep your composure.
- I followed the link. You were right.
- That one had some interesting timing as well. It was written with Ryan White in mind and Taupin ended up giving the lyrics to Elton shortly after the death of Freddie Mercury. Elton said he had cried throughout writing the music for it.
- Even "All The Girls Love Alice" is sad despite being an upbeat song.
- This verse from "Levon" always makes this troper cry, especially because she knows what Levon is feeling- you want to explore the world, escape your bubble, and yet you stay behind while everyone else goes on their merry way: "Levon sells cartoon balloons in town/His family business thrives/Jesus, blows up balloons all day/Sits on the porch swing watching them fly/And Jesus, he wants to go to Venus/Leave Levon far behind/Take a balloon and go sailing/While Levon, Levon slowly dies"
- "Indian Sunset", which was sampled for "Ghetto Gospel" several decades later.