View source for Simple Score of Sadness

{{trope}}
A soundtrack can be very useful for setting the scene. The style of music tells you what the mood's going to be, and awesome moments need booming soundtracks with lots of instruments making up the sound to be even more awesome.

But with depressing moments, it's the other way around: you only need a slow and soft melody with very few instruments to know that what's happening or has just happened is supposed to be a [[Tear Jerker]] - if not for the audience, then for the characters at least.

[[Sub-Trope|Subtropes]] include [[Nostalgic Music Box]], [[Lonely Piano Piece]], [[Playing the Heart Strings]] and [[One-Woman Wail]].
{{examples}}

== Anime and Manga ==
* ''[[Naruto]]'' has lots of these, including the [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|appropriately titled]] 'Sadness and Sorrow' from the original series, and 'Despair', 'Tragic' and 'Loneliness' from [[Naruto Shippuden]].
* [[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]] has the theme of Sayaka, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUz74xRAMLw&feature=related ''Decretum''], {{spoiler|which plays during the scenes where her despair overtakes her.}}
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG1Xbd1-DOo This] unnamed song from ''[[Yu Yu Hakusho]]''.
* ''Queen's Blade'' has one at the end of Episode 7 of the 2nd season, where Tomoe kills Shizuka.
* [[Bleach]] has [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5uS0Um9YzA Will of the Heart].


== Film - Animated ==
* "Sally's Song" from ''[[The Nightmare Before Christmas]]'' is noticeably softer and simpler than the rest of the movie's soundtrack. In the song, Sally talks about how she's afraid Jack will never notice how she feels about him.


== Film - Live Action ==
* Used in ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'', when <s>[[It Was His Sled|Darth Vader]]</s> [[It Was His Sled|Anakin Skywalker dies in front of his son Luke]].
* The movie of ''[[Harry Potter (film)|Harry Potter]] and the Sorcerer's Stone'' uses this when {{spoiler|[[Big Bad|Voldemort]] makes one last attack on Harry, trying to kill him}}.
* This was used quite ham-handedly in ''[[The Girl in Gold Boots]]'', where Critter would break into overly sad ballads every time it was necessary to tug the audience's heartstrings. This is parodied in one of the ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' host segments, where Mike [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IsBlP9YVms strums a guitar] in the same style.
* Most of the songs in the Heisei ''[[Godzilla]]'' films are upbeat or sound like they're best suited for action/suspense scenes. And, then you have the [[Tear Jerker|far more somber]] "Requiem" which plays at the end of ''[[Godzilla vs. Destoroyah]]'' while {{spoiler|Godzilla dies}}.
* The soundtrack to ''[[Moon]]''. The main theme is rather fast-paced (though still simplistic), but it slows down for the main dramatic moments.
* Any of the versions of the Rohan theme in the film of ''[[The Lord of the Rings (film)|The Two Towers]]'' that are stated on solo hardanger fiddle.


== Live Action TV ==
* In a show that wasn't afraid to break out the electric guitar for fight scenes, it's worth noting that [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer|Buffy]] and Angel's love theme pretty much ''always'' sounds like this. {{spoiler|Especially when Buffy has to send Angel to hell in order to save Earth.}}
* ''[[The Incredible Hulk (TV series)|The Incredible Hulk]]'''s "The Lonely Man" closing theme - piano solo.


== Video Games ==
* "Moon" and "Fortitude" from ''[[Umineko no Naku Koro ni]]''.
* Likewise, a simple piano solo from "Rush" in ''[[Dreamfall]]'' when {{spoiler|Faith dies}}.
* "At The Bottom Of Night" from ''[[Chrono Trigger]]'' is a rather simple piece for the amount of emotion it evokes.
* "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58gHcb5oVUU Theme of Sadness]" from the first ''[[Suikoden]]'' game.
** Also there is an [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4ZxNJ7FOGo ensemble version] of this song.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqP2he4Wn0U "Requiem"] from ''[[Alundra]]'' is also a good example.
** The exact same song was also used in [[Legend of Legaia]], as Cara's Theme.
* "Midna's Desperate Hour" from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess]]''.
* The music for "Abandoned Ebon Keep" in ''[[Secret of Evermore]]''.
* ''[[Disgaea]]'' - an entire game full of peppy, upbeat songs... and then there's [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cucJtLSE7Pc "Sorrowful Angel"].
* "Painful Memories" from ''[[Heavy Rain]]''.
* "Heartbeats" by Broove in the newgrounds game "Colour your World" and other works by Silverstitch.
* "15 years ago" that plays during the nuclear explosion flashback and the [[Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene|quiet drama scene]] in the last mission of ''[[Ace Combat 5 The Unsung War]]''.
* "Homesickness" from ''[[Tsukihime]]''.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJHlQjdBYVo Fond Memories] from ''[[Secret of Mana]]''. The description for the video says it all.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0i6YFrSs6c Ezio's Family] from ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' probably counts.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4UspBs3DGQ Enclosure] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6miaTf1gF4g The Best Is Yet To come] from ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]''.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85XM_Nl7_oo The Eight Melodies], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwHZwvTdnPI Smile and Tears] and ESPECIALLY the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsUZT4nGNrQ Theme of Love] from the ''[[MOTHER]]'' series.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zrn5TXjl_dM Emotion] and  {{spoiler|1=[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzKRuwKyJmY&feature=related N's farewell]}} from ''[[Pokémon Black and White]]''.
* ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'' brings us ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQeFvUuPNHc&feature=relmfu I Was Lost Without You]'' (at least for the first part of the song, which is also the game's love theme, it builds up towards the climax).
** As well as ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGHA9oO1Ybg&feature=relmfu Leaving Earth]'', which has a sad piano tune backed by a bass section doing a convincing imitation of the [[Hell Is That Noise|Reaper Horn]]. The song is played in the beginning of the game  {{spoiler|when our heroes are forced to flee Earth in the face of the Reaper invasion.}}
** And of course, ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5JvbD2Zc9I&feature=endscreen An End Once And For All]'', which is a reprise of both ''Leaving Earth'' and the ''Normandy'' theme.

== Western Animation ==
* ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'':
** The song that plays when {{spoiler|Yue sacrifices herself to revive the Moon Spirit}}.
** Iroh's song  {{spoiler|as he burns incense for his son}} in 'Tales of Ba Sing Se'.
** Also, the music playing during the final Agni Kai between {{spoiler|Zuko and Azula}}. There is just something so '''final''' about the score, probably because it's only slowly beating drums and string instruments playing a series of chords. It's oddly fitting for this action scene in Sozin's Comet. Definitely a [[Tear Jerker]], especially since it follows this exchange:
{{quote|{{spoiler|'''Azula''': I'm sorry it has to end this way, brother.}}
{{spoiler|'''Zuko''': [[Cain and Abel|No, you're not.]]}} }}

{{reflist}}
[[Category:Score and Music Tropes]]
[[Category:Simple Score of Sadness]]