Saddest songs in musical theater
Finch
Stand-by Joined: 9/14/08
#75Saddest songs in musical theater
Posted: 7/26/18 at 5:59pm
"Poor Jud" and "Lonely Room" -- Oklahoma
"I Won't Send Roses"
Finch
Stand-by Joined: 9/14/08
#76Saddest songs in musical theater
Posted: 7/26/18 at 6:01pm
"Poor Jud" and "Lonely Room" -- Oklahoma!
"I Won't Send Roses" -- Mack & Mable
#77Saddest songs in musical theater
Posted: 7/26/18 at 6:02pm
Ditto Not a Day Goes By always guts me.
I’m not crying...you’re crying!!!
#78Saddest songs in musical theater
Posted: 7/26/18 at 10:01pm
Les Mis
On my own
Bring Him Home
Empty Chairs Empty Tables.
Dear Evan Hansen
Words Fail
So Big So Small
Hamilton
It’s Quiet Uptown
The World Was Wide Enough
Who lives Who Dies Who tells...
Billy Elliot
The Letter and (Reprise)
pg1287
Chorus Member Joined: 5/23/16
#79Saddest songs in musical theater
Posted: 7/26/18 at 10:24pm
-Not My Father's Son- Kinky Boots
-Days and Days & Telephone Wire- Fun Home
-Lead Us Out of the Night- Come From Away
I'll also throw a strange one in the mix. It's not necessarily "sad" but Where Did the Rock Go from School of Rock always makes me think about several passions of mine that I am unable to live out due to the demands of adult life.
Danielle0314
Stand-by Joined: 7/4/18
#80Saddest songs in musical theater
Posted: 7/26/18 at 10:25pm
It's Quiet Uptown and Who Lives Who Dies Who Tells Your Story - Hamilton
Finale - Les Miz
I know this isn't a musical, but the music that plays during the Albus/Scorpius staircase scene of Cursed Child is pretty gut wrenching.
Marik2
Swing Joined: 7/27/18
#81Saddest songs in musical theater
Posted: 7/27/18 at 3:47pm
The Gods Love Nubia from Aida made me cry buckets, because they’re all so full of hope while you know things will go sour in act two.
Also I’ll Cover You reprise, Flesh failures/Let the Sun shine in, Gold a cappela (from Once - not really sad but just very beautiful) and The Letter.
jwsel
Featured Actor Joined: 8/2/05
#82Saddest songs in musical theater
Posted: 7/28/18 at 5:07am
I’ll echo a lot of what’s been mentioned. It’s Quiet Uptown, Days and Days, Telephone Wire, Your Daddy’s Son, Bill, Send in the Clowns, Go Back Home, and I Dreamed a Dream.
A few others:
Back to Before from Ragtime
You’ll Never Walk Alone from Carousel.
And the ultimate gut-punch of a song — I’ll Be Here from Ordinary Days.
broadwayindie
Featured Actor Joined: 10/3/14
#83Saddest songs in musical theater
Posted: 7/28/18 at 1:51pm
50 percent - Ballroom
Lots Wife - Caroline Or Change
Also want to echo You'll never walk alone and I'll be Here. The only times I've been in the theatre and you just heard sniffles
mikey2573
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/28/10
#84Saddest songs in musical theater
Posted: 7/28/18 at 10:41pm
"If I Loved You" (Reprise) from CAROUSEL
"The Letter" (Reprise) from BILLY ELLIOT.
#85Saddest songs in musical theater
Posted: 1/8/19 at 11:56pm
-Words Fail (Dear Evan Hansen)
-So Big/So Small (Dear Evan Hansen)
-I Am Here (Come From Away)
-Something's Missing (Come From Away) - I think that's at the top of the list for me... If you want to cry continually for 5 and a half minutes, that's the way.
-Ti Moune (Once On This Island)
-A Part Of Us - Once On This Island
-Children and Art (Sunday In the Park With George)
-Your Daddy's Son (Ragtime)
-I Dreamed A Dream (Les Mis)
-Higher (Allegiance)
-I'd Give My Life For You - Miss Saigon
and so many more...
#86Saddest songs in musical theater
Posted: 1/9/19 at 12:31am
Loving You ~ Passion
#87Saddest songs in musical theater
Posted: 1/9/19 at 12:54am
When Theres No One from CARRIE
All the Wasted Time from PARADE ... such a hopeful song about a second chance at love but heartbreaking when you know what comes next.
#88Saddest songs in musical theater
Posted: 1/9/19 at 2:04am
-Good Thing Going (Merrily We Roll Along)
-The I Love You Song (Spelling Bee)
-Go Back Home (The Scottsboro Boys)
-Another Winter In a Summer Town (Grey Gardens)
-Around The World (Grey Gardens)
-Telephone Wire (Fun Home)
-Dear One (KIss of the Spiderwoman)
-Ill Cover You Reprise (Rent)
GF21
Understudy Joined: 12/26/16
Unknown User
Joined: 12/31/69
#90Saddest songs in musical theater
Posted: 1/9/19 at 11:42am
Tell Me Its Not True from BLOOD BROTHERS
mikey2573
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/28/10
#91Saddest songs in musical theater
Posted: 1/9/19 at 7:42pm
I am going to add "Just Like That" from "A Christmas Story". I love how it starts off as the mother trying to get Ralphie to stop crying by reminding him that these bad times are over "Just Like That", but the song's meaning changes into the mother's lament that her children are growing up so quickly and she wishes they could stay just the way they are; that their childhood will be over "Just Like That". A sentiment most parents can identify with.
Jarethan
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/10/11
#92Saddest songs in musical theater
Posted: 1/9/19 at 10:11pm
IMO Les Mis corners the market here, between Eponine's On My Own and Fantine's I Dreamed a Dream.and Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, as well as Valjean's Bring Him Home. In addition...
-- What Would You Do? from Cabaret is heartbreaking, particularly when sung by Lotte Lenya
-- All I ask of You from Phantom, specifically as sung by the Phantom at the end of the show;
-- To me, Move On is very sad in the context of the show; young George is at the end of his rope; all I could think of was how alone he was at that point, and the song is so haunting.
-- Rose'sTurn. It may be bravura, but it is very sad. At that point, she is questioning her whole life.
-- Not While I'm Around, in the context of the show.
-- When Your Feet Don't Touch the Ground from Finding Neverland.
-- Make Them Hear You from Ragtime
-- This Nearly Was Mine from South Pacific
-- I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face from MFL
-- The Party's Over from Bells Are Ringing
-- I Never Loved You from Cyrano
-- Once Upon a Time from All American
-- Send in the Clowns from ALNM
-- If He Walked Into My Life Today
-- Some Other Day from On The Town
-- The Impossible Dream, specifically in the finale
-- Far From the Home I Love and Anatevka from Fiddler
-- Something Wonderful from TKAI (it is a beautiful song, and always makes me sad when it is well done)
-- For Good From Wicked
-- Stay Alive and Who Lives, Who Dies, Who TellsYour Story from Hamilton
Agree with posters re You'll Never Walk Alone, Tell Me It's Not True, Words Fail, I'd Give My Life For You, Welcome Home, I Won't Send Roses.
#93Saddest songs in musical theater
Posted: 1/10/19 at 1:35amThe Chavaleh Ballet from Fiddler on the Roof moves me to tears every time without fail. The last 20-30 minutes of that show absolutely wreck me in the best way.
#94Saddest songs in musical theater
Posted: 1/10/19 at 7:38am
I think some people are confusing sad songs with songs that make them cry. For instance, I don't see Back to Before from Ragtime to be sad, but I cry when I hear it. I actually think it to be somewhat joyous song that closes the arc for Mother - she has finally become a full person standing on her own as a result of her experiences and is not the china doll that she was before.
There are many others.
EdEval
Featured Actor Joined: 11/30/16
#95Saddest songs in musical theater
Posted: 1/10/19 at 10:11am
The saddest song ever I heard in a musical was "Till We Reach That Day" from Ragtime.
andrewftw
Understudy Joined: 11/3/18
#96Saddest songs in musical theater
Posted: 1/10/19 at 11:11am
She Used To Be Mine
Burn
Wedding Sequence in Once On This Island
#97Saddest songs in musical theater
Posted: 1/10/19 at 5:07pm
“Sonya Alone”—GREAT COMET
Updated On: 1/10/19 at 05:07 PM
goodlead
Stand-by Joined: 3/30/18
#98Saddest songs in musical theater
Posted: 1/10/19 at 6:43pm
"Surabaya Johnny" (Weill, "Happy End"![]()
Videos







