Haunting Songs That Follow You Through Life

[rkrivas]

Not many obscure ones, but these still will stop me in my tracks:
"The Flat Earth" - Thomas Dolby
"Saved By Zero" - The Fixx
"The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald" - Gordon Lightfoot
"Fire and Rain" - James Taylor
"Head Over Heals/Broken" - Tears for Fears
"Wouldn't It Be Good" - Nick Kershaw
"Dust In The Wind" - Kansas
"Take It To The Limit" - The Eagles
"Family Snapshot" - Peter Gabriel
"Main Street" - Bob Seger
"Solsbury Hill" - Peter Gabriel
"It's For You..." - Pat Metheny Group
"Skateaway" - Dire Straits
"Meeting Across The River" - Bruce Springsteen
"Mad World" - Gary Jules (Truly one of the saddest songs ever performed)

I hadn't thought of Skateaway in so long, but that's definitely a song that stops me in my tracks.
Also on my list:

At 17 by Janis Ian
Coming Up Close by Aimee Mann
Don't Let it Bring You Down by Neil Young

 

[Calrissian13]

Silent Lucidity by Queensryche
Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears
That's Just the Way It Is by Bruce Hornsby

The first one is my all time favourite song, and no matter where I am when I hear it, it takes me back more years than I care to remember.

The next two have me immediately flash back to car rides and beautiful sunsets on the ocean, and this feeling of contentment washes over me.

 

[texasthumper]

"Night and Day"-Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66
"Jesus was a Crossmaker"-Judee Sill
"Golden Slumbers medley from Abbey Road"-almost died when Paul did it on the Grammys!!!
"Tusk"-Fleetwood Mac
"Last Kiss"-J. Frank Wilson
"El Paso"-Marty Robbins
(those last two are pretty morbid!!)
"Rainbow Connection"-Kermit The Frog
"Roam" by B-52s--NOTE: I heard that someone misheard the lyrics as "Roam, Nipsey Russell" and I can't sing it any other way since.
"Rio"-Michael Nesmith
"Summer Wind"-Frank Sinatra
"If I Ruled the World"-Tony Bennett
"I Love You"-The People

I could literally go on all day.

 

[lovesmurfs]

Oh, and Copa Cabana - Barry Manilow.

I can't remember to do a load of laundry, but all the words to the song about Lola and Tony? Yep.

 

[Sorsha]

Oh, and Copa Cabana - Barry Manilow.

I can't remember to do a load of laundry, but all the words to the song about Lola and Tony? Yep.

That and just about every other song Barry ever sang, thanks to my mother's Manilow-obsession when I was young.

Some of them I like - even my kids enjoy Copa - some of them I STILL can't stand.

 

[lovesmurfs]

That and just about every other song Barry ever sang, thanks to my mother's Manilow-obsession when I was young.

Some of them I like - even my kids enjoy Copa - some of them I STILL can't stand.

Yep -- I had that same obsession -- Daybreak, Mandy, I Write the Songs, Even Now, yadda yadda.... sigh....

 

[dizcrazee]

Okay, so ever since I wrote the words "I ADORE Elton John" when I started this thread I've been thinking about his wonderful songs from the days of my youth, so here's a list of some of my favorites...

Tiny Dancer (Incredibly beautiful - definitely haunting)
Where to Now St. Peter?
Levon
The aforementioned Daniel
Someone Saved My Life Tonight
Rocket Man
Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Funeral for a Friend
Candle in the Wind (and Goodbye England's Rose in 1997)
Harmony

I think that these are some of the best songs that I have ever heard. Kudos to Sir Elton John, and to Bernie Taupin, his songwriting partner of many years.

 

[hucifer]

Do commercials count? This one has haunted me since the mid-80s:

Coke is it!

 

[Wendy31]

That and just about every other song Barry ever sang, thanks to my mother's Manilow-obsession when I was young.

Some of them I like - even my kids enjoy Copa - some of them I STILL can't stand.

My mom loved Barry Manilow too!! Every summer, we'd drive to Florida for vacation & listen to cassette tapes of Barry Manilow & Neil Diamond. To this day, I can't hear a Manilow or Diamond song w/o thinking of driving to Florida w/ Dad, Mom, & my sister.

Other songs...

"This Used To Be My Playground" by Madonna - I attended a very small school, 1st -12th grade. And the song just reminds me of my school & my senior year.

"Amazing Grace" - my grandmother's favorite song; she would sing it while she was working in the kitchen... it played at both her & my grandfather's funeral

"Jack & Diane" by John Mellancamp - the lines "... hold onto 16 as long as you can... changes come 'round real soon make us women & men..." get me every time!

"On the Coast of Somewhere Beautiful" by Kenny Chesney - it's just "my song"

"Crazy for You" by Madonna - for years (since jr. high), it's been consistently in my top 5 favorite songs of all time

"Sweet Emotion" by Aerosmith - I just love it!

"Whiskey Lullaby" by Allison Kraus & Brad Paisley - it haunts me

"It's Been Awhile" by Staind - it's my "I've pretty much messed up everything & so I'm in a dark place & kinda reckless" song...

I could go on & on!

 

[SnowWtch]

"If I Close My Eyes Forever" by Ozzy Osborne and Lita Ford.

That song used to stop me dead in my tracks. It was the song my first boyfriend and I had. The song still haunts me though.

Not sure if this counts but I like to sing "Frere Jacques" when I'm trying to get my mind off of something like when I have blood work done or sometimes for no reason at all. I know. Strange.

 

[Desiree]

Key Largo - Bertie Higgins
Running up that Hill (Deal with God) - Kate Bush
Don't Give Up - Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush

I'm sure I'll think of a few more...

 

[luvmy3]

Breath (2AM) by Anna Nalick
Fade Into You by Mazzy Star
Mad World (Adam Lambert version)
1973 by James Blunt
Games Without Frontiers by Peter Gabriel
With or Without You and One by U2

 

[Cindy B]

Troy - Sinead O Connor
Fast Car- Tracy Chapman
So Lonely- The Police
In Your Eyes- Peter Gabriel
Don't Give Up- Peter Gabriel
Punk Rock Girl- The Dead Milkmen

And anything off the Kate Bush Hounds of Love album

One more: Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits...

 

[Cindy B]

Breath (2AM) by Anna Nalick
Fade Into You by Mazzy Star
Mad World (Adam Lambert version)
1973 by James Blunt
Games Without Frontiers by Peter Gabriel
With or Without You and One by U2

I like Games without Frontiers as well. My favorite is his German version. It is haunting! Funny story: I had my Ipod on one day while working at this depressing government office. My german version comes on and I start singing in my horrible German -totally forgetting where I am!

After the song, I realize that people have stopped and started listening to me. I just blew it off saying something like "Yes I can sing in German".

 

[nkjzmom]

Take On Me....A Ha

I can't get over that song. Even after all these years. I want to help that poor handsome boy out of that room......

 

[klacey1]

Mother and Child Reunion, Paul Simon
The River, Bruce Springsteen
Catch the Wind, Donovan

 

[FINFAN]

Paradise By The Dashboard Lights ~Meatloaf
California Girls~ Beach Boys
Want You To Want Me~ Cheap Trick
Dance With Me~Orleans
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face ~ Roberta Flack
Faithfully ~ Journey
If I Fell~ Beatles
Hey Jude~Beatles
Beautiful Girls~ Van Halen
What A Wonderful World~ Louis Armstrong
Are You Lonesome Tonight~ Elvis
Hotel California~ Eagles
Creep~ Radiohead
My Sharonna~ The Knack
Dead or Alive~ Bon Jovi
Beck~ Loser
Bring Me To Life~ Evanescence
and without a doubt,

The Star Spangled Banner


I have tons more, but if I was stranded n a desert Island, I would survive longer if I had these playing


ETA: I will Remember You ~ Sarah Mclachlan

 

[TnTsParty]

One - Metallica - just always loved that song in a haunting kind of way.

Dreamweaver - Gary Wright - my brother in law loved that song when he was younger and it always reminded me of him especially now since he is gone

Hunger Strike - Temple of the Dog

Life is a Highway - Audioslave

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I think I have musical ADHD or tourettes or something. I will get a song stuck in my head for days on end. I will hum or tap or sway in time to music in my head ALL DAY. If there is a radio on in the restaurant, it's hard for me to resist singing or dancing along.

In fact, reading this thread got With or Without You stuck in my head.

 

[luvmy3]

One - Metallica - just always loved that song in a haunting kind of way.

Dreamweaver - Gary Wright - my brother in law loved that song when he was younger and it always reminded me of him especially now since he is gone

Hunger Strike - Temple of the Dog

Life is a Highway - Audioslave

Do you mean I Am The Highway? If so ITA, and I'll add Like A Stone to the list too Chris Cornell's voice is haunting.

One Headlight by The Wallflowers is another one I find haunting (in the sense it gets in my head and just stays there)