We're not crying, you're crying! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for those video clips that bring on the waterworks.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for those video clips that
00:11bring on the waterworks.
00:1520.
00:20I Will Follow You Into The Dark – Death Cab For Cutie
00:23There are two different video clips to Death Cab For Cutie's I Will Follow You Into The
00:33Dark.
00:34Both accurately represent the song's themes regarding the mystery and debated finality
00:38of death.
00:40One features the band's vocalist and guitarist, Ben Gibbard, singing the acoustic ballad as
00:44a hole gradually opens up within his bedroom.
00:55The other features a pair of animated bunny rabbits, and, yeah, both are melancholic,
01:00but the latter one takes the cake.
01:02This visualizer video was a part of Death Cab's companion album Two Plans, the LP from
01:07which the song is taken.
01:16It takes a more emotionally heart-wrenching and sentimental approach to the song's lyrics,
01:21bringing us to tears each and every time.
01:2919.
01:32Just A Dream – Carrie Underwood
01:41The subjects of war, death, trauma, and healing are all at the forefront of Just A Dream by
01:46Carrie Underwood.
01:48The inherent melancholy that is found in much country music is in full force in the video
01:53clip, one which wastes no time in presenting the tragedy of its tale.
02:05Underwood displays some realistic emotional pathos as her character mourns her love, who
02:10has died in a war overseas.
02:19The transition from wedding dress to funeral attire avoids feeling too cliché or overdramatic,
02:25and instead feels earned via Underwood's performance.
02:28Just A Dream is a creative symbiosis between music, images, and words that create a total
02:33package.
02:3718.
02:41November Rain – Guns N' Roses
02:50Expense was no subject for the shooting budget of November Rain.
02:54This visual mini-epic from Guns N' Roses is one of the priciest of all time, but the
02:58end result went on to become an iconic snapshot of the guns at peak power.
03:09Bill James' short story, Without You, serves as an inspiration not only for November Rain,
03:15but also its spiritual cousins, Estranged and Don't Cry.
03:18The subjects of infidelity, regret, depression, and self-destruction are all present within
03:23the video's visual narrative.
03:31That said, audiences could also be forgiven for ignoring all of this, given how freakin'
03:35cool November Rain wound up being for an entire generation of rockers.
03:4417.
03:48Lay Me Down – Sam Smith
03:56This entry is another song with multiple music videos to its name.
04:00Sam Smith's Lay Me Down initially received a video that was shot inside of a casino.
04:05A video was also shot for the song's re-release for Red Nose Day in 2015.
04:15The second clip, however, is the sad one, a video that's actually been compared to
04:19November Rain by Guns N' Roses.
04:21This Lay Me Down includes church and funeral shots that tie into Smith's mourning of
04:25a lost spouse and lover.
04:27It works similarly well, proving that some music video ideas are timeless.
04:3716.
04:40Here Comes Goodbye – Rascal Flatts
04:49The world of country music has often been a haven for heartbreak.
04:52Sad songs just sort of come part and parcel within the genre, and Here Comes Goodbye from
04:56Rascal Flatts is no exception.
05:06The video clip from this pop-country group, centering on the mourning of deceased loved
05:09ones, is stylish, featuring a snow-covered set and quality acting from its cast.
05:14Meanwhile, the song's arrangement feels somewhat akin to a hair-metal power ballad from the
05:1980s, complete with an epic guitar solo.
05:29This isn't a slight, mind you, but instead some nice connective tissue mixing the dramatic
05:34content of old-school music videos with a more contemporary, creative approach.
05:4315.
05:48Who Wants to Live Forever – Queen
05:57Question – is it required for Queen fans to be familiar with the 1986 film Highlander
06:01in order to be emotionally affected by Who Wants to Live Forever?
06:04We're honestly tempted to say yes.
06:13But the honest truth is that the song 100% stands on its own two feet.
06:17Here, it's the melancholy of the song itself that makes the clip demonstratively moving,
06:22particularly the magnetic presence of Freddie Mercury.
06:31The camera honestly loves Freddie, and all of the Queen boys, but Who Wants to Live Forever
06:35hinges upon the band's earnest performance.
06:38Elsewhere, the version of this song, featured within Highlander, drives home the song's
06:42notion of love, loss, and immortality in an even more profound fashion.
06:5114.
06:55Whiskey Lullaby – Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss
07:05Modern bluegrass icon Alison Krauss was no stranger to crushingly sad music videos.
07:10This was, after all, the same woman who sang New Favourite alongside her group Union Station.
07:15However, this collaboration between Krauss and country artist Brad Paisley struck depressing
07:20gold yet again with 2003's Whiskey Lullaby.
07:32The imagery of adultery and alcohol use disorder is presented in a manner that feels both stark
07:37and dramatised, a story of broken promises and undying regrets.
07:47There is a glimmer of ghostly hope during the finale of Whiskey Lullaby, but make no
07:51mistake, this is the stuff of tragedy.
07:5913.
08:02Concrete Angel – Martina McBride
08:13We challenge anyone to listen to Concrete Angel and remain unmoved.
08:17This goes double for its difficult-to-watch video clip, one that strikes a head on the
08:21injustices of mistreatment of underage youth.
08:30Concrete Angel is sure to strike a particular chord with parents, as it showcases how so
08:34many sides of this behaviour can be visible to those in positions of power.
08:38Yet the video doesn't give any easy answers for why children need to suffer on Earth,
08:43and why those who have suspicions fail to speak up.
08:53This fictional Concrete Angel may find love in heaven, but it's little comfort for the
08:57real kids who don't have the fantasy of Martina McBride's lovely song to sing them
09:02a lifeline.
09:0412.
09:05Hold On – Good Charlotte
09:13The pop-punk genre is one that's frequently light-hearted and full of enjoyable silliness.
09:18Maryland's Good Charlotte decided to get a little serious, however, on their second
09:22full-length album, The Young and the Hopeless.
09:31The video clip for Hold On is a plea for those dealing with mental health stresses and issues
09:36to refrain from self-destruction.
09:38Survivors and family members join Good Charlotte in the video and share stories of their loved
09:42ones.
09:49It's all affecting stuff, while the song's mid-paced composition eschews punk's penchant
09:54for speed and aggression.
09:56Good Charlotte instead allows the message to supersede the music, and it's a wise decision.
10:0311.
10:07Routine – Stephen Wilson
10:15The musical heritage of Britain's Stephen Wilson is one steeped in progressive rock,
10:20and it's true that the arrangements and complexity of Routine is seriously impressive.
10:31Even more impressive, however, is how the song's visual message tugs at our heartstrings.
10:36A woman who has lost her family buries herself in routine household chores, in an attempt
10:49to keep the emotional fissures from becoming widened cracks.
10:52There's unfortunately no light at the end of the tunnel for this woman, or Routine,
10:57since there's no magic wand that can bring back her husband or children.
11:01It's incredibly depressing, and not for everybody.
11:04But the artistry of Stephen Wilson and Routine is impossible to deny.
11:1110.
11:15Take Me To Church – Hosea
11:22Considering this was Hosea's first major label video release, one may have expected him to
11:27pursue a flashier spectacle.
11:29Instead, he stuck to the lyrical tone and its message of religious institutions, rejecting
11:33natural facets of being human, specifically love of all kinds.
11:45Shot in black and white, the video depicts a same-sex relationship shared between two
11:49men.
11:50When one of the men is outed, the community descends upon him with violence and hatred.
12:02They storm his house, take him captive, and torture him mercilessly.
12:06Tragically, his partner can only watch, as outing himself would mean the same fate.
12:11It highlights the sad reality of fear and hatred that many in the LGBTQIA plus community
12:16face every day.
12:219.
12:27Little Motel – Modest Mouse
12:29This video begins brightly, greasing the viewer with a collage of blurry flashing lights.
12:33It fades out to unveil they are lights from a motel sign, and then moves inside to a loving
12:38mother tucking her son into bed.
12:47This initial positive tone is soon lost, as it's revealed the video is moving in reverse
12:52chronological order.
13:00As the song progresses, we learn the true story of the mother and her boy, as the two
13:03spend their time driving around the streets of Reno.
13:09Ultimately, the video tears at your heartstrings, as it's revealed that the mother has taken
13:16her dying son out of the hospital to spend some final moments with him.
13:248.
13:29Wake Me Up When September Ends – Green Day
13:38Released in 2005, this 7 minute long video grounded itself in the harsh reality of the
13:43war on terror.
13:45It tells the story of a young couple in love, dedicated to one another, who are torn apart
13:49when the boyfriend enlists to go to war.
13:59The tragedy is that he does so out of love, putting his life on the line to keep his girlfriend
14:03safe.
14:04He's left heartbroken, as he broke his vow to never leave her and may die in battle.
14:17The video is intercut with scenes of the boyfriend in battle, and his girlfriend quietly mourning
14:21in a field.
14:22Meant to promote free thought and peace, the video emphasises the pain and suffering war
14:27inflicts on everyone.
14:317.
14:35Lazarus – David Bowie
14:44Look up here, I'm in heaven, I've got scars that can't be seen.
14:48The first lines of this song assumed a powerful meaning upon Bowie's death just three days
14:52after the release of this video.
14:54The entire video assumes more importance when placed in the light of Bowie's death,
15:04as it centres on the artist himself, collapsed and trapped in his deathbed.
15:08Moving slowly, the video presents a blindfolded Bowie with buttons covering his eyes, frail
15:13and near death.
15:21It then rapidly switches back and forth between this feeble version of the artist and the
15:24lively dancing version audiences loved in his prime.
15:28Just before his death, we see a tragic Bowie, caught between cancer and the life he craves.
15:376.
15:41Stole – Kelly Rowland
15:48A song about loneliness, depression and lost dreams, this video tracks the lives of three
15:52interconnected high school students, opening with a young man descending the stairs of
15:56his house to see his sister with his distraught mother, who has a black eye, presumably after
16:01being beaten by his father.
16:03At school, he is overcome with depression and takes his own life in the bathroom.
16:14Fellow student Mary is overcome with grief at his death.
16:16An aspiring actress, her dreams are also crushed when she learns she is pregnant.
16:22Finally, the school's basketball star is gunned down by a rival classmate.
16:30It's a haunting portrayal of lives cut short, and it's a hard one to watch without tearing
16:34up.
16:385.
16:42The Ghost of You – My Chemical Romance
16:51Known for visually stunning and highly creative videos, My Chemical Romance raised their efforts
16:56to new heights with this war epic.
16:58They invested $1 million and shot enough footage to make a movie in order to capture the right
17:03tone and message for their tragic ballad.
17:12Representing love, camaraderie, and loss, the video intercuts shots of the band at a
17:16USO dance and as soldiers storming a beach.
17:20Deliberately paralleling the Omaha beach scene from Saving Private Ryan, we see the horrible
17:25devastation of war.
17:33The terrified faces of soldiers losing their innocence and lives in battle is haunting,
17:38and reminds the audience of what is truly sacrificed and lost through war.
17:464.
17:49The Scientist – Coldplay
17:57This video is both beautifully sad and an astounding achievement in choreography.
18:02Presented in reverse narrative, but also shot in reverse, it begins with Coldplay lead singer
18:06Chris Martin lying on a mattress, seemingly in bliss, but tracks backwards to depict a
18:11tragic car accident.
18:19In order to make it appear like he's singing but still moving the narrative in reverse,
18:23Martin spent a month learning how to sing the lyrics backwards.
18:33One of the end results of his efforts is an aura of haunting surrealism, which culminates
18:37in the final tragic scene.
18:39Martin's passenger is shown to unbuckle her seatbelt just before the crash, ultimately
18:44causing her own death.
18:493.
18:51Hurt – Johnny Cash
19:00We all know Cash had his share of sad songs, but it's this video, for his cover of the
19:04Nine Inch Nails song Hurt, that may just stay with us forever.
19:13Cash and director Mark Romanek deliver a video that highlights the artist's deteriorating
19:18health, as well as the wake of his career as it fades into memory.
19:22The video is set in Cash's home and museum, the house of Cash, which is now derelict,
19:28to the public.
19:36In the dark abandoned house, Cash performs with heart as the video is intercut with footage
19:40of Cash as a younger man.
19:50With both him and his wife June Carter Cash dying within months of the video's release,
19:54it became an eerie tribute to the man himself.
20:042.
20:05Runaway Train – Soul Asylum
20:14With this video, Soul Asylum intended to shock audiences and bring to light the truly alarming
20:19and sad problems of runaway and mistreated children.
20:23Different versions of the video begin with different stats, but the core of the video
20:26portrays several connected, tear-jerking stories.
20:37A child who witnesses his grandmother beaten to death by his grandfather, a young girl
20:41who is forced to become a sex worker and eventually kidnapped and assaulted, and a baby kidnapped
20:46from its stroller.
20:54These scenes are intercut with photos and names of real children who had gone missing.
20:59It's a moving video that reminds us of the many young, innocent children suffering in
21:04the world.
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21:281.
21:29Wait For Me – Moby
21:37Taking place in an old-school video game and using the video game trope of lives, Wait
21:41For Me depicts the day of a normal man who loses health with every bad situation he finds
21:46himself in.
21:54The video begins with a silent breakfast in his loveless marriage and a trip through the
21:58monotony of his life to his boring white-collar job, where he is fired by a heartless boss.
22:03Following this, he's beat up and left by his wife.
22:05Finally, the nameless man takes his own final life and chooses to exit the game rather than
22:10play again.
22:12Ultimately, it's this character's normal, utterly unremarkable life that is tragically
22:16sad.
22:17Do you find any pleasure in feeling sad, or do you keep up your spirits at all costs?
22:22Let us know if you feel comfortable to do so in the comments.