Recently a friend gave me a copy of the Television Personalities’ The Painted Word from 1984. Unsuspectingly one Sunday afternoon, I stuck it in my CD player while cleaning up my room and not two minutes into the first song, “Stop and Smell the Roses,” I was hit with a profoundly debilitating sadness. Even before the chorus, tears were streaming from my eyes and my heart clenched like a fist—yet when the song was over, I went to my stereo and played it again. Sorrow, when presented perfectly in song, has a highly addictive quality. So in honor of Valentine’s Day, I brought my pen and paper to a recent show at the Sunset Tavern and asked some friends from local bands to commiserate. Here’s what I found out: Even the tough guys (and girls) cry. LAURA CASSIDY
Dan Wood (Right On!)
“Don’t Let It Bring You Down,” Neil Young
Lisa Rickenberg (the Wiretaps)
“Splash 1,” Thirteenth Floor Elevators
Erin Wood (the Spits, Born Innocent)
“Ride On,” AC/DC
Wayne Sevard (the Spits, Born Innocent)
“Life Is an Illusion,” Joe Walsh
Tracy Nelson (Born Innocent)
“Anything,” Eric Burdon
Jessie Lowe (Born Innocent)
“Fade to Black,” Metallica
Dave Bessenhoffer (Make-Out Choir), Lisa Seguin (Make-Out Choir)
“God Only Knows,” Beach Boys
Ruben Mendez (Charming Snakes, Make-Out Choir)
“Tears of a Clown,” Smokey Robinson
Lacey Swain (Charming Snakes, the Snacks)
“You Are My Sunshine,” Traditional
Joe Arnone (Charming Snakes)
“So Long, Marianne,” Leonard Cohen
Kellie Payne (New Luck Toy, Charming Snakes)
“Into My Arms,” Nick Cave
Steve King (New Luck Toy)
“In the Pines,” Leadbelly
Lars Finberg (A-Frames, the Intelligence)
“My Son Calls Another Man Daddy,” Hank Williams
Dean Whitmore (The Intelligence)
“Here Comes a Regular,” the Replacements
Jed Maheu (The Intelligence)
“Sunday Morning Coming Down,” Kris Kristofferson
Erin Sullivan (A-Frames, the Dipers)
“Benediction de Dieu Dans la Solitude,” Franz Liszt
Min Yee (A-Frames)
“A Sense of Belonging,” Television Personalities
Heath Heemsbergen (the Dark Places)
“Refrigerator Door,” Human Switchboard
Shannon McConnell (the Pulses)
“Walk Away Renee,” the Left Banke
Dave Hernandez (Broadcast Oblivion)
“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” Elton John
Kurt Bloch (Sgt. Major)
“Father and Son,” Cat Stevens
Jeff Albertson (the Lights)
“New Birds,” Arab Strap
Nicholas Brawley (Popular Shapes)
“New Slang,” the Shins
Ross Marshall (the Cripples)
“If I Happen to Fall Down (in Your Arms),” Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her
Tara Thomas (the Ewoks)
“Rainbow Connection,” Kermit the Frog
Ursula Android (Ursula and the Androids)
“Janitor of Lunacy,” Nico
