The 25 Most Exquisitely Sad Songs in the Whole World: No. 12
'In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning'
Frank Sinatra (1954)
The Breakdown: Ol' Blue Eyes parlayed his painful divorce from movie star Ava Gardner into a career makeover: the lonely guy at the end of the bar.
The Waterworks: "You'd be hers if only she would call."
Casualty Count: One Hollywood marriage, countless nights of sleep.
Listen to 'In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning'
Buy it on iTunes
Posted by Spinner Staff
Filed under: Songs, The Hit List
Reader Comments(1 of 2)
Gwen Wilsdonat 5-05-2007
I could not hear the tune
Gwen Wilsdonat 5-05-2007
bUT, i DID LIKE THE SITE
maddy thatchat 5-05-2007
i liked it
prizat 5-05-2007
this song really made me sad....
david Brownat 5-05-2007
how could you not include "When a Man loves a
Woman" , the truest and saddest song of lost love
Jenat 5-05-2007
One of my favorite Sinatra songs. His voice is simply amazing and pure on this track.
Carrie Garrettat 5-05-2007
This is a wonderful song......Angel Eyes....ia also a tear jerker...The September of my Years as well. So many.....a very complex man THE BEST SINGER IN THE WORLD EVER AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED
John Corcoranat 5-05-2007
Pretty pathetic list so far, but you nailed it with this--specifically in choosing above the overhyped other Sinatra weepie, "One for my baby." This is truely a song that should be experienced with a broken heart at three AM, staring into a glass of scotch and a future of pain. I hope you guys can pull it out with some more like this, but you have little sense of history. We need Lady Day's Strange Fruit, Janis Ian's At 17, Th Beatles heartbreaking "Long and Winding Road, the Eagles "The Last Resort" Earl Grant's The End and Roberta Flack's FIrst Time Ever I saw your face to keep this list from being an embarrassment.
Sonneyat 5-05-2007
I'm iiikingtom@aol.com and I love women for free.
Ask for "Malcolm" in Marion, Illinois of America.
Songs haven't played since #16!?!
Rick Tindallat 5-05-2007
Mr Sinatra's song It Was A Very Good Year is another of his wonderfully sad songs from 1967.
Isis Schillerat 5-05-2007
I can think of much sadder songs, who even heard of half of these. "Honey" has to be one of the most depressing songs in the world.
Dominiqueat 5-05-2007
I love this song!!!!
Suzanne Jonesat 5-05-2007
This song kills me because of "Sleepless in Seattle." This is when Tom Hanks' character is thinking about his dead wife. I get chocked up just thinking about it!!!
Daphneat 5-06-2007
Amazing and so heartfelt. I wish they would put some Johnny Hartman. He was on the soundtrack "The Bridges of Madison County".
Davidat 5-06-2007
Decent singer, great song.
Juliat 5-06-2007
couldn't hear it
Lindaat 5-06-2007
I can so relate to this song after losing my first love back in the early '70's. Sinatra was a genius.
Alan Solomonat 5-06-2007
To John Corcoran: This IS a great song, from a great album -- but "One for My Baby" isn't overhyped. Overexposed, maybe, like "Casablanca," but from its tinkling piano to its honest lyric and perfect reading by Sinatra, it's one of the five best pieces of recorded music ever.
Katicaat 5-06-2007
all times great singer of nostalgia
Beatnik Hillbillyat 5-07-2007
Great song but how could you choose this over "Angel Eyes" - the most naked vocal Sinatra ever recorded. You can hear his heart break as he sings a blatent love letter to Ava Gardner who had just dumped ol' blue eyes for a matador. A brutaly heart wrenching performance. "In the Wee Small Hours", as great as it may be, doesn't even come close to the emotional power of "Angel Eyes".