This Will End in Tears is the first ever and definitive guide to melancholy music. Author Adam Brent Houghtaling leads music fans across genres, beyond the enclaves of emo and mope-rock, and through time to celebrate the albums and artists that make up the miserabilist landscape. In essence a book about the saddest songs ever sung, This Will End in Tears is an encyclopedic guide to the masters of melancholy—from Robert Johnson to Radiohead, from Edith Piaf to Joy Division, from Patsy Cline to The Cure—an insightful, exceedingly engaging exploration into why sad songs make us so happy.
This Will End in Tears
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“A comprehensive, sharply written journey through the music of sadness, of every stripe and from every genre....Whether read straight through or dipped into at random, in times of despair or not, this is a most helpful musical sourcebook through every kind of blue.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review))
“Highly entertaining.” (Publishers Weekly)
“For the meticulously melancholy music fan in all of us, a celebration of songs with a dark side. This Will End in Tears gathers the downest, doomiest sounds in rock, soul, jazz, the blues, and any music that can put a serious chill in your evening.” (Rob Sheffield, author of Love Is A Mix Tape and Talking To Girls About Duran Duran)
“Sad sacks of the world: Rejoice! Adam Brent Houghtaling has ingeniously compiled the ultimate guide to this cruel world’s maestros of miserabilism. The feel bad book of the year!” (Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum, co-authors of I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution)
“Breaking up is hard to do, but not when you’ve got a book like this to help you make the saddest playlist of all time. Now, someone pass me a Kleenex...and that Elliott Smith album.” (Leslie Simon, co-author of Everybody Hurts and author of Wish You Were Here)
“Sad songs say so much, but Adam Brent Houghtaling has a lot to add to the conversation. This Will End in Tears is a book well worth wallowing in.” (Mark Yarm, author of Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge)
“Highly entertaining.” (Publishers Weekly)
“For the meticulously melancholy music fan in all of us, a celebration of songs with a dark side. This Will End in Tears gathers the downest, doomiest sounds in rock, soul, jazz, the blues, and any music that can put a serious chill in your evening.” (Rob Sheffield, author of Love Is A Mix Tape and Talking To Girls About Duran Duran)
“Sad sacks of the world: Rejoice! Adam Brent Houghtaling has ingeniously compiled the ultimate guide to this cruel world’s maestros of miserabilism. The feel bad book of the year!” (Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum, co-authors of I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution)
“Breaking up is hard to do, but not when you’ve got a book like this to help you make the saddest playlist of all time. Now, someone pass me a Kleenex...and that Elliott Smith album.” (Leslie Simon, co-author of Everybody Hurts and author of Wish You Were Here)
“Sad songs say so much, but Adam Brent Houghtaling has a lot to add to the conversation. This Will End in Tears is a book well worth wallowing in.” (Mark Yarm, author of Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge)
From the Back Cover
Sad music moves us like nothing else, and despite its gloomy nature it also has the curious power to make us happy. In This Will End in Tears: The Miserabilist Guide to Music, author Adam Brent Houghtaling explains why, while offering up a compendium of history's masters of melancholy and the greatest sad songs of all time, featuring artists across genres and through time—from torch songs to country weepers to emo classics. Loaded with recommended playlists and insights into our favorite sob songs, This Will End in Tears is a fascinating immersion into the "miserabilist" genre, a musical marker with increasing resonance.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Shane A.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Music aficionados, veteran songwriters, and budding artists will love This Will End In Tears. Houghtaling masterfully explores the nature of the sad song from scientific, artistic, historical, cultural (among many other) perspectives. Spectacular writing and a fascinating topic.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Rob Kleiner
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Sad songs comfort us. A truth that I've always felt, but have never consciously admitted or thought about. This book helps examine why that seemingly contradictory notion is felt so strongly by so many of us. An excellent study into understanding my own relationship with music.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Luke Kelly
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
this is great fun. a truly broad, considered and thoughful analysis of the saddest and best music around. From classical, to country, to pop, to blues, to avant garde. I consider myself a music geek but this book has led to the discovery of great music I was not aware of.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Happy
Great. I was really pleased and I like the content. It came relatively soon and I like the packaging and
Published 3 months ago by Kid Andrea
5.0 out of 5 stars
Music of the Ages
This well written, well researched book covers the roots of music that practically any listener can resonate with. Read more
Published 3 months ago by The Seeker
4.0 out of 5 stars
Titling Reviews Makes Me Sad
I scanned this book and checked on a few of my favorite songs and artists and have to say I am mostly impressed. Read more
Published 5 months ago by S. Durbin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love this book!
Been looking for a list of songs that kind of sum up sadness and this one is fantastic! thanks! would do business again
Published 6 months ago by Gabrielle Bond
