從1960年代後感傷的音樂就越來越多。一項對美國流行音樂情緒暗示的研究顯示，美國流行音樂在25年中40張專輯裡的前1000首跨越五十年的歌曲裡，他們發現這個時尚的憂鬱狀況，熱門音樂聽起來越來越感傷。
在學術中”聽起來感傷”的定義到底是什麼?
因為使用小調製作的出來的音樂增加了，然而音樂在平均的速度裡變慢了，因此證實熱門音樂聽起來更加的感傷。而音樂速度變慢比主要用小調製作的音樂更加明顯的強調，感傷的流行音樂漸進性增加在這綜合情緒暗示裡。
而做這項研究的之一的E. Glenn Schellenberg解釋為何這樣的情況會發生。
我覺得人們都喜歡認為他們很聰明。然而不含糊直接的快樂音樂變得很陳腔濫調。因此人們比較賞識悲傷以及詞意含糊的音樂。生活更加得複雜，因此人們也會想讓事物相同的複雜來得到滿足。
NME發表”50首最美麗與感傷的音樂”系列名單，把這些歌加入你們的Sad List吧!! 也讓我們知道哪些歌聽了會讓你想哭。
Amy Winehouse – ‘Back To Black’.
Arctic Monkeys – ‘Love Is A Laserquest’.
Frank Ocean – ‘Swim Good’.
The Beatles – ‘Eleanor Rigby’.
Radiohead – ‘Street Spirit’.
Blur – ‘This Is A Low’.
The Cure – ‘Pictures Of You’.
Pink Floyd – ‘Wish You Were Here’.
Flaming Lips – ‘Do You Realize?’
Nick Drake – ‘Pink Moon”
Alex Turner – Piledriver Waltz’
The Velvet Underground – ‘Candy Says’
The National – ‘Sorrow’
Elliot Smith – ‘Needle In The Hay’
Grizzly Bear – ‘Slow Life’
Kasabian – ‘Goodbye Kiss’
Pearl Jam – ‘Black’
LCD Soundsystem – ‘All I Want’
The Verve – ‘The Drugs Don’t Work’
Sharon Van Etten – ‘We Are Fine’
Johnny Cash – ‘Hurt’
Neil Young, ‘The Needle And The Damage Done’
Perfume Genius – ‘Rusty Chains’
Portishead – ‘Glory Box’
Joni Mitchell – ‘A Case Of You’
Bonnie Prince Billy – ‘Death To Everyone’
Bon Iver – ‘Skinny Love’
Walker Brothers – ‘Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore’
Bat For Lashes – ‘Laura’
Morrissey – ‘Every Day Is Like Sunday’
Antlers – ‘Kettering’
Sufjan Stevens, ‘John Wayne Gacy Jr’
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – ‘Maps’
Grandaddy – ‘Everything Beautiful Is Far Away’
Dolly Parton – ‘Jolene’
Ben Folds Five – ‘Brick’
Ryan Adams – ‘The Shadowlands’
The Smiths – ‘I Know It’s Over’
Death Cab For Cutie – ‘Transatlanticism’
Blur – ‘No Distance Left To Run’
Sparklehorse, ‘Sad And Beautiful World
Bruce Springsteen – ‘The River’
Leonard Cohen – ‘Famous Blue Raincoat’
Sinead O Connor – ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’
Bright Eyes – ‘Nothing Gets Crossed Out’
Radiohead – ‘How To Disappear Completely’
Robert Wyatt – ‘Shipbuilding’
Jeff Buckley – ‘Morning Theft’
Anthony & The Johnsons – ‘Hope There’s Someone’
–Emily Cheng
