There is no shortage of sad music in the world. Just reference most love songs, a substantial chunk of country music, and the entire genre known as “the blues”. But there’s sad and then there’s DEPRESSING and that’s the bit we seek to dive into with this episode. We talked to three top music critics: Steven Hyden of Uproxx, Craig Jenkins of Vulture, and Ann Powers of NPR and asked them to provide their picks for those songs that are relentlessly depressing but yet have the surprising power to make the listener feel better or at least more understood. Our playlist of dark hits features many feel-terrible classic, a depression-makes-me-feel-nothing jam, and one song so relentlessly happy that it might make you feel genuinely upset. Join us on this emotional and musical rollercoaster.Thank you to all our listeners who support the show as monthly members of Maximum Fun.Check out our I’m Glad You’re Here and Depresh Mode merchandise at the brand new merch website MaxFunStore.com!Hey, remember, you’re part of Depresh Mode and we want to hear what you want to hear about. What guests and issues would you like to have covered in a future episode? Write us at depreshmode@maximumfun.org.Help is available right away.The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 or 1-800-273-8255, 1-800-273-TALKCrisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741.International suicide hotline numbers available here: https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlinesThe Depresh Mode newsletter is available twice a week. Subscribe for free and stay up to date on the show and mental health issues. https://johnmoe.substack.com/John’s acclaimed memoir, The Hilarious World of Depression, is now available in paperback. https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250209566/thehilariousworldofdepressionFind the show on X @depreshpod and Instagram @depreshpod.John is on X @johnmoe.