Twenty Unhappy Songs for When You're in a Miserable Mood (1995-2005 Retro Pop/Rock)

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I think there are two types of bad moods, the ones that melt when they come into contact with  sunshine or a couple upbeat songs and the ones that get worse the harder you try to be happy.  The second type of bad mood, at least for me, requires some time alone, some patience, and a little bit of music that gets me, that reminds me that I'm not the only one who feels that this way.  The playlist below is curated just for those moments.  Each of these pop and rock songs from the years 1995-2005 can be soothing because they openly recognize the reality that sometimes life hurts and we just have to learn to deal with that.

If you want to listen to any of these songs, you can find them in a Spotify playlist embedded at the end of the page.  In case you want to either look up more information about them or buy them, each song title and album cover is linked to the respective song's Amazon page.  

Also, I chose the 1995-2005 time range because it is rich with depressing music, and it is my go-to during bad moods of the second type.        

Finally, I am committed to recommending only clean media on Retro Reviews; all of the songs I've listed here are free of explicit language and sexual content. However, some of the other music that their respective artists produce is not.  I would especially suggest approaching Goo Goo Dolls, Third Eye Blind, Seether, Matchbox 20, and Green Day with caution.

By all means, do check out Skillet, Creed, Switchfoot, and 12 Stones, though.  They're awesome.    




Name (1995) by Goo Goo Dolls

This rock ballad deals with finding your identity and feeling invisible in a world of heartache.  It's perfect for those moments when you're not quite sure who you are.

Flash Music Recommendation: Collide by Skillet

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Hey everyone, I'm just writing a quick post to share an album that has really been resonating with me - Collide by Skillet. For those of you who are new to the band, they are what I think of as a Christian cross-over band, which means that their music has definite Christian themes in it, but they often aren't so obvious that secular stations refuse to play the songs.  (Other bands that fall into this category that you might recognize include Thousand Foot Krutch and Switchfoot.)   Their genre is really hard to nail down.  Some of their albums feel more rock, some of them more metal; some of them you could even argue venture into symphonic metal.  I would put this 2003 album (iTunes) right at the intersection of hard rock and metal.

 That is probably why, in the past, I haven't liked is quite as a couple of their albums that are a little newer - Comatose and Awake, in particular.  Comatose is more musically complex than Collide, drawing on vocal elements of metal, but still relying heavily on electric cello and violin.  Awake, on the other hand, is a bit less "hard" and more hopeful.