Depths of depression: what is the saddest song by Nick Drake?
Few artists can conjure such immense melancholy that it taps into something buried deep within, managing to sonically render heartbreak and despair in ways that go beyond the affected norm. One who did it better than anybody was Nick Drake, whose work continues to be some of the bluest in existence.
Drake’s life is shrouded in mystery and melancholy, which only augments the essence of his music. Celebrated for his use of sonorous open tunings and cluster chords and his poetic pastoralism inspired by William Blake and William Butler Yates, his compositions were a cerebral counterpoint to the bombastic rock of his day. Despite their often depressing nature, there was always a type of stoned otherworldy wisdom to his songs, no doubt impacted by his well-documented love of the green stuff, adding another dimension to the music.
The music is made much more effective knowing what happened to the great songwriter. Throughout his life, he suffered from immense depression, which suggested by some he had psychosis and schizophrenia. Suffering from agonising mental health issues in the early 1970s, he gradually withdrew from life. He kept in contact with only a handful of friends, living on a small retainer from Island Records and eventually relocating from London to his parent’s home in Tanworth-in-Arden, Warwickshire.
Fellow singer-songwriter John Martyn claimed that during this period, Drake was the most withdrawn person he had ever met, with stories of long drives until the fuel ran out and a stark change in appearance also cropping up. Already reluctant to perform live, after completing his final album, 1972’s Pink Moon, Drake retreated from recording and performances. Tragically, on November 25th, 1974, the 26-year-old was found dead in his bedroom from an overdose of antidepressants. It was a terrible end for a musician of such unique lustre, a tragedy heightened by the fact he never got the plaudits he deserved until years later.
But what is Nick Drake’s saddest song?
The question of what Drake’s saddest song is will likely divide fans forever, as there are several contenders from his three studio albums. While the heavily minor key drama of ‘Day Is Done’ from his 1969 debut, Five Leaves Left, is certainly up there. From this record, it has to be ‘River Man’, with its de-tuned progression, swooning strings, elemental effects and Drake’s deeply atmospheric delivery contributing. You can certainly hear where Radiohead took cues for expressive moments such as ‘Pyramid Song’ years later.
From Drake’s second album, Bryter Later, a handful of contenders stand out. Despite the plinky nature of the piano, there’s a throughline of regret coursing through ‘One of These Things First’, with the repeated postulations of what could have been helping its case. Elsewhere, the wistful chime of the picking pattern and naturalistic orchestral flecks envelop Drake’s lyrics, such as the opener, “Please give me a second grace / Please give me a second face / I’ve fallen far down”, to create another arresting moment.
There is also a call for the indomitable ‘Northern Sky’, but thanks to John Cale’s piano, organ, and celesta arrangements and Drake’s hopeful lyrics about the alleviating nature of love, it falls short in terms of sadness. It’s still a tearjerker, though.
The leading contenders for Drake’s saddest song are unsurprisingly found on Pink Moon. Mirroring his mindset at the time, ‘Parasite’ is an extremely bleak effort. Coloured only by the dark vocals, lyrics and ominous notes, it is one of the most depressing compositions ever. Yet, the melancholy segues into something different here: nihilism. It’s that type of depression where you feel so emotionally spent that there’s nothing left. The final line typifies this as it hangs in the air: “For I am the parasite who hangs from your skirt”.
‘From the Morning’, the closer of Pink Moon, is also an absolute crusher. Blending a glimmer of hope with tremendous sadness, it presents a bittersweet appreciation of nature à la his favourite Romantic poets. A sombre moment, given the songwriter’s end, it features utterly stunning lines such as “Look see the days / The endless coloured ways / And go play the game that you learned / From the morning.”
These lines are made more heartbreaking when noting that during the Pink Moon period, Drake had a nervous breakdown, telling engineer John Wood: “I can’t think of words. I feel no emotion about anything. I don’t want to laugh or cry. I’m numb-dead inside.” The song also had such an impact that lyrics from it were chosen by his parents for his epitaph in Arden.
In my mind, though, two tracks compete for the title of Nick Drake’s saddest song. It’s a case of fine margins, as they’ve long been deemed separate sides of the same coin in that they open Pink Moon. These are the opening title track and the second stop, ‘Place to Be’. However, due to the pastoral lyrics and the partially upbeat piano, ‘Pink Moon’ has to come in second place.
‘Place to Be’ is not only Drake’s saddest effort but one of the most dejected anyone has crafted to this day, a remarkable achievement when noting it’s just him and his guitar, with no added ostentation.
It’s also the purest distillation of Drake’s propensity for dancing between darkness and light and the melodic intensity of his guitar playing and vocals. The moment you first hear him deliver the penultimate line, “Now I’m weaker than the palest blue”, you find yourself indelibly changed forever. It is a lucid description of where the songwriter found himself when writing and continues to resonate with listeners from all walks of life.
