Mar. 24: Day 4 of music meme

Day 4: A song that makes you sad

The winner is: “I Don’t Have the Heart,” by James Ingram. I had a hard time finding an embeddable video, and if you just can’t stand watching the one below (it’s very poor quality), try this one.

As you can see/hear, it’s a really, really, super-duper sad song. I mean, this guy has asked someone to write a song that basically says, “It’s not you, it’s me” and he decides to sing it to her with a full orchestra and backup singers. They’ve obviously been practicing, right? So the songwriters, the whole orchestra, the backup singers, probably even the bartender knew about the “It’s not you, it’s me” song long before this woman. It’s like the part in When Harry Met Sally… when Harry tells Jess about how his wife left him:

Harry: So I go to the door, and there were moving men there. Now I start to get suspicious. I say, “Helen, when did you call these movers?” and she doesn’t say anything. So I asked the movers, “When did this woman book you for this gig?” And they’re just standing there. Three huge guys, one of them was wearing a T-shirt that says, ‘Don’t fuck with Mr. Zero.’ So I said, “Helen, when did you make this arrangement?” She says, “A week ago.” I said, “You’ve known for a week and you didn’t tell me?” And she says, “I didn’t want to ruin your birthday.”

Jess: You’re saying Mr. Zero knew you were getting a divorce a week before you did?

Harry: Mr. Zero knew.

And the lyrics, so you can get the full gist of what a kick in the girl-nuts it would be to have this song sung to you (as well as what dicks the songwriters probably are to write such cruelty and make it sound pretty):

Your face is beaming
You say is ‘cause you’re dreaming
Of how good it’s going to be
You say you’ve been around
And now you’ve finally found
Everything you wanted and need in me

I don’t have the heart to hurt you
It’s the last I want to do
But I don’t have the heart to love you
Not the way you want me to

Inside I’m dying
To see you crying
How can I make you understand
I care about you
So much about you, baby
I’m trying to say this as gently as I can

‘Cause I don’t have the heart to hurt you
It’s the last I want to do
But I don’t have the heart to love you
Not the way you want me to

You’re so trusting and open
Hoping that love will start
But I don’t have the heart, oh, no
I don’t have the heart

I don’t have the heart to hurt you
It’s the last I want to do
But I don’t have the heart to love you
Not the way you want me to
…and then he pretty much keeps saying “I don’t have the heart” over and over and over. Burn!

So, yeah, this song bums me out. I think you’d have to have a heart of stone if it didn’t bum you out too. Or maybe you’ve never been told, “It’s not you, it’s me” in which case you probably aren’t a for-really-and-for-true human being and also I cannot possibly be your friend anymore.