History TearJerker / BenFolds

* "2020," released in June of the titular year which, as of this writing, is already considered ''the'' worst calendar year in recent history. The song is appropriately sardonic, describing how the year that many had half-jokingly hoped would be the new [[TheRoaringTwenties Roaring Twenties]] instead turned out to be all of the worst parts of 1918 (UsefulNotes/TheSpanishFlu pandemic = the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic), 1930 (TheGreatDepression = America's second recession in twelve years caused by the mass shut-downs of various businesses due to the pandemic, and the government offering little to no financial aid) and 1968 (the murder of Civil Rights spearheads Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy sparking mass protests for racial justice, which devolved into riots due to police brutality = the murder of black US citizen George Floyd via police brutality, followed by ''more'' police brutality during a march held in his honor, sparking regular mass demonstrations by the Black Lives Matter movement, most of which were met with ''yet even more police brutality'') in the first six months alone, with the refrain asking "How many years will we cram into one?". The absolute hopelessness of the last verse perfectly sums up the collective trauma the whole world was experiencing both from what had happened thus far and the utter dread of what was to come.

* "2020," released in June of the titular year, one which, as of this writing, is just barely close to over and is already considered ''the'' worst calendar year in recent history. The song is appropriately sardonic, describing how the year that many had half-jokingly hoped would be the new [[TheRoaringTwenties Roaring Twenties]] instead turned out to be all of the worst parts of 1918 (UsefulNotes/TheSpanishFlu pandemic = the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic), 1930 (TheGreatDepression = America's second recession in twelve years caused by the mass shut-downs of various businesses due to the pandemic, and the government offering little to no financial aid) and 1968 (the murder of Civil Rights spearheads Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy sparking mass protests for racial justice, which devolved into riots due to police brutality = the murder of black US citizen George Floyd via police brutality, followed by ''more'' police brutality during a march held in his honor, sparking regular mass demonstrations by the Black Lives Matter movement, most of which were met with ''yet even more police brutality'') in the first six months alone, with the refrain asking "How many years will we cram into one?". The absolute hopelessness of the last verse perfectly sums up the collective trauma the whole world was experiencing both from what had happened thus far and the utter dread of what was to come.

* "Still" from the ''WesternAnimation/OverTheHedge'' soundtrack, a somber reminder than, whether we like it or not, change is going to happen. And the extended version on the album is even worse.

* "2020," released in June of the titular year, one which, as of this writing, is just barely close to over and is already considered ''the'' worst calendar year in recent history. The song is appropriately sardonic, describing how the year that many had half-jokingly hoped would be the new [[TheRoaringTwenties Roaring Twenties]] instead turned out to be all of the worst parts of 1918 (UsefulNotes/TheSpanishFlu pandemic = the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic), 1930 (TheGreatDepression = America's second recession in twelve years caused by the mass shut-downs of various businesses due to the pandemic, and the government offering little to no financial aid) and 1968 (the murder of Civil Rights spearheads Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy sparking mass protests for racial justice, which devolved into riots due to police brutality = the murder of black US citizen George Floyd via police brutality, followed by ''more'' police brutality during a march held in his honor, sparking regular mass demonstrations by the Black Lives Matter movement, most of which were met with ''yet even more police brutality'') in the first six months alone, with the refrain asking "How many years will we cram into one?". The absolute hopelessness last verse perfectly sums up the collective trauma the whole world was experiencing both from what had happened thus far and the utter dread of what was to come.

* "2020," released in June of the titular year, one which, as of this writing, is just barely close to over and is already considered ''the'' worst calendar year in recent history. The song is appropriately sardonic, describing how the year that many had half-jokingly hoped would be the new [[TheRoaringTwenties Roaring Twenties]] instead turned out to be all of the worst parts of 1918 (UsefulNotes/TheSpanishFlu pandemic = the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic), 1930 (TheGreatDepression = America's second recession in twelve years caused by the mass shut-downs of various businesses due to the pandemic, and the government offering little to no financial aid) and 1968 (the murder of Civil Rights spearheads Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy sparking mass protests for racial justice, which devolved into riots due to police brutality = the murder of black US citizen George Floyd via police brutality, followed by ''more'' police brutality during a march held in his honor, sparking regular mass demonstrations by the Black Lives Matter movement, most of which were met with ''yet even more police brutality'') in the first six months alone, with the refrain asking "How many years will we cram into one?". The last verse near-perfectly sums up the collective trauma the whole world was experiencing both from what had happened thus far and the utter dread of what was to come.

* "Landed" can be this for anyone who realized too little too late that they were the victim of an abusive relationship, and that you ended up shunning your true loved ones as a result.

** There's the unofficial SequelSong to the below-mentioned "Cigarette", "Fred Jones, Part 2," about the titular character, an elderly but dedicated newspaper employee, being forced into retirement, fading away, unremarked on by the universe at large.

** "Still Fighting it" is a song about how teenage years are hard. Depends on your interpretation: others might read it as an ode to parental failure.

** "The Ascent of Stan", a song about someone who hated the establishment before succumbing to it and becoming the very thing they despised.

** "Carrying Cathy," especially if you know someone who's suicidal or eventually committed suicide, or are even suicidal yourself. Which, by the way, if you are, YouAreNotAlone.

** Worst of all? Ben wrote it while in Australia because ''he couldn't leave the country'' due to the airport shutting down while he was there.

* "The Luckiest." It's love incarnate.

* Then there's the unofficial SequelSong, "Fred Jones, Part 2," about the titular character, an elderly but dedicated newspaper employee, being forced into retirement, fading away, unremarked on by the universe at large.

* "Still Fighting it" is a song about how teenage years are hard. Depends on your interpretation: others might read it as an ode to parental failure.

* "Carrying Cathy," especially if you know someone who's suicidal or eventually committed suicide.

* "2020," released in June of the titular year, one which, as of this writing, is just barely close to over and is already considered ''the'' worst calendar year in recent history. The song is appropriately sardonic, describing how the year that many had half-jokingly hoped would be the new [[TheRoaringTwenties Roaring Twenties]] instead turned out to be all of the worst parts of 1918 (UsefulNotes/TheSpanishFlu pandemic = the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic), 1930 (TheGreatDepression = America's second recession in twelve years caused by the mass shut-downs of various businesses due to the pandemic, and the government offering little to no financial aid) and 1968 (the murder of Civil Rights spearheads MLK and Robert Kennedy sparking mass protests against racial injustice, which were met with police brutality = the murder of black US citizen George Floyd via police brutality, followed by ''more'' police brutality during a march held in his honor, sparking mass civil protests by the Black Lives Matter movement, most of which were met with ''yet even more police brutality and murder'') in the first six months alone, with the refrain asking "How many years will we cram into one?". The last verse near-perfectly sums up the collective trauma the whole world was experiencing both from what had happened thus far and the utter dread of what was to come.

* "2020," released in June of the titular year, one which, as of this writing, isn't even over and is already considered ''the'' most miserable in recent history and is appropriately sardonic, describing the first six months alone as all of the worst parts of various other historically bad years like 1918 (The Spanish Flu pandemic = the COVID-19 Pandemic), 1930 (The Great Depression = America's second recession in twelve years caused by the mass shut-downs of various businesses due to the pandemic, and the government doing offering little to no financial aid) and, to top it all off, 1968 (the murder of Civil Rights spearheads MLK and Robert Kennedy sparking mass protests against racial injustice, which were met with police brutality = the murder of black US citizen George Floyd via police brutality, followed by ''more'' police brutality during a march held in his honor, sparking mass civil protests by the Black Lives Matter movement, most of which were met with ''yet even more police brutality and murder'') and wondering "How many years will we cram into one?" in the refrain. The last verse near-perfectly sums up the collective trauma the whole was experiencing from both what had happened thus far and the utter dread of what was to come.
-->"We're not repeating history, just the parts that sucked\\
2020, what the actual fuck?\\

Back up in that house again."

* Dear God, "Belinda"...

** The true meaning of that song is incredibly sad: a depressed, barely one-hit wonder singer whose one hit is about how he cheated on his girlfriend who he clearly still misses and now he is forced to play that song constantly despite how it hurts him to sing. He ends up seeming to enter some sort of fantasy where he can still be with Belinda. It's heartbreaking.

** Somehow the version on the ''University Acapella'' compilation (performed by University Of Chicago's Voices In Your Head) feels sadder than the original- for one thing, their arrangement starts with just the very highest and very lowest voices in the group holding one note, sounding like an acapella DroneOfDread.