Simple but affecting songs

[Cloo]

Sometimes I find very simple songs to be the most memorable and affecting. Which do you think are the best examples of this.

I find myself incredibly moved by Mary Chapin Carpenter's 'I am a town' and I'm never sure quite why. I don't know any of her other stuff, funnily enough.



And this stark account of the end of a relationship from Randy Newman

 

[Orang Utan]

Robert Hood - The Pace
Does so very little but does it so well:

 

[Steel Icarus]

Stand by me.

 

[8ball]

A lovely simple one.

 

[Casually Red]

 

[Humberto]

Simple arrangement although playing like Woody is a challenge. On this though there only seems to be a two or three chord progression and no picking. A simple tune.

 

[SpookyFrank]

 

[Fez909]

Not quite as 'simple' as some of the others posted, but this always feels stripped back (and brilliant) to me:

 

[8ball]

I love this, but I'm not sure it's so simple.

 

[Casually Red]

For me this one , short and sweet, says a hell of a lot in less than 2 minutes . Always made me stop and think . Still does .

 

[JimW]

Have this linked in my profile, "Work Song" by Dan Reeder. Maybe not affecting in quite the way meant in the OP but very simple but catches a particular mood I get often in my life.

 

[J Ed]

 

[MrSki]

 

[billy_bob]

 

[billy_bob]

 

[Sprocket.]

 

[Sprocket.]

 

[Pickman's model]

 

[Cloo]

And of course:



Just about anything off that album in fact.

 

[__steve__]

This Mortal Coil. Well, Kim Deal and Tanya Donnelly on this track.

 

[SpookyFrank]

A real three-chord gut punch this one.

 

[rutabowa]

daniel johnston is the king of this

 

[Sirena]

 

[RareBird]

anthemic punk

 

[SpookyFrank]

There's more to that than you'd think if you've ever tried to play it. Beautiful song though.

 

[Johnny Vodka]

This is a good version, actually by far the best version of this song from the ones I know.

 

[Kesher]

 

[Sirena]

This is a simple, almost dark fairy-tale lyric about betrayed love....

 

[hipipol]

 

[ohmyliver]