Today’s Coffee Break draws on an element of our Album of the Week, Little Rope by Sleater-Kinney. In the autumn of 2022, while Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker were working on the album, Brownstein received news that her mother and stepfather had been killed in a car accident. That tragic event informed the tone of the album. Brownstein has described processing her grief by doing what comes naturally to her — playing guitar and writing songs.

Sleater-Kinney are certainly not the first artists who have felt moved by grief to create songs. There are many songs — indeed, entire albums — that were born of tragedy and loss, whether deeply personal or widely public. That sort of art has a way of connecting with people, because certainly we can all relate to the varied feelings that accompany grief. Many times, the music can help us deal with difficult circumstances.

So for today’s 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs inspired or informed by grief do you want to hear?

Respond with your song ideas in the comments below.

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Songs Played
Brandi Carlile – Sugartooth
Green Day – Wake Me Up When September Ends
Killer Mike – MOTHERLESS
Angel Olsen – All The Good Times
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit – When We Were Close
The Avett Brothers – True Sadness
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Bright Horses (bonus)