30 Day Music Challenge - Day 27

So yesterday was all about songs that make your heart swell and tonight is all about songs that break your heart (This 30 Day Music Challenge is a bit of roller coaster!) So obviously there are so many directions you can go with with this question. Songs that have personal meaning, songs about break-ups, songs by artists who are no longer with us (but we did that one earlier in the week)… I chose a song that took on a completely different (and devastating) meaning to me after 1985’s Live Aid.

I have always loved The Cars but truth be told I am more a fan of their upbeat tracks than the song I chose. That is until Benjamin Orr sang it at Live Aid. It was a great performance but what really made this song heartbreaking on this particular day was when the organizers of Live Aid set the song to footage of the horrendous famine in Ethiopia. It really is haunting and that moment when I first watched it stayed with me since 1985! I know that the song and the footage made millions of people open their wallets and support Bob Geldof’s cause that day.

So the second reason this song breaks my heart is of course because in the year 2000 we lost the wonderful Benjamin Orr at the young age of 53. Benjamin Orr had such a fabulous voice and was often considered the band’s heartthrob to many a teenage girl (myself included.) There is a great biography called Let’s Go about Benjamin that is really worth checking out btw.

So on Day 27 of the 30 Day Music Challenge …..A song that breaks your heart … I give you The Cars/Drive. Check out the live performance and if you are feeling brave and have tissues nearby check out the video below as well.