Track of the day: “Names” – Cat Power

This is one of the saddest songs ever written, though it’s not the kind of sad that only brings tears; it takes the breath away.

Cat Power, also known as Chan Marshall, plays a simple piano line as she gives short histories of five people she knew growing up, all of whom were victims of physical, sexual or drug abuse.

With such sparse musical background, most of the focus is on Marshall’s smoky and frail voice and the devastating lyrics she sings.

Two of her old girlfriends are particularly hard to stomach. The first’s story is laced with shocking specifics: “She taught me how to please a man/After school in the back of the bus/She was doing it every day /She was 11-years-old.”

The second girl’s pain is even worse because of what isn’t said. After Marshall sings, “Her father would come to her in the night,” she is silent for a few measures, letting the weight of the line fall on the listener.

The tales of horror change into tales of deep, regretful memory. It becomes overwhelmingly sad when one begins to remember the names from his or her own childhood.

“Names” can be found on Cat Power’s 2003 album, “You are Free,” on Matador Records.