Rodney

Peggy Lee -- "Is That All There Is?

"If that's all there is, my friend,
then let's keep dancing.
Let's break out the booze and have a ball,
if that's all .......
there is. "

Simon and Garfunkel were good at melancholy, too: "Sounds of Silence,' "I am a Rock," "America," "Homeward Bound," "Richard Corey," and others.

If you want to go back beyond the 50s a little, I highly recommend Billie Holiday's rendition of "God Bless the Child."