'Say Something' Is Saddest, Best Song Ever, According to 4-Year-Old

Photo: YouTube

Have you ever heard a song that just brought you to tears? Four-year-old Jackson Blitch knows the feeling. When the song “Say Something” by A Great Big World featuring Christina Aguilera came on the radio, Jackson was so overcome with emotion that he just let it all out. Meanwhile, his father, Mark Blitch, was capturing the whole emotional experience on camera (you can watch the full video here).

More on Yahoo: Shaun Phillips Received a Heartwarming Text From his Son After Losing the Super Bowl

After Jackson heard the song for the first time he deemed it “the sad song.” He was right. The lyrics  — “Say something, I'm giving up on you / I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you” — capture the pain of being separated from someone you love. Jackson could relate. A few days later, the pre-schooler was in the backseat of his parents' car when the same song came on the radio.

More on Yahoo Shine: How a Katy Perry Song Turned Into an Anthem for Sick Kids
                                         
“We were just driving and the song came on again and he said, “That’s the sad song,” so I changed it, but then he asked for it to go back on,” Mark Blitch, of Plano, Texas, tells Yahoo Shine. Curious as to why Jackson had such an intense reaction to the single, Blitch asked his son that night at bedtime, “Why are you crying?” (Jackson wanted to hear the song again and have Mommy and Daddy sing along this time.) He responded, “The song says I can’t get to you and I’m afraid that you can’t get to me when I’m crying.”

We know kids react to music at an early age, but Jackson's interpretation, according to one child psychologist, is highly advanced. "Separation anxiety, abandonment ...Those are the same triggers that adults have when they hear a breakup song," Dr. Fran Walfish tells Yahoo Shine.

Maybe we're not giving kids enough credit when it comes to their musical intelligence. Exhibit A: YouTube, home to dozens of videos featuring toddlers with deep emotional responses to pop music. From Michael Jackson's "Beat It" and The Beatles' "Don't Let Me Down" to Kid Cudi tunes and now "Say Something," you could say a good song awakens the grownup inside the kid. Music is powerful stuff — just ask Jackson.