Darkest "POP" songs of all time. - Page 2

In keeping with Whiskey Tango Foxtrot's post, there's also:
"Tell Laura I Love Her" by Ray Patterson, "Dead Man's Curve" by Jan & Dean, and "Last Kiss" by Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers. Man, the teens of the late '50s and early '60s really vibed off the morbid stuff.

'Relax' by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Shoot it in the right direction indeed.

'Two Tribes' even more so.

Also, any track from 'The Final Cut' by Pink Floyd...'music-to-cut-your-wrists-by'...

Charlie Wilson's sobering tribute to the people of Hiroshima via the gift of song.

Ooooo, the Darkness - so subversive!

It isn't as if AC/DC didn't do it 20 years before and better with "The Jack."

Aerosmith's "Janie's Got a Gun"
What DID her Daddy do?



And the "Stalker theme"...

YOU CAN'T CHANGE THAT
Ray Parker and Raydio

Honey
I'll always love you
I promise I'll always love you
'Cause I think the whole world of you
And you can't change that no no
There's nothing you can do or say
I thought about this for many a day
And my mind's made up to feel this way
And you can't change that
'Cause you're the only one I love
And you can't change that
You're the only one I need
And you can't change that
(You're the one I love)
You're the only one I love
And you can't change that
You're the only one I need
And you can't change that
Now you can try if you want to

You can change your telephone number
And you can change your address too
But you can't stop me from loving you no
You can't change that no no
You can change the color
of your hair
And you can change the clothes
you wear
But you'll never change the way I care
No you can't change that

Billy Corgan confessed that Smashing Pumpkin's "Today" was definitely about suicide. I think Bjork's "Hyperballad" was also about suicide but it sounded so dance happy that I never thought about it until a few years after the song came out. Even the title "Hyperballad" sounds so misleadingly joyful. Here are the lyrics to the second half of Bjork's thumping masterpiece:

I'm back at my cliff, still throwing things off
I listen to the sounds they make
on their way down
I follow with my eyes 'til they crash
imagine what my body would sound like
slamming against those rocks

and when it lands
will my eyes be closed or open?

I go through all this
before you wake up
so I can feel happier
to be safe up here with you

I've always loved "Chick Habit" by April March. The instrumental and the way she arranged her vocals were so happy and bubbly and full of teenage pop bubblegumminess, but the lyrics were the polar opposite. It all culminated in that bridge:

"Now your ears are ringing,
the birds have stopped their singing,
everything is turning grey."

The way she sings that last line is just amazingly creepy as hell in how it's so bi-polar.

I interpret that as a very strange love song, actually. The narrator is doing all of these things to reinforce her love for her fella. I guess you could take that last line as meaning she's not currently happy and wants to be, but I take it more as she's currently perfectly happy, but seeks to improve on things through even further affection.

I think you guys are both sort of right. My interpretation is that the narrator deals with all of her suicidal and depressive thoughts alone ("before you wake up") so that she can appear to be happy. That way her depression won't infect the relationship or bring her boyfriend down. So yeah, it's a pretty fucked-up love song.

"Intervention" by The Arcade Fire is one I always think of when I think of songs that are musically bright but lyrically dark. It's downright soaring and triumphant sounding but the lyrics are about utter defeat and misery. A lot of Neon Bible is like that really. It's very dark lyrically but much of the music is catchy and kinda rousing.

David Bazan has written some extremely dark songs, though many of them are overtly sad/dark rather deceptively catchy and upbeat. But some do fit the bill. "Transcontinental" (under the Pedro the Lion moniker) and "Natural Disaster" (as The Headphones) spring to mind. They're not as poppy as some of the other stuff mentioned so far but definitely enough that if you didn't pay attention to the lyrics you'd think they were happy songs.

Finally I'd be remiss if I let the thread go any longer with no mention of "Maxwell's Silver Hammer." The Beatles wrote several subtly dark songs, but I think the contrast between pop and dark might be most extreme on this one.

Bjork's delivery of the word "cutlery" in that song makes me smile every time.

"Forever Young" by Alphaville. Whether it's the slower original version or the dance-mix version done later on, the song is still about teenage suicide.

Also, to pair up with "Luka" in the "Beaten Neighbor Kid" category, we have "What's the Matter Here?" by 10,000 Maniacs:

Obvious choice: "In the Air Tonight", Phil Collins.

No, it's not about him witnessing a murder by drowning.

I would put "Billie Jean" out there, but it's also pretty overt.

I always thought that while the lyrics to 'Hurdy Gurdy Man' don't mean a lot, the song itself is quite imposing. There's just something about the vocal track and the lead guitar that don't jive well, it's all slightly off kilter.

'Maxwells Silver Hammer' gets a lot a hate, maybe rightly so, but we shouldn't forget it's a jolly sounding sounding song about a teen who indiscriminately takes a hammer to people's heads, seemingly for no reason at all.

'Lonesome Town' has always got to me, not only because it's quite evocative of what's presumably a nightmarish place to live, but because its sparse recording sounds like it was made late at night at the place in question.

I think it had less to do with it being dark and more to do with the song being really unfair to Carla Rotolo.

Bobby Gentry-Ode to Billy Joe. it's pretty dark but sung in such a cheerful way.

As great a song (and video) as it is, how R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion" became a huge pop hit back in '91 is beyond me.

I'm sure it wasn't his intention (and definitely wouldn't be considered pop), but I like to imagine Sinatra's "It Was A Very Good Year" being about a serial killer who's just been caught.

And I think it was Devin, a couple of years ago, who mentioned that he always heard The Beach Boys' "Wouldn't It Be Nice" as if it were about some dude trying like hell to sweet-talk his girlfriend into having sex with him. That's all I can hear when I hear it anymore.

Speaking of The Beach Boys, does anyone else find the song "Fun, Fun, Fun" to be a little sinister. The way the chorus changes from "And she'll have fun, fun, fun, til her daddy takes the t-bird away" to "Now we'll have fun, fun, fun, since her daddy took the t-bird away" during its final repetition makes it seems like all the guys she's been avoiding are going to track her down and get her. Am I going to far to suggest that there's an implied gang-rape going on here?

I take it as she has underlying sadness in her, but she confronts it before her partner wakes up so she can be happy when she is with him.

Live's "Lightning Crashes" is sorta uplifting, but placentas falling on the floor and thunderstorms? Creepy.

Reminded me of one: "Mack the Knife".

Oh, the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear
And it shows them pearly white
Just a jackknife has old MacHeath, babe
And he keeps it … ah … out of sight.

Ya know when that shark bites, with his teeth, babe
Scarlet billows start to spread
Fancy gloves, though, wears old MacHeath, babe
So there’s nevah, nevah a trace of red.

Now on the sidewalk … uuh, huh … whoo … sunny mornin’ … uuh, huh
Lies a body just oozin' life … eeek!
And someone’s sneakin' ‘round the corner
Could that someone be Mack the Knife?

A-there's a tugboat … huh, huh, huh … down by the river don’tcha know
Where a cement bag’s just a'droopin' on down
Oh, that cement is just, it's there for the weight, dear
Five'll get ya ten old Macky’s back in town.

Now, d'ja hear ‘bout Louie Miller? He disappeared, babe
After drawin' out all his hard-earned cash
And now MacHeath spends just like a sailor
Could it be our boy's done somethin' rash?



Now … Jenny Diver … ho, ho … yeah … Sukey Tawdry
Ooh … Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown
Oh, the line forms on the right, babe
Now that Macky’s back in town.

Aah … I said Jenny Diver … whoa … Sukey Tawdry
Look out to Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown
Yes, that line forms on the right, babe
Now that Macky’s back in town …

Look out … old Macky is back!!

Only if you ignore the part before it:

The "we" is the narrator and the girl, not the narrator and his buddies. He's inviting her out in his car for (presumably) consensual good times.

'(Don't Fear) the Reaper' by Blue Oyster Cult.
'Joan Crawford' by Blue Oyster Cult.

Pretty much EVERY 'single' by BOC is pretty dark.

'Godzilla' wasn't dark!....oh, wait.

I love the way old Tom Jones songs are dark-as-fuck, especially for the 60s.

Delilah is about cutting up girls and green green grass of home is about sitting on death row.

Pooh on you for spoiling my fun. I was being serious anyways. I like mentioning that idea to people unfamiliar with the Beach Boys to see how they react to the suggestion, but yes, as you've revealed it doesn't standup to scrutiny, unless of course the narrator does have good intentions once he convinces the girl to get into his car.

I find Joan Crawford to be pretty hilarious. I think its supposed to be intentionally campy. I think.

What? How are you not getting this? watch, i'll do it again, see if you get it:

Paper Lace - The Night Chicago Died.

Nuts.

"Hazard" by Richard Marx. I'm not sure what in the hell made me think of Richard after 15+ years, but I remember hearing this song when it was on the radio and thinking it was a hell of a leap going from "Hold On To The Nights" to a song about being falsely accused of murder.

Heard Otis Redding on the radio and remembered that "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" is a pretty dark song, especially since many think of it as such a happy song. I guess nobody pays attention to the verses.

"Love is Blindness" by U2, closes out Achtung Baby. Love song? Nope, sounds to me like a trip through the mind of an IRA bomber.

Creeeeeepy...

LITTLE CHILDREN
Billy J. Kramer
(Schuman/McFarland)
- as recorded by Billy J. Kramer in 1964

Little children, you better not tell on me I'm tellin' you
Little children, you better not tell what you see And if you're good
I'll give you candy and a quarter
If you're quiet like you oughta be
And keep a secret with me

I wish they would go away
Little children, now why aren't you playin' outside I'm askin' you
You can't fool me, 'cause I'm gonna know if you hide and try to peek
I'm gonna treat you to a movie
Stop your gigglin', children do be nice
Like little sugars and spice

You saw me kissin' your sister, you saw me holdin' her hand
But if you snitch to your mother, your father won't understand

I wish they would take a nap
Little children, now why don't you go bye-bye Go anywhere at all
Little children, I know you would if you tried Go up the stairs
Me and your sister, we're goin' steady
How can I kiss her when I'm ready to
With little children like you around
I wonder what can I do around
Little children like you

Not all that pop, not all that secret, but what the hell:

"End of the Rainbow"
Richard Thompson

I feel for you, you little horror
Safe at your mother’s breast
No lucky break for you around the corner
‘Cos your father is a bully
And he thinks that you’re a pest
And your sister, she’s no better than a whore

Life seems so rosy in the cradle
but I’ll be a friend, I’ll tell you what’s in store
There’s nothing at the end of the rainbow
There’s nothing to grow up for anymore

Tycoons and barrow boys will rob you
And throw you on the side
And all because they love themselves sincerely
And the man holds a bread-knife
Up to your throat, is four feet wide
And he’s anxious just to show you what it’s for

Your mother works so hard to make you happy
But take a look outside the nursery door
There’s nothing at the end of the rainbow
There’s nothing to grow up for anymore

All the sad and empty faces
That pass you on the street
All running in their sleep, all in a dream
Every loving handshake
Is just another man to beat
How your heart aches just to cut him to the core

Life seems so rosy in the cradle
but I’ll be a friend, I’ll tell you what’s in store
There’s nothing at the end of the rainbow
There’s nothing to grow up for anymore


(honestly, you could fill an entire thread of Thompson songs exploring the dark side of humanity. But, as I say, most of them wouldn't exactly make a secret of it)

Invalid Littler Department by At the Drive In

This falls under your definition of "pop" but it got some spins on mainstream radio and the video played on MTV back in the day.

It's about the Jaurez Murders.

Under The Bridge, RHCP?

They used to play that as a 'romantic slow' at parties when I was in my teens... I figured out pretty quick that 'this song is actually about drug addicts, you know' is not the best pick-up line, generally speaking.

I used to crack up listening to these lovesick girls call in to the radio stations to dedicate Lita Ford's "Close My Eyes Forever" to their boyfriends. I wanted to scream, "You idiots -- he's dead, and she's singing about joining him!"

And while not necessarily dark, I always enjoyed the look on someone's face when I explained to them that Madonna's "Get Into the Groove" isn't about happy dancing, but about Madonna being frustrated that this guy hasn't fucked her yet.

I'm always shocked how many people have no idea what Lola by the Kinks is about. It's not like the lyrics are vague or anything.

I love shit like this. The more "upbeat" the better.

Rufus Wainwright's "April Fools" is a good example that I don't think has been mentioned yet.

"I'll Be That Girl" by Barenaked Ladies.

Speaking of the Darkness, I remember listening to "Givin' Up" for the first time and hearing this pretty jaunty, guitar-driven song, only later realizing the whole thing is basically saying, "Fuck it, I'm shooting heroin."

I don't think it's about fucking any more than any other pop song about dancing is about fucking. The metaphors are there, but they're not strong enough to say, "hey, this isn't really about dancing!," because it totally could be. That's kind of how dance references in music work.

A lot of Stephen Page's stuff with BNL has dark themes. "I Live With It Every Day" is a nasty little song. Same with "Intermittently" and "The Wrong Man".

Even worse are people who have no idea what "Art Lover" by the Kinks is about. Those lyrics are even more obvious!

Also "What a Good Boy" by BNL. Gah! Sad stuff.

To be fair, people besides hardcore Kinks fans have actually HEARD "Lola."

And, anyway, "I'm glad I'm a man and so is Lola..."

So is Lola a man?

Or just glad?

Or both?

I can literally picture in my mind two different occasions when I was in a car with someone and the song came on, and they started humming/singing along with the chorus, completely ignoring the actual lyrics and what they mean until I pointed it out.

Ah, the brilliance of a Ray Davies lyric.

Bohemian Rhapsody should probably #1
Lyrics
Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide
No escape from reality
Open your eyes
Look up to the skies and see
I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy
Because I'm easy come, easy go
A little high, little low
Anyway the wind blows, doesn't really matter to me, to me

Mama, just killed a man
Put a gun against his head
Pulled my trigger, now he's dead
Mama, life had just begun
But now I've gone and thrown it all away
Mama, ooo
Didn't mean to make you cry
If I'm not back again this time tomorrow
Carry on, carry on, as if nothing really matters

Too late, my time has come
Sends shivers down my spine
Body's aching all the time
Goodbye everybody - I've got to go
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth
Mama, ooo - (anyway the wind blows)
I don't want to die
I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all

I see a little silhouetto of a man
Scaramouch, scaramouch will you do the fandango
Thunderbolt and lightning - very very frightening me
Gallileo, Gallileo,
Gallileo, Gallileo,
Gallileo Figaro - magnifico

But I'm just a poor boy and nobody loves me
He's just a poor boy from a poor family
Spare him his life from this monstrosity
Easy come easy go - will you let me go
Bismillah! No - we will not let you go - let him go
Bismillah! We will not let you go - let him go
Bismillah! We will not let you go - let me go
Will not let you go - let me go (never)
Never let you go - let me go
Never let me go - ooo
No, no, no, no, no, no, no -
Oh mama mia, mama mia, mama mia let me go
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me
for me
for me

So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye
So you think you can love me and leave me to die
Oh baby - can't do this to me baby
Just gotta get out - just gotta get right outta here

Ooh yeah, ooh yeah
Nothing really matters
Anyone can see
Nothing really matters - nothing really matters to me

Anyway the wind blows...


also
Strange Fruit
Billie Holiday

Southern trees bear strange fruit
Blood on the leaves
Blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees
Pastoral scene of the gallant south
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
The scent of magnolia sweet and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh
Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck
for the rain to gather
for the wind to suck
for the sun to rot
for the tree to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop

HIT ME BABY ONE MORE TIME-- Spousal abuse?
SPEED OF SOUND-- Not sure, but underground birds can't be a good thing.

"I Want You", Elvis Costello