Top 10 Songs with Dark Hidden Meanings
#10: “Hey Ya!” (2003)
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Outkast While credited to Outkast, “Hey Ya!” is mostly a creation of André 3000. It was an enormous success and is easily the duo’s most popular song. According to André, the song was meant to comment on the cold and rather emotionless relationships that were developing in the early 21st century. He told MTV that the lyrics reflect a romantic couple who are staying together simply out of expectations. People want them to stay together and they are expected to remain together for life, so that’s what they do, despite being deeply unhappy. The tune’s clash between dark lyrics and poppy music is even referenced within the song, with André saying, “Y'all don't wanna hear me, you just wanna dance.”
#9: “Fire and Rain” (1970)
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James Taylor Regarded as one of the greatest songs ever written, James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain” is one of those tunes that masterfully balances art with commercial appeal. It reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified silver in the United Kingdom after selling 200,000 copies. Unfortunately, the lyrics are steeped in depressing material. It references a childhood friend of Taylor’s named Suzanne Schnerr, who took her own life while Taylor was recording his first album. He didn’t find out until six months later. The artist also recounts his substance use disorder and the horrible depression he experienced upon the collapse of his band The Flying Machine.
#8: “You're Beautiful” (2005)
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James Blunt The second single from Blunt’s debut album, “You’re Beautiful” is easily the singer’s biggest song. It reached #1 on the Hot 100 and was eventually certified 4x platinum in the United States. It’s easy to mistake the song as romantic, owing to its title and pretty chorus. However, as Blunt himself has said, “it’s kind of miserable.” According to him, the song is an autobiographical account of seeing his ex-girlfriend with a new boyfriend. Shortly after the miserable experience, Blunt returned home and wrote the lyrics in two minutes. Journalists have pegged the potential woman as “Harry Potter” casting assistant Dixie Chassay, whom Blunt had reportedly dated.
#7: “Slide” (1998)
Goo Goo Dolls Leave it to the Goo Goo Dolls to sneak a song about teenage abortion onto mainstream radio. Songwriter Johnny Rzeznik told VH1 that the song is explicitly about a Catholic teenager who becomes pregnant with the speaker’s child. The line “Don't you love the life you killed?” seems to suggest either a literal terminated pregnancy or the metaphorical death of the girl’s life. The following lines depict the complete collapse of her family as she is disowned. In the end, the speaker suggests that they run away together, presumably to start a new life away from the church and the girl’s furious parents. Talk about depressing.
#6: “Little Talks” (2011)
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Of Monsters and Men Icelandic folk band Of Monsters and Men debuted with “Little Talks,” a popular tune that was certified 5x platinum in the United States. It’s a fun little piece of indie rock, but the lyrics couldn’t be more sad. As described by frontwoman Nanna Hilmarsdóttir, the song is about a grieving widow wandering around her empty house and speaking to her deceased husband. Hilmarsdóttir provides the female’s vocals, while frontman Ragnar Þórhallsson provides those of the deceased male. To make the story even more depressing, Hilmarsdóttir insinuated in a talk with Interview Magazine that the female speaker might have gone insane with grief.
#5: “Every Breath You Take” (1983)
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The Police Easily one of the most popular songs ever made, The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” is a real creepy piece of work. It sounds romantic enough, but that is not what songwriter Sting had in mind. The song was written around the same time Sting divorced his wife of eight years, Frances Tomelty. In his own words, “Every Breath You Take” is a “sinister” song about a dangerously obsessive man who is watching an ex-lover. He even credits George Orwell as an inspiration, as the possessive tone of the lyrics was inspired by Big Brother. Basically, this supposed love song that is often played at weddings is really about an ominous stalker.
#4: “Y.M.C.A.” (1978)
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Village People We know what you’re thinking - come on, how can the Village People be dark!? “Y.M.C.A.” is one of the most cherished songs of all time. Incredibly cheesy, yes, but cherished. And believe it not, the song isn’t about the good times you can have at your local YMCA. Many people - including songwriter Jacques Morali - insist that “Y.M.C.A.” is a gay anthem, as local Ys were alleged hotspots of gay activity in the ‘70s. This in turn presents a very dark time in America’s history - a time when being gay was frowned upon, when gay men were ostracized, and when men needed a secret location to find each other and hook up.
#3: “Electric Avenue” (1983)
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Eddy Grant One of the most popular funk songs of the ‘80s, “Electric Avenue” is named after the iconic street in London. Back in the 1880s, Electric Avenue became notable for its historic string of electric lights. But that’s not what the song is about. Rather, it chronicles the 1981 Brixton riot. Taking place between the 10th and 12th of April, the riots were largely inspired by the poor treatment of black residents at the hands of white police. Fed up with the ongoing racial tensions, the residents broke out in a riot which resulted in hundreds of injuries and damaged buildings. Grant wrote the song with a sympathetic eye, portraying the rioters as distressed residents suffering from poverty and discrimination.
#2: “Blackbird” (1968)
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The Beatles Taken off their seminal “White Album,” “Blackbird” is easily one of the Beatles’ greatest and most popular songs. And while it’s credited to The Beatles, the song was entirely written and performed by Paul McCartney. “Blackbird” can easily be interpreted as some type of inspirational self-help tune, but it actually goes a bit deeper than that. And a lot darker. McCartney has gone on record numerous times claiming that “Blackbird” was inspired by the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The song was recorded on June 11, 1968, just two months after Martin Luther King Jr. was famously assassinated at Memphis’ Lorraine Motel.
#1: “Born in the U.S.A.” (1984)
Bruce Springsteen Despite the seemingly patriotic title, “Born in the U.S.A.” is anything but proud of America. The song is basically the first “Rambo” movie in musical form. You know, minus the violence. It tells the story of a Vietnam veteran who returns home after the war and is treated like absolute dirt by everyone around him. In fact, the original working title was reportedly “Vietnam Blues.” Of course, this specific story could also be interpreted as a metaphor for embittered lower-class Americans fighting for a decent life. Either way, the song is a truly depressing piece of work that is deeply critical of its titular country.
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