Peppy music and beautiful melodies can sometimes mask dark subjects that are overlooked in many popular songs. Prepare for an eye-opening experience as we reveal song lyrics more disturbing than they seem.
“Luka” (1987)
The lyrics of this Suzanne Vega song explore the topic of domestic violence as suffered by the protagonist. The lyrics paint a clear picture with lines like, “They only hit until you cry.” Even darker, they reference women accepting the abuse. Lines such as: “And after that you don’t ask why” and “You just don’t argue anymore.”
“Thirteen” (1974)
Recorded by Big Star in 1971, the word “thirteen” appears nowhere in the song. However, co-writer Alex Chilton claims it’s from the perspective of a 13-year-old boy. Chilton once dedicated the track to Michael Jackson. One suspect lyric goes: “Would you be an outlaw for my love?” Other lines refer to the girl’s dad keeping the protagonist away.
“People Who Died” (1980)
This song from The Jim Carroll Band is an ode to friends of the narrator who died. The laundry list of deaths is pretty gruesome. Some of the unfortunate causes of death include sniffing glue, consuming Drano, jumping in front of a subway train, diving from a hotel, and the list goes on. Total depression in a hooky chorus.
“Where The Wild Roses Grow” (1995)
This song was written by Nick Cave for his ninth studio album Murder Ballads. It’s performed by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds & Kylie Minogue. The story is told from the perspective of both characters. She meets an untimely end at his hand. This haunting, poetic masterpiece is a supremely disturbed tale of love turned deadly.
“Run for Your Life” (1965)
John Lennon supposedly based “Run for Your Life” on two lines from the Arthur Gunter song “Baby Let’s Play House,” as recorded by Elvis. “I’d rather see you dead, little girl, than to be with another man.” It’s an ode to deadly possessiveness. In Lennon’s version, his protagonist lays out his faults, warning his partner. Lennon later renounced the track.
“I Don’t Like Mondays” (1979)
Before school shootings became so commonplace in the US, this song by The Boomtown Rats was based on the true story of the Cleveland Elementary School shooting in San Diego. The school’s principal and custodian were killed, and a police officer and 8 children were injured. Brenda Spencer, a 16-year-old girl, claimed she committed the shooting because: “I don’t like Mondays.”
“Brown Sugar” (1971)
This #1 hit by the Rolling Stones features disturbing lyrics on many levels. They begin with a slave ship and women being whipped. The first line of the chorus mentions “how good” the woman tastes. Followed by: “Just like a young girl should.” In the third chorus, it’s: “just like a Black girl should.” These days, Jagger censors the lyrics live.
“Wrong Way” (1996)
Recorded by Sublime and written by the band’s lead singer, drummer, and bassist, it tells the story of a teen girl forced into sex work to support her drunk father and brothers. The good intentions of the song’s protagonist only make things worse. Bassist and cowriter Eric Wilson maintains that the lyrics are based on a true story.
“Seventeen” (1989)
The band Winger said “Seventeen” was inspired by the Beatles song “I Saw Her Standing There,” which also has a line about a seventeen-year-old. Winger was 28 when he sang these lyrics about desiring an underage girl eleven years his junior. Considering that, lyrics like these sound creepy: “Daddy says she’s too young, But she’s old enough for me.”
“He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)” (1962)
This song was recorded by girl group The Crystals. Gerry Goffin and Carole King wrote the song after learning their babysitter, “Little Eva” Boyd, was regularly beaten by her boyfriend. Eva told King her partner hit her because he loved her. Although the song was written to highlight Eve’s delusions, Phil Spector’s production made the song come off as pro-abuse.
“Sweet Little Sixteen” (1958)
Many songs during the 1950s focused on underage teenage girls. Chuck Berry undoubtedly inspired the trend. Lines like: “Tight dresses and lipstick,” “high-heeled shoes,” and “All the cats wanna dance with Sweet Little Sixteen.” It feels creepier knowing that Berry was later charged with assaulting a woman, child abuse, and intimately video-recording women without their permission.
“Father Figure” (1987)
The lyrics have an obvious sexual nature, “be bold naked at your side.” More disturbing, they seem to imply underage relations with lines like “I will be your father figure,” “Put your tiny hand in mine,” and “Greet me with the eyes of a child.” One line even seems to suggest that sometimes love can be mistaken for a crime.
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“Closer” (1994)
Ok, so this one’s not exactly “secretly” dark, but it’s about as edgy as they come, so it made our list. Recorded by Nine Inch Nails and written by Trent Rezner, “Closer” lyrics are among the darkest out there. The opening verse starts with “You let me violate you” and it just kind of snowballs from there. No one could deny that it’s a catchy song, though.
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“Dance with the Devil” (2001)
Recorded by rapper Immortal Technique it tells an ugly story of a protagonist named Billy with no father and a drug addict mother. This dark story covers robbery, violence, kidnapping, assault, murder, and suicide. It’s ultimately a cautionary tale warning that dancing with the devil can have eternal consequences.
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