# Cheerful songs about maudlin things **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 10, 2006, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-songs-about-maudlin-things/356211 "2006-05-10T12:23:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![J.Z.Knuckles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecccb3/32.png) [@J.Z.Knuckles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J.Z.Knuckles)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-songs-about-maudlin-things/356211/1 "2006-05-10T12:23:00Z")
Hello chaps, I wonder if the Dopers’ collective knowledge can help me find some songs. I’m specifically looking for songs that sound cheerful, upbeat and/or poppy at first, but when you listen to the lyrics you actually realise it’s a miserable, misanthropic, maudlin piece of work. And I don’t mean your “Always look on the bright side of life”-type songs where the narrator jauntily shares their optimistic view of a bad situation; the song lyrics should be truly depressing while the tune itself is pleasantly chipper. Can anyone raid their memories and/or playlists and offer some suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![brownie55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f14d63/32.png) [@brownie55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brownie55)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-songs-about-maudlin-things/356211/2 "2006-05-10T12:34:45Z")
try almost anything by “Sublime” ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-songs-about-maudlin-things/356211/3 "2006-05-10T12:37:22Z")
The Cure - Close to Me (Closer Mix) is a perfect example of what you mean. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-songs-about-maudlin-things/356211/4 "2006-05-10T12:40:36Z")
Tom Lehrer was a master of these, with “We Will All Go Together When We Go” being one of the best – an upbeat, revivalist-type song about nuclear holocaust. (“We will all go together when we go Every Hottentot and every Eskimo When the air becomes uranious… We will all go simultaneous… Oh we’ll all go together Yes we All Will Go Together Yes, We All Will Go …To…ge…ther … when… we…GO…”) But thyere’s also “I Hold Your Hand in Mine”, “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park”, “Masochism Tango”, and others. Weird Al Yankovic has had a few songs on this type, too, but I can’t recall the titles. ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-songs-about-maudlin-things/356211/5 "2006-05-10T12:45:30Z")
Hank Williams’s “I’ll Never Get Out of this World Alive” and “Long Gone Lonesome Blues” come to mind. From the latter: _I’m gonna find me a river, one that’s cold as ice. And when I find me that river, Lord I’m gonna pay the price I’m goin’ down in it three times, but lord I’m only comin’ up twice. She’s long gone, and now I’m lonesome blue._ ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-songs-about-maudlin-things/356211/6 "2006-05-10T12:48:42Z")
Well, LOADS of Bruce Springsteen songs fit this description. “Glory Days” and “Hungry Heart” are two of the best examples. You hear “Glory Days” being played at NFL and major league baseball games all the time… which is odd, because the lyrics are saying, essentially, “We’re only young, vibrant and happy for a little while. Then, before you know it, we’re boring old farts in a bar, waxing nostalgic over our lost youth.” ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-songs-about-maudlin-things/356211/7 "2006-05-10T12:50:32Z")
[_Hooray for Hollywood_](http://www.johnnymercer.com/FAQ/Hooray%20for%20Hollywood.htm) fits the bill nicely, if you think about the sarcasm dripping from the lyrics: > [@](#): > > Hooray for Hollywood! > Where you’re terrific > if you’re even good! . > [@](#): > > Hooray for Hollywood! > You may be homely in your neighborhood. > Still, if you think that you can be an actor > See Mister Factor [_Max Factor - makeup artist_] > He’d make a monkey look good! The downbeat Ray Charles version sounds positively morose. ---
**Author:** ![snorlax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@snorlax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snorlax)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-songs-about-maudlin-things/356211/8 "2006-05-10T12:51:39Z")
This may not be exactly what you’re looking for as it’s more black humour than truly depressing, but Harry Chapin’s song [30,000 Pounds of Bananas](http://www.harrychapin.com/music/30000lbs.shtml) concerns a fatal trucking accident. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-songs-about-maudlin-things/356211/9 "2006-05-10T12:53:02Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Weird Al Yankovic has had a few songs on this type, too, but I can’t recall the titles. _Christmas at Ground Zero_, for one. Cheery ditty about life after the nuclear holocaust. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-songs-about-maudlin-things/356211/10 "2006-05-10T13:09:28Z")
There’s a song by **Stiff Little Fingers** called _Silver Lining_ that has an uplifting, sentimental sound unless you read the lyrics… \*They tell you not to worry, they say they’re terribly sorry But that’s the way it has to be, for the likes of you and me Just be good and know your station Always look on the bright side Keep you faith and keep your patience Your reward is after you’ve died So don’t be told, don’t be consoled Things are so bad, you can never make do And there’s always someone better off than you\* There’s plenty of examples of bright melody/dark lyrics in pretty much every genre. Rarer is something that has a dark melody/happy lyrics. _Bus Stop_ by **The Hollies** comes to mind. You spend the whole song waiting for the tragic part to happen, but it never does. ---
**Author:** ![Fromage\_A\_Trois](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Fromage\_A\_Trois](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fromage_A_Trois)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-songs-about-maudlin-things/356211/11 "2006-05-10T13:15:54Z")
Queen’s **Don’t Try Suicide** always seemed to me to be, if not upbeat, at least a bit jokey. > [@Freddie Mercury](#): > > So you think it’s the easy way out? > Think you’re gonna slash your wrists > This time > Baby when you do it all you do is > Get on my tits I especially like the fact that after that last line there’s a quick double-tap on a cymbal - tsk tsk. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-songs-about-maudlin-things/356211/12 "2006-05-10T13:38:09Z")
Until I read the lyrics, I didn’t know the 10,000 Maniacs’ song “About the Weather” was about lying in bed too depressed to get up. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-songs-about-maudlin-things/356211/13 "2006-05-10T13:40:41Z")
“Somebody Got Murdered” by the Clash. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-songs-about-maudlin-things/356211/14 "2006-05-10T13:40:51Z")
[Clear Spot](http://www.pernicebrothers.com/discography.php) by the Pernice Brothers. A cute, poppy song about heartbreak. > [@](#): > > I feel better now you’re gone > A minute in the sunlight > Can take away a whole life > Still, there’s something about you ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-songs-about-maudlin-things/356211/15 "2006-05-10T13:47:15Z")
What about [“Nothing but Flowers”](http://www.guntheranderson.com/v/data/flowers.htm) by the Talking Heads? ---
**Author:** ![vertizontal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ad7895/32.png) [@vertizontal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vertizontal)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-songs-about-maudlin-things/356211/16 "2006-05-10T14:26:00Z")
I nominate \*[Help!](http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Venue/8313/songs/Help.htm) \* by the Beatles. The music is so upbeat, bouncy, effervescent, and catchy, yet the lyrics talk about a guy who going through a period of depression, self-doubt, and insecurity. ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-songs-about-maudlin-things/356211/17 "2006-05-10T14:33:14Z")
Two off the top: _Hell_ by Squirrel Nut Zippers (the absolute happiest song I’ve ever heard about going to hell–including bones being ground into cakes to eat and suits of flame) _Think I’m Gonna Kill Myself_ by Elton John from _Honky Chateau_. I may have the title, but it is a bit of tap dancing while singing about killing oneself. Tom Leher is great _The Irish Ballad_, _My Home Town_, _The Old Dope Peddler_, and the aforementioned _We Will All Go Together When We Go_ are all great too. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-songs-about-maudlin-things/356211/18 "2006-05-10T14:34:55Z")
_Happy Boy_ by The Beat Farmers _Mr. Bad Example_ by Warren Zevon ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-songs-about-maudlin-things/356211/19 "2006-05-10T14:37:07Z")
What, I’m the first to mention The Smiths? The OP’s description practically defines them. Their song Girlfriend in a Coma is a good example. I like Sweet and Tender Hooligan: “Poor old man had an accident in a three bar fire But that’s okay because he wasn’t very happy anyway Poor woman Strangled in her very own bed as she read but that’s okay She was old and she would have died anyway” ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-songs-about-maudlin-things/356211/20 "2006-05-10T14:50:07Z")
_Soleil D’hiver_ by Niagara. It’s in french, but it’s a peppy, upbeat song about a girl committing suicide, complete with descriptions of how her hair floated in the water… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-songs-about-maudlin-things/356211.md?page=2)