# Cheerful-sounding songs with surprisingly dark lyrics **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [April 11, 2018, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217 "2018-04-11T15:33:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/41 "2018-04-11T19:21:43Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Pop Music tends to not be Music Down. There are love ballads, and Torch songs (I Will Always Love You as interpreted by Whitney, … Whitney sings it slow, but not down. It’s very “uplifting”, major key, dramatic upwards key change near the end, triumphant high note at the climax, blah blah blah. Certainly not a candidate for a “downer”. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/42 "2018-04-11T19:46:51Z")
I went and listened to songs listed on some website, a “these ones are the gloomiest and darkest you’ll ever hear” type of list. In almost all of them, the bands (and/or the writers) seem to give in to an irresistible urge to move it along and lighten it up. I seriously wonder if pop music’s denial that real sadness - without a “silver lining”, without any “up side” to it - is a thing, is part of why there are so many people getting and staying depressed. Of course it would be ridiculous to claim pop music by itself was ruining people’s lives, just maybe it’s a clue to a bigger picture where true grief and true sadness are just about universally treated as unacceptable. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/43 "2018-04-11T19:52:41Z")
Sublime’s “[Wrong Way](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLifSFBs_Lk)” is not a happy song, but it’s an upbeat song. I guess the same could be said for “[Date Rape](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeMeDihwyrg)” but the title kinda gives it away. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/44 "2018-04-11T19:54:29Z")
“Seasons in the Sun”, most famously covered by Terry Jacks. It’s about a man who is dying. In each verse, he says goodbye to a friend or a relative. Don Mclean refuses to explain the meaning of “American Pie”, but it is generally believed to be about the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper. Some people think “And as the king was looking down, the jester stole his thorny crown” is a reference to Elvis Presley. Some people think “I met a girl who sang the blues” is a reference to Janice Joplin. Some people think “when the flames climbed high into the night” is a reference to the Rolling Stones concert at Altamont. “Tainted Love” originally recorded by Gloria Jones, covered by Soft Cell, has a tune far more cheerful than the lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/45 "2018-04-11T19:57:25Z")
“Hey Ya!” by Outkast. Really peppy song but it’s about being stuck in a loveless relationship. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/46 "2018-04-11T20:04:17Z")
“She Works hard for the Money” - Donna Summer “Gina” - The Bar-Kays ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/47 "2018-04-11T20:15:51Z")
“[Beach Party Vietnam](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgnayxg8IaU)” by the Dead Milkmen ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/48 "2018-04-11T20:16:49Z")
**"Hooray, They’re Hanging Father"** A joyous song about various members of the world’s most dysfunctional family getting their due. Performed by The Joy Buzzards, don’t know who the original artist was. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/49 "2018-04-11T20:28:13Z")
About “Seasons in the Sun” - the original was much better. The English lyrics by Rod McKuen are sentimental mush with few redeeming qualities. [A fairly literal translation of Jacques Brel’s original lyrics](https://genius.com/Jacques-brel-le-moribond-english-translation-lyrics) Even though the literal translation isn’t pretty, it’s still a better song, with something real to say. ---
**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:** [April 11, 2018, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/50 "2018-04-11T20:45:59Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > “Seasons in the Sun”, most famously covered by Terry Jacks. It’s about a man who is dying. In each verse, he says goodbye to a friend or a relative. > > . I like Dave Barry’s description of the song – “It’s about a guy who’s dying, but not fast enough.” Honestly, though – do you think the Terry Jacks version sounds _cheerful_? To me it sounds as if they recorded it, pressed it into vinyl, then drilled a new alignment hole for it an inch off the center and played it on a kid’s record player. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/51 "2018-04-11T20:54:48Z")
[quote=“Serenata67, post:40, topic:812217”] _Cecilia_ by Simon and Garfunkel. This woman is freaking cheating on you… and you’re happy she’s back? I was led to believe that he was referring to Saint Cecilia, and thus the muse - and so this is actually a song about songwriting. Am I wrong? j ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/52 "2018-04-11T20:56:50Z")
…and I’ll go for Subterranean Homesick Blues. Jolly little number. j ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/53 "2018-04-11T21:10:09Z")
> [@Serenata67](#): > > _Cecilia_ by Simon and Garfunkel. This woman is freaking cheating on you… and you’re happy she’s back? > [@Treppenwitz](#): > > I was led to believe that he was referring to Saint Cecilia, and thus the muse - and so this is actually a song about songwriting. Am I wrong? > > j If so, I stand corrected on _Cecilia_. But I maintain that _You Can Call Me Al_ and _Escape_ both fit the post criteria. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/54 "2018-04-11T21:43:47Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I like Dave Barry’s description of the song – “It’s about a guy who’s dying, but not fast enough.” > Honestly, though – do you think the Terry Jacks version sounds _cheerful_? > > To me it sounds as if they recorded it, pressed it into vinyl, then drilled a new alignment hole for it an inch off the center and played it on a kid’s record player. It’s hard to pin down exactly what to call the tone of that version, isn’t it? 🙂 The dying man singing basically “Goodbye all you lying cheating bastards”, in a sweet sounding song with sweet sounding words - as the original was - at least has something going for it. Whether it’s your kind of song or not is a different question, but you can’t say it has no personality. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/55 "2018-04-11T21:46:46Z")
[quote=“Treppenwitz, post:51, topic:812217”] > [@Serenata67](#): > > _Cecilia_ by Simon and Garfunkel. This woman is freaking cheating on you… and you’re happy she’s back? > > I was led to believe that he was referring to Saint Cecilia, and thus the muse - and so this is actually a song about songwriting. Am I wrong? > > j I think the fact it’s so easy to mistake, would have to show either bad songwriting or intentional ambiguity. I’d vote for the second possibility. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/56 "2018-04-11T21:53:09Z")
Written almost 100 years ago: [Ready for the River](https://youtu.be/NDz3SeUsRlo) ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/57 "2018-04-11T21:58:33Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > Yup. I start to think “Sad Songs That Actually Are Sad” would be the harder more interesting thread, and that the answer to _this_ thread is “well, most of them actually.” The blues. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/58 "2018-04-11T21:58:53Z")
57 posts and nobody has mentioned “Brick” by the Ben Folds Five? If you aren’t familiar with the song, it’s about a guy taking his girlfriend to have an abortion the day after Christmas. I’d place “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” on this list as well. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/59 "2018-04-11T22:02:45Z")
What? Nobody’s linked to the relevant TV Tropes page yet ([Lyrical Dissonance](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LyricalDissonance))? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/60 "2018-04-11T22:05:55Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > 57 posts and nobody has mentioned “Brick” by the Ben Folds Five? If you aren’t familiar with the song, it’s about a guy taking his girlfriend to have an abortion the day after Christmas. But who would say that song sounds cheerful? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217.md?page=4)