Huhhhh? The guy is desperately trying to get away from this woman and she won’t leave him alone. How is that a “stalker” song? Oh wait… she’s the stalker. :smack:
“Turn Around, Look At Me” by the Vogues
There is someone walking behind you –
Turn around, look at me.
There is someone watching your footsteps –
Turn around, look at me.
R.E.M.'s Losing My Religion and Strange Currencies.
Two “stalking a celebrity” songs
Barrel of a Gun by Guster.
She will be sweet on me, just like a mystery
It’s not so hard to see, if I’m not mistaken
She comes from far away, and gets closer everyday
And all that I can say is she’s all I want and all that I live for
Also Straw Hat and Dirty Ol’ Hank by the Barenaked Ladies
I’m the farmer.
I work in the fields all day.
Don’t mean to alarm her,
But I know it was meant to be this way.
You cried a tear, I wiped it dry
I put you up upon a pedestal so high
If you should waiver, if you should sway
I’d catch you, spread my tiny wings and fly away.
You signed your picture with an O and X
I bet you don’t write “love” each time you sign your cheques.
“Unworthy of Your Love” from Sondheim’s ASSASSINS.
“Suzanne” and “Bleeding All Over the Place” by Randy Newman.
Why don’t you love me like you used to do?
What did I do wrong?
Seems like you’re through with me, I wasn’t through with you
Our love’s still very strong…
From the stalkee’s point of view:
Alanis Morrisette’s “Uninvited.”
*Like any uncharted territory
I must seem greatly intriguing
You speak of my love like
You have experienced love like mine before
But this is not allowed
You’re uninvited
An unfortunate slight *
Well, I’d rather see you dead, little girl,
Than to see you with another man.
You better keep your head, little girl,
Or you won’t know where I am.
You better run for your life if you can, little girl;
Hide your head in the sand, little girl;
Catch you with another man,
That’s the end, little girl.
“Run For Your Life”, the Beatles
Dang! I jumped in here specifically to recommend “Barrel of a Gun” by Guster, but I see that Hello Again beat me to it. I think the interesting thing about that song is that it sounds sweetly innocent, until you listen to the lyrics:
And I’ve always thought “Crash Into Me” by the Dave Matthews Band was about a peeping tom (although it’s not as obvious as Guster’s song).
It’s perfect…
Shadow Boy - Scruffy the Cat
Specifically about stalking. Sample lyric:
*On the bus and on the train
There’s that shadow boy again
He tags along wherever you go
And now he’s standing outside your door
*
The song is actually sort of bouncy and upbeat, which would be nicely ironic for your purposes.
Also:
Losing My Religion - R.E.M.
About revealing a secret crush.
Also:
I Put a Spell on You
by:
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (original version)
Covered by:
Creedence Clearwater Revival (best cover version, IMO)
Marilyn Manson
Bryan Ferry
Bonnie Tyler
Spooky song. Sample lyrics:
I love you, I love you, oh anyhow
I don’t care if you don’t want me
I’m yours anyhow
I put a spell on you
Because you’re mine
This is probably more overt than you’re looking for, but “I think I’ve got a crush on Celine Dion” by The Arrogant Worms includes the line, “I can see your house from my van.”
How about “The Wedding List”?
As I’m coming for him
All I see is Rudy
I die with him again and again
And I’ll feel good in my revenge
I’m gonna fill your head with lead
Yeah I’m coming for you
the “extra” song off Green Day’s Dookie.
a sample:
"I went in your house
no one was there…
I went in your room
I was all by myself…
no one was looking
I was thinking of you"
Classic song, recorded by:
Bing Crosby
Frank Sinatra
Billie Holiday
Rod Stewart
many others
Wasn’t written as a stalker song, but it is really creepy if you re-imagine it as a stalker song. Sample lyrics:
*I’ll be seeing you
In all the old familiar places
That this heart of mine embraces
All day through:
In the small cafe, the park across the way,
The children’s carousel, the chestnut tree
The wishing well.
I’ll be seeing you
The song has a melancholy melody, which could set a nice creepy mood. I think this would be perfect for your play.
I just thought of a local (Manahattan, Kansas) band called Ruskabank that has a song called “I wish I would have kissed you”
Not conceived as a stalker song but the video idea I had (I shot their first video and was working on a second a few years back) was stalker-ish…
sample:
Just you and me, sitting all alone. No one to bother us, your friend was on the phone. Looking through Newsweek, not caring what I read. Only thoughts of kissing you were going through my head.
The story I envisioned (and the band liked too) was the singer sitting in a van outside her window, watching her talk on the phone and reading Newsweek… you get the idea.
<shameless plug>
Plus, everyone should buy the album because my video is included on the CD.
</shameless plug>
Richard Thompson’s “From Galway to Graceland”, although can you really be stalking someone who’s already dead?
"She was down at his graveside, day after day
Come closing time, they would pull her away
…
And they dragged her away, it was in handcuffs this time
She said “My good man, are you out of your mind?
Don’t you know that we’re married, see I’m wearing his ring
I’ve come from Galway to Graceland to be with the King.”
Steve Earle’s More Than I Can Do fits the bill:
and an incredibly creepy last couple of lines:
I think there are some old blues songs that might fit the bill. A lot talk about a man who is obsessing over a lost or unfaithful woman. Plus some are slightly violent and/or full of braggadocio. One problem I can see is the tone often isn’t truly stalkerish. One problem is that they are told from the point of view of the man usually.
I’m listening to a few blues CDs to find some.
Muddy Waters, I Can’t Be Satisfied. Not quite right, but there is a sort of unhealthy relationship touched on (“I feel like snappin’ a pistol in your face”) and the refrain of “I can’t be satisfied”.
Elmore James, The Sky is Crying. A melancholy song about a guy in the rain who is thinking about “his woman”. He saw her on the street this morning and his heart skipped a beat, but he’s got a bad feeling she doesn’t love him anymore.
Eddie Boyd, 24 Hours. Pretty obsessive, but also passive. It might work from the perspective of the the stalking guy if he starts out obsessing and only becomes truly scary.
Little Walter (and others I’m sure) Blues With a Feeling. “Blues with a feeling, that’s what I’ve got today/I’m going to find my baby if it takes all night and day”. Maybe it’s a bit sympathetic to the obsessive man.
Willie Dixon 29 Ways. Basically about how this guy has 29 ways to get to his baby’s door. Refers to his “lovin’ baby” and the tone isn’t ironic, but in context it could be creepy.
I’m not sure that any are quite perfect, but if you look around I bet you could find some more explicitly stalkerish blues songs.
“Pomegranate” by Transglobal Underground.
"You were the first woman I saw/
and I’ve been watching you/
and everything you do.
It’s on a nice anthology called Desert Roses & Arabian Rhythms. Guess what Sting/Cheb Mami collaberation is also on the album.
Also, kinda partial the the Natacha Atlas cover of “I Put a Spell on You”. Natacha’s voice gives the song a really haunting quality, plus you can belly dance to it.