Some don't have any of these instruments
Some songs can really put a smile on our faces. We're talking about feel-good, upbeat tunes that just sound happy. But sometimes, catchy major-key melodies hide something more sinister. It turns out, some of these songs are not as happy as they sound. In fact, some are pretty depressive and have truly dark meanings.
Curious? Click through the gallery and see how many songs you recognize.
This Barry Manilow classic may put a smile on your face, but the lyrics are as dark as it gets. Manilow sings about a showgirl called Lola who was in love with a bartender called Tony. When a customer called Rico harasses Lola, Tony comes to her defense and gets shot dead. Thirty years later, Lola still comes to the club. “She sits there so refined and drinks herself half-blind / She lost her youth and she lost her Tony / Now she's lost her mind,” sings Manilow.
The high-energy 1984 Van Halen tune is interpreted by some as being about perseverance, freedom, and just “going for it." But when asked about the meaning of the song, David Lee Roth revealed that it was inspired by a news story he watched on TV about a man who was trying to jump off a building.
‘99 Luftballons,’ as it’s originally called, is a happy uptempo tune with a darker meaning. The German singer explores how potentially dangerous the Cold War was. She paints a scenario where balloons released in West Germany cross to East Germany where they're mistaken for UFOs. This then leads to the outbreak of war.
The song begins with the opening line “Today is the greatest. Day I've ever known.” Despite the happy vibe, this song was written by Billy Corgan when he was thinking about taking his own life.
This is such a groovy tune, right? Well, as pop as it might sound, the next time you dance to it, know that it’s a song about drug use.
‘Delilah’ may have a nice catchy chorus we can’t resist singing along to, but it’s essentially a murder ballad. Tom Jones sings about a man who stabs his girlfriend to death after he finds out she cheated on him.
No one can deny how catchy ‘Macarena’ is. And then there’s the dance too! What some people don’t realize is that the song is about a girl who cheats on her boyfriend with two friends while he's away.
You’re probably more familiar with ‘Dancing in the Moonlight,’ covered by Toploader (pictured). The song has a super catchy chorus and indeed is a celebration of life…After a traumatic event. "On a trip to St. Croix in 1969, I was the first victim of a vicious St. Croix gang who eventually murdered 8 American tourists," wrote Boffalongo's Sherman Kelly. He wrote the song while recovering from the injuries inflicted during the attack.
Though it might have the same name, this song by Irish rockers Thin Lizzy is totally different. It has a poppy feel to it and even features a sax line in the chorus. Despite the feel-good vibe, it’s a song about drug addiction.
‘Buddy Holly’ is a catchy pop-rock tune released in 1994. The song is about front man Rivers Cuomo’s friends making fun of his Asian girlfriend. Racism, essentially.
This major-key rock tune by Counting Crows is about becoming a rock star and being loved. Or about loneliness and feeling unloved, if you really dig deep enough.
If you found yourself singing “Mmmbop, ba duba dop” in 1997, you were not alone. The pop catchy tune actually has a more serious meaning. “‘MMMbop’ represents a frame of time or the futility of life. Things are going to be gone, whether it’s your age and your youth, or maybe the money you have, or whatever it is, and all that’s going to be left are the people you’ve nurtured and have really built to be your backbone and your support system,” said Zac Hanson.
Smash Mouth’s 1997 single sounds really cool, but there is some darkness underneath that coolness. ‘Walkin' on the Sun’ is about the 1992 LA riots. "The song was basically a social and racial battle cry,” said the band’s guitarist Greg Camp.
The 1995 tune is one of the group’s most successful hits. Despite its feel-good vibe. ‘Waterfalls’ is actually a song about drugs, HIV/AIDS, and promiscuity.
This 2010 song is as poppy as it gets, but Adam Levine sings about “the desperation of wanting someone really badly in your life but having it be very difficult,” he explained.
‘9 to 5’ reminds us that we’re in a rat race and making money for someone else who doesn’t appreciate us. Luckily, Dolly Parton wraps this all up in a nice upbeat country tune.
As happy as it sounds, ‘You Are My Sunshine’ is a pretty depressive song. Autry sings about a lover who leaves him and how his heart is broken.
Outkast’s 2003 hit song is really catchy, but the happy vibes have a darker underlying meaning. André 3000 is basically singing about his relationship problems. Lyrics include "Are we so in denial when we know we're not happy here"
One of the band’s greatest hits, ‘Mr. Brightside’ has an epic upbeat chorus that makes you want to sing and dance. The lyrics, however, are about being cheated on, so hardly a thing to celebrate.
This song from the band’s 1969 album ‘Abbey Road’ may sound happy, but it’s anything but. Unless of course, you consider murder to be a happy theme.
Not many bands can sing about death and destruction in such a happy manner. Creedence Clearwater Revival did this perfectly with ‘Bad Moon Rising.’
Often mistaken for a patriotic song, this tune by The Boss is anything but happy. The song is about the struggles of a Vietnam War veteran.
This happy reggae tune is one of UB40’s greatest hits. It’s also a song about numbing heartache with alcohol. It’s safe to say that drinking to forget is not a positive message.
This 1971 song has an incredibly catchy major-key chorus. ‘American Pie,' however, is not a happy song at all. It talks about ”the day the music died,” a reference to the plane crash that killed Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly, and "The Big Bopper" J. P. Richardson.
Written during the Cold War, this 1985 classic by the English band Tears for Fears is actually about how humans are power-hungry and want to control and rule the world.
The song makes reference to the Roman city of Pompeii, which was destroyed by a volcano in 79 CE. Which can be interpreted as a metaphor for things going wrong in life.
The 2012 South Korean viral phenomenon had everyone singing and dancing. It turns out, the song is more of a social satire about rich kids and those who pose as affluent people in the wealthy Gangnam district of Seoul, highlighting class issues within South Korean culture.
This ska-punk anthem may sound very happy, but it tackles pretty dark themes, including prostitution and poverty.
This 1982 upbeat tune by Guyanese-British music artist Eddy Grant makes reference to Electric Avenue in Brixton, the first market street to be lit by electricity in London in 1888. But the song is not actually about this. It makes reference to the 1981 Brixton riots.
Sting is actually singing about a possessive lover in this song. Despite the smooth melody, ‘Every Breath You Take’ is the ultimate stalker song.
Sources: (Ranker) (Business Insider) (Watch Mojo) (American Songwriter)
Happy songs that are actually really depressing
These upbeat songs have surprisingly dark meanings
MUSIC Themes
Some songs can really put a smile on our faces. We're talking about feel-good, upbeat tunes that just sound happy. But sometimes, catchy major-key melodies hide something more sinister. It turns out, some of these songs are not as happy as they sound. In fact, some are pretty depressive and have truly dark meanings.
Curious? Click through the gallery and see how many songs you recognize.