What are the most upbeat songs with kind of depressing lyrics?
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The two I can think of are:
- It's Not Unusual
- Escape (The Piña Colada Song)
Jonathan Coulton has a bunch of these. "I Feel Fantastic" "Betty and Me" "Blue Sunny Day" "Shop Vac" "Chiron Beta Prime" "Future Soon" off the top of my head. "Skullcrusher Mountain" and "Re: Your Brains" to a lesser degree.
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In that vein, I guess, "The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel also deserves a mention, even if it's up for interpretation how depressing the lyrics by themselves are.
But the first line in the song is "Hello darkness, my old friend / I've come to talk with you again." and there is a cover version by the metal band Disturbed, which has no shame to really lean into that sort of vibe.
And yeah, after having heard the Disturbed version, listening to the original certainly feels like there is a massive disconnect between how sad the song perhaps should be and how upbeat the original is.
In what world is The Sound of Silence considered upbeat
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Neutron Dance by the Pointer Sisters
Really? I'll have to check out the lyrics now. Such an 80s staple that I think I just sang along and never really processed the words.
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The two I can think of are:
- It's Not Unusual
- Escape (The Piña Colada Song)
wrote last edited by [email protected]I always found The Scientist by Coldplay to be a pretty upbeat song about the death of a loved one. And Viva la Vida upbeat, and all about the fall from grace.
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Flagpole Sitta - Harvey Danger?
This was one I would absolutely belt out in the car when I was so over the DC life.
I'm not sick, but I'm not well
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Looks like we all forgot Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA.
Adding You Haven’t Done Nothin’ - Stevie Wonder’s bitch slap to Nixon, and CCR’s Fortunate Son.
I mentioned Bruce & CCR in another nested comment a little before you posted, but I don't think I'm familiar with this Stevie song. I'll go check it out.
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Bad Moon Rising by Creedence.
It's about the apocalypse, but you wouldn't know it from how upbeat it is.
If they didn't use this song in True Blood or just about any other campy Mississippi delta monster/ slasher film, then they done messed up.
I could only make it through the first season of True Blood, having read all the books that were available at the time. I actually learned about the book series and the show from a SDCC panel (we wanted good seats for the panel immediately after the True Blood one). Watching as Charlaine Harris's fans lost their everloving minds got me all curious.
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- Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles
- Some Nights by Fun (and the music video really reinforces it)
- I Wanna Get Better by Bleachers
- a bunch of different songs by P!nk
- Weird Al's presidential debate autotune songs ("Bad Hombres, Nasty Women" from 2016, "WE'RE ALL DOOMED" from 2020, and "Deja Vu (But Worse)" from 2024)
I have to disagree with Elanor Rigby. Yes it's a quick tempo, but the E minor key makes it very bleak even without the lyrics. And I may be wrong but it's also an overall pretty bleak song for Paul's typical compositions. So it's kind of always stood out to me.
I do love it very much though.
I would submit And Your Bird Can Sing as an upbeat melancholy song off Revolver.
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Really? I'll have to check out the lyrics now. Such an 80s staple that I think I just sang along and never really processed the words.
wrote last edited by [email protected]I don't want to take it anymore
I'll just stay here locked behind the door
Just no time to stop and get away
'Cause I work so hard to make it every dayWhoo-ooh
Whoo-oohThere's no money falling from the sky
'Cause a man took my heart and robbed me blind
Someone stole my brand new Chevrolet
And the rent is due, I got no place to stayWhoo-ooh
Whoo-oohAnd it's hard to say
Just how some things never change
And it's hard to find
Any strength to draw the line
Oh, I'm just burning doin' the neutron dance
I'm just burning doin' the neutron danceIndustry don't pay a price that's fair
All the common people breathing filthy air (Lord, have mercy)
Roof caved in on all the simple dreams
And to get ahead your heart starts pumping schemesEdit- but the vibe of the song is so upbeat you’d never know
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Flo by Smash Mouth
Fish Yu Mang is a great album, and I'll never miss an opportunity to give it love. Definitely the depressed thoughts of a dude who suffers from crippling alcoholism, but somehow manages to sound fun and upbeat the whole time.
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The two I can think of are:
- It's Not Unusual
- Escape (The Piña Colada Song)
It's a little more than kind of depressing but Bullet by Hollywood Undead comes to mind.
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Pumped up kicks fits this for me.
what do you mean? isn't that just about the modern american dream?
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The two I can think of are:
- It's Not Unusual
- Escape (The Piña Colada Song)
Vamos a la playa - super catchy totally 80s pop song that was everywhere in amusement parks ..... and it's about nuclear hellscape.
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Fish Yu Mang is a great album, and I'll never miss an opportunity to give it love. Definitely the depressed thoughts of a dude who suffers from crippling alcoholism, but somehow manages to sound fun and upbeat the whole time.
That's my take as well, I started giving it more attention only recently and there are many gems in it. Padrino is one of my all time favourites of the genre
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You are my sunshine (The Dead South do an excellent job illustrating how dark the song really is)
I'll Fly Away also fits that.
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The two I can think of are:
- It's Not Unusual
- Escape (The Piña Colada Song)
Living La Vida Loca and Macerena are both pretty dark.
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Hey Ya - Outkast
Ghettomusick - Outcast
It is a really sharp critique of the rap industry at the time.
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The two I can think of are:
- It's Not Unusual
- Escape (The Piña Colada Song)
My Worst Enemy - Lit
Man, who is probably an alcoholic, wakes up the next day from a bender to find his girlfriend has left him.
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Really? I'll have to check out the lyrics now. Such an 80s staple that I think I just sang along and never really processed the words.
The title of the song is a reference to nuclear war.
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The two I can think of are:
- It's Not Unusual
- Escape (The Piña Colada Song)
Boys of Summer is about toxic obsession.
