Everyone knows that some of the most fucked up and disturbing lyrics come from bands that are equally brutal...Autopsy, Necrovorous, "Hallucinations"-era Atrocity, old Carcass, etc. Even in the realm of non-metal extreme stuff like Throbbing Gristle or Swans or whatever, that is far from "normal" music. So what about songs that have regular instrumentation, clear vocals, or even poppy or catchy hooks that have dark, disturbing lyrics? Some will say Third Eye Blind's "Semi-Charmed Life" was kind of fucked up lyrically (though I'll freely admit I'd rather be addicted to meth than ever hear that song again), and I've heard rumors about Beck's "Girl" being about murder (probably bullshit, but relevant nonetheless). Acid Bath also have a number of winners with their softer material (note: not necessarily "happy" )..."The Scream of the Butterfly" is an acoustic song about abortion, and "The Bones of Baby Dolls" is a dark folk song supposedly about molesting and murdering a child (though the lyrics are so dark and cryptic that it's impossible to know for sure), etc. etc.

I'll start the thread out with one example that, despite not being a particularly famous song, always fucked with me when I was a little kid. That's "Tyler" by the Toadies. Most people might remember them for "Possum Kingdom", the song about murdering a girl or turning her into a vampire or something...naturally that is pretty "fucked up" too, but there was always something tongue-in-cheek and vaguely humorous about it. "Tyler" is quite a different beast entirely. I bought the CD when I was probably 11 or 12 years old, and didn't know what to think when one of the songs was about a man who stalks and eventually rapes a girl, and I guess what's so fucked up about it is how it begins with a stereotypical, cheesy "love song" sort of vibe...until the final stanza shows him breaking into her house, creeping up to her bedroom door and then singing "I will be with her tonight...". In the comments I found that this song was written about a series of rapes that actually took place near where the singer lived.



Granted, I'm sure this is nothing compared to what a lot of people could conjure up.

Dax Riggs is the go-to for this sort of thing. This song's pretty indicative of his style:



Also, Sparklehorse is the king of making really anthemic songs about depression. Don't be fooled by the title.



The Caesars has some songs like this. This one isn't so much dark as it is about depressing teenager bullshit and girls. But it sounds very happy.



You may also be interested in Woost. Strangely obscure for being so good. They're from Europe.



Man I wish there was a genre of this stuff. I also hate to speak the unspeakable but Radiohead was good at this. Don't bother with anything after the first two albums though.

I am going to wait until this gets moved to rec. central before I take a gigantic dump in it. <3

Nothing to add right now except that the Toadies rule hard. I used to listen to them so much and a band I was in during high school covered "Tyler," "Possum Kingdom" and "Away."

Anyway I think this thread is fine in the Tavern as it's really more of a sharing thread than a "give me more like X" thread, and it's explicitly about non-metal.

I think Lana Del Rey fits here. Her songs might not be cheerful but the lyrics are deinately more disturbing than the music hints at. I actually find her lyrics more disturbing than most metal since it has a real feel to it and not that cartoon/gore/shock thing many metal bands go after.

This phenomenon is actually pretty old. There's this folk song called "What'll We Do With the Baby-O" that describes doing horrible things to a baby, including poking its eyes out if it cries and feeding it alcohol. (Source: http://www.metrolyrics.com/whatll-we-do ... hersh.html)

https://lemondemon.bandcamp.com/

This guy is a master of writing incredibly poppy tunes and blending just the right amount of bizarre/surreal/violence into them....or the random curse word. He's awesome and people should listen.

Antichrisis - "Goodbye to Jane"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWDkX0IpGkA

another German one, the title means 'Bled to Death', apparently, so I assume the lyrics aren't as peppy as the melody
Belborn - Verblutet
http://youtu.be/lKVkf3p0lSM?t=7s

Deadsy's "Itsy Bitsy Titsy Girl"

Maybe
R.E.M. - It's The End Of The World

Forgot to add this guy.

"Lord Must Fix My Soul" by The Dad Horse Experience is a good one. Fucked up lyrics about drugs and murder, but still catchy and upbeat!

It's a soft ballad about contemplating suicide! :'D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhBJlW4Kd_A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foT91E_3kMc



Rape and murder is such an easy-listening friendly topic.

I cannot think of a better fit for this topic than Purity Ring.

Get a little closer, let fold
Cut open my sternum, and pull
My little ribs around you

I've just found this on youtube. Definitely my favourite folk song now!
http://youtu.be/XFKSsTySSjA

The Clash are really good at this. Here is basically a soft rock pop song about murder:


Charlie Don't Surf is in my opinion the perfect pop song, and it has some pretty deep political implications (the name, of course, is taken from Apocalypse Now):

Of Montreal... really, really poppy happy music with really melancholy lyrics.

And also sporting really, really awful music.

Haha, agreed.

There's a youtuber who makes "radio Disney" versions of metal songs so they sound upbeat, but he keeps the original lyrics.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KRg8KjYROkM
Parody of "Eaten" by Bloodbath

Pumped up Kicks is also upbeat and catchy but it's about a school shooting.

Black Cab by Jens Lekman kinda does this for me. It's so calm and sweet sounding but it is CREEPY.

Oh yeah! That post reminded me of something DeadDaisy!



I seem to be pretty good at this. Anyone want to start a pop band with me?

Great posts, guys! I especially liked the Therapy? and Jens Lekman ones.

Here's another I forgot about, "DOA" by Bloodrock. Not exactly "happy" but certainly uncharacteristic of 70's rock n' roll, lyrically. It's about the aftermath of a planecrash and the narrator's experiences during his last few moments alive. The song has a very bleak and unsettling vibe, especially the verse.