this post was submitted on 03 Sep 2025
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The two I can think of are:

  • It's Not Unusual
  • Escape (The Piña Colada Song)
(page 3) 50 comments
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[–] Contramuffin@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

Surprised that people haven't mentioned Yoru ni Kakeru (Racing into the Night) by Yoasobi. It's a Japanese song about depression and commiting suicide.

Specifically, it follows a guy who falls in love with a depressed and suicidal girl. Over time, the guy himself becomes depressed and tired of life and they both decide to commit suicide together.

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[–] grue@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (2 children)
  • 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)
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[–] thermal_shock@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

Bullet by Hollywood undead.

Singing about killing himself in a super upbeat song, even has kids at the end going "I wish that I could fly, way up in the sky", the part where he was singing about jumping off a skyscraper.

[–] Xaphanos@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago

Mark Knopfler has quite a few. Postcards from Paraguay. Quality Shoe. Romeo and Juliet. Boom Like That. It's a thing with him - contrasting the music with the theme.

[–] AliasVortex@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

A solid majority of Bastille's discography comes to mind, though not as outright depressing as Pumped Up Kicks or Youth of a Nation, most of their tracks tend to be very instrumentally upbeat and lively, with gorgeous vocals, but thematically darker lyrics / topics. Happier comes to mind as immediately fitting the prompt (and having enough radio play to be recognizable), but The Draw, Haunt, and Skulls also fit well (I'd also included their cover of City High's What Would You Do, also long as being a cover isn't a immediate disqualifier).

I feel like they're kind of slept on since they don't get a whole lot of radio play outside of a handful of songs, but all their other work is just so good. Personal top favorite artist, hands down.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

It'd be hard for a song with a title like "Pompeii" to be anything but dark, LOL

[–] JTskulk@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago
[–] Auth@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago

Polish Dancing Cow song is upbeat and catchy but the lyrics are about a man struggling with his cocaine addiction.

[–] Ileftreddit@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Neutron Dance by the Pointer Sisters

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[–] EponymousBosh@awful.systems 1 points 5 days ago

Like half of Fall Out Boy's discography. "Hum Hallelujah" gets a special mention for literally being about a suicide attempt. Also "Dance In the Dark" by Lady Gaga, "Stomach Vs Heart" and "Humor of the Situation" by Barenaked Ladies ("Angry People" as well), "Slip Slidin Away" by Paul Simon, "When I Come Around" by Green Day...suffice it to say, I enjoy this trope a lot :P

[–] gabbath@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago
[–] webpack@ani.social 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

for some reason there's a bunch of upbeat sounding Japanese songs that are actually disturbing if you look into the lyrics (for example racing into the night)

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[–] Octavio@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

Last Kiss by Wayne Cochran. You kids probably remember the Pearl Jam version, which was a bit more subdued. But the 1964 hit by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers is very upbeat and cheerful sounding. It’s about a boy who gets his girlfriend killed in a car accident while on a date and holding her as she dies. He’s consumed with guilt and can only think about dying so he can see her again in heaven.

[–] absGeekNZ@lemmy.nz 2 points 5 days ago
[–] theherk@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago
[–] jaupsinluggies@feddit.uk 2 points 5 days ago
[–] vortexal@sopuli.xyz 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

I know that there are probably a lot that I'm forgetting but here are the ones I remember:

No more crying by Sound Holic (lyrics)

Border of my life by Sound Holic (lyrics)

THE END by A-One

IT IS SO by A-One

U.N. Owen Was Her? by A-One

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[–] moondoggie@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

Lots of mentions of The Boss, but not those other cheery Jerseyites. Bon Jovi with “Livin’ on a Prayer.”

[–] WHARRGARBL@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

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.

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[–] LambdaRX@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 days ago

Komm Süsser Tod from The End Of Evangelion.

[–] Huffkin@feddit.uk 3 points 6 days ago

I didn't see wake up boo by the boo radleys in here.

It's about suicide

[–] geogaddi@lemmy.ca 4 points 6 days ago
[–] FreshParsnip@lemmy.ca 4 points 6 days ago

I'm Only Me When I'm With You by Taylor Swift. Granted, I have no experience with healthy relationships, but the relationship in that song sounds extremely unhealthy and codependent

[–] actionjbone@sh.itjust.works 4 points 6 days ago

Paul Thorn - Bull Mountain Bridge

Jonathan Coulton - Shop-Vac®

[–] Aurenkin@sh.itjust.works 4 points 6 days ago
[–] bitjunkie@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

Club America by The Cure

[–] TimewornTraveler@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

The Motown hit Keep Me Hanging On by the Supremes is the classic example of this.

It was even recognized for its pathos and turned into a sadder slow version by psychedelic band Vanilla Fudge

[–] Wolf@lemmy.today 1 points 5 days ago (2 children)

This is probably a controversial opinion, but Ive always felt a little bad for the guy this song is about.

I think it's unfair for her to say he doesn't care a thing about her. He obviously does. If he didn't he wouldn't want her to still be a part of his life.

This song is just about two people who want different things out of their relationship, and the singer is just unable to accept it.

She has the ability to cut him out of her life if that's what she really wants, same as he does. She should cut herself free if it's too painful for her to be his friend.

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