16 Catchy Songs That Are Actually Depressing When You Look At The Lyrics

This proves it -- we will listen to absolute horseshit as long as the song is catchy as hell.

1. mattFKNsloan -- oooh how the luftballoons have betrayed us. 

99 Luftballons (99 Red Balloons) Classic 80's pop. About a bunch of balloons that turn up on radar and cause a nuclear war. No shit.

2. teddyespo -- he straight up MOCKS us. But damn is this a great song.

Blues Traveler - "Hook" is essentially about how horribly misunderstood pop music is because people never actually listen to the lyrics, they're only concerned about a catchy hook:

It doesn't matter what I say

So long as I sing with inflection

That makes you feel I'll convey

Some inner truth or vast reflection

But I've said nothing so far

And I can keep it up for as long as it takes

And it don't matter who you are

If I'm doing my job then it's your resolve that breaks

Because the Hook brings you back

The song itself proves its own point. The "breakdown" is essentially a freestyle of nonsense that sounds cool but means absolutely nothing.

3. For some reason I read that as Liam Neeson.

Run for Your Life by The Beatles

The song is basically "If you cheat on me, I will find you, and I will kill you."

4. jrervin -- Neil Young you sarcastic sass. 

"Keep on Rockin' in the Free World" by Neil Young is super sarcastic. 

"We got a thousand points of light, For the homeless man, We got a kinder, gentler machine gun hand"

5. BunchOAtoms -- no song is safe from depressing lyrics.

Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen got a reputation for being one of the biggest "rah-rah, go America!" songs of all time. But it's actually about a guy who has trouble adjusting to civilian life after returning home from the Vietnam War.

6. Define "pretty cool"

Semi Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind is about meth, so that's pretty cool.

7. TheKloKloYo -- "Congrats, kids! No go out there and become slaves to money!"  

They played Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve at my ex boyfriend's high school graduation. Everyone sitting by me was like oh what a beautiful song and I couldn't believe it. 

Cause it's a bittersweet symphony

That's life

Trying to make ends meet

You're a slave to money

Then you die

Perfect graduation song!

8. DayOfTheDolphin -- very true. 

Every Irish folk song.

9. Naweezy -- Not enough riot songs out there. 

Electric Avenue. It's about a riot.

10. Stoned2deth -- the CLASSIC depressing yet catchy song. Maybe more creepy than depressing.

Every breath you take by the police

11. IndomitableSam -- Probably not the best choice.  

A couple had my dad sing "Cats in the Cradle" at their wedding.

He was so very confused and tried to talk them out of it, but they insisted because they thought it was a pretty song. It's about a father neglecting his kid. It's pretty heartbreaking, too. 

Link

12. Diredoe -- Well that's not fancy at all.  

Fancy, by Reba McIntyre

I remember as a kid belting out the chorus, and what little bit of the lyrics I actually thought about made me think that her mom bought her a nice dress to wear for prom as one last good memory. No, her mom sold her into prostitution because that would give her a better life than what they had. 

And it worked.

13. dudewerdman1 --  Hey noooo

Hey Ya by Outkast is pretty sad when you look at the lyrics.

Mostly sad in a sympathetic way towards Andre. He begins saying beautiful stuff, but he actually uses the song to deliver the message that he knows listeners don't care about the lyrics. Hence the "Y'all don't wanna hear me, y'all just wanna dance." 

14. polarbobbear -- Cheer up and listen to this catchy tune. 

The theme song for Community. The 88 - At Least it was Here It's a song about hanging yourself. But damn it's catchy.

15. Swedishstyle -- So many RHCP songs have sad undertones.

Otherside by Red Hot Chilli Peppers. It talks about addicts battling drug addiction and refers to a previous member of RHCP, Hillel Slovak, who died of a heroin overdose.

16. TheInnocents -- Well shit.

Fastball - The Way

It's such a good song to listen to in the summer and it reminds me so much of the 90's. When listening to the lyrics and knowing why the band wrote it, you realize the song is about an old married couple that decided to go on a roadtrip one day without telling anyone, and then got into an accident leaving them both dead.

from CollegeHumor: Pictures http://ift.tt/2h95eIY