Top 20 Happy Sounding Songs That Are Actually Depressing

[Music] welcome to watch mojo and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 happy sounding songs that are actually depressing [Music] for this list we're looking at songs that may sound like sunshine lollipops and rainbows on the surface but are actually quite dark sad or depressing upon closer inspection which of these songs hits you the hardest let us know in the comments number 20 ldn lilly allen [Music] took away my license it doesn't get me down and i feel okay our first entry is a ska influenced song featuring a rhythm derived from a colombian caribbean dance style so it's not unreasonable to think it'll be light summery and only about the good times right [Music] wrong on this track alan takes us through the more impoverished areas of london talking about how things might seem lovely but in reality they're very much the opposite [Music] the video for the song shows an idealistic version of the city but contrasts it with a much grayer more depressing depiction [Music] number 19 little talks of monsters and men little talks from icelandic rock band of monsters and men certainly sounds like a good time cheerful and somewhat celebratory sounding horns blare throughout most of the song complete with confident chance of hay and a fun back and forth between male and female vocals basically it's a nice little indie darling with a budget while the back and forth may sound cute it's meant to represent a dead husband and his depressed and lonely widow who may or may not be losing her mind they desperately want to be together and very well maybe one day but for now they're apart and painfully aware of it it's not so fun now is it number 18 basket case green day do you have the time to listen to me wine never has a song about anxiety and paranoid delusion been so much fun basket case is a punk rock classic filled with heavy guitar riffs and an instantly recognizable and catchy hook [Music] it makes for a really fun punk song but when you dig a little deeper it's clear that vocalist billy joe armstrong is crying for help [Music] the entire song revolves around his anxiety and paranoia and the belief that he's losing control of his own sanity [Music] armstrong said that writing this song was the only way he knew how to process his emotions as he genuinely believed that he was losing his mind number 17 mr jones counting crows it's pretty much impossible for counting crows to sound anything less than happy [Music] this song is a nice little rock tune complete with light guitar riffs and adam duretz's soft and soaring vocals it's a really easy song to sing along to despite the somewhat morose subject matter durets was inspired to write the song after looking at some beautiful women and realizing that he was too shy to approach them [Music] he went on to write a song about a depressed and lonely man who does not believe in himself and who wants nothing more than to be acknowledged and loved so you know fun stuff number 16 some nights fun at times this song sounds an awful lot like simon and garfunkel's cecilia [Music] which is a happy but depressing song in its own right this is more power pop than afrobeat however and some knight's layered harmonies and front man nate roose's soaring freddie mercury ask vocals would make you think it's happier than it actually is in truth it's a song about a young man being far away from his home and his family and having an existential crisis as a result my heart's breaking for my sister and the calm that she call off and then i look into my nephew's eye number 15 guns for hands 21 pilots 21 pilots are no strangers to the happy sounding but actually depressing song for example the end of car radio makes for a fun dance but it's actually about tyler's crippling anxiety however there's perhaps no bigger contrast in their discography than guns for hands fans love it for its rocking synth line tyler's fun use of rap and the snappy [Music] vocals but the song's origin has a much darker backstory according to tyler joseph it was written after the lead singer was approached by fans so afflicted with severe depression that they considered taking their own lives [Music] joseph then penned the song to let his fans know they have control over their circumstances number 14 electric avenue eddie grant this song's upbeat feel made it one of the most popular songs of 1983 in the united states [Music] it fuses early 80s new wave with reggae influences in a way that makes you want to dance and feel good however the lyrics reference the brixton riots in london that took place a year before the track came out in its native uk and the title refers to a market street in the brixton area the lyrics also lament poverty more generally expressing frustration about food shortages and a low income existence number 13 today the smashing pumpkins today certainly sounds like a happy song doesn't it after all the speaker is describing the happiest day of his life [Music] it's only when you realize that billy corrigan wrote the lines in a sarcastic tone that the song takes on a more sinister meaning corgin wrote this song at a difficult point in his life he was depressed hesitant of his fame and living in a parking garage [Music] in case the lyrics can't wait for tomorrow i might not have that long and i wanted more than life could ever grant me don't quite spell it out for you the song is very much about corgan's preoccupation with ending his own life rather than savoring it [Music] number 12 rock the casbah the clash [Music] this slice of dancy new wave is one of the most radio friendly tracks the clash ever made [Music] inspired by the ban on western music in iran after the 1979 islamic revolution it's a myth-like tale of a king banning music and that ban being flouted by the people [Music] under the buoyant rhythm its lyrics are overtly political calling out the hypocrisy of middle eastern leaders enjoying the benefits of oil revenue and western luxuries while trying to keep the population poor and ignorant number 11 bad moon rising creedence clearwater revival there's something inherently fun about the end times isn't there this classic song is full of catchy vocals and a clap-worthy beat yet it's about an incoming metaphorical storm many critics and music listeners have put forth various theories regarding the song's meaning with some taking it in a literal apocalyptic sense [Music] others arguing that it's about anxiety or depression and others reading it within the tumultuous political climate of its time [Music] however you want to read it it's certainly not a happy song despite its foot tapping sense of fun number 10 you can call me al paul simon the lead single from simon's seminal album graceland this song talks about going through a midlife crisis all while sung over a joyous afrobeat inspired instrumental says why am i short of attention got a short little span of attention despite the happy backing track the singer's songwriters lyrics describe a man who seems to even question his existence at times inspired by an incident at a party when french composer pierre boulez accidentally referred to simon as al [Music] the track still made the top 30 in the united states and was a much bigger hit in the rest of the world [Music] number nine heya outcast this is the one that everybody knows so it really shouldn't come as a surprise to you [Applause] that said it's one of the topic's greatest examples for a reason the line y'all don't want to hear me you just want to dance perfectly describes hayah [Applause] [Music] it's about a couple who feels they should be in a relationship just because it's the traditional thing to do and because they're afraid of being alone and it features some heavy themes including generational divides and questions of emotional immaturity but hey the music is poppy and bouncy and andre's vocals are fast and energetic so get up and dance [Applause] number eight mr brightside the killers how can this not be a happy song coming out of my cage and i've been doing just fine [Music] it features a charming and angelic sounding guitar sharp synths and beautiful vocals from brandon flowers it's even called mr brightside for crying out loud well if you consider crippling suspicion and paranoia to be fun then yeah it's fun [Music] the song plays with ambiguity as it's not clear whether the speaker's girlfriend actually cheated on him or if she even kiss another man however the protagonist's thoughts spiral into infidelity despite a lack of evidence [Applause] at the end of the song his paranoia has cost him both his happiness and his relationship fun stuff number seven detroit rock city kiss compared to what the song is actually about the chorus can be incredibly misleading on first listen despite the anthemic nature of the track it tells the tale of a real life kiss fan that dies while driving to one of the band's concerts [Music] frontman paul stanley describes how the fan drinks and smokes before getting in his car and drives at lightning speed on his way to the show where he hits a truck and dies released as a single the song became a fan favorite and inspired the movie of the same name [Music] number six american pie don mclean american pie is widely considered to be one of the greatest songs ever and debate has raged regarding the content of its lyrics for decades while the song directly references various events including the plane crash that killed many notable musicians [Music] some people believe that those incidents only serve as metaphors for deeper more introspective meanings [Music] some believe that it's about expressing grief others believe that it's about the loss of innocence and mclean himself has stated that it's about the destruction of morality and idealism [Music] no matter the interpretation it's very clear that there are a lot of heavy and depressing themes wrapped in the light folks sound number five jump van halen the synth riff that defines this entire track is so fist pumpingly happy yet the chorus hides a dark secret [Music] according to frontman david lee roth the song's lyrics were first inspired by a news story he saw on tv that showed a man readying to jump off a building [Music] when ralph penned the song however the lyrics were apparently about jumping on an opportunity rather than off a building [Music] the pepe synth line was probably what helped this tune become the band's only number one single to be released during their career [Music] number four bullet hollywood undead there's few other songs in the history of music in which lyrics and music contrast so greatly i'm gone again it's gone on too long tell you how it ends i'm sitting on the edge with my two best friends to those not listening to the lyrics bullet sounds like a borderline children's song it's happy and infectious features a child in the outro and is filled with the sounds of bells i gotta take this opportunity before i miss it cause now i hear the sirens however the song actually chronicles the thoughts of a depressed man who is sitting on a building about to jump to his death [Music] it's also revealed that he's an alcoholic who has previously made an attempt on his own life through drug abuse and self-harm looked in the mirror [Music] while flying might sound fun to a child it takes on a completely different meaning for an adult struggling with their mental health number three semi-charmed life third eye blind [Music] in a textbook case of dark lyrics over a happy instrumental track this song opens with one of the most joyous sounding guitar riffs you will ever hear [Music] what front man stephen jenkins sings over it though is a detailed account of drug use and the physical intimacy that ensues afterwards [Music] as dark and weird as the lyrical content may be [Music] it sure didn't phase listeners who helped semi-charmed life reach number four on the billboard hot 100 in 1997 [Music] number two 99 lift balloons nena next on our list we have one of the most successful non-english songs in us history and with its typical 80s keyboard riff and upbeat tempo it's not hard to see why however the lyrics tell a frightening tale of balloons being mistaken for missiles or ufos eventually resulting in all-out nuclear war we did not see that one coming since its initial release in german it's been re-recorded covered and parodied many times firmly lodging it forever in our collective memory want more mojo sound mojo brings you music from new and emerging artists in all genres from across the globe from interviews to live shows and deep dives into music culture sound mojo has you covered be sure to check out sound mojo to find your new favorite artists [Music] number one pumped up kicks foster the people it's got a catchy bass line and it's falsetto chorus would make anyone think it's a pretty cheerful tune [Music] which is not surprising given that front man mark foster worked as a commercial jingle writer before finding success with his band but pumped up kicks lyrics are actually quite sinister describing the thoughts of a disturbed young man who has fantasies about murder [Music] the dark disturbing lyrical content sure didn't faze listeners and the track spent eight consecutive weeks at number three on the billboard hot 100 in 2011. do you agree with our picks check out this other recent clip from watchmojo and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos

Channel: WatchMojo.com

Views: 1,004,299

Rating: 4.923377 out of 5

Keywords: Music, Pop, counting crows, dark songs, depressing music, depressing songs, don mclean, eddy grant, foster the people, green day, happy sounding songs that are depressing, kiss, list, misleading songs, mojo, nena, outkast, sad music, sad songs, saddest songs, tear jerking music, the killers, third eye blind, top 10, twenty one pilots, van halen, watch mojo, watchmojo, song, Songs that sound happy but are sad, Songs that sound happy but are dark, Songs about pretending to be happy

Id: 1o0ibO6MFH8

Length: 21min 58sec (1318 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 29 2021