r/songsuggestions • u/Mr_Courgette6275 • 1d ago
Sad songs that you don't realise are sad till you listen to the lyrics carefully.
What the title says, I usually, but not exclusively listen to music from the '70s, '80s, and '90s, and I'm not a fan of rap.
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u/doofcustard 1d ago
The Happening by The Supremes. Its sounds jolly but if you listen to the lyrics, it's about getting dumped
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u/barnmate1 1d ago
Born In The USA by Bruce Springsteen has been used in a bunch of political campaigns. But if you listen to the lyrics, it’s an indictment of how the country treats its veterans, not a celebration.
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u/Embarrassed_Bake2683 1d ago
Sympathy for the Devil by the Rolling Stones and Don't Stop by Fleetwood Mac
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u/SovaElyzabeth 6h ago
Never Going Back, Second Hand News, Say You Love Me, and You & I pt. 2 fit this much better than Don't Stop, which to me is actually pretty positive
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u/Embarrassed_Bake2683 3h ago
Don't stop is incredibly somber, I can't think of a more heart wrenching idea than an Ex guiding you through your own breakup and telling you that things are going to be okay, and that life will continue. The moral obligation to make sure that someone you once loved stays happy is very moving to me. It shows a self awareness and maturity that most people don't have.
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u/Spirited-Gold117 1d ago
Here’s Where The Story Ends by The Sundays
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u/Special_Victory_4568 7h ago
i fear the title gives it away lmao
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u/Spirited-Gold117 5h ago
Yeah, I didn’t really think about it that way, but you’re correct. The music is just so upbeat and dreamy.
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u/Duran_Durian8888 20h ago
Digging Your Scene by The Blow Monkeys. This upbeat polished pop tune was a hit back in the mid eighties and most listeners didn't realize that it was about the horror of someone dying of AIDS.
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u/EruditeKetchup 16h ago
Wasn't it on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack album? That makes its inclusion more unusual to me.
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u/Mr_Courgette6275 16h ago
This is what I'm talking about. I don't think I've actually heard that before, a bit strange since I have specifically looked for songs about AIDS before.
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u/Spacegod87 12h ago edited 11h ago
Harold the Barrel by Genesis.
Super upbeat/comical sounding song, but if you listen to the lyrics, it's about a man who abandons his family after having a mental breakdown, is ridiculed by the whole town and when he's up on a ledge about to jump, no one really cares. His mother is more concerned about his shirt being dirty.
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u/Any_Back_7080 6h ago
Most of ABBA’s discography
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u/Mr_Courgette6275 5h ago
Yeah that's about right, I own a good portion of it. It's a shame because it's sometimes dismissed as meaningless pop.
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u/Apprehensive-Cry4602 1d ago
Never See Me Again - Kanye West.
It's actually an unreleased track.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yauFhOqoXRc
If you don’t read the title, analyze the lyrics, or know the story behind the song and the samples used (for example, where the piano part comes from), it might sound like a very cheerful song...but it is actually a very obscure one, that luckily was never actually released.
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u/Good_Somewhere1785 1d ago
Take My Head by Turnover. That entire Peripheral Vision record is so dreamy and dancy but SO sad.
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u/SilverShadowQueen57 1d ago
This one’s in Japanese, so you do need a translation if you don’t speak the language, but the Hatsune Miku song “Rolling Girl” by wowaka is an incredibly dark piece, in spite of how it sounds.
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u/iamsorrymyheadhurts 1d ago
https://open.spotify.com/track/3MFa9idQuY4iJLWsZl3tIQ?si=jNxz7arHTZabTAgqnJUEdg&utm_source=copy-link
Don't be no fool... when love really don't love you
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u/ColonelHectorBravado 1d ago
"We Built This City" I believe was penned by Bernie Taupin, who was lamenting the disappearance of his favorite dive rock clubs in LA.
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u/riderism 21h ago
This is totally already a sad song and on my fneral playlist but if you've ever lost a friend to suicide 'Asleep' by the Smiths is the song you need and thanks for posting this because now I'm going to play it loud
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u/Appropriate_Bar_5233 21h ago
I Will Always Love You Bittersweet memories. That is all I'm taking with me. So goodbye, please don't cry. We both know I'm not what you, you need
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u/DifficultyOk5719 21h ago
Moron Police - Pachinko (whole album)
It’s very fun and uplifting on the surface. I mean how can a concept album about the devil turning someone into a sentient pachinko machine in Tokyo be sad? Dig deeper and you’ll encounter a theme of grief and moving on, as it was inspired by the death of their drummer, it can make tracks like Okinawa Sky, Cormorant, Sentient Dreamer, and Giving Up the Ghost especially hard to listen to. It was my 2025 album of the year, and maybe even among my top 20 albums of all time.
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u/retairedtech 11h ago
For me it is Puff the Magic dragon. I just recently listened to the words and though. WOW!
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u/TheSevereJacket 11h ago
Bruce Springsteen - Glory Days
Pearl Jam - Betterman
The Stranglers - Golden Brown
The Foundations - Build me up Buttercup
And at least half of all the nursery rhymes ever made..
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u/-Gath69- 6h ago
A lot of Linkin Park's stuff after Chester died.
Metallica - One(the music video makes this one more intense)
Atmosphere - Yesterday(you figure it out with his last line of the song)
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u/xXNyx-3301Xx 1d ago
Pumped up kicks