Pop music is meant to make us feel good; the Top 40 industry thrives on the happy vibes that propel audiences to listen to a song over and over. The feel-good formula for radio-friendly hits definitely requires upbeat music - but lyrics are another story.
Happy-sounding songs with secret dark meanings have been tearing up the charts for years. Have you ever realized just how dark/creepy/sad/weird these dark pop songs actually are?
When he wrote "Pumped Up Kicks," Foster The People's Mark Foster wanted to get into the mindset of "an isolated, psychotic kid" who'd been bullied to the point of eliminating people at his high school.
Foster intentionally set the dark lyrics to more upbeat music saying, "It's a 'f*ck you' song to the hipsters in a way - but it's a song the hipsters are going to want to dance to." Touché, Mark.
"Some Nights" by Fun. was the band's first single to reach the Top 10 thanks to the song's infectious melody and impressive vocals. Its rise to the top of the charts is a little ironic, given that the lyrics are actually about the band's struggle with selling out.
According to one music blogger, "Some Nights" is about "struggling with the idea of either continuing down the band’s previous path of relative obscurity, or taking a risk and trying something new, which will hopefully allow the band to find a new, larger audience."
From the first piano riff to the last belting note, Sara Bareilles's "Love Song" feels like an anthem of self-empowerment written to an overbearing boyfriend - which isn't exactly the case.
"Love Song" was actually written as a big "f*ck you" to Bareilles's record label, who had been hounding her to write more love songs for her upcoming album. Luckily, the label loved Bareilles's rebellious take on the subject and "Love Song" became a huge hit.
PSY's viral hit "Gangnam Style" is all in Korean, so English-speaking listeners just hear a fun, upbeat song and sing along. The translation isn't quite as positive as the melody implies though.
PSY is essentially bashing the upper echelon of South Korea who live in Gangnam, saying they are rich, vain, and trying way too hard.
