15 Pop Songs That Have Deeper, More Depressing Meanings Than You Ever Knew
Don't let their catchy choruses fool you... these songs are actually layered with darkness.
While the rhythm and sing-songy chorus are super catchy, the lyrics tell the story of someone on a crystal meth binge. Some of the lyrics include: "With a tick-tock rhythm and a bump for the drop, And then I bumped up, I took the hit I was given, Then I bumped again, And then I bumped again."
The perky indie pop song actually has very dark side. It appears to be about a kid who is preparing to shoot his classmates at school.  "All the other kids with the pumped up kicks. You'd better run, better run, outrun my gun … You'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet."
The British singer-songwriter is known for his melodic ballads, but the "A-Team" is surprisingly dark. Sheeran explained that the song was inspired by a gig he played when he was 18 at a homeless shelter where he witness women struggling with Class A drug addiction.Â
Some of the lyrics include: "Light's gone, day's end, Struggling to pay rent, Long nights, strange men And they say She's in the Class A Team."
"Chandelier" was the summer hit of 2014 and Sia's raw vocals and gut-wrenching chorus made the song irresistibly catchy. The song was inspired by Sia's battle with alcoholism, and the whole song is about a party girl who reaches an epiphany after being caught in a vicious circle. "I'm holding on for dear life, won't look down, won't open my eyes, keep my glass full until morning light, 'Cause I'm just holding on for tonight."
The song is chock full of references to heroin and cocaine use as well as choking on vomit. "We'll choke on our vomit and that will be the end, We were fated to pretend, To pretend, We're fated to pretend."
Although "Some Nights" sounds like an ode to having a good time, there are underlying themes of the shallowness and isolation that comes with fame. ""So this is it, I sold my soul for this? Washed my hands of that for this? I miss my mom and dad for this?"Â
Sure, the song is called "Misery" but it's a typical pop-rock song from Maroon 5, and Adam Levine's falsetto vocals rarely sound melancholic in the slightest. The song is about a torturous relationship where Levine repeatedly sings, "I'm in misery, There ain't nobody who can comfort me."
This girl power anthem seems totally empowering and exhilarating with its catchy rock-n-roll chorus. P!nk actually wrote the song after her split from now-husband Carey Hart. She's basically having a mental breakdown throughout the song. "What if this song's on the radio, Then somebody's gonna die, I'm gonna get in trouble, My ex will start a fight," the lyrics state.
The EDM-influenced song is about Goulding's fear of the dark, which forced her to sleep with the lights on. She sings about being strong and overcoming her fear, but some of the lyrics are very, very dark indeed. "And I'm not sleeping now,The dark is too hard to beat, And I'm not keeping up, The strength I need to push me."
"Hey Ya!" is hands down one of the best songs of the early 2000s, and you still can't resist belting out that "shake it like a Polaroid picture" line. The upbeat song is actually about a relationship falling to pieces with a pretty bleak outlook on love. "If what they say is 'Nothing is forever'/ Then what makes, then what makes, then what make / Then what makes, what makes, what makes love the exception."
If you don't listen carefully you'll miss that M.I.A. is singing about capitalism and anti-immigration laws. The singer explained that when she wrote the song she was frustrated by the U.S. government. Some of the lyrics include: "I fly like paper, get high like planes / If you catch me at the border, I got visas in my name / If you come around here, I make 'em all day / I get one done in a second if you wait."
Milky Chance's breakthrough song is folky and fun, but vocalist-guitarist Clemens Rehbein admitted, "It's  basically about missing a person and yearning for some love. (It’s) about heartaches but also about hope and looking forward to seeing better times.†Some fans have also interpreted a darker side of the song, believing it to be about succumbing to a
The lyrics to this folk-pop suggest someone is mourning the loss of a loved one. "I don't like walking around this old and empty house, So hold my hand I'll walk with you my dear, The stairs creak as you sleep it's keeping me away," the lyrics state.Â
"MMMBop" is straight-up bubblegum pop, but they're actually singing about bad friendships... not bubblegum at all. "You have so many relationships in this life / Only one or two will last / You go through all this pain and strife / Then you turn your back and they're gone so fast."
This early 2000 hit is one of Björk's best, and it's also incredibly heart-wrenching. There's been many interpretations on what this song is about, but ultimately it's about falling in love with someone who is toxic, and finding beauty in darkness. The lyrics state: "On the surface simplicity, But the darkest pit in me, It's pagan poetry."