22 Music Videos That Made People Realize How Dark A Song Was

    Bonus points if it's in black and white.

    Hannah Marder
    by Hannah Marder

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Recently we asked members of the BuzzFeed Community which music video was SUPER dark or made them realize how dark a song was. Here are some of the best responses!

    Warning: Many of these responses contain mentions of suicide, drug use, domestic violence, and other violence.

    1. "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt

    a man sitting cross-legged on ice with his shoes and belongings in a line in front of him
    Atlantic Records, Custard Records / Via youtube.com

    "I honestly had no idea this was a dark song and was so confused watching the music video. When he jumped into the water after laying out all his personal belongings, I was so shocked to find out this song was about suicide. He really took the lyric 'But it's time to face the truth, I will never be with you' seriously..."

    —christinel459791388

    2. "Take Me to Church" by Hozier

    two men kissing, then one of them being dragged away by masked figures and a house being set on fire
    Rubyworks Records, Island Records, Columbia Records / Via youtube.com

    "The song itself is pretty somber and dramatic, but it's nothing compared with the music video. Also, while the song makes you think about a toxic lover, the music video takes the lyrics and gives them a deeper message regarding LGBTQ lives and their difficulties."

    —orenlevko

    What the video is about: Two men hide their love but are found out by a group of anti-gay people, who beat one up while the other watches, and trash and burn down houses of gay men.

    3. "Everytime" by Britney Spears

    Britney being carried away in a stretcher while paparazzi watches
    Jive Records / Via youtube.com

    "It's basically about an abusive relationship that ends in the abuser regretting his actions that led to her death."

    —christianf4f13844d1

    4. "Runaway Train" by Soul Asylum

    a picture of a girl with a dog then the words "Martha Wes Dunn, missing since 1990"
    Columbia Records / Via youtube.com

    "You can tell it’s a pretty dark song by listening, but then when you see the video, you see the faces of actual missing people, their names, and how long they’ve been missing. Then it has dramatizations of kids being abused: One girl gets taken by a group of men into a van, and a baby gets stolen during a walk with the mom. Those images with the lyrics? Chills every time..."

    —tracy110302

    5. "The Greatest" by Sia

    Maddie Ziegler with rainbow tears makeup and then all the dancers collapsed on the floor in a warehouse
    Monkey Puzzle, RCA / Via youtube.com

    "I didn't realize until I saw the video that she wrote it as a tribute to the Pulse club massacre."

    —bridgeylav

    6. "Happier" by Marshmello feat. Bastille

    a little girl with a puppy and then a teenager hugging her dad next to her sick dog
    Astralwerks / Via youtube.com

    "The beats and music make it seem so upbeat. But that music video absolutely DESTROYED ME."

    —fillionfan4002

    "Not exactly dark, but the music video is soooooo sad. I cried when I watched it, and now I can’t even listen to the song anymore."

    —haleyw4ae66dcb9

    What the video is about: A young girl, crying at her birthday, gets a puppy that lights up her life. The dog grows up with her and helps her feel better when she doesn't fit in, but then he gets sick and dies. At the end, the girl's own daughter is gifted with a puppy just like the one she had.

    7. "Breezeblocks" by Alt-J

    a man finds a woman with tape over her mouth and then fights over a cinderblock with another woman
    Infectious Music / Via youtube.com

    "It’s a really cool video in reverse where you see a fighting invasion scene. It’s weird until you watch it in nonreverse, and then it’s just terrifying."

    —KatyaEPS

    8. "The A Team" by Ed Sheeran

    a woman looks over her friend, who's overdosed
    Lava Records, Atlantic Records / Via youtube.com

    "The video made me realize that the song is extremely dark. It’s about a cocaine addict and sex worker, which I didn’t understand until after I saw the music video."

    —Rachel

    9. "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely" by the Backstreet Boys

    doctors rush into a hospital room and Kevin singing with a photo of his father in the background
    Jive Records / Via youtube.com

    "The original song is already pretty sad and somber, but the music video heightens it by including allusions to tragic events in the group's lives, many of which inspired the song itself (Brian's open heart surgery, Denniz Pop's death, Kevin losing his father, Howie losing his sister, and one of their fans being run over by a bus on her way to one of the group's concerts). It's dark in an extremely sad, meaningful, and poetic way."

    —Bia Barreto

    10. "Fuckin’ Perfect" by Pink

    teenager snorting cocaine in school bathroom
    LaFace Records, Jive Records / Via youtube.com

    "The lyrics definitely tell you it’s about not listening to the demons in your head and remembering that you are loved, but the music video with the attempted suicide just darkened it way more. The ending DEFINITELY makes up for it, though. It’s a beautiful song and video."

    —haileyannes

    11. "Zombie" by the Cranberries

    soldiers walk on a street and then a kid with a gun is on the ground
    Island Records / Via youtube.com

    "I had no idea what that song was actually about until I saw the video."

    —cruelsummer89

    What the video is about: The video uses actual footage from the Troubles, a conflict in Northern Ireland between unionists and nationalists. This was fitting, since "Zombies" was written as a protest song in memory of two boys killed during a bombing that took place during the conflict: Johnathan Ball and Tim Parry. The video was actually banned by the BBC and the RTÉ, Ireland's national broadcaster, because of its violent imagery.

    12. "We Found Love" by Rihanna

    someone pours pills in their hand and then Rihanna and a man fight in a car
    Def Jam Recordings, SRP / Via youtube.com

    "The song is upbeat and came out at a time when the clubs were full of upbeat/trance-style EDM instead of techno. The music video is the only video that has ever made me feel sad, happy, and horny all at the same time. It goes into her relationship with Chris Brown and her relationship with drugs and being a star. It's dark but loved."

    —biancamickle

    13. "Cherry Wine" by Hozier

    Saoirse Ronan covering up a black eye
    Rubyworks Records, Island Records, Columbia Records / Via youtube.com

    "It sounds like a beautiful love song, but then the video depicts domestic violence."

    —GeekGirl1990

    14. "The Scientist" by Coldplay

    a man sits in a car with a broken windshield while someone has been ejected out
    Capitol Records, Parlophone / Via youtube.com

    "Gutted."

    —cheezesamwich

    What the video is about: A couple swerves to avoid a truck, and they get into an accident where the woman dies.

    15. "Everybody’s Fool" by Evanescence

    Wind-up Records / Via youtube.com

    "The way Amy Lee played multiple characters and versions of herself is iconic. When she punches the mirror, it feels so raw and real."

    —emileem3

    What the video is about: Amy participates in multiple commercials and photo shoots where she feels fake, then goes home and struggles with this feeling.

    16. "Like You’ll Never See Me Again" by Alicia Keys

    girlfriend over her boyfriend's body in the hospital
    J Records / Via youtube.com

    "You think it’s just a love song until you realize that they had a dispute and her boyfriend takes off mad and dies in an accident."

    —jazlyns2

    17. "What Hurts the Most" by Rascal Flatts (originally sung by Mark Wills)

    A girl screams at her dad, saying "You did this! You made him leave! I hate it! Say it! Say you hate him"
    Lyric Street / Via youtube.com

    "The song is already sad as hell, but man, that video just kills you."

    —arya909

    What the video is about: A teenager's boyfriend leaves her house and gets into a car accident and dies.

    18. “All I Want to Do Is Make Love to You” by Heart

    woman touching a man's chest outside a motel room, and then the same person with a toddler in her arms
    Capitol Records / Via youtube.com

    "I guess I never really paid attention to the lyrics until I saw the video."

    —ureallyannoyme

    What the video is about: A woman's husband is infertile, so she goes to pick up a hitchhiker and have sex with him to get pregnant.

    19. "Never Again" by Kelly Clarkson

    Kelly singing behind a man as he looks in an airport mirror
    RCA Records / Via youtube.com

    "The song is an angry jab at her cheating ex. The video shows him drowning her and her returning as a ghost and haunting him."

    —onech44

    20. "Waterfalls" by TLC

    a ghost woman runs screaming to her son, who has been shot and is on the ground
    LaFace Records, Arista Records / Via youtube.com

    "I first saw it when I was about 12 and didn't quite grasp what it was about; it was just a great song. It wasn't until a few years ago that I rewatched it and cried. What a heartbreaking song."

    —amyo4331d6c40

    What the video's about: Various scenes of death and tragedy play out, such as a young boy getting killed on the street while dealing drugs and a couple dying of AIDS.

    21. “Stephen” by Kesha

    Kesha leans next to a man who is tied up and duct taped
    RCA Records / Via youtube.com

    "The song itself isn’t necessarily that dark, but the music video gets dark real quick. It turns the song from being about an unrequited crush to stalking and kidnapping."

    —blazeg2

    22. And finally, “Legends” by Kelsea Ballerini

    A car is turned over on the street with accident flares around it
    Black River Entertainment / Via youtube.com

    "The song is beautiful...until you see the video: the father dying in a car accident on his son’s birthday. Heartbreaking."

    —Alwayshope123

    Can you think of any more? Let me know in the comments!

    Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.