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    People Are Sharing Beautiful Songs That Have Disturbing Meanings, And I Can't Listen To Some Of These The Same Way Again

    The theme song for Community is so dark.

    Kelly Martinez
    by Kelly Martinez

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Have you ever listened to a catchy, upbeat tune only to realize the lyrics are actually pretty dark?

    FOX

    If so, you're in good company! This week, Reddit user u/MagicDalsi asked, "What song has a beautiful sound but a disturbing meaning?"

    Cartoon Network

    As always, the responses did not disappoint! Here are some of the most eye-opening ones:

    Note: Some of the following contain mentions of suicide, addiction, and domestic violence.

    1. "Electric Avenue" by Eddy Grant

    "Who is to blame in one country? Never can get to the one, Dealin' in multiplication, And they still can't feed everyone"
    David Munn / Getty Images

    "[It's] so upbeat and [has] such a happy-sounding tune. Then you find out the song is about poverty and the Brixton riots."

    —u/niell2

    2. "The Way" by Fastball

    "They won't make it home, But they really don't care, They wanted the highway, They're happier there today"
    Jim Steinfeldt / Getty Images

    "The backstory to the song was inspired by an elderly couple who just took off one day to see the world and experience life. From what I remember, they ran off the road weeks later and died."

    —u/Disorderly_Chaos

    3. "At Least It Was Here" by the 88

    "We could be roped up tied up dead in a year, can't count the reasons I should stay, one by one they all just fade away"
    NBC

    "The theme song for Community is about hanging yourself. But damn, it's catchy."

    —u/Kopcalysm

    4. "Run for Your Life" by the Beatles

    "Hide your hand in the sand little girl, catch you with another man, that's the end little girl"
    Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

    "The song is basically, 'If you cheat on me, I will find you, and I will kill you.'"

    —u/Oichbro550

    5. "Born in the U.S.A." by Bruce Springsteen

    "Out by the gas fires of the refinery, I'm 10 years burning down the road, Nowhere to run ain't got nowhere to go"
    LGI Stock / Getty Images

    "[It's] about a man who got into some trouble as a kid, got shipped off to Vietnam, saw his good friends die there, and was an outcast [from] society coming back home. Yet for some reason, it’s played all over the place as a patriotic anthem. Ronald Reagan even briefly used it as his campaign song before Springsteen told him to stop."

    —u/ddaaron47

    6. "Macarena" by Los del Río

    "Macarena has a boyfriend, Who is named with the last name Vitorino, And while he was being sworn in as a conscript, She’s giving it to two friends"
    Getty Images

    Suggested by: u/rekay-boii

    As translated from Spanish above, the original song is about a girl named Macarena who cheats on her boyfriend with two friends while he's in the military.

    7. "Wave of Mutilation" by Pixies

    "Cease to resist giving my goodbye, Drive my car into the ocean, You'll think I'm dead but I sail away"
    Venla Shalin / Getty Images

    "[It] was inspired by a guy who drove his family off a cliff."

    —u/jez4prez

    8. "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman

    "See my old man's got a problem, He lives with the bottle that's the way it is, He says his body's too old for working, His body's too young to look like his"
    Tim Mosenfelder / Getty Images

    "[It's] not necessarily disturbing, but [it's] very sad."

    —u/Mortimoxx

    9. "Semi-Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind

    "And I wish I could get back there someplace back there, Smiling in the pictures you would take, Doing crystal meth will lift you up until you break"
    Stephen Albanese / Getty Images

    "The line about crystal meth stood out and keyed me in that the rest of the song wasn’t exactly positive." 

    —u/RavennaMagnus

    10. "Alone Again (Naturally)" by Gilbert O'Sullivan

    "Reality came around, And without so much as a mere touch, Cut me into little pieces"
    Keystone / Getty Images

    "The music itself is peaceful and calm, but the lyrics are depressing. No double meanings, just pure upfront grief: A man ready to kill himself reflects on every low point of his life and how there is no escape from being alone."

    —u/Al_Fatman

    11. "You Are My Sunshine" by Jimmie Davis

    "You told me once dear you really loved me, And no one else could come between, But now you've left me and love another, You have shattered all my dreams"
    Getty Images

    "[It] seems like an upbeat, happy song, but it's actually pretty depressing when you hear more of the lyrics."

    —u/-eDgAR-

    12. "Every Breath You Take" by the Police

    "Every move you make, Every vow you break, Every smile you fake, Every claim you stake, I'll be watching you"
    Fin Costello / Getty Images

    "Wonderful composition, but the lyrics make it a stalker's anthem."

    —u/usernameaa2

    13. "The Kids Aren't Alright" by the Offspring

    "Jay committed suicide, whah-oh, Brandon OD'ed and died, Whoa-oh, what the hell is going on?"
    Mick Hutson / Redferns / Getty Images

    "It has such a great classic punk sound, but damn, the lyrics are just frightening."

    —u/Duh_Bruhshido

    14. And finally, "Barbie Girl" by Aqua

    "Make me walk make me talk do whatever you please, I can act like a star I can beg on my knees, Come jump in bimbo friend let us do it again"
    Getty Images

    Suggested by: u/bullhorn143

    Got a surprisingly dark song that didn't make this list? Tell us in the comments!

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