Darker Songs By Pop Rock Bands/Artist?

[Soot and Stars]

What are some surprisingly darker songs tone wise, lyrically or theme wise by acts otherwise known for a pop sound?

Here are my two best examples and amongst my favorite songs by both groups:

Third Eye Blind-SlowMotion

Miss Jones taught me English
But I think I just shot her son
'Cause he owed me money
With a bullet in the chest you cannot run
Now he's bleeding in a vacant lot
The one in the summer where we used to smoke pot
I guess I didn't mean it
But man, you should've seen it
His flesh explode

Slow motion, see me let go
We tend to die young
Slow motion, see me let go
What a brother knows
Slow motion, see me let go

Now the cops will get me
But girl, if you would let me
I'll take your pants off
I got a little bit of blow we could both get off
Later, bathing in the afterglow
Two lines of coke got cut with Drano
And her nose starts to bleed
A most beautiful ruby red

Slow motion, see me let go
We'll remember these days
Slow motion, see me let go
Urban life decays
Slow motion, see me let go

And at home
My sister's eating paint chips again
Maybe that's why she's insane
I shut the door to her moaning
And I shoot smack in my veins
Wouldn't you?
See my neighbor's beating his wife
Because he hates his life
There's an arc to his fist as he swings
Oh man, what a beautiful thing
And death slides close to me
Won't grow old to be
A junkie wino creep

Hollywood glamorized my wrath
I'm a young urban psychopath
I incite murder for your entertainment
'Cause I needed the money
What's your excuse?
The joke's on you

Slow motion, see me let go
Oh yeah
Slow motion, see me let go
Slow motion, see me let go

Blue October-The End

Here alone, standing barefoot in our lawn,
Worms squeezing their way through my toes
Tonight that's how it goes.
I'm at your window kneeling quiet,
I thought at least I'd maybe try to get your head right
your heart right
"Let him go!"

Then through the glass I see your dress fall to the floor
As he embraces every inch of you
The woman I adore.
I can't believe the way you're bending
Can't believe this neverending moaning asking him for more
begging him for more

How far will I go
To make it feel right? "Come home"
I have to fix this on my own

Replace my heart,
Cause I'm convinced mine broke the day I let us end
Replace my heart,
I don't wanna live by coping, I'm done with hoping.....end

I creeped in close enough to see the way he touched her,
From her feet across her knees, inside her sweetest spot
He pleased and pleased her.
I turned around and tried to take control, but no control was capable
It was a centerfold of how less than low can possibly go.

I squeezed the life into my brain
Like pushing knives into a vein
I've gotta get, I said I've gotta get inside
So to the back window I crawl in silent standing in the darkness
Of my living room, my living room
This used to be my home

How far will I go
To make it feel right? "Come home"
I'm moving forward to the bedroom door

Replace my heart
Cause I'm convinced mine broke the day I let us end
Replace my heart
I don't wanna live by coping, I'm done with hoping...end

I turn the doorknob with two fingers to be slow
Enough to sneak into the room among the corner darkness gloom
I had to see this happening.
He pushed himself so deep inside her clapping rang and bounced off every wooden walled room
And that's when all went silent blank except the color red
As I walked calmly numbing paralyzed beside the bed
I said "I know I'm not allowed to be here. I just had to see
How good your new man really ****s you. Cause you both been ****ing me."

"So now I planned the last thing you can both do as a pair
I tie both blindfolds tight around your ****ing eyes to blind your stare
I don't want to alarm you, but I figured we could end this in what seems easy quick and painless
Man, so I'll get down to business
I choose you first, there's a gun, its at your head
So laugh at me one more time but keep your face inside the bed
You sit and watch me while I do this shit and learn from what I've said."
I cocked the pistol pulled the trigger, and all I saw was red

Then the screaming oh the screaming
It's nice to see you scared
Of such a weak and stupid husband
Who knows you never really cared
I'll leave you with a question that I need to hear from your head
Was all this worth it knowing u have just seconds left to live?

Now think about your answer, laying face down on the bed
I cocked the pistol pulled the trigger and all I saw was red
I gently stroke her arm as she lies lifeless on her back
Then placed the barrel in my mouth
All I saw was black.

 

[METALPRIEST]

This could be fun!! Nice thread!!

Okay how about some darker Cheap Trick??

High Priest of Rhythmic Noise



High priest of rhytmic noise
Living inside of me
I been goin' round in circles
And I've considered first degree
Just a singer in a mind choir
Lives on harmony
If the song don't change the choir won't sing
Won't sing the same song forever

It's such a pity
What's a poor boy to do
It's such a pity
What's a poor boy to do

You look strange, that's what i like
You look strange like me
Fit to be tied, a little bedtime story
Next position please
Just a singer in a mind choir
Lives on harmony
If the song don't change the choir won't sing
Won't sing the same song forever

It's such a pity
What's a poor boy to do
It's such a pity
What's a poor boy to do
It's such a pity
What's a poor boy to do
When the high priest of rhythmic noise
Is inside of you

Don't give up, get out, get down
(forever is a long long time)
Don't stand up, shut up, sit down
(you're strange, that's what i like)
Don't make a move till you hear that sound
(i'm just a singer in a mind choir)
Don't give up, get out, get down
(high priest of rhytmic noise)

It's such a pity
What's a poor boy to do
It's such a pity
What's a poor boy to do
It's such a pity
What's a poor boy to do
When the high priest of rhythmic noise
Is inside of you

Forever is a long long time
If you can...
I'm a ...little tiny plastic pills
From my little plastic pills

It's such a pity
What's a poor boy to do
It's such a pity
What's a poor boy to do
It's such a pity
What's a poor boy to do
When the high priest of rhythmic noise
Is inside of you

Don't give up, get out, get down
(forever is a long long time)
Don't stand up, shut up, sit down
(you're strange, that's what i like)
Don't make a move till you hear that sound
(i'm just a singer in a mind choir)
Don't give up, get out, get down
(high priest of rhytmic noise)
Don't give up, get out, get down
(forever is a long long time)
Don't stand up, shut up, sit down
(you're strange, that's what i like)
Don't make a move till you hear that sound
(i'm just a singer in a mind choir)
Don't give up, get out, get down
(high priest of rhytmic noise)



Heaven Tonight



Down the line-don't go over
There's a limit-you went over
So much time-time runs out
Time ran out- make it down

Would you like to go to heaven tonight?
Would you like to go to heaven tonight?
Oh oh oh oh

Downed the line-couldn't get much
Couldn't get much- higher if you tried
And tried and tried- you're as guilty
It's the crime- oh, oo, it's a crime

You can never come down, you can never come down
You can never come down, you can never come down

Down inside-you're getting nervous
You've never been this high before- oh no

 

[AboutAGirl]

Well The Stones are of course a rock band, but they have a strong allegiance with pop and most of their stuff is upbeat. So I'd offer up this grim little tune...

 

[Soot and Stars]

Great additions guys! All those songs are gems I've never heard by either artist although I own music by both!

 

[Syd]

I'm going for an all-time classic:

 

[Mr. Shadow]

Words and music by Van Morrison

Now listen Julie baby,
It ain't natural for you to cry in the midnight,
It ain't natural for you to cry
Way in the midnight come,
Until the wee small hours
Long 'fore the break of dawn, oh Lord.
Um hmm
Ahhh

Now Julie there ain't nothin' on my mind
More further away than what you're lookin' for,
I see the way they jump at me
Lord, from behind the door, and look into my eyes,
Your little star stuck innuendows,
Inadequacies, foreign bodies.

And the sunlight shining through the crack in the window pane
Numbs my brain
And the sunlight shining through the crack in the window pane
Numbs my brain, oh Lord.

So open up the window and let me breathe,
I said, open up the window and let me breathe
I'm looking down to the street below
Lord, I cried for you, I cried, Oh, Lord.

The cool room, Lord, it a fool's room,
The cool room, Lord, it a fool's room,
And I can almost smell your T.B. sheets
And I can almost smell your T.B. sheets, on your sick bed.

I gotta go, I gotta,
And you said, please stay.
I want, I want a drink of water,
I want a drink of water,
Go into the kitchen and get me a drink of water,

I gotta go baby.
I send, I send, I send somebody around later,
You know we got John comin' around here
Later with a bottle of wine for you, babe.
But I gotta go

The cool room, Lord, it a fool's room
The cool room Lord, it a fool's room, a fools room
And I can almost smell your T.B. sheets
I can almost smell your T.B. sheets T.B.
I gotta go. Gotta go

Send 'round, send one around later on,
Will see what I can pick up for ya, you know
I got a few things gotta do,
Don't worry about it,
Don't worry about it, don't worry, ah ha gotta go go go go
I gotta go,
Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go, gotta go,
And all right, all right,

I turned on the radio, if you wanna hear a few tunes,
I'll turn the radio on for you, there you go there you go

You'll be allright too
Ha ha Yeah
I know it ain't funny, it funny at all baby
To land in the cool room man
To land in the cool room, in the cool room

A Paste review by Steve Labate commented on the theme of the song: "'T.B. Sheets' is one of the most real songs about death you’ll ever hear. As life saps steadily from the singer’s beloved, tuberculosis-ridden Julie, there is no trite drama, no nostalgic sugar coating or grand deathbed epiphany, but rather an 'Is That All There Is?' fatalism—a mild, detached, slowly-suffocating bleakness. 'The sunlight shining through the crack in the window pane numbs my brain,' Morrison moans over a skittering Hammond organ."[7]

 

[rollingstoned]

Sure, i can shit anywhere and i promise to kill
I will shit on the stage and i'll
Crawl with the sound and i'm falling down
If i...
I choose to shit anywhere and i promise to shit on your head, if you want
I've forgotten to bother to
???
God, i'm shit
I'll shit anywhere
And now i choose you
Shit on your face
And i'm...right
And god, oh god
Oh why/wife my ???
Want my ???
I'm new wave
Aaahh
I'm new wave
I'm old school
I'm new wave
I'm afraid
I'm a wave
I'm new wave and i'll shit anywhere that i please


LOL @ lyrics

 

[Shaz]

I can't think of any at the moment but I enjoyed reading the above lyrics

 

[rollingstoned]

I can't think of any at the moment but I enjoyed reading the above lyrics

Haha what did you think of "Nobody Knows I'm New Wave"?

 

[Shaz]

^^^^ Not as poetic as the others but .................