Top 20 Happy Sounding Songs That Are Actually Depressing

Wedding music? Not exactly. For this list, we’re looking at songs that may sound like sunshine, lollipops and rainbows on the surface, but are actually quite dark, sad, or depressing upon closer inspection. Our countdown includes Of Monsters and Men, Green Day, Van Halen, Foster the People, Lily Allen, and more! Which of these songs hits you the hardest? Let us know in the comments!

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[WatchMojo]

Let us know what other kinds of music lists you'd like us to make!

[aidancampbell]

You completely missed “don’t worry be happy”, a song about depression and the most frustrating thing depressed people get told all the time.

[JesseFckinPinkman]

The literal backstory for Mr. Brightside is the frontman being unable to sleep one night because he's worried his girlfriend is off cheating. To calm his nerves, he goes out to a nearby bar in the middle of the night only to find his girlfriend there cheating on him.

[gabrielvasquez]

I remember blasting "Hey Ya" in Mexico with my (ex) girl and her family in the car, who all only spoke Spanish. They were all loving it and asking me to turn it up and play it again. But when they asked me to translate the lyrics, I didn't have the heart. Especially "nothing lasts forever, then what makes love the exception". I just kinda made shit up.

[BadgersInTheAttic]

I'm surprised "Piano Man" didn't make the cut. It sounds like a happy, beer-mug-swinging, get-together song, but it's about people never realizing their dreams.

[mr.lostrythm]

To this day it still surprises me that when the song Pumped Up Kicks first came out, most people didn't realize what the song was about...

[gaelatriano]

The fact that these musicians wrote songs of devastation and transformed it to relaxation is actually genius

[craigpinkava]

Fun Fact: Green Day's "Basketcase" was filmed inside a actual mental institution, Agnews Development Center (closed 2011) in Santa Clara, California back in 1994.

[djmegnin]

The fact that Hollywood Undead made it on this list is amazing. Bullet is one of my favorite songs because it’s so upbeat with such a dark, relatable, meaning

[yourgenerictoxicfanbase]

TBH I kinda expected Carless Whisper to be on this list, mainly because the tone and overall feel of the song sounds very romantic and sensual, especially the iconic saxophone solo (which is often used in many romantic and sexy movie scenes), but if you've payed attention to the lyrics, you already know just how sad and depressing the song truly is.

[Max]

The funny thing about "Pumped up Kicks" is that the radio edits really faded out the lyrics so it was hard to understand anything that was being sang, other than "all the other kids with the pumped up kicks".

[rayneozier]

Pumped up kicks immediately came to mind when I saw the title

[carolfromhr]

My favorite line from “American Pie” has got to be “the jester on the sidelines in a cast” referencing Bob Dylan’s near fatal motorcycle crash. Gives me goosebumps every time.

[CD-ybwt]

The Beatles' "Help, " Bruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart" or the Bee Gees "Staying Alive" would have been a great addition.

[aswallace]

They missed one. "I Don't Like Mondays" by The Boomtown Rats is very upbeat, but it's about a school shooting. The song was written after the girl who committed the shooting was asked why she did it, and she said, "I don't like mondays. This livens up the day". Chilling and creepy, but an excellent song.

[marissamay]

Honorable Mentions:
* "Big League" (1988), Tom Cochrane - The song tells about a father who's son died in a car accident.
* "Mamma Mia" (1975), ABBA - A pop-rock song about endless toxic relationship the protagonist is trapped in.
* "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" (1979), Rupert Holmes - This tropical sounding song is about a troubled marriage that cheats on eachother.
* "Paper Planes" (2007), M.I.A. - This infectious tune track is actually about capitalism and anti-immigration.
* "Born In The U.S.A." (1984), Bruce Springsteen - This rock classic is about the problems Vietnam veterans faced when they returned to America.

[johtojedi]

When I was a kid I would always ask my dad what songs were about. I didn't seem to mind responses like "It's about a guy who's jealous of some kids with cool shoes so he tries to shoot them" and "It's about a plane crash that killed a group of celebrities". I was just satisfied knowing what they were about.

[joshualinders]

“Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen is missing. It’s the quintessential oxymoron of happy upbeat music with dark lyrics.

[ECLE]

"Daughter" by Pearl Jam. Sounds like a jaunty campfire song; but is about a girl with dyslexia whose abusive parents think it's all in her head.

[loblit]

Its hard to think Jump is depressing when Eddie smiles like that