Pop song.
Happy?
Don't expect creepy or to be disturbed.
Sometimes songwriters slip them in though - hopefully I don't spoil your favourite songs
now.
My name is Danny Burke …
Moving on to number 10 now we have Pumped up Kicks by Foster The People[a].
This is a very well know one - its upbeat - its catch - it was a huge pop song when
it came out and it took a lot of people a few years to realise that its actually about
a school shooting.
Its about a troubled and delusional young person with homicidal thoughts - theres not
just one particular lyric that suggests this, its pretty much all of them.
The opening lyric says -Roberts got a quick hand- as in drawing a gun.
In the chorus, Mark foster sings a warning potential victims to outurn is gun and that
they -better run, better run, faster than my bullet- … if you werent aware of this
before, go and give it another listen.
It really changes things.
Its an important song and it drew attention to the issues of mental illness in young people
and school shootings - but the lyrics are creepy nonetheless.
Next up at number 9 we have Jenny Was A Friend of Mine by The Killers[b].
I used to love this song - I still do if Im honest.
The title suggests that Jenny was a friend of his, perhaps he loved her, maybe he's writing
the song wistfully looking back on what could have been.
I sang along with this song a million times thinking it was about that - and then someone
told me something mind blowing - its actually about a murder - or rather, a murder investigation.
The singer is actually being interrogated by police over the murder of Jenny.
He starts off by telling the police -There aint no motive for this crime, Jenny was a
friend of mine- … so maybe he's innocent, right?
Well a little bit later he sings -I just cant take this, I swear I told you the truth, she
couldn't scream while I held her close, I swore Id never let her go-
music and dancing and passion - and its got a really catch chorus.
Those things are true - but you know what else is true?
Its also about a girl called Lola who worked as a showgirl at the club - her lover was
Tony the bartender - he was shot and killed after defending Lola from a customer.
The song ends by telling us how Lola sits at the same bar in the club every night, shes
The Beatles are my favourite band of all time - I always say if you don't like The Beatles
you literally just havent listened to enough of them yet - kidding - not really.
Theyre not known for their creepy lyrics which is why I was surprised to find that one of
their more upbeat songs contains a pretty sinister story if you take a look at the lyrics.
Towards the end of the songs we hear John Lennon sing, in quite a cheery tone -Well
Id rather see you dead, little girl than to be with another man- … then later on he
sings -You better run for your life if you can little girl, hide your head in the sand
little girl, if I catch you with another man thats the end- … something tells me he doesnt
mean the end of the song ….
If youre from the UK you may recognise it from that famous Cadbury advert[f] with the
gorilla.
The chorus has that catchy line of -I can feel it coming in the air tonight- … it
sounds like a song about anticipation, a big night - its the kind of thing youd put on
as you get ready in front of the mirror - maybe thats just me.
Anyway, lets take a closer look at some of the lyrics from one of the verses.
-Well if you told me you were drowning, I would not lend a hand, Ive seen your face
before my friend, but I don't know if you know who I am.
Well I was there and saw what you did, I saw it with my own two eyes.
So you can wipe off that grin, I know where youve been, its all been a pack of lies- … I
Every breaaath you taaake, every move you maaaake, every bond you break every step you
take, Ill be watching you … its a very famous pop song and on your first listen, it doesnt
really sound like it means anything, on the second listen it might sound like an intense
love song, but after a while - you realise it has a much darker tone to it.
The song is actually about a stalker - following every move she makes, every step she takes,
and always watching her.
Creepy.
Its even more creepy when you learn that Sting wrote it after breaking up with his first
wife, Frances Tomelty.
In an interview he said -I think its a nasty little song, really rather evil.
Its about jealousy and surveillance and ownership- … well, at least he can admit it.
Great song though.
Next up at number 4 we have Delilah by Tom Jones[h].
Im sure a lot of you guys have heard this old classic that was released 50 years ago
- even if you have, you may know the chorus that goes -My my myyyyy Delila!- … its a
nice sweet love song right?
Well, not if you look at the verses.
Its a song about a man killing his lover because he saw her cheating on him.
Towards the end of the song, Tom sings -She stood there laughing, I felt the knife in
my hand and she laughed no more- … Im guessing that when she stopped laughing, it wasnt just
because her laugh had come to an end - it was because he attacked her.
Pretty dark for a 60s pop song.
Moving on to number 3 we have I Put A Spell On You by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins[i].
At first appearance, this is another love song - the titles suggests that the singer
used their charm to win over their lover - kind of like a spell.
Well, it seems a little bit darker than that when the lyrics are just laid out in front
of you.
Towards of the end of the song we hear him sing -I love you yeah, I don't care if you
don't want me, Im yours right now, I put a spell on you, because youre mine- … it sounds
like whoever the object of their affection is, is being treated like an actual object
- something to own - and he doesnt care if their love is reciprocated, they are not free
to choose if they want to be in this relationship.
Moving on to number 2 we have 99 Red Balloons by Nena[j].
This is perhaps the happiest sounding song in this video, it just makes people want to
dance - but you know what this video is all about by now - and this song is not exactly
as it seems.
Its actually about the cold war - a time when the US and the Soviet Union stood facing off
against each other.
There was a real fear at times that nuclear war was imminent.
This song by Nena imagines a world in which some red balloons being released are mistaken
for an air attack and soon a nuclear war is happening.
The lyrics go -99 Red Balloons, floating in the summer sky, panic bells, its red alert,
theres something here from somewhere else, the war machine springs to life- later on
she sings -Its all over and Im standing pretty, in this dust that was a city- … wow, Ill
never see a red balloon the same way again …
And finally at number 1 we have Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls.
This 1998 grungy, emo, pop, rock song was a bit of anthem for teenagers at the time.
It sounds like a song about unrequited love.
He loves her, she doesnt love him - he doesnt want the world to see him upset by everything.
Well, some people have suggested that this is actually a song about obsession from the
perspective of a self harming stalker.
Fans of this theory have provided quite a lot of lyrics that point to this but one in
particular is the line -When everything feels like the movies, yeah, you bleed just to know
youre alive- … the theory is that he's a watching this girl as if she were a character
in a movie, shes not real, he gets lost in this fantasy so much that he starts to feel
numb to reality - and cuts himself to feel something again.
Wow, its really depressing when you say it out loud …
Alright guys time for some comments before we go -J disbelief said -SCP Foundation is
the best creepy storys ever- … very true!
I love doing SCP videos and there are thousands of good ones.
We could turn this whole channel into an SCP channel and we still wouldnt run out in a
few years.
Maybe we should make that as a second channel?
How many of you would watch that?
Aliens Exist asked -Can you guys do a native american legend video please?- … wow, I
cant believe we haven’t done that yet - how have we not done that?
I guess we got so used to doing modern countries that we forgot a lot of cultural legends that
have transcended modern nation states - Native Americans are a great example of that, Ill
add that to the list, can you guys think of any others?
Until next time, thanks as always for watching guys, my name is Danny Burke and Ill see you
all in the next video!