Catchy Songs with Toxic Vibes
July 30, 2020 7:53 AM Subscribe
I was just listening to Panic! At The Disco's song Dancing's Not a Crime, and this song is catchy as hell but the vibe is SO off (slut shaming, possessiveness, etc). But I can't stop listening to it. It got me wondering- what other songs are just total earworms but when you listen to the words are just the worst kind of energy?
No reason for this, just having a little midmorning entertainment. Under My Thumb comes to mind... I wonder if I should differentiate between a purposeful character type song vs (mostly) men with actually awful attitudes singing well about their entitlement. Since the purposes of this are just idle fancy, though, I think I'd be happy to see any suggestions! Maybe I can start a playlist of "problematic faves" :-D
No reason for this, just having a little midmorning entertainment. Under My Thumb comes to mind... I wonder if I should differentiate between a purposeful character type song vs (mostly) men with actually awful attitudes singing well about their entitlement. Since the purposes of this are just idle fancy, though, I think I'd be happy to see any suggestions! Maybe I can start a playlist of "problematic faves" :-D
Don't Stand So Close To Me - The Police
posted by mefireader at 7:57 AM on July 30, 2020 [10 favorites]
posted by mefireader at 7:57 AM on July 30, 2020 [10 favorites]
Rude by MAGIC!
posted by brilliantine at 8:01 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by brilliantine at 8:01 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
Run for your Life by The Beatles. Sounds all jaunty, but...
posted by HandfulOfDust at 8:02 AM on July 30, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by HandfulOfDust at 8:02 AM on July 30, 2020 [6 favorites]
Blurred Lines. I HATE that I love that song.
posted by kimberussell at 8:02 AM on July 30, 2020 [27 favorites]
posted by kimberussell at 8:02 AM on July 30, 2020 [27 favorites]
Blurred Lines for sure
posted by phunniemee at 8:03 AM on July 30, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by phunniemee at 8:03 AM on July 30, 2020 [3 favorites]
Brown Sugar by the Rolling Stones. Just...no. But hella catchy - damn you, Mick Jagger!
posted by theseventhstranger at 8:04 AM on July 30, 2020 [7 favorites]
posted by theseventhstranger at 8:04 AM on July 30, 2020 [7 favorites]
Time of the Season.
(Second Blurred Lines, although this version is sufficiently ironic to make me feel good about it)
posted by restless_nomad at 8:07 AM on July 30, 2020 [5 favorites]
(Second Blurred Lines, although this version is sufficiently ironic to make me feel good about it)
posted by restless_nomad at 8:07 AM on July 30, 2020 [5 favorites]
"Crash Into Me" by Dave Matthews Band (Dave Matthews later confirmed the song is about a creepy voyeur)
posted by castlebravo at 8:07 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by castlebravo at 8:07 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
"Last Kiss", both the original and Pearl Jam cover. Maybe not so much problematic as just a real downer lyrically, set to catchy fun music.
posted by SaltySalticid at 8:09 AM on July 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by SaltySalticid at 8:09 AM on July 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
Why "Baby, It's Cold Outside" became an annual controversy about date rape and consent
posted by sebastienbailard at 8:15 AM on July 30, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by sebastienbailard at 8:15 AM on July 30, 2020 [3 favorites]
Blam Blam Blam - Don't Fight it Marsha, it's Bigger than Both of Us
Don't you Want Me by the Human League
Vampire Weekend - Ladies of Cambridge This song is completely normal maybe about loving a city or history or life, but then the last verse....
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:25 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
Don't you Want Me by the Human League
Vampire Weekend - Ladies of Cambridge This song is completely normal maybe about loving a city or history or life, but then the last verse....
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:25 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
Catchy can be subjective, but I do have some on my gritty urban rpg playlist for when shit goes psychologically bad:
Off to the Races, by Lana del Ray
Tear You Apart, by She Wants Revenge
posted by cobaltnine at 8:27 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
Off to the Races, by Lana del Ray
Tear You Apart, by She Wants Revenge
posted by cobaltnine at 8:27 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
Oochie Wally by Nas - I remember being hooked on the flute instrumental and had to literally force myself to change the station when it came on.
posted by Recliner of Rage at 8:28 AM on July 30, 2020
posted by Recliner of Rage at 8:28 AM on July 30, 2020
https://youtu.be/PFJGaEwU960
Boom Bye Bye was a hit when I was a kid. Super homophobic.
posted by creiszhanson at 8:29 AM on July 30, 2020
Boom Bye Bye was a hit when I was a kid. Super homophobic.
posted by creiszhanson at 8:29 AM on July 30, 2020
Vehicle, originally by the Ides of March, but I've linked to a Tom Jones cover because nobody does sleazy/questionable lyrics like he does.
(God help me, I still love the song.)
posted by she's not there at 8:39 AM on July 30, 2020 [3 favorites]
(God help me, I still love the song.)
posted by she's not there at 8:39 AM on July 30, 2020 [3 favorites]
Oh there are so many of these, but the one that came to mind is "Gold Digger" by Kanye West. So catchy. So misogynistic.
posted by daikaisho at 8:43 AM on July 30, 2020 [8 favorites]
posted by daikaisho at 8:43 AM on July 30, 2020 [8 favorites]
Every Step You Take. Creeeeeeeeeeeeepy.
posted by history is a weapon at 8:46 AM on July 30, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by history is a weapon at 8:46 AM on July 30, 2020 [3 favorites]
Breezeblocks by alt-J... big :( once I actually listened to the lyrics.
posted by brook horse at 8:47 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by brook horse at 8:47 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
My Sharona
posted by potrzebie at 8:52 AM on July 30, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by potrzebie at 8:52 AM on July 30, 2020 [3 favorites]
I can't really listen to X's Johnny Hit & Run Paulene anymore, though it's a catchy riff I used to love. I understand it's a piece of fiction about a villain and not an endorsement of rape--here are some Doe and Cervenka quotes about it--but it's still brutal & visceral.
posted by miles per flower at 8:53 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by miles per flower at 8:53 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
Under My Thumb, the Rolling Stones.
Teacher's Pet (numerous renditions). Maybe not an earworm, but problematic as hell.
posted by adamrice at 8:54 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
Teacher's Pet (numerous renditions). Maybe not an earworm, but problematic as hell.
posted by adamrice at 8:54 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
Turning Japanese by the Vapors
posted by ursus_comiter at 9:05 AM on July 30, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by ursus_comiter at 9:05 AM on July 30, 2020 [5 favorites]
I'd never heard that reggae track before, and now I'm sorry I clicked the link. I knew Jamaican culture could be violently homophobic, but good LORD.
posted by uberchet at 9:21 AM on July 30, 2020
posted by uberchet at 9:21 AM on July 30, 2020
Cherish and I'd like to make it with you are directed at strangers
posted by brujita at 9:30 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by brujita at 9:30 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
Norwegian Wood by the Beatles is a lovely song with nice harmonies and that catchy sitar line, about... setting fire to a woman's apartment after she didn't sleep with the narrator?
posted by btfreek at 9:40 AM on July 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by btfreek at 9:40 AM on July 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: omg what a list, on reflection im *definitely* making this into a playlist. Quelle Problématique!
posted by emirenic at 9:45 AM on July 30, 2020
posted by emirenic at 9:45 AM on July 30, 2020
To cite just the two most recent albums I've listened to on Spotify:
-"Get Ready" by Sublime is about, among other things, murdering police officers who respond to noise complaints.
-"Open Your Heart" by Madonna includes the lyrics "I follow you around but you can't see/ You're too wrapped up in yourself to notice/ So you choose to look the other way/ Well, I've got something to say/ Don't try to run, I can keep up with you...", which are creepy enough that debt collectors have left the song as a voicemail message.
posted by kevinbelt at 9:48 AM on July 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
-"Get Ready" by Sublime is about, among other things, murdering police officers who respond to noise complaints.
-"Open Your Heart" by Madonna includes the lyrics "I follow you around but you can't see/ You're too wrapped up in yourself to notice/ So you choose to look the other way/ Well, I've got something to say/ Don't try to run, I can keep up with you...", which are creepy enough that debt collectors have left the song as a voicemail message.
posted by kevinbelt at 9:48 AM on July 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
I Kissed A Girl by Katy Perry
posted by rollick at 9:49 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by rollick at 9:49 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
3OH!3’s Don’t Trust Me
There is no justification for this level of objectification in lyrics.
posted by politikitty at 9:49 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
There is no justification for this level of objectification in lyrics.
posted by politikitty at 9:49 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
Mine is kind of obscure at this point, I guess, but for literal YEARS I hummed along with Lyle Lovett's "LA County" without realizing it culminates in a double murder.
posted by uberchet at 9:51 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by uberchet at 9:51 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
I live in Richmond, VA and get earworms through word association; "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" gets stuck in my head at least once a week.
posted by toastedcheese at 9:53 AM on July 30, 2020
posted by toastedcheese at 9:53 AM on July 30, 2020
Oh, along those lines, "Rebel Yell" by Billy Idol always makes me cringe when it comes on the radio. That said, I had never listened to the lyrics closely, and wowsers, they're even worse than I thought.
posted by toastedcheese at 9:58 AM on July 30, 2020
posted by toastedcheese at 9:58 AM on July 30, 2020
This phenomenon unfortunately describes huge swathes of pop, rock, hip-hop, country and every lyrical genre.
For a particular example, Chase & Status' "Duppy Man" is a classic drum & bass banger, with ragga vocals sampled from Capleton's "Who Dem". Sounds great, and I couldn't really understand the lyrics, but I looked them up and it is quite homophobic, which is apparently not that uncommon in dancehall and reggae as mentioned above.
posted by subocoyne at 10:00 AM on July 30, 2020
For a particular example, Chase & Status' "Duppy Man" is a classic drum & bass banger, with ragga vocals sampled from Capleton's "Who Dem". Sounds great, and I couldn't really understand the lyrics, but I looked them up and it is quite homophobic, which is apparently not that uncommon in dancehall and reggae as mentioned above.
posted by subocoyne at 10:00 AM on July 30, 2020
Response by poster: going thru some of these and OH MY GOD the things I've been humming along to for all these years- "Don't Stand So Close To Me" ffs DAMN!
posted by emirenic at 10:07 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by emirenic at 10:07 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
"Talk Dirty to Me" by Jason Derulo. Ughhh that horn is so great but the words are so gross.
posted by silverstatue at 10:11 AM on July 30, 2020
posted by silverstatue at 10:11 AM on July 30, 2020
"Tear You Apart" by She Wants Revenge... although maybe it's ok? It's ambiguous. There's an awesome mashup as well.
posted by GuyZero at 10:26 AM on July 30, 2020
posted by GuyZero at 10:26 AM on July 30, 2020
Blondie's supercatchy song One Way Or Another is about Debbie Harry's personal experience with a stalker.
posted by mochapickle at 10:49 AM on July 30, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by mochapickle at 10:49 AM on July 30, 2020 [3 favorites]
One of my absolute favorite Tupac songs - Bury Me A G. Totally misogynistic. But I love the music so much.
posted by gt2 at 10:49 AM on July 30, 2020
posted by gt2 at 10:49 AM on July 30, 2020
Inner Circle and "Sweat" sounds good on the radio, and you might sing a la la la long with it*, but only until your brain catches up with your mouth.
*sorry
posted by Calvin and the Duplicators at 10:50 AM on July 30, 2020
*sorry
posted by Calvin and the Duplicators at 10:50 AM on July 30, 2020
I adore Wang Chung’s Dance Hall Days and find it super super catchy, but once you actually figure out what the lyrics are, yikes:
Take your baby by the hair
And pull her close and there, there, there
And take your baby by the ears
And play upon her darkest fears
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:15 AM on July 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
Take your baby by the hair
And pull her close and there, there, there
And take your baby by the ears
And play upon her darkest fears
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:15 AM on July 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
The title gives it away, but man if "Date Rape" by Sublime isn't catchy as hell.
(kinda surprised no one's mentioned it yet...)
posted by notsnot at 11:18 AM on July 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
(kinda surprised no one's mentioned it yet...)
posted by notsnot at 11:18 AM on July 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
Re: Sublime, see also "Wrong Way". Annie's 12 years old, in two more she'll be a who- wait WTF no. See also most of Sublime's songs about women and relationships, come to think of it
posted by 4rtemis at 11:31 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by 4rtemis at 11:31 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
Fitzpleasure by Alt-J. Once I learned the lyrics they were so awful it ruined the catchiness for me, though. (Now I feel like I need to look up the lyrics to Breezeblocks too...)
Blank Space by Taylor Swift, which portrays a pretty unhealthy relationship dynamic. (Unlike the above, I love this song. I'd put it in the "purposeful character type song" category.)
posted by catabananza at 12:00 PM on July 30, 2020
Blank Space by Taylor Swift, which portrays a pretty unhealthy relationship dynamic. (Unlike the above, I love this song. I'd put it in the "purposeful character type song" category.)
posted by catabananza at 12:00 PM on July 30, 2020
I don't know from catchy, but Mumford & Sons' White Blank Page is possessive as hell.
posted by gauche at 12:09 PM on July 30, 2020
posted by gauche at 12:09 PM on July 30, 2020
Misery Business by Paramore. ("Once a wh*re, you're nothing more" etc. Ugh.)
posted by wuzandfuzz at 12:31 PM on July 30, 2020
posted by wuzandfuzz at 12:31 PM on July 30, 2020
Hit Me With Your Best Shot is nominally about being empowered against someone who is trying to dominate you but I always feel it expresses some satisfaction in taking abuse. ymmv
posted by 6thsense at 12:36 PM on July 30, 2020
posted by 6thsense at 12:36 PM on July 30, 2020
Surprised to not see Escape (the pina colada song) yet. It’s atrocious.
posted by Crystalinne at 12:48 PM on July 30, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by Crystalinne at 12:48 PM on July 30, 2020 [3 favorites]
My impression was that "Blank Space" was Swift playing to her critics / snipers / those who grouse about her supposedly romantic shortcomings (also the subject of "Shake it Off").
posted by uberchet at 1:14 PM on July 30, 2020
posted by uberchet at 1:14 PM on July 30, 2020
Oh, and 25 years ago when we were much younger, a dear friend was an English teacher at a very tony private school in suburban Houston. Inevitably, he became the subject of a pretty intense crush by a freshman. (He behaved correctly, to be clear -- involved administration early, nothing ugly happened, etc.)
But because we were all in our mid-20s, one of us ABSOLUTELY WITHOUT FAIL would put "Don't Stand So Close To Me" on the jukebox whenever we were out with him. ALWAYS.
posted by uberchet at 1:16 PM on July 30, 2020 [4 favorites]
But because we were all in our mid-20s, one of us ABSOLUTELY WITHOUT FAIL would put "Don't Stand So Close To Me" on the jukebox whenever we were out with him. ALWAYS.
posted by uberchet at 1:16 PM on July 30, 2020 [4 favorites]
Both "Date Rape" and "Wrong Way" are critical of the subject matter, though. "Date Rape" is obviously ridiculing the protagonist, and the very title of "Wrong Way" indicates that the content of the song is objectionable. The plot of "Wrong Way" also revolves around the girl's escape from that situation. It seems clear that Sublime are neither advocating date rape nor dating underage sex workers.
posted by kevinbelt at 1:28 PM on July 30, 2020
posted by kevinbelt at 1:28 PM on July 30, 2020
This thread has reminded me of Jordan Knight's "Give It To You", which a former co-worker used to refer to as "Carnival Rape Song". It's actually worse than I remember.
posted by kevinbelt at 1:29 PM on July 30, 2020
posted by kevinbelt at 1:29 PM on July 30, 2020
DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince's Parents Just Don't Understand also put out a popular Grammy-winning song that goes from a jokey verse about out-of-fashion clothing to a tale that plays parental neglect, sexy 12-year-olds and child abuse for laughs.
posted by subocoyne at 1:41 PM on July 30, 2020
posted by subocoyne at 1:41 PM on July 30, 2020
City High — What would you do? is a depressing mix of misogyny, slut-shaming, victim-blaming, entitlement and hypocrisy. As far as I can tell it is meant in earnest.
posted by BobInce at 2:00 PM on July 30, 2020
posted by BobInce at 2:00 PM on July 30, 2020
Ah! Florence + The Machine, Kiss With A Fist. Kicks, slaps, black eyes, broken teeth, broken bones, arson. I have to change the station anytime it plays.
Florence Welch in 2010: "The song is describing a highly destructive relationship, but one which both partners enjoy." Which somehow kind of makes it even worse?
posted by mochapickle at 2:36 PM on July 30, 2020
Florence Welch in 2010: "The song is describing a highly destructive relationship, but one which both partners enjoy." Which somehow kind of makes it even worse?
posted by mochapickle at 2:36 PM on July 30, 2020
Luka Bloom's "I Need Love" is full of entitled machismo.
Pretty much all of Carousel. I can't imagine why that show is still in repertory.
There was a popular Ben Folds Five song that pissed me off so much I quit listening to them, but it's been so long I can't remember what it was.
posted by humbug at 2:55 PM on July 30, 2020
Pretty much all of Carousel. I can't imagine why that show is still in repertory.
There was a popular Ben Folds Five song that pissed me off so much I quit listening to them, but it's been so long I can't remember what it was.
posted by humbug at 2:55 PM on July 30, 2020
listened to a lot of catchy classic rock with awful lyrics...
early Stranglers albums had great riffs with the worst lyrics imaginable, just have to turn part of my brain off in order to listen...
posted by ovvl at 3:00 PM on July 30, 2020
early Stranglers albums had great riffs with the worst lyrics imaginable, just have to turn part of my brain off in order to listen...
posted by ovvl at 3:00 PM on July 30, 2020
Joe Tex’s I Gotcha, as featured by Quentin Tarantino—who is a master of this catchy-loathsome genre—on the Reservoir Dogs soundtrack. (Joe Tex also did Ain’t Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman) which is, well, it’s what it is in the name)
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 3:40 PM on July 30, 2020
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 3:40 PM on July 30, 2020
"He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)", written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King for the girl group The Crystals (one of Phil Spector's acts). The song's backstory is distressing [TW: DV] and King has gone on to disown the composition.
posted by joseph_elmhurst at 3:52 PM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by joseph_elmhurst at 3:52 PM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
Some people think that “One” by U2 is a romantic song.
“Possession” by Sarah McLachlan is inspired by letters she received from stalkers.
“You Can’t Be Too Strong” by Graham Parker is a musically pleasant song about an abortion.
posted by ogooglebar at 4:35 PM on July 30, 2020
“Possession” by Sarah McLachlan is inspired by letters she received from stalkers.
“You Can’t Be Too Strong” by Graham Parker is a musically pleasant song about an abortion.
posted by ogooglebar at 4:35 PM on July 30, 2020
I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You is also directed at a stranger, although the object of lust seems to realize that the singer is a creep and leaves.
posted by brujita at 4:37 PM on July 30, 2020
posted by brujita at 4:37 PM on July 30, 2020
There was a popular Ben Folds Five song that pissed me off so much I quit listening to them, but it's been so long I can't remember what it was.
posted by humbug at 5:55 PM on July 30 [+] [!]
Brick? The one about a dude whose GF is getting an abortion and he's lost in self pity? Not sure I'd call it catchy though...
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 4:45 PM on July 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by humbug at 5:55 PM on July 30 [+] [!]
Brick? The one about a dude whose GF is getting an abortion and he's lost in self pity? Not sure I'd call it catchy though...
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 4:45 PM on July 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
“Don’t Fear the Reaper”, Blue Oyster Cult
“We Will Rock You”, Queen
“Fiddle About”, The Who
posted by ogooglebar at 4:53 PM on July 30, 2020
“We Will Rock You”, Queen
“Fiddle About”, The Who
posted by ogooglebar at 4:53 PM on July 30, 2020
Read About Love by Richard Thompson is catchy as hell and I think supposed to be funny, but it reads to me as about a guy who’s 99% of the way to being an incel.
posted by ActionPopulated at 5:15 PM on July 30, 2020
posted by ActionPopulated at 5:15 PM on July 30, 2020
“Sail Away”, Randy Newman
posted by ogooglebar at 5:18 PM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by ogooglebar at 5:18 PM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
The song "Night Vision Binoculars" by Passenger is brilliantly poppy and ear catching and so utterly creepy in how it develops from "oh, this is a sweet love-from-afar song" to "oh... no...." I love it and hate it. It starts with
Luka Bloom's "I Need Love" is full of entitled machismo. FWIW, "I Need Love" is an L.L. Cool J song; Luka was covering it.
posted by Lexica at 6:56 PM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
🎶when we touched hands by the coffee machine the other dayand progresses to
well, I know you've already forgotten but I'm going to take that moment to the grave 🎶
🎶I'm the boy that's calling your houseIn recent years I've been increasingly recognizing how Jonathan Richman (at least as presented in some of his lyrics) is a Nice Guy™. "I'm Straight" is all about "he does drugs, I don't; why are you with him and not me?" "Astral Plane" is "I'm gonna psychically stalk you because you don't want to be with me." "She Cracked" is petty and mean. "Girlfriend" is reductive and essentializing (doesn't care who she is, just that she's "a girlfriend").
I'm the boy that's freaking you out
With my thermal flask of tea
Up there in your neighbor's tree 🎶
Luka Bloom's "I Need Love" is full of entitled machismo. FWIW, "I Need Love" is an L.L. Cool J song; Luka was covering it.
posted by Lexica at 6:56 PM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
Just about every Drake song is catchy and misogynistic.
posted by PaulaSchultz at 7:35 PM on July 30, 2020
posted by PaulaSchultz at 7:35 PM on July 30, 2020
Fairytale of New York has received attention for its lyrics. Massive sales, catchy as hell, but the words have caused upset.
A lot of songs by The Beautiful South...in fact one member quit over it, apparently.
This is also the band that ultimately split up over "musical similarities".
posted by Calvin and the Duplicators at 8:19 PM on July 30, 2020
A lot of songs by The Beautiful South...in fact one member quit over it, apparently.
This is also the band that ultimately split up over "musical similarities".
posted by Calvin and the Duplicators at 8:19 PM on July 30, 2020
Blurred Lines, hands down. Ugh.
posted by Kitchen Witch at 8:41 PM on July 30, 2020
posted by Kitchen Witch at 8:41 PM on July 30, 2020
With Date Rape (the Sublime song mentioned above), the problem for me is the end of the song, which makes prison rape into the “funny” punishment. Kind of fucked to make a song about rape being bad, then having it be the joke at the end.
posted by Ghidorah at 9:29 PM on July 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Ghidorah at 9:29 PM on July 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
I LOVE Mr. Brightside every bit as much as I loathe jealousy.
(Seriously it’s one of the best songs ever but goddamn that’s some possessiveness right there)
posted by kitten kaboodle at 2:15 AM on July 31, 2020
(Seriously it’s one of the best songs ever but goddamn that’s some possessiveness right there)
posted by kitten kaboodle at 2:15 AM on July 31, 2020
Actually that whole album (The Killers, Hot Fuss) is about terrible people being terrible to extremely catchy tunes. It's a great album. (And the narrative terribleness is extremely conscious, which reads really differently to me than unconscious terribleness.)
posted by restless_nomad at 6:14 AM on July 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by restless_nomad at 6:14 AM on July 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
Paper Planes by MIA is yet another.
Nearly every Taylor Swift is about her song character ditching a toxic boyfriend while also being equally as toxic herself in my opinion.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:10 AM on July 31, 2020
Nearly every Taylor Swift is about her song character ditching a toxic boyfriend while also being equally as toxic herself in my opinion.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:10 AM on July 31, 2020
"Some Girls" by the Rolling Stones
Misogyny, racism, slut shaming.
But man, it's got a great, swampy, bluesy feel.
But it's terrible. I can't even bring myself to transcribe any of the lyrics here. It's that bad.
(I am a cis woman and a musician and I have performed this song with my band who happen to be all men - we were covering the entire "Some Girls" album, and we felt we couldn't leave out the title song, but all of the guys were like FUCK NO WE CANNOT SING THOSE LYRICS so I ended up singing it and it was sort of a tongue in cheek performance as a result but still, Mick, dude, what were you thinking writing a song like that, Jesus.)
posted by nayantara at 10:57 AM on July 31, 2020
Misogyny, racism, slut shaming.
But man, it's got a great, swampy, bluesy feel.
But it's terrible. I can't even bring myself to transcribe any of the lyrics here. It's that bad.
(I am a cis woman and a musician and I have performed this song with my band who happen to be all men - we were covering the entire "Some Girls" album, and we felt we couldn't leave out the title song, but all of the guys were like FUCK NO WE CANNOT SING THOSE LYRICS so I ended up singing it and it was sort of a tongue in cheek performance as a result but still, Mick, dude, what were you thinking writing a song like that, Jesus.)
posted by nayantara at 10:57 AM on July 31, 2020
Toxicity is in the eye of the beholder, I guess, but so many of my favorite disco songs are like this. Diana Ross' "Upside Down" is literally one of my favorite dancefloor numbers. I really only paid attention to the lyrics in the last few years, and, uh, the narrative is a woman saying to one of her partners: I know that you cheat on me all the time but you're sexy and I love you so whatevs--keep cheating!
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 11:30 AM on July 31, 2020
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 11:30 AM on July 31, 2020
Yeah, the Stones' entire catalog is littered with pretty troublesome stuff, partly because of the era they were in, and partly because of the era they were stealing from.
"Some Girls" is basically a more lascivious "California Girls," but "Brown Sugar" literally starts with the lines "Gulf coast slave ship," which tells you where it's going.
posted by uberchet at 12:32 PM on July 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
"Some Girls" is basically a more lascivious "California Girls," but "Brown Sugar" literally starts with the lines "Gulf coast slave ship," which tells you where it's going.
posted by uberchet at 12:32 PM on July 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
Don't you Want Me by the Human League—I'm curious abt why this made the list.
Note: I was working as a bartender in a cocktail bar (where I happened to meet my now former husband) when the song was released, so perhaps I identify more strongly than most with the lyrics.
posted by she's not there at 2:15 PM on July 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
Note: I was working as a bartender in a cocktail bar (where I happened to meet my now former husband) when the song was released, so perhaps I identify more strongly than most with the lyrics.
posted by she's not there at 2:15 PM on July 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
re: Human League. It's a guy who taking credit for a woman's success and threatening to send her back to the cocktail bar if she doesn't want him anymore. (from memory) "don't forget it's me who put you where you are now and I can put you back down too." i.e "I'm powerful, if you diss me, you'll never work in this town again."
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 2:26 PM on July 31, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 2:26 PM on July 31, 2020 [2 favorites]
I hear you. The guy is hurt and while pleading with her to stay, he's being a jerk. But she wasn't threatened—in fact, she seemed to feel kinda sorry for him, as one often does when breaking up.
And I recognize that this is far more discussion than the song deserves.
posted by she's not there at 2:40 PM on July 31, 2020
And I recognize that this is far more discussion than the song deserves.
posted by she's not there at 2:40 PM on July 31, 2020
I feel like while over the top, Baby Got Back is pretty peak for this too.
posted by Crystalinne at 6:12 PM on July 31, 2020
posted by Crystalinne at 6:12 PM on July 31, 2020
I feel like while over the top, Baby Got Back is pretty peak for this too.
Of course the whole song is about women's bodies and that's not awesome, but on the scale of problematic things, a song with a message of "Cosmo says you're fat but I ain't down with that" really isn't peak anything.
posted by phunniemee at 4:49 AM on August 1, 2020 [2 favorites]
Of course the whole song is about women's bodies and that's not awesome, but on the scale of problematic things, a song with a message of "Cosmo says you're fat but I ain't down with that" really isn't peak anything.
posted by phunniemee at 4:49 AM on August 1, 2020 [2 favorites]
If you're of a certain vintage, Aerosmith's "Dude Looks Like a Lady" might be catchy. Hasn't aged well.
I originally gave it a pass because I thought Tyler had written it about himself!
posted by klanawa at 12:10 PM on August 1, 2020 [1 favorite]
I originally gave it a pass because I thought Tyler had written it about himself!
posted by klanawa at 12:10 PM on August 1, 2020 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by kindall at 7:54 AM on July 30, 2020 [26 favorites]