You might think depressing songs are reserved for the iPods of angsty teens, but they play among us everyday, even if you don’t realize it. They’re lurking on the TV and radio, waiting for you to stop and go “hold up? What did they just say?” Here are some of the worst offenders that trick us into dancing until we have that “what the what?” moment.
(Note: If I was a complete sadist, this would just be a list of ten songs by The Smiths and by the end you would be a weeping mass laying on the floor but I think andPOP enjoys having readers so…)
1. Pumped Up Kicks – Foster The People
This was the chillest song from last summer, and definitely has to be the most popular song to ever feature whistling. I mean what’s not to like? It’s clearly about cool kids who have fun wearing nice sneakers, right? Lol jk it’s about a school shooting. The lyrics are as follows: “all the other kids with the pumped up kicks / better run, better run / faster than my bullets” and the song is from the perspective of a kid named Robert who finds his dad’s gun. I think we may have been better off just whistling along idly.
2. Small Bump – Ed Sheeran
Aww how cute, Ed Sheeran is singing a song to his future child. Plot twist: the child is dead. This songs starts off as a really cute message from a young, would-be dad to their unborn baby. He goes through all the lessons that the baby will learn during its life, and how it will look as it grows. Once we get to the end of the song however, we realise that Ed/the dad is singing about the child he would have had, had it made it to term. Ouch. Right in “the feels” with this one, Ed.
3. Girls Just Want To Have Fun – Glee Cast
This one is a bit of a reversal: It uses the very upbeat original lyrics by Cyndi Lauper and makes them depressing as hell. Finn sings this song to Santana because she’s being bullied after he forcibly outs her (or something along those lines… I watch Glee, but just barely). Glee’s cover puts a more melancholy spin on the 80s classic, and makes me feel that sometimes girls yearn for fun because it’s something that they just can’t have right now.
4. Valerie (ft. Amy Winehouse) – Mark Ronson
This song has an amazing jazzy and upbeat tempo that will have you looking for the nearest person that you can learn to Charleston with. But the narrator is actually pining for the troubled Valerie who has outstanding fines and a recent stint in prison. He’s actually physically pining for her (“since I’ve come on home, well my body’s been a mess”) and it’s a bit sad because you get the sense that Valerie kind of messed him up. The fact that it’s sung so amazingly by Amy Winehouse makes it even sadder because parts of it seem like it could be about her life.
5) Little Lion Man – Mumford & Sons Read more…
2012 was a year filled with great music. From viral videos to new artists to the explosion of EDM, there was no shortage of entertainment. We’ve compiled a handy list of the 25 best songs of the year for your listening pleasure.
25. “Payphone” – Maroon 5 ft. Wiz Khalifa
Maroon 5’s “Payphone” was catchy enough to get stuck in your head for days, featured mega-popular rapper Wiz Khalifa, and was an anthem for every young girl who was sick of having her heart broken. “One more stupid love song, I’ll be sick,” sang frontman Adam Levine. Me too, Adam…me too.
24. “HYFR” – Drake ft. Lil’ Wayne.
In case some of you out there still didn’t get it, HYFR stands for “Hell Yeah, F**kin’ Right.” It’s a pretty explicit song, but Drake’s swagger shines in all its glory with Lil’ Wayne’s signature drawl backing him up.
“I Will Wait” — Mumford & Sons
If you’re looking for a new song to add to that lay-in-bed-stare-at-the-ceiling-and-dream-about-my-crush playlist, look no further! English folk rockers Mumford & Sons’ new single “I Will Wait” is a bluegrass, banjo-y track filled with soft harmonies and earnest vocals that will cut straight to your heart. Ah, if only my (nonexistent) boyfriend would write music like this and sing it to me…and maybe bring me flowers every night, new jewelry once in a while, and look like Ryan Gosling. Pick up Mumford & Sons’ second album Babel on Sept. 24.
“Glow” — Mac Miller ft. Pharell
Mac Miller and Pharell Williams get glossy in their new track “Glow,” off the two artists’ upcoming EP Pink Slime. The duo released “Onaroll” back in June, and it would appear that Mac Millions and Skateboard P are a collaborative force to be reckoned with. Backed by ethnic-inspired violins, and a hyper beat, the boys lay down their rhymes, sounding confident and smooth. Sidenote: Mac Miller manages to yell “Mother f**ker” for ten seconds straight. If that’s not talent, I don’t know what is.
“Anything Could Happen” — Ellie Goulding Read more…
BREAKING NEWS: Taylor Swift has chops! Alright, that we may have already known. But, who knew she had a great music taste?
Recently on her Twitter she tweeted about The Civil Wars, a lesser known Americana duo and their debut album Barton Hollow shot to the top of the charts. And now, the pop starlet has revealed her love for Mumford and Sons. It is admirable that Swift dug deeper than “The Cave”, “Little Lion Man” or Mumford’s better known songs to choose the haunting “White Blank Page”
At the 46th Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday night, Swift won Entertainer of the Year, which is considerably the highest honour of the evening. Her name was announced by Ryan Seacrest and she appeared surprised, as usual. She is the youngest artist in the history of the ACM to win this award.
“This is the first time I ever won this and I’m just losing my mind!,” Swift said. “We just got back from Asia and Europe on tour and thank you for this wonderful welcome-home gift and thanks for not forgetting about me. The fact that this is from the fans, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me! Ever!”
Watch Swift take on “White Blank Page” for BBC Radio 1′s program Live Lounge For Fearne:
