With Valentines Day here, what better time to examine the darker sides of love? And where better then in music! We've compiled 10 of the creepiest love songs, including several you likely already know well, but haven't necessarily considered through the 'creep lens.'
Many of these songs hint at some touchy subject matter, and one interesting aspect of a handful of them is they don’t initially come off that way. This shows the deceiving power of music to craft and deliver something disturbing that's hidden in a lovely sound. Here’s looking at you Sting!
“Every Breath You Take” – The Police
It’s well known now that this song is about stalking someone. Sting has never been one to shy away from controversial subject matter (see “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” and “Roxanne” for more examples). The instrumentation in “Every Breath You Take” is truly beautiful and creates what sounds like an epic love song. If you don’t listen closely to the lyrics, it’s easy to imagine people playing this at weddings and other romantic functions (which, it totally has been). But if you stop and actually listen to the lyrics, something sinister comes to light:
“Every breath you take / And every move you make / Every bond you break / Every step you take / I'll be watching you”
“Every single day / And every word you say / Every game you play / Every night you stay / I'll be watching you”
Creepy stuff.
“Run For Your Life” – The Beatles
“Love Me Do” this is not. Themes of possession and domestic violence are present throughout this song. And when you fast forward through Beatles history this song gets even more disturbing, given that John Lennon committed domestic violence in real life. Is he actually singing about killing his girlfriend in this song? See the lines:
“I’d rather see you dead little girl than be with another man”
And
“You better run for your life if you can, little girl / Hide your head in the sand, little girl / Catch you with another man / That's the end, little girl”
Wait a second…..WHAT?
“Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” – Neil Diamond
Here’s another deceiving tune that sounds like a classic lovey-dubby love song. But what exactly is going on here? Diamond sings of a girl who will be a woman soon, and soon she will need a man. He sings all of this with his trademark croon which, depending on your interpretation, makes it even worse. Oh, and Diamond was 26 when he wrote the song, so how old was the girl??
Yuck.
“I Will Possess Your Heart” - Death Cab for Cutie
The bass line really slaps on this one and the band is in top notch form. But when frontman Ben Gibbard comes in with the vocal and you hear what he’s saying… Well, the song’s stalking theme turns it into something more unpleasant:
“There are days when, outside your window / I see my reflection as I slowly pass / And I long for this mirrored perspective / When we'll be lovers, lovers at last”
And
“You reject my advances / And desperate pleas / I won't let you let me down / So easily”
Lines like that make you scratch your head and go “Huh?”
“Hollywood Forever Cemetery” – Father John Misty
This is a rocking track with some left-field lyrics about hooking up with a girl in a cemetery. Father John Misty is incredibly talented when it comes to his lyrics. He’s a storyteller and relies heavily on irony and bizarre imagery.
“Jesus Christ, girl / It hasn't been long so it seems / Since I was picking out an island and a tomb for you / At the Hollywood Cemetery / You kiss on me / But we should let this dead guy sleep / We should let this dead guy sleep”
I guess whatever toots your horn Father John Misty.
“Love You to Death” – Type O Negative
Goth and metal music never shy away from dark subject matter, and Type O Negative combines both genres for some truly macabre tunes. Frontman Peter Steele was a menacing presence, and in this tune, his iconic Dracula-esque vocal delivery croons about loving you to death (and some suggestive lyrics).
“Black lipstick stains her glass of red wine / I am your servant, may I light your cigarette? / Those lips smooth, yeah I can feel what you're saying, praying / They say the beast inside of me's gonna get ya, get ya, get”
Let’s keep this PG Mr. Steele.
“Hello” – Lionel Richie
This one suffers from its infamous music video, and it’s nearly impossible to separate the two. It tells the story of Richie’s unrequited love for a blind girl that’s in the class he’s teaching... or so we think until the end. A likeness of Richie’s head made from clay proves she feels the same way. Romantic? Maybe... if Lionel Richie wasn’t always lurking in the background while the girl can’t see him. Watch the video — you’ll see what I mean.
“She” – Tyler, The Creator
Yikes this one is rough. Here’s another song focused on unrequited love. This time around the narrator watches a woman while she sleeps and fantasizes about necrophilia. The song even alludes that he commits murder because she doesn’t want him. Not a song for the faint of heart. Wonder if he’ll play this one at Hinterland 2025?
“Tonight You Belong To Me” – Patience and Prudence
Everything about this song is creepy. We have two young girls singing “I know in the dawn you’ll be gone, but tonight you belong to me.”
The lyrics are one thing, but it’s the delivery that really does it here. Small kids singing about adult subject matter is always weird (see any Jackson 5 song). This one is cut from a different cloth though. In fact, I challenge you to put this song on and not get a look of either confusion or disgust on your face. But, if you’re looking for a great horror movie soundtrack look no further!
“Cherry Wine” – Hozier
This one is about being in an abusive relationship, but interpreting the lyrics can be difficult. Does the narrator enjoy the abuse? With lines like this it’s hard to tell:
“The way she tells me I'm hers and she is mine / Open hand or closed fist would be fine / The blood is rare and sweet as cherry wine”
“Calls of guilty thrown at me / All while she stains / The sheets of some other / Thrown at me so powerfully / Just like she throws with the arm of her brother”
“But I want it / It's a crime / That she's not around most of the time”
Relationships are complicated, especially for Hozier.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
