Why such Depressing Songs?

This year, my show choir has a pretty dark part of our show. We sing Mad World by Tears for Fears as our ballad, I'm Alive from Next to Normal, and Loose Yourself by Eminem. This pretty dark when you look at each of those songs more in depth for what they mean. It is strange too, seeing that our show choir is called Happiness inc. This once joyful group has now decided to do more depressing and sad music. But it isn't just my show choir. Listen to the radio. Look at the songs topping the charts. They are sad and terrible. Russian Roulette by Rihanna




How much more clear can it get. This song is clearly about the game of putting a revolver to your head and firing. Can there be more of a depressing song. Yet this song was really well liked when it came out. But why? Then there is Bad Romance by Lady Gaga



I don't know how long ago this song came out but it is still one of the most popular songs on the radio. The title tells you all you need to know to know that this song is not happy in meaning. Having a bad romance is not positive although this song is strange and songs happy so it is hard to tell that this song is not happy.

And these are just a few examples. Most popular songs have negative themes. They aren't all as sad as Rihanna's or as blatant as Gaga's but they are there and we seem to enjoy them which raises a big question: Why?

There are obvious answers. I think that we are at a time when the lyrics in our songs mean less and less. Think of rap music. People like rap for the beat and the rhythm of the music but they don't really care what is said. And pop music is similar. If the tune is catchy and the words are easy to learn it doesn't really matter what they are. But there aren't songs without words that are popular right now. So maybe we just want simple lyrics that don't make us think to figure them out.

Or is it that the world is in depression and we want people that relate to us? The global economy as a whole is falling to pieces, terrorism is on a rise, and we are still at war and have been for years. With so much heavy stuff weighing the world down, it is no wonder that those who write their feelings into songs would be writing about sad topics. I know I write sad lyrics when I am down and I'm sure others do too.

But not every song on the radio is sad. When people aren't happy they want two things: understanding and something uplifting. That constitutes the other part of the popular songs. Uplifting. Time for Miracles by Adam Lambert



This song is still a bit sad but it has the determined them because as he says he ain't givin up on love. This is what everyone wants. Even in the worst of times they want to believe that they should keep faith. And since people look at celebrities for models they are positively influenced by the messages in songs like this one. And then there is Nickelback.



Never Gonna Be Alone



Gotta Be Somebody



If Today Was Your Last Day

These songs are strangely inspirational to me even though they are rock songs. they aren't kind about how they sound but they have great messages in their lyrics. All these songs were off their newest album too.

So maybe the world is a little down right now. Maybe it is affecting our media. But some of us have taken charge to help lift our spirts, give us hope, and maybe someday we will write song purely about joy and happiness, and we will all believe it.