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Upbeat Songs with Melancholy Lyrics

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I'm thinking stuff like The Jam's "Town Called Malice."

What Else?

(briefly searched, but sorry if it's been done before).

― grady (grady), Tuesday, 26 September 2006 19:20 (nineteen years ago)

you mean like The Clientele - Since K got over me?

― emekars (emekars), Tuesday, 26 September 2006 19:24 (nineteen years ago)

Laura Nyro, "And When I Die"

― hank (hank s), Tuesday, 26 September 2006 19:26 (nineteen years ago)

Joni Mitchell, "Big Yellow Taxi"

― hank (hank s), Tuesday, 26 September 2006 19:28 (nineteen years ago)

uh every Smiths song ever?

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 26 September 2006 19:30 (nineteen years ago)

(altho on second thought I find a lot of Morrissey's lyrics hilarious)

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 26 September 2006 19:30 (nineteen years ago)

TMBG to thread

― Go, GO, GO!!! (Go!), Tuesday, 26 September 2006 19:40 (nineteen years ago)

Most of Wilco's "Summerteeth."

― graf cycliz (graf cycliz), Tuesday, 26 September 2006 23:24 (nineteen years ago)

hey ya

― Cheek0 (Cheek0), Tuesday, 26 September 2006 23:45 (nineteen years ago)

Most Cardigans songs.

Pale Saints - "Half-Life, Remembered" was the second thing to pop into my head.

― I.M. From Hollywood (i_m_from_hollywood), Tuesday, 26 September 2006 23:51 (nineteen years ago)

The Clash - Hateful

― musically (musically), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 00:01 (nineteen years ago)

the delgados "all you need is hate"

― J. Grizzle (trainsmoke), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 00:08 (nineteen years ago)

the second half of Big Star's "Daisy Glaze"

("I'm thinkin' Christ/nullify my life" :-D )

― King-a-Ling (King-a-Ling), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 00:17 (nineteen years ago)

The Mountain Goats - No Children
The Decemberists - Los Angeles, I'm Yours

And lots of other songs by those bands and similar bands. This is like the oldest trick in the indie pop playbook, isn't it?

― Steve Go1dberg (Steve Schneeberg), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 00:20 (nineteen years ago)

Kirsty MacColl/Billy Bragg- "A New England"
Walker Brothers- "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore"

― Joe (Joe), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 00:43 (nineteen years ago)

Elton John - Bitter Fingers
Elton John - I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself
(Nothing says upbeat like a tap dance break in the middle of the song)

Richard & Linda Thompson - When I Get to the Border
Richard & Linda Thompson - Poor Little Beggar Girl
Richard & Linda Thompson - Smiffy's Glass Eye

Matthew Sweet - Thought I Knew You
Matthew Sweet - The Ugly Truth

The Who - Little Billy

Harry Nilsson - You're Breaking My Heart

― Hideous Lump (Hideous Lump), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 02:31 (nineteen years ago)

D.I. - "Richard Hung Himself"

― dave q (listerine), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 08:42 (nineteen years ago)

"Bye Bye Love" especially the version Tommy Steele did on his "variety" show wayyyyyyyyyyyy back in the day.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 08:45 (nineteen years ago)

the police - canary in a coalmine

― Charlie Howard (the sphinx), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 08:45 (nineteen years ago)

Shiina Ringo - 'Yattsuke Shigoto'

― Badrock Example (Barima), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 10:15 (nineteen years ago)

andrew collins' radio 6 show had one of these every episode (this was before he moved to weekends).

Stereolab - Ping Pong: http://www.lyricsdepot.com/stereolab/ping-pong.html

― Koogy Yonderboy (koogs), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 11:39 (nineteen years ago)

Steely Dan 'Black Cow'

― Baaderonixx in the year of the locusts (baaderonixx), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 12:13 (nineteen years ago)

Bob Marley and the Wailers - The Real Situation

― shorty (shorty), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 12:30 (nineteen years ago)

New Order to thread.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 12:34 (nineteen years ago)

and Pet Shop Boys for that matter.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 12:34 (nineteen years ago)

Good thread. Of course, it's hard to pinpoint "melancholy" - or "upbeat" - but Steve Earle has a lot of these, and Steely Dan has more than just "Black Cow"; Nearly every upbeat song they've written is not just melancholy but downright depressing (in the best sense).

New Pornographers' best tunes fit this profile to a T. Mott the Hoople more often than not (I'd be naming specific songs for all these artists, but honestly, more often it'd be easier to name the songs that DIDN'T belong on this thread). "After Hours". Elliot Smith made a career of this, as do Fountains of Wayne (half the time). And most definitely TMBG to thread!

Angry Samoans "Lost Highway". Drive-by Truckers "My Sweet Annette" (and others). Mid-period Roxy Music & solo Bryan Ferry. The Undertones "jimmy Jimmy" and others. Psychedelic Furs! TSOL's 3rd album in its entirety.

Actually this is a vast category, without some definition. What exactly makes "Town Called Malice" melancholy and not resentful or something else? And does "upbeat" refer strictly to the pace of the song, or the use, mostly, of major chords... or what?

― matt the queeg (veal), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 12:40 (nineteen years ago)

Bruce Springsteen: Dancing In The Dark

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 12:44 (nineteen years ago)

The thread title is a song by Russ Abbot.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 12:52 (nineteen years ago)


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