Top 10 Most Disturbing Songs Because of What We Know Now
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for pieces of music that, in light of dark events that occurred after their release, now induce chills. Which songs do you have a hard time listening to because of something terrible that’s associated with them? Let us know in the comments… if you dare.
#10: “Bump n’ Grind” (1994)
R. Kelly
Any song that begins with those lyrics would be considered to have aged like milk. However, when you take into account singer Kelly’s literal decades of misconduct allegations, the lyrics to “Bump n’ Grind” take on an entirely new context that would churn the stomach of even the most hardened listener. Originally acquitted in 2008 of misconduct charges involving minors, Kelly was sentenced to 31 years in prison following convictions in 2021 and ‘23. Kelly’s self-admitted inability to control his inhibitions on “Bump n’ Grind” now leaves listeners hitting “skip.” After the premiere of “Surviving R. Kelly” in 2019, Lady Gaga scrubbed a version of her 2013 hit “Do What U Want” that featured Kelly from streaming services. Good call!
#9: “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” (2015)
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Mike Posner
Posner’s tropical dance floor anthem is already a deceptively dark song. Its shockingly blunt lyrics find the “Cooler Than Me” singer lamenting on the hollow nature of fame, and the stark realization that money and material possessions won’t make you happy. The song’s chorus, however, is where things really start to become eerie: it namedrops the late producer Avicii, and according to Posner, refers to a real-life incident in which he followed the Swedish DJ to the titular island and succumbed to peer pressure. Tragically, Avicii, born Tim Bergling, took his own life in 2018, reportedly following years-long struggles with addiction. Knowing that turns a cautionary tale into an uneasy, unintentional tribute.
#8: “2009” (2018)
Mac Miller
Hip hop fans were hit hard in September 2018 when Pittsburgh native Miller, born Malcolm McCormick, passed away from a drug overdose. Those same fans were also quick to point out that Miller had never shied away from addressing themes of addiction and depression in his music. In particular, they looked to “2009,” the penultimate song on his 2018 album “Swimming,” Miller’s last before 2020’s posthumous “Circles.” The song alludes to Miller’s difficulty with his rapid rise to fame — the title is a reference to the release year of his first mixtapes. Over a gentle, twinkling beat, Miller rap-sings about using to ease his pain, and most heartbreakingly of all, argues that “an angel’s supposed to fly.”
#7: “I Need a Girl (Part Two)” (2002)
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P. Diddy
Not unlike “Bump n’ Grind,” the lyrics to the sequel to “I Need a Girl (Part One)” probably elicited cringe from listeners at the time (in this case, the year 2002). Written and co-produced by Sean “P. Diddy” Combs himself, the song raises eyebrows more than once. Did Puffy just compare the love of his life to… a brother? And for that matter, why are these brothers doing that? The chorus will definitely make you wince, too. While “I Need a Girl” the second was already uncomfortable enough, that feeling doubled after Combs was hit with multiple misconduct and assault lawsuits at the end of 2023.
#6: “That’ll Be the Day” (1957)
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Buddy Holly
February 3rd, 1959 is known as “the Day the Music Died” for a reason. That was the day that three rock n’ roll legends met a tragic and storied end when their plane crashed in Iowa — they were Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and “the Big Bopper” J. P. Richardson. The man born Charles Hardin Holley had only relatively recently made his major-label breakthrough album, “That’ll Be the Day.” That album’s title track was a massive hit within the final year of Holly’s life. Its chorus, detailing Holly’s confidence that his relationship will never end, became tragically ironic following that plane crash, when in reality, his wife María Elena was widowed.
#5: “New Dawn Fades” (1979)
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Joy Division
One of the literal progenitors of the gothic rock subgenre, it goes without saying that Joy Division’s songs are already pretty spooky to begin with. Singer Ian Curtis, plagued by mental health and substance use disorder issues, took his own life on the 18th of May in 1980, aged only 23. Curtis’ songwriting tackled these topics head-on, and this is no more apparent than on “New Dawn Fades.” Over a plodding drumbeat that supports a fuzzy, Black Sabbath-tinged guitar riff, Curtis bares his soul about his total hopelessness in that unique baritone.
#4: “Legends” (2018)
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Juice WRLD
Jarad Higgins, better known to the general public as “Juice WRLD,” was plagued by similar issues to Mac Miller. Higgins, a major proponent of the 2010s emo-rap scene, was perhaps even more unflinchingly honest about his substance use problem. A not-insignificant portion of his discography is devoted to this very topic. “Legends,” which appears on the artist’s 2018 EP “Too Soon”, as well as his posthumous 2021 album “Fighting Demons”, makes chilling predictions to this effect. This is especially haunting when you consider that Higgins died in 2019 at the age of 21… exactly as the chorus of this song anticipates.
#3: “Rehab” (2006)
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Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse’s once-in-a-lifetime talent was grounded in her attitude - her unwillingness to be anything but authentically herself. That meant writing songs that drew extensively from her tumultuous personal life, which was the subject of mass media coverage and public scrutiny in the 2000s — so much so that her first album was entitled simply “Frank.” The release of her second album, “Back to Black”, was preceded by the single “Rehab,” produced by Mark Ronson. The upbeat, Motown-inspired tune, in Winehouse’s characteristically uncompromising manner, details the artist’s refusal to give in to the demands of those around her. The British songbird’s 2011 passing, induced by alcohol poisoning, permanently lent “Rehab” an unsettling double meaning. Add “Back to Black’s” title song for an extra dose of spookiness.
#2: “Come As You Are” (1992)
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Nirvana
It’s no secret that Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain was a master of dark, unsettling songwriting. In fact, there were multiple examples that stood out to us —in particular, “I Hate Myself and Want to Die,” the title of which clashes with its irreverent, seemingly unrelated lyrics. “Come As You Are” adopts a similar tone, but takes on even more layers following Cobain’s untimely end in 1994. Specifically, the song’s verses consist of contradictory commands, and its bridge is Cobain declaring that he doesn’t have a gun. Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of Nirvana’s backstory can tell you precisely why this gives them goosebumps.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
“Leaving on a Jet Plane”, (1966) John Denver
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Foreshadows the Way Denver Met His End in 1997
“Pretty Noose”, (1996) Soundgarden
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Same as John Denver, But for Chris Cornell in 2017
“My Ding-a-Ling”, (1972) Chuck Berry
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A Fairly Creepy Song Even Before Considering Berry’s Numerous Misconduct Scandals
“Time in a Bottle”, (1973) Jim Croce
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#1: “Look at Your Game, Girl” (1970)
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Charles Manson
You probably already have a pretty good idea as to how this song ended up on our list. Music producer Phil Kaufman met Charles Manson while the two were imprisoned at the same facility. The two became friends, and Kaufman later recorded Manson’s debut album “Lie: The Love and Terror Cult” through 1967 into ‘68. Among those songs was “Look at Your Game, Girl.” An innocuous, simplistic folk song on the surface, its lyrics have been reexamined in the wake of Manson’s infamous 1969 crime spree. In its review of the album, AllMusic described the song as “[embodying his] fundamental approach to influencing young women by targeting their socially imposed hang-ups.” Suddenly, “Look at Your Game, Girl” isn’t so innocuous.
