Creepy tunes

David Lynch to thread!

"In the Year 2525" is just messed up, and the poor fidelity makes it more so.

"Love the One You're With" by Stephen Stills. I hate this song so much.

That said, the actual creepiest Top 40 song I can think of is Gary Puckett & the Union Gap's "Young Girl" (late '60s): "Young girl, get out of my life/my love for you is way out of line/better run, girl/you're much too young, girl." But I maintain that part of what's creepy about it is his delivery--sort of a dinner-club slickness.

John Cale's version made it palpably creepy.

Agreed. I despised the story, so I change the lyrics when I sing along so that the man instead commits suicide:

Take a letter, Maria / Address it to my wife
Say I won't be coming home / Gonna take my own life

And then you just kind of omit the part about being a lech and hitting on your secretary. Or maybe that's part of the plan - she feels sorry for him, and he gets sympathy sex. Ugh, I feel so dirty.

I recommend the Pleasure Barons' version, which escalates the hatefulness hugely, to mighty and hilarious effect.

Anybody else wonder about Neil Young's "A Man Needs A Maid"? Why does he need a maid so bad? I think Neil has less-than-employerly feelings for his maid, that's my take on it...

"Timothy" by the Buoys. Only top 40 hit that I'm aware of about cannibalism.

"Diary" by Bread. What the hell was her diary doing underneath a tree? Why was the narrator so self-absorbed? And what did he do to her after he realized she was writing about someone else? I just don't believe it when he says he's glad she found the love she waited for and as he walks through his life he would wish for her all the sweet things life she can find -- he's lying, I swear.

"Tin Man" by America - I never understood any of their lyrics, but that line about "the tropic of sir galahad" never fails to freak me out.

"Muskrat Love" - eww.

Listen to 'Little Souljah's Need Love Too.'

Oh your a pretty thing
Somebody must have been nice to you
Oh walking down the lane
Coming back from the catholic school

Hey! Hey! Hey! Little Child Hey! Little child

Oh little fool
Are you learning anything in school?
Maybe you should drop out
Maybe travel way down south

Hey! Hey! Hey! Little child Hey! Little child
Hey! Sacred Heart Hey! Little Child

Now you look so forlorn
Passing by in your uniform

also "Still You Turn Me On" by ELP -- "though your flesh has crystallized / still you turn me on" what the hell is this song about?

"Body of a woman" "Mind of a child" "Shadow you sure do drive me wild" "You're only 14 years old"

esp. the use of in John Carpenter's Halloween...

speaking of JC, how about Boards of Canada's giggly children against the archaic projector aural backdrop (sampling John Carpenter's Escape From New York)?

One can only wonder what is meant by "pizazz" in this context. Whatever, it's hysterical. I love Tom Petty's "Breakdown", btw.

"Peekin'/Oh I'm Peekin'/I'm peekin' at you!/Do Me that Favour! pLEEASE/ PLEASSE TAKE YOUR CLOTHES OFF!"

As a twelve year old at the time, I found it pretty amusing, but in hindsight, the gents in Brass Construction weren't setting a particularly positive example, now, were they!

the obvious one here is Roy Orbison's 'In Dreams'.

it's a fucking creepy song anyway, even if you haven't seen the film.

'hurt so good c'mon baby make it HURT SO GOOD cause sometimes LOVE DON'T FEEL LIKE IT SHOULD?????????????????'

You live your life in the songs you hear
On the rock and roll radio
And when a young girl doesn't have any friends
That's a really nice place to go
Folks hoping you'd turn out cool
But they had to take you outta school
You're a little touched you know, Angie Baby

Lovers appear in your room each night
And they whirl you across the floor
But they always seem to fade away
When your daddy taps on your door
Angie girl, are you all right
Tell the radio good-night
All alone once more, Angie Baby

Angie Baby, you're a special lady
Living in a world of make-believe
Well, maybe

Stopping at her house is a neighbor boy
With evil on his mind
'Cause he's been peeking in Angie's room
At night through her window blind
I see your folks have gone away
Would you dance with me today
I'll show you how to have a good time, Angie Baby

When he walks in her room,
He feels confused like he's walked into a play
And the music's so loud it spins him around
'Til his soul has lost its way
And as she turns the volume down
He's getting smaller with the sound
It seems to pull him off the ground
Toward the radio he's bound never to be found

The headlines read that a boy disappeared
and everyone thinks he died
'Cept a crazy girl with a secret lover
Who keeps her satisfied
It's so nice to be insane
No one asks you to explain
Radio by your side, Angie Baby

Angie Baby, you're a special lady
Living in a world of make-believe
Well, maybe
Well, maybe

"The Eye" by King Diamond

Hazard by Richard Marx

No one has mentioned "You're Sixteen"?

or the obvious "Happy Together"

The Hollies got creepier as they got older, still writing songs about makings smores with their schoolyard crush.

And "Stop Stop Stop," about a guy repeatedly attempting to rape a bellydancer:

...Closer, closer she is getting nearer
Soon she'll be in reach
As I enter into a spotlight
She stands lost for speech

Now I hold her, people are staring
Don't know what to think
And we struggle, knocking over tables
Spilling all the drinks

Can't they understand that I want her
Happens every week
Heavy hand upon my collar
Throws me in the street

one creepy (yacht) rock song to rule them all:

She's just 16 years old
Leave her alone, they said
Separated by fools
Who don't know what love is yet

on the song meanings site, one commentor defends the song:

The song is about a young girl who lived in Benny's apartment building in Spanish Halem. The father of the girl ran out on her and her mother was never around. Benny felt bad and hired her to walk his dog. The song was inspired to be of a parental love, not a pedophile. If you don't believe me check out the www.kazaa.com/us/audio/Benny_Mardones. I used to think it was a pretty sick song until I researched its meaning. This should put to rest any idea that it is a song about a pedophile.

yeah, that puts it to rest.

I can't be the only one who finds The Bee Gees' "Sweet Song of Summer" intensely creepy, can I?

Luna's "Tracy, I Love You" is another creepy stalker song.

Time in a Bottle creeps me out too - sounds like death.

The Who, "Fiddle About." Made creepier when sung by Keith Moon.