In the car today, one of my favorite songs came on, and when I was listening to the lyrics, I noticed something eerily familiar. I'm really into reading about true crime, and I recognized a weird similarity between the song and a pair of serial killers I read about. That prompted me to write this list of 10 songs with super creepy meanings!
Clicking on the picture will take you to the song (in a new tab!).
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10. Neutral Milk Hotel - "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea"
An extra popular song by Neutral Milk Hotel, this song is actually about Anne Frank and the Holocaust. Frontman Jeff Mangum said he read "The Diary of Anne Frank," cried over it for days, and then wrote this song. Pretty touching stuff.
9. U2 - "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
This song is about... basically the last two decades of the 20th century in Ireland. Some speculate it could also be about “Bloody Sunday,” the massacre from 1917 in Russia during the Leninist movement.
8. The Killers - "Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine"
The Killers (despite the name, not all of their songs are about murder) made a trilogy of songs connected to this, but this one is a chart-topper. It’s based on a real murder that happened in Las Vegas, although it’s not clear which one. The Killers took a lot of inspiration from The Smiths' similar songs.
7. Lana del Rey - "Summer of Sam"
Lana del Rey may be the diva of darkness, but I would never expect a song like this out of her.
Pretty much mentioned in the title, this song is about David Berkowitz, aka the serial killer “Son of Sam.” Convicted of a series of shooting attacks that began in NYC in the summer of 1976, he killed six victims. Berkowitz somehow eluded a massive police manhunt for his crime while leaving audacious letters that mocked the police and promised further crimes. He gained international publicity, prompting “Son of Sam laws,” which are the laws that don’t allow criminals to profit from their crimes (since Berkowitz seemed to enjoy the popularity).
6. Interpol - "Pioneer To The Falls"
It could totally be a coincidence, but the timing of the song’s release and the lyrics make it more than likely that this song is about the murder of Imette St. Guillen.
"... St. Guillen assured Higgins that she would soon be leaving for home.She was last seen at 4:00 a.m at a bar named 'The Falls.' Seventeen hours after St. Guillen spoke with her friend, Brooklyn police received an anonymous phone call alerting them to a dead woman's body. They soon identified it as St. Guillen. Her body was nude, wrapped in a comforter. Her broken fingernails showed she fought against her attacker. Her hands and feet were tied, a sock had been shoved down her throat, and her head was wrapped in packing tape. Some of her hair had been cut off. An autopsy revealed that she had been beaten and sexually assaulted before being asphyxiated. According to forensic psychologist Dr. Stephanie Stolinsky, the killer 'tried to dehumanize her completely. ... Whenever you hide someone's face, it means that you don't want to see them as a human being. You want to pretend that they're just an object.'"
5. The Phantom Sensation - "Sunrise (Tell The World I Was A Gentleman)"
This is about the Japanese serial killer Miyazaki Tsutomu (Tsutomu Miyazaki). During the late ‘80s he tortured and murdered at least four young girls in the Tokyo/Saitama area. The entire album is actually dedicated to Miyazaki, who was dubbed the “Otaku Killer” when investigators found hundreds of anime and snuff films in his bedroom.
4. Marilyn Manson - "Disposable Teens"
This song is about the Columbine High School Massacre shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who murdered 12 students and one teacher in 1999. They injured 21 additional people, and three more were injured while attempting to escape the school. The pair committed suicide. Although their motives remain unclear even today, Harris and Klebold’s personal journals document that they planned the shooting months in advance and wanted to become more infamous than all of the other deadly incidents of the '90s.
Although many think that Marilyn Manson caused the Columbine Massacre, it was, in fact, the opposite. This song was made after the school shooting and is about the shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Manson got fed up with people blaming the shootings on him so he made a song about it just to shut everyone up.
3. Neko - "Deep Red Bells"
Despite the upbeat tune, this song is about the Green River Killer, Gary Ridgeway. He was initially convicted of 48 separate murders of women and girls in Washington State during the 1980s and 1990s. As part of his plea bargain, an additional conviction was added, making him the most copious American serial killer in history. Most of his victims were alleged to be prostitutes and other women in vulnerable situations, including underage runaways. The press gave him his nickname after the first five victims were found in the Green River before his identity was known.
2. Boomtown Rats - "I Don’t Like Mondays"
This is based on the school shooter Brenda Spencer, who killed two faculty members and injured 12 children in 1979 at Cleveland Elementary School, right here in San Diego. When asked why she carried out the shooting, she answered: "I don't like Mondays." Fun fact: I attended the school the shooting happened at in second grade (2006). I’m pretty sure my school leased the property temporarily because it was closed down after the shootings and the city was renting it out for cheap (you could actually see some bullet grazes in the walls outside). Glad I wasn’t alive in 1979.
1. The Smiths - "Suffer Little Children"
This song by The Smiths undoubtedly earned its way to the top of this list. Ironically, the title is a bible verse taken from the book of Matthew (why would Jesus say this?). It’s based off the serial killer couple Ian Bradley and Myra Hindley, who murdered 5 children aged between 10 and 17 during the 1960s. They’ve been dubbed the “Moors Murders” since the dumping place was always a shallow grave at Saddleworth Moor in Manchester, England.
Unlike many songs, this is told from the point of view of the victims and their families. Families were originally outraged by the song, but when Morrissey explained his meaning to them, it actually provided some closure. They definitely don’t use metaphors in this song, explicitly mentioning the names of the victims such as Lesley Ann Downey and John Kilbride, and having the hook, “Over the
