22 Music Videos That Made People Realize How Dark A Song Was

“‘You’re Beautiful’ by James Blunt. I honestly had no idea this was a dark song and was so confused watching the music video. When he jumped into the water after laying out all his personal belongings, I was so shocked to find out this song was about suicide. He really took the lyric, ‘But it’s time to face the truth, I will never be with you’ seriously…”

—christinel459791388

“The song itself is pretty somber and dramatic, but it’s nothing compared to the music video. Also, while the song makes you think about a toxic lover, the music video takes the lyrics and gives them a deeper message regarding LGBTQ lives and their difficulties.”

—orenlevko

What the video is about: Two men hide their love, but are found out by a group of anti-gay people who beat one up while the other watches and trash and burn down houses of gay men.

“(It’s) basically about an abusive relationship that ends in the abuser regretting his actions leading to her death.”

—christianf4f13844d1

“You can tell it’s a pretty dark song by listening, but then when you see the video, you see the faces of actual missing people, their names, and how long they’ve been missing. Then it has dramatizations of kids being abused: one girl gets taken by a group of men into a van, a baby gets stolen while on a walk with the mom. Those images with the lyrics? Chills every time…”

—tracy110302

“I didn’t realize until I saw the video that she wrote it as a tribute to the Pulse club massacre.”

—bridgeylav

“The beats and music make it seem so upbeat. But that music video absolutely DESTROYED ME.”

—fillionfan4002

“Not exactly dark, but the music video for Happier is soooooo sad. I cried when I watched it and now I can’t even listen to the song anymore.”

—haleyw4ae66dcb9

What the video is about: A young girl, crying at her birthday, gets a puppy who lights up her life. The dog grows up with her and helps her feel better when she doesn’t fit in, but then he gets sick and dies. At the end, the girl’s own daughter is gifted a puppy just like the one she had.

“It’s a really cool video in reverse where you see a fighting invasion scene. It’s weird until you watch it in non-reverse, and then it’s just terrifying.”

—katyaeps

“‘The A Team’ music video by Ed Sheeran made me realize that the song is extremely dark. It’s about a cocaine addict [and] sex worker, which I didn’t understand until after I saw the music video.”

—rachelmay

“The original song is already pretty sad and somber, but the music video heightens it by including allusions to tragic events in the group’s lives, many of which inspired the song itself (Brian’s open heart surgery, Denniz PoP’s death, Kevin losing his father, Howie losing his sister, and one of their fans being run over by a bus on her way to one of the group’s concerts). It’s dark in an extremely sad, meaningful, and poetic way.”

—biab4b0b82c3f

“The lyrics definitely tell you it’s about not listening to the demons in your head and remembering you are loved, but the music video with the attempted suicide just darkened it way more. The ending DEFINITELY makes up for it though. It’s a beautiful song and video.

—haileyannes

“I had no idea what that song was actually about until I saw the video.”

—cruelsummer89

What the video is about: The video uses actual footage from the Troubles, a conflict in Northern Ireland between unionists and nationalists. This was fitting, as the song was written as a protest song in memory of two boys killed during a bombing that took place during the Troubles: Johnathan Ball and Tim Parry. The video was actually banned by the BBC and the RTÉ, Ireland’s national broadcaster, due to its violent imagery.

“The song is upbeat and came out in a time when the club was full of upbeat/trance style EDM instead of techno. The music video is the only video that has ever made me feel sad, happy, and horny all at the same time. It goes into her relationship with Chris Brown [and] her relationship with drugs and being a star. It’s dark but loved.”

—biancamickle

“It sounds like a beautiful love song but then the video depicts domestic violence.”

—hollygolightly20102

“‘The Scientist’ by Coldplay. Gutted.”

—cheezesamwich

What the video is about: A couple swerves to avoid a truck and they get in an accident where the woman dies.

“You think it’s just a love song until you realize they had a dispute and her boyfriend takes off mad and dies in an accident.”

—jazlyns2

“[The] song is already sad as hell but man, that video just kills you.”

—arya909

What the video is about: A teenager’s boyfriend leaves her house and gets into a car accident and dies.

“I guess I never really paid attention to the lyrics until I saw the video.”

—ureallyannoyme

What the video is about: A woman’s husband is infertile, so she goes to pick up a hitchhiker and have sex with him to get pregnant.

“The song is an angry jab at her cheating ex. The video shows him drowning her and her returning as a ghost and haunting him.”

—onech44

“I first saw it when I was about 12 and didn’t quite grasp what it was about. it was just a great song. It wasn’t until a few years ago when I rewatched it and cried. What a heartbreaking song.”

—amyo4331d6c40

What the video’s about: Various scenes of death and tragedy play out, such as a young boy getting killed on the street while dealing drugs and a couple dying of AIDS.

“The song itself isn’t necessarily that dark, but the music video for ‘Stephen’ by Kesha gets dark real quick. It turns the song from being about an unrequited crush to stalking and kidnapping.”

—blazeg2

“The song ‘Legends’ by Kelsea Ballerini is a beautiful song…until you see the video: the father dying in a car accident on his son’s birthday. Heartbreaking.”

—alwayshope123