Creepy stalkerish “love songs”

Why do some creepy songs fail to get a reputation for being creepy? Whenever you mention the topic of creepy love songs, everyone brings up ?Every Breath You Take? by the Police. But there are worse, and you probably know some of them. in fact, you probably like some of them. Let?s look at three of them: Cherish by the Association; Take a Letter, Maria by R.B. Greaves and To Be With You by Mr. Big.

Cherish by the Association, was released in 1966, so it?s the oldest song here. If you don?t know it, listen here – it?s very pleasant. It just happens to be about a guy stalking a pretty girl and wishing that he could mold her into someone who would be attracted to him. yeah, nothing creepy there.

Take a Letter, Maria is almost as old, released in 1969. The song is about a man who believes that he?s caught his wife cheating, so he decides to run off with his secretary – after dictating his divorce announcement to her, for her to type up and send his wife. There are some weird innuendos in the song, suggesting that he may have strayed first, but hell hath no fury like a cuckolded man. He?s so mad, he?ll write a letter – well, his secretary will write a letter, then he’ll sleep with her.

Mr Big?s To Be With You is probably my least liked song (beating out Trio?s Da Da Da). This song is flat out creepy, yet everyone treats it like a love song. Does he ever say he loves her? No. Does he ever say ?you and me forever?? No. Does he ever say anything other than ?I?m the next in line to be with you?? No. What does that mean, ?Next in Line to be with you?? It means that he sees her as a commodity that can be experienced if you wait long enough – hey, my number?s next! Woohoo!

Now reading up on this song for this article, I noticed that the song was written by a teenager who had a crush on his older sister?s friend, and that makes the song somewhat more forgivable. But this isn?t a song that adults, or anyone mature, should embrace as anything other than teenage horniness.

I?m sure there other creepy songs (Radiohead?s Creep is a bit too obvious). The video for Justin Timberlake?s What Come Around made the song creepier, since he?s basically stalking and perving on Britney Spears in that one.

What songs creep you out?

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