Every time you had your heart broken, you turned to music. Every heartbreak song was written about your breakup, your broken heart, your exact situation. It’s like they knew you, right?
However, there are some songs many of us danced to back then, not realizing that what they were actually singing about was the heartbreak they went through, till you listen to the lyrics carefully.
To the Gen Z that think ‘Last Last’ by Burna Boy is the most turned up heartbreak song ever.
Let’s take you down memory lane as we bring to you 5 SONGS THAT ARE LYRICALLY SAD, BUT ARE ALSO DANCEABLE.
- SOLANGE: LOSING YOU
This Solange breakthrough track boasts an array of sounds including electronic rhythms, African percussion and a plodding house beat, which was a single from her True EP.
Despite its danceable groove, it’s actually a heartbreak song. Solange’s vocals are brooding as she sings of a failed relationship that has run its course.
- OUTKAST: HEY YA
This is most likely Outkast’s most popular song for some people. ‘Hey Ya’ was off their 2003 album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.
This sad song was about a relationship in crisis, the solo effort from Andre 3000 possessed the verve of a 60s pop song, and not forgetting Big Boi’s flow.
The song is undeniably catchy, cleverly subversive, and unexpectedly profound. ‘Hey Ya’ is even consistently ranked as one of the greatest songs of the 2000s.
- FOSTER THE PEOPLE: PUMPED UP KICKS
We can comfortably say that “Pumped Up Kicks” is Foster the People’s greatest song ever.
The song was the ultimate breakthrough for the band, which turned Mark Foster’s fortunes from a jingle writer based in Los Angeles to one of the most promising rock artists.
“Pumped Up Kicks” was the band’s debut single which was later added to their 2011 album, Torches. The song details the thoughts of a youth who has given up on life.
In the song, Mark Foster brings about several themes, including gun violence and mental illness, but it is one of the most infectious choruses ever written. It was a great, catchy but also a very scary song.
- CANDI STATON: YOUNG HEART RUN FREE
This is another great song from the disco era of the ’70s, the song was about ending up in an abusive relationship with what feels like no way out, but it has a wider resonance.
‘Young Hearts Run Free’ was born after Candi told the songwriter David Crawford about the abusive relationship she was in at the time.
This song is one of the truly great songs of the time, that you just want to stand up and dance.
- SEAN KINGSTON: BEAUTIFUL GIRLS
This is a very catchy track especially the chorus by Sean Kingston, however not so many knew what it was about.
The 2007 hit song is about a boy who feels “suicidal” or “in denial” (in the edited version) over being unable to be with a beautiful girl.
It was off Sean Kingston’s self-titled studio album. The contemporary R&B song received nominations for the Kids’ Choice Award for Favourite Song and more.
See the video below for more!