The five creepiest number ones in pop history
No matter how much our listening habits change and the way we consume music alters, there is no escaping the fact that getting a number one single is something that every artist pines for. Climbing up the charts and reaching the same milestone shared by legends such as The Beatles, Queen, Madonna, and every big name in music is an exclusive club, and people will do whatever it takes to join.
The best way to get to the top of the charts is simple: write a great song. Many artists have put their most creative foot forward when trying to come up with catchy songs that would capture the imagination of people everywhere. In doing so, they make songs that climb to the top of the charts and that people across the globe listen to.
While many of these songs have emotive lyrics that appeal broadly to human emotion, some artists decide to push boundaries a bit more than that and, in doing so, make music that is… questionable at best. With themes that range from obsession to violence and assault, some of the songs that have gone all the way to the top of the charts can only ever be described as creepy.
You would be surprised just how many hits actually have quite controversial themes and messages behind them. Here are five of the creepiest pop songs ever written that became number-one singles.
The creepiest number one singles ever released:
Robin Thicke – ‘Blurred Lines’
There was a period when it was impossible to leave your house without hearing this song in some capacity. ‘Blurred Lines’ took going to number one to a whole new level, as every radio station, TV channel, bar and venue was playing it. With such exposure, it didn’t take long for people to take the time to assess the lyrics properly, and when they did, they realised how troubling they were.
A lot of the lyrics are incredibly predatory, as Thicke speaks to women, saying, “I know you want it.” Equally, a lot of the lyrics are degrading as they talk about “Domesticating” women. The older this song gets, the worse the lyrics age, and it’s curious that such a creepy tune was so popular for so long.
The Police – ‘Every Breath You Take’
‘Every Breath You Take’ is often labelled a classic love song, used in romantic montages, and added to sweet-sounding playlists worldwide. This might be all well and good on the surface, but the song is incredibly creepy, as it is sung from the point of view of a completely obsessed person.
The person singing essentially tells whoever the muse is that he will never leave their side. His obsession is so great that he announces he will follow the individual around every chance he gets, ensuring they are never alone and they are never away from him for long.
Eminem – ‘The Monster’
Eminem has never been a rapper that strayed far from controversy. A lot of his earlier songs see him take on a persona who isn’t afraid to offend in his lyricism; however, in his later career, he became slightly more self-aware and dialled things back. However, this new approach took a back seat on his 2014 track ‘The Monster’, which saw him adopt a whole new persona.
Eminem never stands by the lyrics he writes, but ‘The Monster’ still makes for a creepy track with themes of obsession and domestic violence laced throughout. One of the standout lyrics that pricked ears upon release was Eminem’s closing bar of “If she ever tries to fucking leave again, I’m a tie her to the bed and set this house on fire.”
The Rolling Stones – ‘Brown Sugar’
Conceptual music can often be good at offering previously unseen aspects in sound. When people adopt various characters in their songs, we are given insight into various perspectives that we might not have seen previously. That being said, some perspectives simply don’t need to be explored and would be better left alone, as was established with The Rolling Stones’ controversial number ‘Brown Sugar’.
The lyrics in the song are about a white enslaver raping an enslaved black person. It’s not a perspective that is required to be explored through music, especially by the Rolling Stones on a song that is otherwise incredibly upbeat and easy to listen to. The theme of the song and the lyrics don’t match, and this number-one track is just extremely creepy from start to finish.
Kendrick Lamar – ‘Not Like Us’
The song ‘Not Like Us’ has been a huge talking point for almost a year now, recently thrust back into the spotlight thanks to Kendrick Lamar’s appearance at the Super Bowl. There is no escaping the fact that the song is catchy and one of the most definitive moments in a rap beef for the history books, but the actual meaning behind the track is inherently creepy.
While a lot of us sing the lyrics to this song with undeniable glee and chant along to “They not like us” as if it’s a playful chorus, it can’t be overlooked that the overall theme of the song is throwing damning indictments at one of the biggest rappers on the planet. “Certified Lover Boy? Certified paedophile” is a line that would be scorned in other tracks, but in this song, it’s something people willingly sing along to and laugh about.
