Five amazing songs from the perspective of terrible people
Music has seen its fair share of villains and miscreants immortalised in song, but it’s far less common for an artist to step into the shoes of such a character and sing from their perspective. Whether it’s the reluctance to embody the mindset of a wrongdoer (because, of course, rock musicians always strive to maintain pristine reputations) or the challenge of singing from a perspective far removed from their own, assuming the role of a deeply unpleasant persona is no easy task.
However, it has been done, and done to great effect, and often these characters are not just people from the fringes of society that you only hear about after they’ve carried out horrendous acts, they’re people you’ve met and encounter on a daily basis.
The lecherous creep at the local pub – you’ve met him before. The slovenly dude down the road who takes advantage of everyone he knows – you know that guy, too. So do the people writing about these individuals. Some of them are them.
The beauty of writing from a fictional character’s point of view is you can make it as ludicrous as you want, and exaggerated detachment from reality can sometimes be the most effective way to tell the stories of these reprehensible individuals. From the debauched to the desperate, here are five examples of songs written and sung from the perspective of terrible individuals.
Five great songs from the perspective of terrible people:
‘Ain’t Nice’ – Viagra Boys
Swedish punks Viagra Boys know just how to make your skin crawl with their lyrics. Their music manages to be riotous fun while also providing a wealth of discomfort that you feel it’s necessary to take a hot shower after listening to an album of theirs, purely for how loaded with filth they can be. Their latest album, Cave World, is an exploration of all the most deplorable people in modern society, from internet trolls to conspiracy theorists.
However, we all love a good villain origin story, and the genesis of frontman Sebastian Murphy’s wicked ways stems from the opening track of their second album, Welfare Jazz, where Murphy outlines all the reasons why he ‘Ain’t Nice’. Compared to the depths of depravity that we’ll be going into later in the list, Murphy’s character is simply just an asshole, stealing from those around him and generally being an irresponsible boozehound that makes life hell for others.
‘Folsom Prison Blues’ – Johnny Cash
Most of the heinous individuals who narrate songs take pride in their miscreant ways and lap up all of the glory that comes with being notorious for their actions. They feed off everyone else’s disgust, and it only makes them even more powerful and dastardly, extending their lawless reign of terror. Being bad is nothing but a badge of honour to them.
In the case of ‘Folsom Prison Blues’, this couldn’t be further from the truth, as Johnny Cash’s character feels a great sense of remorse for the sins he has committed as he sits in his cell and is reminded about the freedoms of the outside world that he had to relinquish. The cold-blooded killer who “shot a man in Reno just to watch him die” knows he has wronged, and he is forever haunted by the fact that he will never get to lead a normal life again.
‘Big Man With a Gun’ – Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails’ second album, The Downward Spiral, is an album all about losing a grip on reality, and the point of view that Trent Reznor sings from is one that portrays him as someone with violent and sadistic desires that he wants to enact. It’s never clear through much of the album whether this is all fantasy or if there are genuine plans being made to go through with these acts, as the protagonist’s worldview is so distorted and detached from the world he lives in.
The closest things get to Reznor’s character unleashing a torment of suffering on those around him is on the track ‘Big Man With a Gun’, which sees the narrator boast about all the vile things that he wants to do. The ‘gun’ in the song title can be taken in two different senses, either literally being a weapon with which he will maim people or as a euphemism for his member, referring to the more perverted carnal desires that he has. Either way, the character speaking these words is disturbed beyond belief.
‘Holy, Holy’ – Geordie Greep
There was always a smattering of dark surrealism on Black Midi’s records, with the band tackling themes of cult leaders, lead-poisoned water supplies and the apocalypse across their triptych of bonkers art rock albums. While he wasn’t the sole songwriter in the band, it was clear that guitarist Geordie Greep was chief madman in the group, and his lofty ambitions for where the band should go next were ultimately what caused them to separate, with Greep swiftly announcing his debut solo album, The New Sound.
Over the album’s hour-long runtime, Greep introduces a host of despicable characters who he chooses to slip into the shoes of, many of whom are power-hungry men suffering midlife crises and delusions of grandeur. On the album’s lead single, ‘Holy, Holy’, we’re subjected to lengthy tales from the local lothario who loves to brag about his sordid sexual exploits and how he’s a master on the pull. We’ve all met men like this narrator, and the reality is that behind the pompous facade is a pathetic slimeball.
‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’ – AC/DC
Bon Scott was always adept at writing cheeky, filthy, but clever lyrics, but the character he assumes on the title track from AC/DC’s 1976 album Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap is one with especially questionable morals. While the narrator here initially seems as though he’s offering consolation and comfort to someone being harassed by their school teacher, his actual intentions are far more gruesome.
After dishing out his phone number to the victim, it becomes quickly apparent that he’s a hitman for hire and is willing to go to any length to bump off any other crooks – for a reasonable fee, of course. While there are aspects to his gesture that might seem like he’s doing the honourable thing, he’s still a murderer, and the fact he’s soliciting money from others to carry out his crimes of retaliation makes it clear he’s only really after the cash and isn’t bothered about the safety of others.
