Grimsby Poets Forums

Love has always been the dominant theme in songwriting. But there have been numbers of great songs that could be called anti-love songs - song favouring Greed (Money, Material Girl ?), Crime (I Shot The Sheriff ?), Drugs (Hey Jude ?) or *** (Long Tall Sally ?).

Some of these songs have been blatently anti-love. But some have presented as pro-love like maybe Hey Jude - perhaps intended to be taken as a love song by the young and to be taken as pro-drugs or pro-peace by more knowing adults. Of course songwriters intentions do not always work - many kids may have adult understanding and many adults may have only shallow understanding.

Among grey-area songs may be some anarchy songs - more pro-love anarchy (San Francisco ?) and more anti-love anarchy (Schools Out ?) ?

Some of the 'anti-love' songs can be found in other posts on this forum, but below is Material Girl ;

MATERIAL GIRL - Madonna
Written by Peter Brown and Robert Rans

Some boys kiss me, some boys hug me
I think they're O.K.
If they don't give me proper credit
I just walk away

They can beg and they can plead
But they can't see the light, that's right
'Cause the boy with the cold hard cash
Is always Mister Right, 'cause we are

Living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl

Some boys romance, some boys slow dance
That's all right with me
If they can't raise my interest then I
Have to let them be

Some boys try and some boys lie but
I don't let them play
Only boys who save their pennies
Make my rainy day, 'cause they are

Living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl

Living in a material world (material)
Living in a material world
Living in a material world (material)
Living in a material world

Boys may come and boys may go
And that's all right you see
Experience has made me rich
And now they're after me, 'cause everybody's

Living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl

A material, a material, a material, a material world

Living in a material world (material)
Living in a material world

A very good post Grimdad. I do like Material Girl, a real improvement on the earlier Big Spender by Shirley Bassey and others that said about the same thing.

Hey Jude is a trickier song that many people have different interpretations of. It was released in 1968 with Revolution as a single, crediting both songs as by John Lennon and Paul McCartney though there is little doubt that Paul chiefly developed the Hey Jude lyric and John chiefly developed the Revolution lyric. Paul leaned more to classic love ideas (more commercial?) while John leaned more to then current hippie peace-love-(drugs) ideas (less commercial?), but they did then work closely together and shared ideas on many if not all of their songs.

After John Lennon'd death in 1980, Paul McCartney claimed that he alone wrote Hey Jude and numbers of other Lennon-McCartney songs but some doubt at least some of these claims as there was big money involved and the dead cannot reply. Hey Lude was said by Paul to have been written by him to tell divorce kids like John's son Julien that it would be better to forget losing mom and embrace a new stepmom (though Paul did not actually like Julien's new stepmom Yoko Ono).

But some saw Hey Jude (not being Hey Jule) as a peace song telling Jews and Israel it would be better to forget the Holocost and embrace their neighbours, and others saw it as hippie song saying forget misery and embrace drugs since it has many drug-like references. Most perhaps took it as a hippie pro-love song to forget the rat race and embrace a life of love.

The classic love ideas are basically simpler than the hippie love-peace-(drugs) ideas which were perhaps more socially well intentioned but based on some major delusions. The 1960's hippie idea peace and love could be promoted by the use of drugs, or some drug, was based on the fact that moderate use of marijuana initially has a mellowing effect, though prolonged or heavier use involves more negative affects. Widespread experimenting with many drugs has not produced any good drug of the kind hippies hoped for. And drug 'mellowing' is in any case more an apathy than any real peace or love. The admirable desire for peace then was a reaction to the nuclear war threat and the cold war especially. Of course there were many who strongly supported the peace and social love idea whitout supporting drugs.

The early Beatle song lyrics were almost all classic love based, by by 1968 they were doing almost all hippie style lyrics. I do incline to take Hey Jude as chiefly a hippie world love song, with Revolution as a hippie peace love song, but I do think Hey Jude also has an intended pro-drugs double-meaning and possibly also a Jewish peace meaning. The no doubt correct divorce inspiration for it does not exist at all in the finished song words to me. In any case, below are the great lyrics to both Hey Jude and Revolution ;

HEY JUDE - John Lennon & Paul McCartney 1968.

Hey Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

Hey Jude, don't be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better

And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah

Hey Jude, don't let me down
You have found her, now go and get her (Let it out and let it in)
Remember (Hey Jude) to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin
You're waiting for someone to perform with
And don't you know that it's just you, hey Jude, you'll do
The movement you need is on your shoulder
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah yeah

Hey Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her under your skin (Oh)
Then you'll begin (Let it out) to make it
Better better better better better better (Make it Jude) oh

(Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah) Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah, (Make it Jude) nah nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah, (Make it Jude) nah nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah, (Ow) nah nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah, (Make it Jude) nah nah nah nah, hey Jude
(Jude Jude Jude Jude Jude Jude ow whoa) Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah, (Ow ho nah nah nah) nah nah nah nah, hey Jude
(Jude Jude Jude Jude Jude) Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah, (Yeah yeah yeah) nah nah nah nah, hey Jude
(Well you know you can make it Jude Jude, you're not gonna break it) Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah, (Don't make it bad Jude, take a sad song and make it better) nah nah nah nah, hey Jude
(Jude, hey Jude, waoh) Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah, (Oh Jude) nah nah nah nah, hey Jude
(Hey hey hey hey hey) Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah, hey Jude
(Now Jude Jude Jude Jude Jude Jude yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah) Nah nah nah nah nah nah, (Wow yeah) nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah, (A-nah nah nah nah) nah nah nah nah, hey Jude
(Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah oh wah oh yeah) Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah, (Make it better Jude) nah nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah, hey Jude
(Yeah yeah hey hey) Nah nah nah nah nah nah, (Make it Jude) nah nah nah, (Yeah yeah yeah) hey Jude
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah, yeah) Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah, (Ha ha ha ha ha ha) nah nah nah nah, (My my my my my my my) hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah, (Ooh) nah nah nah nah, hey Jude
(Well nah nah nah) Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah, hey Jude (fade out)


REVOLUTION - John Lennon & Paul McCartney 1968.

You say you want a revolution
Well you know
We all want to change the world
You tell me that it's evolution
Well you know
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know you can count me out
Don't you know it's gonna be alright
Alright Alright

You say you got a real solution
Well you know
We'd all love to see the plan
You ask me for a contribution
Well you know
We're doing what we can
But when you want money for people with minds that hate
All I can tell you is brother you have to wait
Don't you know it's gonna be alright
Alright Alright

You say you'll change the constitution
Well you know
We all want to change your head
You tell me it's the institution
Well you know
You better free your mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao
You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow
Don't you know know it's gonna be alright
Alright Alright

Yes nice Clare. The Beatles did indeed largely do pro-love songs, the early Beatles songs mostly around classic love themes and later Beatles songs mostly around hippie peace-love themes. But they did do a very few anti-love songs like Money which were mostly covers not written by them.

I suppose the few anti-love songs they did like Money were done for commercial reasons. A bit strange maybe since Love which may seem an anti-commercial idea has always been the biggest selling and most commercial theme for songs ?!

Here is a list of songs recorded by The Beatles ;

A Day In The Life - by Lennon/McCartney
A Hard Day's Night - by Lennon/McCartney
A Taste Of Honey - by Scott/Marlow
Across The Universe - by Lennon/McCartney
Act Naturally - by Morrison/Russell
All I've Got To Do - by Lennon/McCartney
All My Loving - by Lennon/McCartney
All Together Now - by Lennon/McCartney
All You Need Is Love - by Lennon/McCartney
And I Love Her - by Lennon/McCartney
And Your Bird Can Sing - by Lennon/McCartney
Anna (Go To Him) - by Alexander
Another Girl - by Lennon/McCartney
Any Time At All - by Lennon/McCartney
Ask Me Why - by Lennon/McCartney

Baby It's You - by David/Williams/Bacharach
Baby You're A Rich Man - by Lennon/McCartney
Baby's In Black - by Lennon/McCartney
Back In The U.S.S.R. - by Lennon/McCartney
Bad Boy - by Williams
Because - by Lennon/McCartney
Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! - by Lennon/McCartney
Birthday - by Lennon/McCartney
Blackbird - by Lennon/McCartney
Blue Jay Way - by Harrison
Boys - by Dixon/Farrell

Can't Buy Me Love - by Lennon/McCartney
Carry That Weight - by Lennon/McCartney
Chains - by Goffin/King
Come Together - by Lennon/McCartney
Cry Baby Cry - by Lennon/McCartney

Day Tripper - by Lennon/McCartney
Dear Prudence - by Lennon/McCartney
Devil In Her Heart - by Drapkin
Dig A Pony - by Lennon/McCartney
Dig It - by Lennon/McCartney/Harrison/Starkey
Dizzy Miss Lizzy - by Williams
Do You Want To Know A Secret - by Lennon/McCartney
Doctor Robert - by Lennon/McCartney
Don't Bother Me - by Harrison
Don't Let Me Down - by Lennon/McCartney
Don't Pass Me By - by Starkey
Drive My Car - by Lennon/McCartney

Eight Days A Week - by Lennon/McCartney
Eleanor Rigby - by Lennon/McCartney
Every Little Thing - by Lennon/McCartney
Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey - by Lennon/McCartney
Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby - by Perkins

Fixing A Hole - by Lennon/McCartney
Flying - by Lennon/McCartney/Harrison/Starr
For No One - by Lennon/McCartney
For You Blue - by Harrison
From Me To You - by Lennon/McCartney

Get Back - by Lennon/McCartney
Getting Better - by Lennon/McCartney
Girl - by Lennon/McCartney
Glass Onion - by Lennon/McCartney
Golden Slumbers - by Lennon/McCartney
Good Day Sunshine - by Lennon/McCartney
Good Morning, Good Morning - by Lennon/McCartney
Good Night - by Lennon/McCartney
Got To Get You Into My Life - by Lennon/McCartney

Happiness Is A Warm Gun - by Lennon/McCartney
Hello Goodbye - by Lennon/McCartney
Help! - by Lennon/McCartney
Helter Skelter - by Lennon/McCartney
Her Majesty - by Lennon/McCartney
Here Comes The Sun - by Harrison
Here, There, And Everywhere - by Lennon/McCartney
Hey Bulldog - by Lennon/McCartney
Hey Jude - by Lennon/McCartney
Hold Me Tight - by Lennon/McCartney
Honey Don't - by Perkins
Honey Pie - by Lennon/McCartney

I Am The Walrus - by Lennon/McCartney
I Don't Want To Spoil The Party - by Lennon/McCartney
I Feel Fine - by Lennon/McCartney
I Me Mine - by Harrison
I Need You - by Harrison
I Saw Her Standing There - by Lennon/McCartney
I Should Have Known Better - by Lennon/McCartney
I Wanna Be Your Man - by Lennon/McCartney
I Want To Hold Your Hand - by Lennon/McCartney
I Want To Tell You - by Harrison
I Want You (She's So Heavy) - by Lennon/McCartney
I Will - by Lennon/McCartney
I'll Be Back - by Lennon/McCartney
I'll Cry Instead - by Lennon/McCartney
I'll Follow The Sun - by Lennon/McCartney
I'll Get You - by Lennon/McCartney
I'm A Loser - by Lennon/McCartney
I'm Down - by Lennon/McCartney
I'm Happy Just To Dance With You - by Lennon/McCartney
I'm Looking Through You - by Lennon/McCartney
I'm Only Sleeping - by Lennon/McCartney
I'm So Tired - by Lennon/McCartney
I've Got A Feeling - by Lennon/McCartney
I've Just Seen A Face - by Lennon/McCartney
I Call Your Name - by Lennon/McCartney
If I Fell - by Lennon/McCartney
If I Needed Someone - by Harrison
In My Life - by Lennon/McCartney
It Won't Be Long - by Lennon/McCartney
It's All Too Much - by Harrison
It's Only Love - by Lennon/McCartney

Julia - by Lennon/McCartney

Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey - by Lieber/Stoller/Penniman
Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand - by Lennon/McCartney

Lady Madonna - by Lennon/McCartney
Let It Be - by Lennon/McCartney
Little Child - by Lennon/McCartney
Long, Long, Long - by Harrison
Long Tall Sally Johnson/Penniman/Blackwell
Love Me Do - by Lennon/McCartney
Love You To - by Harrison
Lovely Rita - by Lennon/McCartney
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - by Lennon/McCartney

Maggie Mae - by Lennon/McCartney
Magical Mystery Tour - by Lennon/McCartney
Martha My Dear - by Lennon/McCartney
Matchbox - by Perkins
Maxwell's Silver Hammer - by Lennon/McCartney
Mean Mr. Mustard - by Lennon/McCartney
Michelle - by Lennon/McCartney
Misery - by Lennon/McCartney
Money - by Berry/Gordy/Bradford
Mother Nature's Son - by Lennon/McCartney
Mr. Moonlight - by Johnson

No Reply - by Lennon/McCartney
Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) - by Lennon/McCartney
Not A Second Time - by Wilson
Nowhere Man - by Lennon/McCartney

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da - by Lennon/McCartney
Octopus's Garden - by Starkey
Oh! Darling - by Lennon/McCartney
Old Brown Shoe - by Harrison
One After 909 - by Lennon/McCartney
Only A Northern Song - by Harrison

P.S. I Love You - by Lennon/McCartney
Paperback Writer - by Lennon/McCartney
Penny Lane - by Lennon/McCartney
Piggies - by Harrison
Please Mr. Postman - by Holland
Please Please Me - by Lennon/McCartney
Polythene Pam - by Lennon/McCartney

Rain - by Lennon/McCartney
Revolution - by Lennon/McCartney
Revolution 1 - by Lennon/McCartney
Revolution 9 - by Lennon/McCartney
Rock And Roll Music - by Berry
Rocky Racoon - by Lennon/McCartney
Roll Over Beethoven - by Berry
Run For Your Life - by Lennon/McCartney

Savoy Truffle - by Harrison
Sexy Sadie - by Lennon/McCartney
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - by Lennon/McCartney
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) - by Lennon/McCartney
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window - by Lennon/McCartney
She Loves You - by Lennon/McCartney
She Said, She Said - by Lennon/McCartney
She's A Woman - by Lennon/McCartney
She's Leaving Home - by Lennon/McCartney
Sie Liebt Dich - by Lennon/McCartney
Slow Down - by Williams
Something - by Harrison
Strawberry Fields Forever - by Lennon/McCartney
Sun King - by Lennon/McCartney

Taxman - by Harrison
Tell Me What You See - by Lennon/McCartney
Tell Me Why - by Lennon/McCartney
Thank You Girl - by Lennon/McCartney
The Ballad Of John & Yoko - by Lennon/McCartney
The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill - by Lennon/McCartney
The End - by Lennon/McCartney
The Fool On The Hill - by Lennon/McCartney
The Inner Light - by Harrison
The Long And Winding Road - by Lennon/McCartney
The Night Before - by Lennon/McCartney
The Word - by Lennon/McCartney
There's A Place - by Lennon/McCartney
Things We Said Today - by Lennon/McCartney
Think For Yourself - by Harrison
This Boy - by Lennon/McCartney
Ticket To Ride - by Lennon/McCartney
Till There Was You - by Wilson
Tomorrow Never Knows - by Lennon/McCartney
Twist And Shout - by Medley/Russell
Two Of Us - by Lennon/McCartney

Wait - by Lennon/McCartney
We Can Work It Out - by Lennon/McCartney
What Goes On - by Lennon/McCartney/Starkey
What You're Doing - by Lennon/McCartney
When I Get Home - by Lennon/McCartney
When I'm Sixty-Four - by Lennon/McCartney
While My Guitar Gently Weeps - by Harrison
Why Don't We Do It In The Road? - by Lennon/McCartney
Wild Honey Pie - by Lennon/McCartney
With A Little Help From My Friends - by Lennon/McCartney
Within You, Without You - by Harrison
Words Of Love - by Holly

Yellow Submarine - by Lennon/McCartney
Yer Blues - by Lennon/McCartney
Yes It Is - by Lennon/McCartney
Yesterday - by Lennon/McCartney
You Can't Do That - by Lennon/McCartney
You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) - by Lennon/McCartney
You Really Got A Hold On Me - by W. Robinson
You Won't See Me - by Lennon/McCartney
Your Mother Should Know - by Lennon/McCartney
You're Going To Lose That Girl - by Lennon/McCartney
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away - by Lennon/McCartney
You Like Me Too Much - by Harrison
You Never Give Me Your Money - by Lennon/McCartney

Do like your list of Beatles songs Grimdad. Another 'bad' lyric that I like is Barbie Girl - a Material Girl without money and very like Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. Barbie Girl remains popular still especially with the young, as a search on YouTube shows.

If some songs like these seem to favour being 'bad', then I think it is mostly mock tongue-in cheek anti-authority pro-fun stuff. And while promoting a little anti-authority stuff may do a little bad, promoting 100% authority stuff can probably do more bad - as with 'all work and no play'. Youth seems to naturally favour a bit of fun and anarchy, both in our species and in other species, and it is hard to argue with nature.

Barbie Girl, Aqua 1979.

Hi Barbie !
Hi Ken !
Do you wanna go for a ride ?
Sure Ken !
Jump in !

I'm a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world,
Life in plastic, it's fantastic !
You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere,
Imagination, life is your creation.

Come on Barbie, let's go party !

I'm a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world,
Life in plastic, it's fantastic !
you can brush my hair, undress me everywhere
Imagination, life is your creation.

I'm a blond bimbo girl, in the fantasy world.
Dress me up, make it tight, I'm your dolly.

You're my doll, rock'n'roll, feel the glamour in pink,
kiss me here, touch me there, hanky panky...

You can touch, you can play, if you say: "I'm always yours"
(uu-oooh-u)

I'm a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world,
Life in plastic, it's fantastic !
You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere,
Imagination, life is your creation.

Come on Barbie, let's go party ! (Ah-ah-ah-yeah)
Come on Barbie, let's go party ! (uu-oooh-u)
Come on Barbie, let's go party ! (Ah-ah-ah-yeah)
Come on Barbie, let's go party ! (uu-oooh-u)

Make me walk, make me talk, do whatever you please.
I can act like a star, I can beg on my knees.

Come jump in, bimbo friend, let us do it again,
hit the town, fool around, let's go party.

You can touch, you can play, if you say: "I'm always yours"
You can touch, you can play, if you say: "I'm always yours"

Come on Barbie, let's go party ! (Ah-ah-ah-yeah)
Come on Barbie, let's go party ! (uu-oooh-u)
Come on Barbie, let's go party ! (Ah-ah-ah-yeah)
Come on Barbie, let's go party ! (uu-oooh-u)

I'm a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world,
Life in plastic, it's fantastic !
You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere,
Imagination, life is your creation.

I'm a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world,
Life in plastic, it's fantastic !
You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere,
Imagination, life is your creation.

Come on Barbie, let's go party ! (Ah-ah-ah-yeah)
Come on Barbie, let's go party ! (uu-oooh-u)
Come on Barbie, let's go party ! (Ah-ah-ah-yeah)
Come on Barbie, let's go party ! (uu-oooh-u)

Oh, I'm having so much fun !
Well Barbie, we're just getting started !
Oh, I love you Ken !



OR get another good girl-with-girl version

This original Barbie Girl song about the Barbie and Ken dolls seemed to make mild fun of such doll business, but maybe backed being unreasonably concerned with looks or appearances for females and maybe also males. Some women have recorded a counter seemingly feminist 'Not Your Barbie Girl' song which sings poorly. There are some good 'I am a strong woman' or 'I am a woman and love a woman' songs, but this seems just an 'I hate all men for no reason' song which as with an 'I hate all women for no reason' song can surely appeal to few ? And maybe we could have a Muslim Girl version or a Mormon Girl version of this Barbie Girl song ?