The ten best songs about bullying involve both sides of the situation. Bullying is usually not something you want to admit or that you've been the victim of, but both situations have lead to some very good tunes.
- "Adam's Song" by Blink-182. The ten best songs about bullying, suicide and a period of deep, dark depression includes this tune by a California band formed in 1992. Although the inspiration later turned out to be based in fiction, this song struck a chord with folks who claimed to be victims of bullying, including folks involved in the Columbine High School disaster.
- "Don't Laugh at Me" by Mark Willis. Country singer/songwriter Willis' song has the same title as the tune by Peter Yarrow, but the words and meaning are a bit different. Willis' tune talks about a kid with glasses and braces and the teasing he endures at school. The tune then moves to the more universal themes of folks physically challenged. The theme is we all have baggage, it's just that some of us have it on the outside.
- "Miss Invisible" by Marie Digby. Released in 2008 on the album "Unfold," "Miss Invisible" makes the list of the ten best songs about bullying due to its lyrics.
- "Stole" by Taylor Kelly Rowland. A top ten hit in the United Kingdom in 2003, the lyrics of "Stole" focus on the isolation and failure of others to welcome people at school who feel they are on the outside. The ultimate result for Rowland's group is suicide. It's a depressing song with a message for everyone else.
- "Hero" by Superchick, sometimes known as Superchic or Superchic[k]. The 2002 tune from the Christian-based group features the ballad-type story of folks pushed to the edge by exclusion and consider suicide as an option. The song is a call to others to step up and help these people to fit in and welcome them into their own life. The tune appeared on the "Last One Picked" album where the title sets the theme of bullying and exclusion by others.
- "Thoughtless" by Korn. A tune on Korn's "Untouchables," "Thoughtless" focuses directly on bullying. The video has a short of Carrie's revenge, but with vomit by the film's counterculture hero. The revenge turns to violence in later visual renditions of this tune.
- "Don't Laugh at Me" by Peter Yarrow. Inspired by Yarrow's own personal experience of lack of acceptance of alternative lifestyle choices, this song, one of the ten best songs about bullying, is specifically designed to be used in schools in an effort to open discussion about diversity and acceptance. The message is we're all different and bullying is not an option in dealing with the differences in others. Yarrow uses his own experience about coming out late in life due to the fear of bullying about his sexual preferences.
- "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day. A tune that first appeared on Green Day's 2004 album "American Idiot," "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" moves listeners to evaluate their place in the world.
- "Bullying the Jukebox" by Bouncing Souls. A variation on the human theme, this group takes out their evening angst on a jukebox by the type of songs that get played throughout the evening. The chorus claims that all the songs the group likes are cool, while everyone else selects crap. Same theme, just a bit more superficial than the other songs on the list.
- "Why's Everybody Always Pickin' On Me?" by Bloodhound Gang. The 1996 tune appeared on "One Fierce Beer Coaster" LP and follows the life of poor Jimmy Pop over the course of the ridicule he receives at school. The music video explores the disease of katagelophobia, the medical condition of extreme fear of being the focus of ridicule from others.
References:
Whitburn, Joel. "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits." 2004- 2009.
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