10 Happy Songs With Really Dark Endings
6. Mother - Pink Floyd
Most rock operas are not known to be the most pleasant of tales. From the Who's Quadrophenia to Green Day's American Idiot, there are tons of songs that sound triumphant but actually hint at something a lot darker happening down the road. If you want a song that knows how to do the bait and switch right though, Pink Floyd wrote the guide on Mother.
Compared to the usual brash rock and roll songs, this is almost gentle in its presentation, complete with an acoustic guitar foundation that wouldn't sound that out of place around a campfire. It even has a bit of a personal touch to it, as we learn about Pink being comforted by his mother. Once we hear the intro of Mama's voice though, there's a lot more manipulation going on in his life than you might think.
Since he never had a father figure in the narrative, Pink's mom checks all the boxes for being a helicopter parent, looking to put him in a box and ensuring that all of his nightmares come true, going so far as to pick out and approve every girlfriend that he has. By the time she talks about helping him build the wall, Pink is firmly on the path to his own self destruction. While Mama may have wanted to protect her baby, she pretty much damned him to his self-imposed exile.