10 More Happy-Sounding Vocaloid Songs with Extremely Dark Lyrics

Of all the articles that I’ve written for Twin Cities Geek, I would never have expected my list of Vocaloid songs with surprisingly dark lyrics to gain so much attention. It was simply a fun little project to give myself a break from the anime reviews that I usually do—so imagine the pure, unbridled joy I felt when I learned that it was one of TCG’s top 10 most read articles of 2020! Clearly, there’s an interest in Vocaloid, its lore, and the talented people all over the globe who create the masterpieces they sing.

Let’s face it, though: I only scratched the surface of how depraved, offensive and downright bizarre the world of Vocaloid truly is.

Using a Vocaloid, like any other medium you can think of, does not require the user to undergo a background check. Anyone, anywhere, in any state of mind can simply purchase the program that they want from the official Vocaloid website, fire it up, and write whatever lyrics that they see fit. And while this has resulted in the creation of power ballads that you can belt out in public, it’s also brought about pure nightmare fuel that will haunt whoever listens to it for months. And so, since apparently one list wasn’t enough, I will be delving deep to the deceptively delightful domain of Vocaloid to bring you more sleepless nights in C major.

I will be applying the same criteria as the last time: a song is eligible for this list if it has a cheerful and/or upbeat melody and dark lyrics, and I’ll only be listing one song by any given producer. Also, I will be excluding any songs from any producer whose works made an appearance on the previous list for the purpose of shining light on lesser-known ones.

Content warnings will once again be in place as well, but we still advise reader discretion for those who are particularly sensitive to certain topics covered below.

1. “Sleepyhead” by Steampianist

Content warning: Implied child death

Have you ever noticed that people like to associate the classic nursery rhymes we sang as children with much darker content? Take “Ring around the Rosie,” for instance: although it’s been debunked, people love to claim the song is about the Black Plague that wiped out half of Europe in the 14th century. Whether it’s fact or fiction, it’s still not pretty to think about.

“Sleepyhead” is similar in composition. When listening to it for the first time, you might reasonably think that this is simply a song about a child being able to sleep in a little bit longer, as it is their seventh birthday. The melody features plenty of xylophones, trombones, and bells to drive home the cutesy and celebratory feeling. Once you watch the accompanying music video, however, the morbid imagery is too great to ignore, and you’ll see that the lyrics were just as grim as the visuals.

Lines such as “Do you plan to be a child forever and ever?” and “Save a slice, just in case” imply that the title character has passed away from unknown causes. The music video even shows us scenes of a funeral service with a portrait in front of a coffin surrounded by plushies and toys, in case you were still having doubts about what the song is really about.

2. “Clown” by Creep-P

Content warning: Bullying, implied suicide, coulrophobia

Every classroom has at least one student who makes everyone else laugh with their antics. But what if that student didn’t assume the role of class clown by choice? Nobody who doesn’t try to be funny wants to be laughed at, after all.

This particular song could be interpreted in a multitude of ways, but I choose to believe that GUMI is being constantly laughed at by her peers, making her feel as though her life is a joke. This is further backed up by lines such as “You’ll laugh, I’ll cry, but that’s all in your mind” and “My life’s your script.” Indeed, the clown motif is little more than a metaphor for someone who puts up a comical and cheerful exterior that is a vessel for the deeply troubled soul within.

The constant presence of bullying in “Clown” is already quite unsettling on its own, but the song takes a plunge into much darker territory once you realize that these are coupled with the line “Cuz this is your last chance to take me down,” implying the narrator of the song has plans to end her own life, or at the very least has strongly considered it. When you put this all together, the message is clear: bullying is no laughing matter.

3. “Hello/How Are You” by HouHou-P

Content warning: Depression, social anxiety

“Gosh, it sure was easy and fun to overcome my various mental illnesses,” said no one ever.

The protagonist of “Hello/How Are You” is a girl who suffers from depression and social anxiety that are so severe that she’s constantly cooping herself up in her house. However, judging by the lyrics, she’s also constantly giving herself pep talks in the hopes of becoming a mentally healthier person. Whether this method is a success or a failure is subject to debate, but there is no denying that she’s strong enough to take the initiative to try and put herself on the path to mental wellness.

According to the World Health Organization, over 260 million people worldwide suffer from depression in varying states of severity. As anyone with depression will readily tell you, coping with it, let alone overcoming it, can be nearly impossible on your own. So while this particular song is pretty dark in its subject matter, it could also be seen as a hopeful or inspiring tune to someone who is suffering from the same affliction as the protagonist.

Thanks to fellow contributor Tom Moen for this suggestion.

4. “Rolling Girl” by Wowoka

Content warning: Suicide/self-harm, bullying, depression

One of the most talked-about songs in the history of Vocaloid, “Rolling Girl” is iconic not just for its piano and electric guitar combo but for its ambiguous message.

Generally speaking, themes of emotional turmoil relating to some type of stress or other external conflict are shoved in your face from the moment you press play. Even while watching the brilliantly crafted music video that goes with the piece, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what the true meaning of “Rolling Girl” is. You could see it many different ways ways, which I believe was what Wowoka and the rest of the talented people behind the whole production intended. In a way, it’s similar to the lore of the Five Nights at Freddy’s series, where there are pieces of the puzzle that point to the story being about one thing but other pieces that could suggest it going another way. It makes the viewer of the music video replay it again and again to try and come up with a story that makes sense to them.

But I digress. Regardless of what you feel “Rolling Girl” is about, the elements of internal and external struggle are too great to ignore, and that’s what makes the song so recognizable to veteran Vocaloid fans.

5. “Check Check Check One Two” by Kurage-P

Content warning: Stalking

Plenty of us have had a crush on a teacher at some point in our lives. Most of the time, they’re harmless feelings of fondness that don’t amount to anything serious. Most of the time.

The narrator of this song is a high school senior who is totally infatuated with her male teacher. So much so, in fact, that she’s taken it upon herself to record his lectures without his knowledge or consent, splicing the audio into a makeshift confession of his love to her—which she then plays for the whole school over the PA system during lunchtime to get his attention. That’s quite alarming already, but when you realize that there was a very real possibility the poor unfortunate teacher lost his job over this fiasco, it becomes 10 times more painful.

Due to genuine abusers who overstep their boundaries and prey on their students, many male teachers all over the world walk on eggshells in regards to their relationships with their students. It wouldn’t surprise me if scenarios like this scare many potentially great teachers away from the profession altogether.

6. “Love Disease” by Madaco

Content warning: Stalking, murder, implied kidnapping

Of course, no list about things that are cute and sweet on the outside but twisted on the inside would be complete without something relating to yandere.

Luka, the narrator of this story, would have us believe she and her male love interest are very much a legitimate couple, with them meeting up at a cafe and catching a movie. Like “Sleepyhead,” the song has an upbeat and danceable melody designed to lure the listener into a false sense of security before Luka drops a bombshell: “That’s right, because you still don’t know my face.”

Then all hell really breaks loose when Luka discovers that her victim has had a girlfriend the entire time. If you know anything about yandere, you’ll know how it ends. Suddenly, that jazzy tune in the background doesn’t seem to bop as hard, does it?

7. “Ladies First” by OSTER project

Content warning: Homophobia/discrimination

Forbidden relationships are a common trope in music. While they can make for an emotional and dramatic story line, they’re downright tragic when said relationship involves members of the LGBT+ community who are being denied the human right to love by stick-in-the-mud government officials.

In “Ladies First,” Miku and Luka are lovers who are unable to evolve their relationship past a girlfriend-and-girlfriend stage due to the fact that Japan doesn’t recognize same-sex marriage. Nonetheless, the two will continue to love and support each other until the day comes where they can get married in the official legal sense. (There is good news for our two heroines: according to a survey conducted in Japan in 2015, 51 percent of those interviewed believed that same-sex marriage should be legally recognized, so there’s a good chance that Miku and Luka will be able to live out their lives in wedded bliss in the near future.)

Like “Hello/How Are You,” the subject matter can be rather dreary, but it contains a potentially hopeful message for a future where LGBT+ couples can have their soulmates by their sides without despair.

Thanks to Seth Marina for this suggestion.

8. “The Bitchy Idol” by Wugui Sui

Content warning: Graphic sexuality, child sex exploitation

I was not exaggerating when I said that the world of Vocaloid can be supremely screwed up. Of all the twisted Vocaloid songs that I’ve written about up to this point, “The Bittchy Idol” takes the gold medal for the most vile.

The plot is as stomach-turning as they come: Luo Tianyi, a 15-year-old male Chinese pop star, dresses up as a girl in order to seduce and sleep with older men. It’s not made clear why exactly he does this—whether it’s in the belief it will advance his musical career or for some other reason entirely. Regardless, it’s still extremely upsetting to listen to, all the more so because of the admittedly catchy techno tune playing behind him. Put simply, this song is almost unbearable to listen to from start to finish, which made it a shoo-in for this list.

Next entry, please.

9. “50/50” by Rishuu

Content warning: Murder

Another piece that should be filed under “Songs that kids could sing on the playground without realizing how disturbing they actually are until years later,” “50/50” is about a pair of good friends (Miku and Mari-chan) who always split things between them evenly, or so the lyrics would have the listener believe. It lulls us even further into a false sense of security with its slow tempo and the inclusion of a charming music box in the composition during the first third of the song.

Once you get toward the middle, however, things slowly start to slip into creepy territory when Miku mentions that Mari-chan hasn’t been hanging out with her as much anymore on account of her getting into a romantic relationship, and Miku makes it clear that she dislikes her friend’s new boyfriend. At this point, you might assume that the twist comes from Miku killing off said boyfriend in a generic manner to try and reclaim her bestie, and you’d be . . . partially correct. I won’t go into detail about what she does, but let’s just say that the title of the song is incredibly fitting for what comes next.

10. “I Wish They’d Just Die” by DBU

Content warning: Wishing death on others

Capping off this list is a song that is significantly more lighthearted than the rest but still contains a small amount of darkness that, when you get right down to it, exists within us all. It is dedicated to the little things that make life that much more irritating—things like spam email notifications waking you up while you’re in the middle of an afternoon nap, whacking your elbow against the corner of a chair, or lending your favorite pencil to a classmate only to get it back all chewed up.

While most people see “I Wish They’d Just Die” as a more funny or relatable song, I think it would be hard for anyone not to be a little bit pissed off at life, the universe, and everything when things like this happens to you on the regular. Indeed, it’s natural to fantasize about living in a world where nothing ever goes wrong and everyone is able to get along with everyone else. But like the legendary Bob Ross said, “Gotta have a little sadness once in a while so you know when the good times come.”

So if you ever find yourself in a slump, just know that it is only temporary and that happy times will come to you sooner or later.

As I’ve said, there’s no shortage of darkness and depravity in the Vocaloid world that I could talk about. I am always willing to take suggestions for entries that could be featured in a possible third installment. So, if there’s a happy-sounding Vocaloid song with deeply disturbing lyrics that you feel should have made the cut, feel free to leave it in the comments section.