11 of the Creepiest Beatles Love Songs
The creepiest Beatles love songs might surprise some. On first listen, some of them seem like ordinary love songs. However, when you read the lyrics, the message is creepy or just downright bizarre.
Sometimes love makes people think and do horrible things. The Beatles wanted to warn people about that. Having a love that’s depicted in songs like “All My Loving” and “She Loves You” is great, but there’s always a dark side to love, like what’s portrayed in songs like “Run For Your Life” and “You Like Me Too Much.”
11. ‘Please Please Me’
While “Please Please Me” is considered one of the best love songs, it’s also one of the creepiest Beatles love songs. Something is unsettling about the lyrics: “Last night I said these words to my girl/ I know you never even try girl.” The person urges his love to please him. It’s domineering at its finest.
10. ‘Chains’
In “Chains,” someone is locked up in metaphorical chains, the “chains of love.” Whether the chains are physical or not, the song paints a strange, domineering picture. It sounds like the relationship is unhealthy, especially with lyrics like: “Well, I can’t break away from these chains/ Can’t run around/ ‘Cause I’m not free/ Whoa, these chains of love won’t let me be.”
9. ‘I Saw Her Standing There’
Like “Please Please Me,” “I Saw Her Standing There” is one of The Beatles’ well-known love songs. However, there’s a creepy edge to it with the opening lyrics: “Well, she was just seventeen/ You know what I mean.” In his book, The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, Paul McCartney wrote that he has to remember that the song was written by his younger self, who let eroticism rule everything he did.
8. ‘Devil in Her Heart’
There’s something spooky about the opening line of “Devil in Her Heart”: “But her eyes, they tantalize/ (She’s gonna tear your heart apart)/ Oh, her lips, they really thrill me.” The song clearly shows someone’s struggle to trust their lover. The person loves a woman, but in the back of their mind, they’re unsure about her.
7. ‘You Can’t Do That’
“You Can’t Do That” is a threatening and possessive song. The person is warning their lover that they’ll drop them instantly if they cheat. It’s all in the lyrics: “I got something to say that might ’cause you pain/ If I catch you talking to that boy again/ I’m gonna let you down/ And leave you flat/ Because I told you before/ Oh, you can’t do that.” It’s just another song about an unhealthy relationship.
6. ‘No Reply’
“No Reply” is one of the creepiest Beatles love songs simply because of its stalker undertones. Hearing it for the first time, listeners might think the person just loves another. However, it’s alarming that the person is willing to knock on the other’s door, look up at their window, and call them repeatedly. Plus, the person says they nearly died when their lost love didn’t pick up the phone. This is the most unnerving lyric: “I tried to telephone/ They said you were not home/ That’s a lie/ ‘Cause I know where you’ve been/ And I saw you walk in/ Your door.”
5. ‘I’m a Loser’
In “I’m a Loser,” someone talks about regretting crossing another, ultimately ending a relationship. However, the scary part of the song is the opening line, “I’m a loser/ And I’m not what I appear to be.” It’s self-deprecating and a bit morbid, to say the least.
4. ‘Baby’s in Black’
The Beatles’ “Baby’s in Black” is something straight out of a gothic romance novel, so there’s a creepy aspect. The person is singing about his love, who is mourning the death of another. It’s evident in the lyrics: “She thinks of him/ And so she dresses in black/ And though he’ll never come back/ She’s dressed in black.”
3. ‘You Like Me Too Much’
“You Like Me Too Much” is another domineering song with a creepy edge. The person is essentially saying that whatever they do, their love will never leave them because they like them too much. “Though you’ve gone away this morning/ You’ll be back again tonight/ Telling me there’ll be no next time/ If I just don’t treat you right/ You’ll never leave me and you know it’s true/ ‘Cause you like me too much and I like you.”
However, if the person did leave the other, they vowed to bring them back. “If you leave me/ I will follow you and bring/ You back.” So, there’s a stalker edge there too.
2. ‘You Won’t See Me’
“You Won’t See Me” is another case of harassing a loved one after a failed relationship. The person calls their lost love, but they won’t pick up, angering them. The truly unsettling lyrics are: “And I will lose my mind/ If you won’t see me” and “I don’t know why you/ Should want to hide/ But I can’t get through/ My hands are tied.”
1. ‘Run for Your Life’
“Run for Your Life” is the creepiest Beatles love song of all. It’s violent and disturbing. There’s nothing else to say. It’s all in the lyrics: “Well, I’d rather see you dead, little girl/ Than to be with another man/ You better keep your head, little girl/ Or I won’t know where I am/ You better run for your life if you can, little girl/ Hide your head in the sand, little girl/ Catch you with another man/ That’s the end, little girl.”
There is love at the core of the creepiest Beatles love songs. However, The Beatles morphed those love stories into nightmares. No one wants a relationship to end badly for whatever reason, but losing love can bring out the worst of our traits. The Beatles warned their fans of that. Most of their love songs are joyful, but these songs show the darkest side of love.
