10 Songs About Danger You Will Love
We all love encountering danger from a safe distance—it’s why we love roller coasters and scary movies. And music is no different, as love listening to songs about danger because it can express emotions of fear or pain—and we can live vicariously through the lyrics. So without further ado, here are some of our favorite songs that are all about dealing with and attempting to overcome dangerous situations.
Best Songs About Danger
Let’s begin with Demi Lovato.
1) Warrior by Demi Lovato
Relationships can bring forth the most magical things you can experience or they can be unhealthy and dangerous. Demi Lovato wrote “Warrior” to help her cope with the trauma her dangerous relationship caused her. The beginning lyrics say how she has never before told anyone this and she needs to get it off her chest to, “take back the light inside you stole.”
She was harmed and has the scars, proving she is a warrior and now has a thick skin of armor. Dangerous relationships can take form in different ways, however dangerous relationships all result in wounds that need time and reflection to heal them. This would be a great song to listen to if you are in a dangerous place, either mentally or physically with someone; and let you know that you can get out and heal from it.
2) Kim by Eminem
This song is a prequel to Eminem’s song “’97 Bonnie & Clyde,” where he raps about throwing his ex-wife Kim’s body into a lake. In “Kim,” Marshall Mathers is in a dangerous mood and finally snaps and takes out his anger and frustration on his ex-wife Kim.
Eminem wrote this song during a time when he and Kim were in a very toxic state and portrays that in this song to blow off steam. Eminem raps about the intense hatred that he feels for his ex, domestic violence, and her death. For the entirety of the song, Eminem is screaming at Kim and imitating her voice. This is a great song for people who want to blow off steam. And if you’re in a toxic relationship or an emotionally abusive relationship, while I wouldn’t recommend you listen to this song per se, I believe that it may be a song that you might sadly find relatable.
3) Gimme Danger by The Stooges
If you ever catch yourself in a situation where you find someone who is bad for you, “Gimme Danger” by The Stooges is the perfect song for this predicament. The song focuses on a girl who could ruin his life; instead of leaving her alone, he lets her into his life, bringing danger along with her. When all of this is done, she has left his emotions all over the place and he is more than willing to make this girl his girlfriend even though she is toxic.
The lyrics talk about how he is accepting the danger into his life and inviting it in so that he can be with her. Overall, this is a great song for him wanting to feel the powerful emotions that she can provoke inside of him.
4) Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins
Kenny Loggins’s “Danger Zone” is one of the most well-known danger songs due to being in the action scenes of Top Gun. This whole song is about being near the action and the adrenaline rush that you would get being in danger.
In an interview with AV Club, Kenny Loggins explained the music layout for the song, “I wanted to do the re-record to capitalize on the sound systems that are in theaters now where the sound and the music goes totally behind you.” The use of the drums and guitars makes this song feel really like you are actually in the danger zone. This would be a great song to listen to if you need to get pumped up for something or if you just want to get into a good mood.
5) Careful With That Axe, Eugene by Pink Floyd
Psychedelia music in the sixties was often full of ominous sounds and depicted trips, parties, or life lessons communicated through music and riveting guitar riffs. Pink Floyd is one of those bands that fully indulged in the new era of music and storytelling. “Careful With That Axe, Eugene,” tells a horrific story of two men cutting down trees in the forest.
The drum in the song represents Eugene hitting the trees with the axe, while the other man is resting on the other side taking a break. The friend calls to Eugene and says, “careful with that axe, Eugene.” The first scream that you hear is that man being hit with the axe, while the second scream in the song is Eugene realizing that he had killed his friend.
6) One by Metallica
In “One” by Metallica, they tell a story about a soldier fighting in a war and having a landmine explode on him. The lyrics for this song are loosely based on the Dalton Trumbo novel Johnny Got His Gun. He is badly injured now and upon waking up he can’t see and is in immense pain. The only thing he can do is wish for his death.
The landmine has taken all his limbs, sight, hearing, speech, and sight, and “left me with life in hell.” The amount of horrific pain of not being able to communicate with other people is torture. This song shows one of the tragedies of war and the horror that accompanies it; how dangerous being on the battlefield can be.
7) ’97 Bonnie And Clyde by Tori Amos
Tori Amos did a unique twist on her cover of Eminem’s “’97 Bonnie And Clyde” by telling the story from Kim’s view. In the original song, Eminem tells his daughters that their mother is sleeping, when in reality he murdered her. In Amos’ version, she is speaking from the dead mother’s point of view and trying to keep her daughters safe from their horrific father as they travel on their journey to dump her body.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Amos explains of the victim, “she’s hearing her daughter being told these terrible things, being made an accomplice. She can’t move and she knows she’s dying, there are seconds left.” This song is a great representation of how horrible domestic violence can be and the danger that is very real. This song can hopefully open up someone’s eyes to reach out for help before it’s too late.
8) Danger Line by Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold did a beautiful job on this song which can be interpreted in many different ways. Because of the drumline and lyrics, many believe that the song is written from the perspective of a soldier who, after a battle is shot, and thinks about his family.
Bassist Johnny Christ said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, “It was written for a soldier, and about a soldier’s death, and it became kind of a new meaning.” This was about dangerous situations that go on every day all over the world and how every day there is a person who will lose someone close to them, sometimes their loss is horrific. This song will make you realize that there is danger all over the world and you need to cherish the things that matter.
9) Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande
In “Dangerous Woman” Ariana decided to take a different spin on dangerous relationships and be the one who is the danger. There are times when you might feel that you will lose your composure or just completely lose it if anything goes wrong with that person.
Ariana Grande is singing about her true feelings saying, “something about you makes me feel like a dangerous woman.” There is also the adrenaline that she gets from being with a bad boy. She is the one who made the first move and it empowers her. This song is her saying that she is not going to let anyone else tell her how to live her life or tell her who she is.
10) Pepper by Butthole Surfers
It’s easy to look at “Pepper” as a song about people who in general live quite dangerously. They can over-drink, “drinking like an avalanche pouring down the mountain.” All of the people named in the song have participated in risky behaviors; having risky sex, losing a leg on a train track, getting shot, and fighting. The lyrics, “they were all in love with dying” show how all of these people participated in things that either led to their death or risked their lives.
Life is a precious gift and while it is great to get out and live a little, there also needs to be a middle ground where you try to also live longer. This song is all about how life is full of death and misfortune; where someone can do a risky thing and live, while someone else may not be so lucky. “Pepper” is a great song about the dangers of life and how some people can escape death, while others succumb to it.
Conclusion
As humans, we are programmed to avoid dangerous situations and not necessarily seek out risk. Still, whether it’s via the silver screen or at a theme park, we also tend to court danger, in hopes of experiencing it at a safe distance. With that said, hopefully this list of various songs about danger can do a similar task—and perhaps make us all strive to be better people, as well.
