Some songs take on entirely new meanings after real-world events unfold. Join us as we explore musical pieces that became heartbreaking following the deaths of beloved artists, tragic accidents, and personal struggles that came to light. These tracks remind us how context can transform art in profound ways.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at songs that became devastating following real-life tragedies.
00:16Juicy, the notorious B.I.G. A classic tale of going from rags to riches, Juicy is a song of triumph.
00:25It was all a dream, I used to read Word Up magazine, Salt and Pepper and Heavy D up in the limousine.
00:32However, the notorious B.I.G. celebration of his rise to the top after a lifetime of struggle is forever altered by what happened just under three years later.
00:42On March 9th, 1997, the rapper-born Christopher Wallace was shot four times while a passenger in a car.
00:49I never thought it could happen, it's rapping stuff. I was too used to packing cats and stuff.
00:54He was pronounced dead shortly after, at age 24.
00:59In the time since his murder, Biggie has been rightfully regarded as one of the greatest rappers in history, and Juicy is arguably his signature song.
01:08But its joy is greatly impacted by what would eventually happen.
01:13And if you don't know, now you know.
01:15A Fond Farewell
01:16Elliot Smith
01:17Released posthumously after the singer-songwriter's tragic death at age 34, Elliot Smith's final album, From a Basement on the Hill, is devastating.
01:28Light, bright, snow, black and white
01:31Who took apart a picture that wasn't right
01:35Like much of Smith's catalog, it addresses substance use disorder and mental health troubles in ways as poetic as they are painful.
01:44A dying man in a living room
01:47Who shadow paces the floor
01:50On this standout track, Smith reckons with the cost of trying to numb himself through life.
01:57But in the chorus, he stresses that his life is not actually his.
02:01This is not my life
02:04It's just a fond farewell to a friend
02:07And titling it, A Fond Farewell
02:10Makes it especially gut-wrenching.
02:13While he left our world more than 20 years ago
02:16His craft and unapologetic honesty
02:19Has kept him in our hearts
02:21A Fond Farewell to a Friend
02:24Goodbye to love
02:26The Carpenters
02:27During their time, the Carpenters were dismissed by elitists as making music that was overly sentimental and insubstantial.
02:36I'll say goodbye to love
02:40But while siblings Karen and Richard Carpenter were promoted with a wholesome, uncomplicated public image,
02:46What was happening behind the scenes was far more serious.
02:51No one ever cared if I should live or die
02:57Karen's issues with her body and eating became clear by the mid-70s, with her gaunt appearance causing concern.
03:04More than a decade before she passed, the band recorded Goodbye to Love
03:09There are no tomorrows for this heart of mine
03:14While Karen didn't write the lyrics, her singular voice carries every word.
03:20Perhaps the most haunting moment of the song comes early when she laments about no one caring whether or not she lives.
03:28Though the song might not directly be about her struggles, it doesn't make it any less poignant.
03:34I'll say goodbye to love
03:38Dreaming of You
03:40Dreaming of You
03:41The queen of Tejano music, Selena Quintanilla-Perez's legacy has not diminished.
03:47Late at night when all the world is sleeping
03:53Just two years short of her tragic death, a biopic about the artist starring Jennifer Lopez and made with the cooperation of her family was released.
04:03In the film's closing moments, we hear her moving ballad, Dreaming of You
04:10This is interrupted by news of her murder at the hands of Yolanda Saldivar, the president of her fan club.
04:20The song continues playing over mourning and images of the real-life singer.
04:25I'll be dreaming of you tonight
04:30It's a conclusion all but guaranteed to make you weep. One that made this track forever an emotional one.
04:37I'll be dreaming of you tonight
04:42Perfect Circle, Godspeed, Mac Miller
04:45Mac Miller's struggles with substance use disorder wasn't a topic he shied away from addressing in his music.
04:52I came for whoever is in charge
04:54Just go and get yourself a weapon and a guard
04:56In this nearly eight-minute two-parter from his 2015 album, Go OD AM
05:02Miller talks about concerns over his well-being, including the possibility of his death via overdose.
05:09They don't want me to OD and have to talk to my mother
05:11Tell her they could've done more to help me
05:13If she'd just be crying saying that she'd do anything to have me back
05:16Sadly, that's what happened less than three years later. Beyond the foreboding lyrics, Perfect Circle, Godspeed is also a remarkable showcase of Miller's talents as an artist and performer.
05:28It's a problem I need to wake up before one morning I don't wake up
05:32You make your mistakes, your mistakes never make ya
05:35But knowing what was to come, it's difficult to appreciate it as a piece of music and not a cry for help
05:42Open up my eyes, I'm finally awake, good morning
05:45Rehab, Amy Winehouse
05:47They tried to make me go to rehab, I said no, no, no
05:53Another song about an artist's struggle to fend off their demons
05:57It was all but impossible to avoid rehab after it dropped
06:01And the more it was played, the more apparent it was that Amy Winehouse had gone through a lot
06:08Cause there's nothing, there's nothing you can teach me
06:12A soulful and endlessly catchy song about her refusal to get treatment, rehab is a testament to Winehouse's powerhouse presence
06:21I don't ever wanna drink again
06:24That she could tackle such a complicated subject with such conviction is exactly why she became a global sensation
06:31And the song took home three Grammys including Record of the Year and Song of the Year
06:36Though Winehouse did eventually check into a rehab facility in 2008, her challenges persisted
06:42She passed away from alcohol poisoning in 2011 at age 27
06:48Jeepster, T-Rex
06:55The second single released from T-Rex's second album, Jeepster captures the glam rock legends in top-notch form
07:03You're so sweet, you're so bad
07:07It's a hooky song in which frontman Mark Bolin likens himself and the object of his affection to vehicles
07:15If you aren't familiar with Bolin's story, it might seem like a silly novelty and not much more
07:25Despite the song's carefree vibe, Bolin feared dying in a car accident and never tried for his license as a result
07:33You show my way
07:38You show my love
07:40In 1977, Bolin was a passenger in a car driven by his romantic partner, singer Gloria Jones
07:47She hit a fence post before colliding into a tree, resulting in Bolin's death at age 29
07:53Girl, I'm just a Jeepster for your love
07:58Floating in the fourth
07:59Frightened Rabbit
08:00As the frontman and primary songwriter of the Scottish indie rock band Frightened Rabbit, Scott Hutchinson crafted lyrics so personal and evocative that listening feels like reading someone's very private diary
08:13So you just step out of the front of my house
08:18In this intense song from the band's second album, Hutchinson talks about contemplating taking his own life, with the title referring to Scotland's River Forth
08:27Forth
08:28And the dark shower was vacuum-packed, shrink-wrapped of air
08:35Hutchinson died tragically
08:37In 2018, Hutchinson disappeared and his body was found on the banks of the Firth of Forth, an estuary that the River Forth flowed into
08:46I'll steer myself through jumping waves
08:50His family later confirmed he had taken his own life, and this song in particular took on even heavier significance
08:58Gather up
08:59All your lists change
09:02Wake Me Up, Avicii
09:04The lyrics and vocals from this global EDM smash come from singer Aloe Blacc, who's uncredited
09:11Feeling my way through the darkness, guided by a beaten heart
09:18But even if Swedish DJ Avicii's voice isn't heard during Wake Me Up, his 2018 death added a new layer of depth to this propulsive song
09:27I tried carrying the weight of the world, but I only have two hands
09:34Blacc sings pleadingly to be woken up on an unspecified future date, when he's older, and better able to handle life's challenges
09:43Oh, wake me up when it's all over
09:46Avicii grappled with mental health struggles, and he ended up taking his own life at 28
09:52While listening to Wake Me Up Now may bring back memories of summer 2013, it's also a painful reminder of an incredible talent gone too soon
10:03I didn't know I was old
10:06I didn't know
10:08I didn't know
10:09Whatever
10:11Our Lady Peace
10:12There's no apparent tragedy associated with this song and the members of Canadian alt-rock outfit, Our Lady Peace
10:19There's no holding me back
10:23But it has still taken on some very disturbing connotations
10:27A non-album song, whatever, was the entrance song of WWE wrestler Chris Benoit
10:34He's a waste of the light, a stumble in your mind
10:39In 2007, Benoit killed his wife and son before taking his own life in one of the darkest sagas in the history of pro wrestling
10:48But whatever you need ever you got
10:49Our Lady Peace hadn't regularly performed the song in the years leading up to this tragedy and even claimed they'd never again perform it
10:59Though they did bring it back into rotation for their 2025 tour, we can't blame anyone for not being able to handle listening to this song
11:09Blackstar
11:11David Bowie
11:16Something happened on the day he died
11:24The starman himself shocked the world by announcing Blackstar, his first studio album since 2013's The Next Day
11:31But in typical Bowie fashion, the biggest twist was yet to come
11:36Blackstar, the album, was released on January 8th, 2016
11:41And Bowie died on January 10th, merely two days later
11:46How many times does an angel fall?
11:50Having kept his battle with liver cancer a secret known only to those closest to him
11:55Blackstar's title song hits differently now that we know the circumstances of the singer's death
12:00Pay particular attention to its cryptic, morbid lyrics
12:04Which seemingly allude to Bowie finding peace and tranquility in his final days
12:09This calls to mind Leonard Cohen's You Want It Darker
12:13Also recorded shortly before the beloved Canadian singer-songwriter's 2016 death
12:19He named me, he named me
12:24I'm ready, my lord
12:25Scared of the dark
12:27Ty Dallassine and Lil Wayne featuring XXXTentacion
12:31I'm not scared
12:33Operating a spider-man
12:35Of the dark
12:37I'm not running, running
12:40Commissioned for the soundtrack to Sony Pictures' Oscar-winning Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse
12:45Grammy winner Dwayne Lil Wayne Carter teased a special guest on Scared of the Dark
12:50His collaboration with Ty Dallassine
12:53I'm not scared
12:58That guest, upon the film's release, was revealed to be late rapper XXXTentacion
13:04Born Jace Onfroy, the controversial artist lost his life in 2018 after a botched robbery attempt
13:12Originally intended for the bad baby song Trust Me, Onfroy's verse combines typical hip-hop bravado with the dark vulnerability he was known for in his lifetime
13:21This verse, combined with the song's empowering chorus, now makes for difficult listening
13:34I'm not gonna miss you
13:35Glenn Campbell and the Wrecking Crew
13:37I'm still here but yet I'm gone
13:42Legendary country singer Campbell, who was open about his worsening Alzheimer's disease in his final years
13:48Made it clear that he wouldn't die without a fight ahead of his 2017 passing
13:53I'm not gonna miss you, is emblematic of the icon's refusal to give in
13:58Recorded for, and appearing prominently in the 2014 documentary, Glenn Campbell, I'll Be Me
14:05You're never gonna see it in my eyes
14:10Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and winning the Grammy for Best Country Song
14:16This cinematic, John Lennon-esque ballad finds Campbell coming to terms with his impending death
14:22The last song Campbell ever recorded, I'm Not Gonna Miss You
14:26Is a simple, gorgeous, and heartbreaking send-off to a long and storied career
14:32I'm not gonna miss you
14:35Grace, Jeff Buckley
14:38And I'm not afraid, afraid to die
14:45Some of the greatest artists of all time, like Vincent van Gogh
14:49Or Buckley's fellow troubadour Nick Drake
14:52Went underappreciated in their lifetimes
14:55It seems fair to say that Buckley falls into this category of artists as well
15:00I believe my time has come
15:06Buckley once referred to the titular song from his 1994 album Grace, the only album he released
15:13during his life, as being about not feeling so bad about your own mortality when you have
15:18true love
15:19The multi-talented musician's plainly spoken acceptance of his mortality and his seeming lack
15:24of fear or apprehension about exiting this mortal coil read very differently after his 1997 drowning,
15:31aged only 30, leaving morning listeners to wonder what could have been
15:36Nutshell
15:47Alice in Chains
15:48When asked which song most reminded him of late Alice in Chains frontman Lane Staley, the band's
16:04bassist Mike Starr responded with Nutshell, citing its poetic vulnerable lyrics as the reason
16:11Listening to the song, it becomes obvious as to why Starr, who passed away himself in 2011, made this particular selection
16:19And yet I fight this battle all alone
16:26This mellow grunge tune, written by Staley, details the singer's battle with his darkest feelings
16:32Staley later died in 2002, following years of extreme substance use issues
16:37It's no surprise then, that Jerry Cantrell, the band's guitarist and alternate lead singer,
16:44now dedicates live performances of Nutshell to both of his fallen bandmates
16:48If I can't be mine, I feel better there
16:59Freebird, Lynyrd Skynyrd
17:01Things just couldn't be the same
17:06It must be remembered that this nearly 10-minute southern rock epic, despite its hard-charging sound and legendary guitar solos, is, at its heart, a heart-wrenching ballad about being unable to conform to life and its expectations
17:22Written by Alan Collins and Ronnie Van Zant, the band's guitarist and lead singer respectively,
17:37Freebird's lyrics tell the first-person story of a nomad who simply can't overcome his unchanging nature
17:44Though certainly not without regrets and reservations
17:47While Freebird is sad enough on its own
17:50Already dedicated by the band to the late Dwayne Allman
17:53It became a retroactive tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd band members, including singer Van Zant, who died in the 1977 plane crash that temporarily ended the band
18:12Like a stone, Audioslave
18:14Chris Cornell
18:23Chris Cornell, Audioslave's lead singer, was and still is widely regarded by fans and critics alike as one of rock music's greatest, most iconic voices
18:33Despite this, Cornell was reportedly haunted by struggles with oppression, drugs, and drink for the majority of his life, dating back to as early as his teen years
18:43These struggles came to an end in May 2017
18:55When the soundguard and frontman was found lifeless following a concert in Detroit
19:00While fans will point out that Cornell was no stranger to incorporating dark, highly personal themes into his music
19:07Like a stone stands out in his discography in terms of how plainly it expresses those themes
19:13I'll wait for you there
19:18Like a stone
19:22Morphine
19:24Michael Jackson
19:25One of the King of Pop's darkest, rawest, and heaviest tunes, the Nine Inch Nails-esque
19:41Morphine
19:42Morphine
19:43Finds Jackson incorporating heavy guitars and distorted drums into his sound
19:47Fittingly enough too, Morphine is a bitter, angry, no-holds-barred account of Jackson's feelings
19:54Regarding his fame and media speculation about his controversial personal life
20:09The song's bridge and refrain detailed Jackson's resorting to drug use as a means of numbing those feelings
20:16The singer died in 2009 of acute propofol intoxication in what was later ruled an accidental homicide by Conrad Murray, Jackson's personal doctor
20:26Listening in retrospect allows listeners a tragically prescient glimpse into Jackson's fragile mental state
20:33He's trying
20:35Hard to convince her
20:38To give a mark of what he did
20:40The show must go on
20:43Queen
20:44Empty spaces
20:47What are we living for?
20:50Abandoned places
20:52It goes without saying that Freddie Mercury was a rock star until the very end
20:57Released just a month before Mercury's untimely death from complications of HIV AIDS
21:03The show must go on
21:05And the band's characteristically bombastic style
21:08Is a gloriously defiant screw you to the grim reaper
21:20Written by Queen guitarist Brian May
21:22The song does a magnificent job of capturing Mercury's indomitable spirit and interstellar charisma
21:29His body ravaged by the disease even then
21:32Mercury's bandmates were initially pessimistic that he would be able to pull off the vocal gymnastics it called for
21:38In response, the rock got downed a shot of vodka and
21:42According to May, immediately nailed it
21:45Who else but Freddie?
21:47Fairy tales of yesterday
21:50Will grow but never die
21:53I can fly
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22:12Leave out all the rest
22:13Linkin Park
22:14I dreamed I was missing
22:17You were so scared
22:21A staple of the early 2000's new metal scene
22:24It can be argued that Linkin Park's success outside of that genre
22:28Was due in part to lead singer Chester Bennington's soul-bearing, unflinching songwriting
22:33As well as his powerhouse vocals
22:35Phoenix, Arizona native Bennington took his own life in July 2017
22:40Two months after Chris Cornell's death
22:43The two were reportedly close friends
22:45When my time comes, forget the one that I've done
22:50Knowing that makes it difficult then to listen to Leave Out All The Rest
22:54From the band's 2007 album, Minutes to Midnight
22:58Without a teary eye by the end
23:00A plaintive, heartfelt ballad
23:02Leave Out All The Rest implores listeners to
23:05As hard as it can feel
23:07Remember the good times
23:09Keep me in your memory
23:12Leave out all the rest
23:15How does real-life tragedy affect how you hear certain songs?
23:19Let us know in the comments
23:21Oh, I topped the bill
23:23I love a kid
23:24I love a kid
23:32I love a kid
23:38I love a kid
23:47I love a kid