Songs about the darkness of success in entertainment. -

[Marco Fucko]

So recently I heard "Pill in Ibiza" again and forgot how much I wanted more songs like this. It's by Mike Posner, a one hit wonder from the 00s, and it's all about how empty and pointless his life's become after his 15 minutes of fame and subsequent career of ghostwriting for other singers. The original song is acoustic, but the remix is the one that gets all the attention, since it adds a club beat which really helps with the theme:

Anyway, I guess what I'm looking for is more of that. More "this bullshit was not worth it, maybe I should have accepted a life of anonymous mediocrity at my day job." Considering how utterly sleazy Hollywood is, with constant power struggles on productions, corrupt sex pest power figures, cults, drug addiction as a coping mechanism, etc. I'm surprised this doesn't come up as a song topic more often. It shows up in movies all the time, but a lot of the time you hear a song about LA/Hollywood or being a performer, its an ego song about how great everything is.

 

[JuanButNotForgotten]

Nothing is new under the sun.

 

[Orion Balls]

I always thought that this

followed by this

Is a pretty apt description of addiction. And also of the way Disney treats its girls.

 

[Mamillionaire]

 

[Marco Fucko]

Nothing is new under the sun.

Now that the thread has gotten a couple of replies I'd like to add to your post with another songs by the Eagles:

Actually come to think of it Eagles did "Lyin' Eyes" too. I wonder if anyone in the band got burned by a producer?

 

[Bumwine]

Wasp "The Crimson Idol" it's all about that,masterclass of an album btw

 

[Pargon]

Pink Floyd's album "The Wall" is about, among other things, the isolation and self-destruction rock stardom engenders. While Pink's fame exacerbates other issues as much as causes new ones, the narrative focuses especially on the loss of ownership rock performers experience.

 

[I Love Beef]

It's probably more metaphorical, but Red Hot Chili Pepper's Under The Bridge. The story behind the song helps to draw out its bottoms of fame; this song was inspired by Anthony Kiedis' climax of heroin addiction, as he was trying to score some drugs but was a dollar too short and tried to rip his dealers off by hiding the bills by wad, and he was nearly killed by being shot at by the dealers. This did happen under an overpass bridge out in LA, which is why he constantly refers to the City of Angels.

 

[Pedosnake]

This Song is mostly about Rush Drummer Neil Pearts (RIP) problems dealing with the fame and success of the band. He was constantly cornered by Autograph seekers and other groopies and had generally a lack of personal space where he could shut down for a few hours.

 

[Marco Fucko]

This Song is mostly about Rush Drummer Neil Pearts (RIP) problems dealing with the fame and success of the band. He was constantly cornered by Autograph seekers and other groopies and had generally a lack of personal space where he could shut down for a few hours.

Had no idea Peart had to deal with that. I mostly just gleaned the surface level meaning of the fakeness of acting/entertainment and the need for human intimacy.

 

[saisegeha]

It's ironic how the grunge scene who seemed to have the biggest issue with the emptiness of success in the music industry was also the one with the highest suicide rate. Fuck, Layne's death gets me every time even to this day.

Edit: replaced the Nirvana songs with some others because they're well known anyways considering Kurt's legacy

 

[beautiful person]

 

[Autumnal Equinox]

Californication is all about the darker side of fame and Hollywood success.

 

[Marco Fucko]

Californication is all about the darker side of fame and Hollywood success.

"Little girls from Sweden dream of silver screen quotations"
"Pay your surgeon very well to break the spell of aging"

Damn it looks like these songs are more common than I thought, I just had to go back to rock instead of looking at pop. Shame, the sound of pop is such a great contrast to singing about shittiness.

 

[stupidpieceofshit]

Damn it looks like these songs are more common than I thought, I just had to go back to rock instead of looking at pop. Shame, the sound of pop is such a great contrast to singing about shittiness.

Pop songs (as in the proper useage of "popular music" and no the genre known as pop today) tends to go with societal trends, there have been eras where pop music has been more about shittyness.
Look at the 90s for example, you started with Grunge with its themes of angst and trama as the first trend of the decade, then you end at Boy bands / Teen pop as some of the biggest hits to end the decade, with its upbeat musical compilations and lyrics.

 

[Cowboy Boot]

Here's a song about how horrible touring is. I especially like the out of body narration in the chorus.

 

[JuanButNotForgotten]

Even though it's about gossiping, it sounds like it's about, well, what in the title.

 

[Agent Abe Caprine]

Pale Horse Named Death has one about record labels.

 

[Lady of the House]

Frank Tovey was British and the song was meant to poke fun at goths who tried to make themselves decrepit, but the song does really remind me of the hedonism of people in late 70s/early 80s NYC. Marcia Resnick's work definitely displays the range of men during that era.

Obvious example in the lyrics.

 

[Duncan Hills Coffee]

Throwing another Pink Floyd song here, Welcome to the Machine. It's kinda like Have a Cigar except far less tongue in cheek and with a way more horrific sound.