Healthiest and Unhealthiest relationships in songs?

Covered by St Etienne.

I immediately thought of You Don't Have To Say You Love Me.

Girl, get some self respect.

How about Wichita Lineman for a positive one? A guy doing his job and keeps thinking about his beloved even when he’s worried about the stretch down south and stuff.

And I need you more than want you
And I want you for all time…

Always makes me tear up a little tbh.

Don't Fear the Reaper - questionable..... apparently it's actually about love transcending death, but my God it comes across like a guy trying to entice his girlfriend to kill herself! Like those freaky evil online guys who made a game out of grooming teenage girls to kill themselves.

Fair enough, that's all true.

If there's any positive to take from the woman's point of view- she sounds strong and determined, and sees him for what he is and isn't having any more of his emotional, pathetic, drunken 'You're my best friend you are' talk.
She might get out of it alive, he won't.

But they left their homes and families, like millions of others, to build a good life in a new country, he was once handsome, and she was once Queen of New York City, and they've ended up like this - the kind of people you see lying on cardboard in doorways, who all have their own life stories.

That's what stands out to me, emotionally, but I don't disagree with what you say, that's all true too. The unhealthiness of the relationship is undeniable.

Diana Ross had some awful lines in Upside down :
Respectfully I say to thee Im aware that youre cheating but no one makes me feel like you do .
What ???
Then theres Mrs Jones
Meeting every day at the same cafe !!! What about Mr Jones !
And Whitney "Saving all my love for you "

Her friends try to tell her find a man of her own. Yer right friends and make sure she isnt singing about one of your hubbies - you know how often that happens don't you !

Where the Wild Roses Grow is definitely one for the unhealthy list! Are there any songs where the woman kills the man??

I dont know many of these but

"Check Yes, Juliet" By we the kings

"Love the way you lie" Eminem. But he has many songs dedicated to his fucked up relationship with Kim.

On the other hand, there's Joy of Living:

Farewell to you, my love, my time is almost done
Lie in my arms once more until the darkness comes
You filled all my days, held the night at bay, dearest companion
Years pass by and they're gone with the speed of birds in flight
Our lives like the verse of a song heard in the mountains
Give me your hand and love and join your voice with mine
We'll sing of the hurt and the pain and the joy of living

Shit: just read the lyrics to Killer Queen and it seems it’s about a prostitute? Never noticed that 😆 So I take back that recommendation!

Am on the fence about Romeo & Juliet by Dire Straits: lots of cliches, and ire by a jilted Romeo, but Juliet comes across as more proactive and having a good time than in most portrayals!

If we’re not sticking to romantic relationships Brothers in Arms is beautiful

Nobody's gone to America. He's cursing Sir Walter Raleigh because he brought tobacco back to England, ultimately leading to Lennon smoking

I really like Carole King (Tapestry is such a brilliant album) and my mind was genuinely boggled by the fact that it was Gerry Goffin not her who was the lyricist of all those marvellous songs such as one of my favourites, "Goin' Back".

On the positive note I nominate Cool by Gwen Stefani - the healthiest break up song in the history of pop music.

Also, Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur is just a really relatable happy relationship song.

Alanis Morissette does a good line in red flags.

She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5 makes me a bit uneasy. It's ostensibly romantic, but it borders on being a big creepy somehow.

I hear FToNY more like a guy who dragged a woman down with him. It makes me cry, but for her.

"I could have been someone",
well, so could anyone
You took my dreams from me when I first found you
I kept them with me, babe, I put them with my own
Can't make it all alone, I've built my dreams around you

I find it chilling, like he doesn't see her as a separate person with a right to her own her own dreams. He took them for himself because he needed them.

It may not have been written with that dynamic consciously in mind, but that doesn't mean it's not there. So many romantic tropes normalise male obsessions wth owning and controlling "their" woman, or with her basically being the helpmeet/servant to his story.

Killer Queen - Queen!

Positive ones include:
Protection - Massive Attack & Tracey Thorne
Glory Box - Portishead

It makes a big difference when you realise that the lyrics for the wonderful
'You make me feel like a natural woman' were written by... A Bloke🙄
But fair play to ya, Gerry, you captured something.

I'm not sure if it's health or unhealthy - what exactly is 'feeling like a natural woman' and why does it have to involve someone else?
But it's a brilliant song anyways.

Going down the 'speciality' route again, the lines
I didn't know what was wrong with me/till your kiss helped me name it
made this the theme tune to a number of coming out stories..😍

‘I’m sitting g down here but you can’t see me’- sang by so many kids in the 00s😅😅😅

I had to explain to my family why Baby it’s cold outside was disturbing. They assumed I was reading into things😅

Hard to find the healthy ones!

I used to love "Edge of the world" by Faith no more when I was a teenager. Heard it the other day and it's CREEPY. In fact, it's so creepy I assume it's on purpose. But it went completely over my head at the time.

Come here, my love
I'll tell you a secret
Come closer, now
I want you to believe it

I'll tell you all the things
You want to hear
Don't worry, baby
There's nothing to fear

Hey, little girl
Would you like some candy?

Look into my eyes
I've seen it all
Hand in hand
Together we fall

We'll sing and dance
And we'll find romance
And we'll stroll to the edge of the world

Come sit right down
Lay your head on my shoulder
It's not the point
That I'm forty years older

You can trust me
I'm no criminal
But I'd kill my mother
To be with you

We'll sing and dance
And we'll find romance
And we'll stroll to the edge of the world

Give me a smile
Let me see those pearlies
I'll do anything
For the little girlies