12 Songs with Twist Endings
The thrill of surprise is something that permeates all our pop culture, and that thrill is no greater than when what we are reading, watching or even listening to comes with a twist. Songwriting can be seen as the most condensed mode of the surprise or twist ending, and arguably an area where spoilers hamper our enjoyment a little less. Knowing a song’s lyrical path will diverge at some point usually does little in diminishing our appreciation of sterling song structure, a killer hook, or a powerful vocal delivery. We can go back to a song multiple times without ever really considering its story line, although those who are into that sort of thing will likely appreciate the craft that goes into a concise, well-played twist with little regard of whether that twist is anticipated in advance. Despite this being a list mildly marred by spoiler alerts, the reveals in these songs should do little in keeping us from listening on, whether for the first time or 50.
1. Roy Orbison, “Running Scared”
As Bob Dylan famously wrote of Roy Orbison in Chronicles: Volume One, “He sounded like he was singing from an Olympian mountaintop and he meant business.” Orbison’s voice, at once omnipotent and vulnerable, has one of its most staggering moments on “Running Scared.” Given the air of tragedy and that Orbison made his name with hits like “Only The Lonely,” it would be easy to expect the song to end on an unhappy note. True to Orbison’s genius, however, “Running Scared,” which sees the narrator on the verge of resignation as his lover is torn between him and the man they had both been running from takes a turn at the 11th hour. The subtlety of the twist is all the more shocking thanks to the way it opposes Orbison’s high drama delivery.
2. Rilo Kiley, “Does He Love You
Although some narrative songs can shock with lyrics alone, “Does He Love You” heightens the suspense via musical and vocal changes as the song progresses. What begins with a wide-eyed recitation from Jenny Lewis with simple guitar accompaniment fleshes out to full band as the story unfolds, building up to a tumultuous melody and distorted vocals as we reach the song’s twist and aftermath. This is nothing to discount Lewis’ story of a female friendship being torn apart by adultery. The song reveals itself as deftly as a short story, but the added punch of its musical arrangement ensures a sting that will last for days.
3. The Kinks, “Lola”
“Lola” received its fair share of controversy back in the day for its twist, which was based on a real-life encounter between Kinks’ manager Robert Wace and the titular character. Throughout the course of the song, listeners learn that desirable Lola is not who she seems, leading to the casual revelation that the narrator is happy to be a man “and so is Lola.” Given the great lack of trans-positivity in the era it was written, “Lola” is a pretty remarkable song in that doesn’t conclude on a derisive note. In doing so, it’s a song made all the better for its twist. More controversial than the twist itself, however, and what ultimately led the BBC to banning the song, was the use of a name brand—Coca-Cola—in the song. Kinks frontman Ray Davies famously had to pause the band’s U.S. tour in order to run home and change the words to “cherry cola” instead.
4. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, “The Mercy Seat”
“The Mercy Seat” is one of Nick Cave’s finest moments, in no small part due to the ambiguity of its twist. On his way to the electric chair, the convicted narrator claims, “I’m not afraid to die,” which could either signify his guilt or admitting that facing his mortality is actually frightening. The song’s bottom line is chilling regardless. If you like your twists more gleeful than sobering, there is always “The Curse of Millhaven” from 1996’s Murder Ballads, featuring quite possibly the most demented little girl in music history as its protagonist.
5. Pulp, “Babies”
The twists and turns of adolescent sexual curiosity and awakening laid out in one of the finest singles of the ‘90s. In spite of its voyeuristic angle, Jarvis Cocker’s tale of spying on his secret crush’s older sister when she has boys in her room comes across as perversely sweet once its punch line comes around. Although the song is brilliant itself, its music video is a pretty clever deconstruction of the promo video that features something of a proto-spoiler alert.