It’s a sad fact of life.
Mean people are everywhere.
Most of us have been bullied at some point in our lives.
And we all deal with it differently.
Some of us with musical talent have written songs about mean people.
That helps them move past the trauma. And the songs they create help many others do the same.
So check out these songs about bullying and people being mean overall. Hopefully some of them will help you, like they’ve helped me.
Table of Contents
- 1 Songs About Mean People
- 1.1 You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch by Lindsey Sterling Ft. Sabrina Carpenter
- 1.2 Dem Haters by Rihanna
- 1.3 Mean by Taylor Swift
- 1.4 She’s So Mean by Matchbox Twenty
- 1.5 Mean Girls by Leanna Crawford
- 1.6 Mean Girl by Ashley Cooke Ft. Colbie Caillat
- 1.7 Mean Girls by Rachel Crowe
- 1.8 Mean by P!nk
- 1.9 Mean! by Madeline The Person
- 1.10 Bad Bad Leroy Brown by Jim Croce
- 1.11 Mean Mean People by Mark Bishop
- 1.12 Big Weenie by Eminem
- 1.13 Hey Bully! by Morgan Frazier
- 1.14 The Bully by Sody
- 1.15 Shake Them Haters Off by Kelly Rowland
- 1.16 Haters by Hillary Duff
- 2 Songs About Bullying And People Being Mean: Final Thoughts
Songs About Mean People
I tried to include songs about people being mean in as many different genres as possible, to ensure there are songs here that appeal to anyone. But I definitely had trouble finding songs in some genres.
You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch by Lindsey Sterling Ft. Sabrina Carpenter
Mr. Grinch is a cartoon character based on Dr. Seuss’s famous 1957 book How The Grinch Stole Christmas. The Grinch is a mean, abrasive, and rude character. He hates Christmas and tries to spoil it for everyone around him.
However, not even this mean and evil person can resist the charm and magic of Christmas and he is soon won over by love and the joy of togetherness.
You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch became a hit and its modern version sung by Lindsey Sterling reminds us of the season’s magic every December.
Dem Haters by Rihanna
In Dem Haters, Rihanna describes people who are good to her in front of her, but the moment she turns her back, they reveal their meanness. They talk behind her back and all they want is to bring her down. Dem Haters is from Rihanna’s second studio album, A Girl Like Me, released in 2006.
Mean by Taylor Swift
Mean is a track from Taylor Swift’s 2010 album Speak Now. The lyrics of Mean are Taylor’s way of getting back at her naysayers and critics. These people constantly tried to pull her down.
She said in an interview that criticism should be constructive and professional and it should make a singer better. However, in the early days of her career, she experienced downright meanness from some of her critics and this track was her way of answering them.
She’s So Mean by Matchbox Twenty
She’s So Mean is the first single from Matchbox Twenty’s 2012 album titled North. The lyrics describe a mean girl who always gets what she wants. Men fall for her because of her angelic looks, even though she is a ‘hot mess’.
The singer advises men to watch out for such mean girls because once someone falls into their trap, they are sure to bring them down. Unfortunately, most men who fall for these mean girls cannot let them go, despite getting stabbed in the back by them.
Mean Girls by Leanna Crawford
Leanna Crawford’s 2021 song Mean Girls is about her experience being bullied by mean girls. She says that words can be extremely powerful, even more than sticks and stones. The latter might break her bones, but the taunts and hurtful words by mean girls break her spirit.
To date, the singer questions everything she does and has low self-esteem because of the bullying she experienced in her childhood. Their words haunt her to the point that she has to “change her clothes a thousand times before she can confidently walk out the door”.
Mean Girl by Ashley Cooke Ft. Colbie Caillat
Ashley Cooke released the meaningful track Mean Girl with her childhood icon and Grammy-winning artist Colbie Caillat in 2023.
The lyrics to Mean Girl are a warning from one girl to another. The singer cautions this girl to stay away from a toxic man who will only hurt her the way she was hurt. “This ain’t me being mean”, she says, when that is how the girl interprets the singer’s actions.
Cooke based the track’s lyrics on her personal breakup. Her boyfriend’s ex had tried to warn her about him, but Cooke didn’t listen. At the time, she felt that the ex was simply being jealous and mean. But now she knows better and wishes she had listened.
Mean Girls by Rachel Crowe
Rachel Crowe’s song Mean Girls is from her self-titled album released in 2012. The X-Factor finalist faced a lot of bullying during her childhood and those mean girls called her a “weirdo” and a “freak”. Naturally, this had a lot of impact on her growing up.
However, the main message of Mean Girls is to rise above all of the negativity. The song empowers bullied girls to take a stand against bullying.
She asks these oppressed women to “comb the weak girls out of their curls” and not let them get to them anymore. These evil and mean girls should not be allowed to rule their world anymore. They were also the subject of these songs about toxic friends.
Mean by P!nk
Pink co-wrote the track Mean with one of her friends when she was about to split with her boyfriend Carey Hart and was pretty depressed about it. The track is from Pink’s 2008 album, FunHouse. Carey Hart and Pink later married and recently celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary.
In Mean, she questions how they had gotten so mean with each other over the past few days leading to the breakup. She also wonders how she will move on when everything has come undone.
Mean! by Madeline The Person
Madeline The Person’s single MEAN! is a song about someone unable to fit in with the crowd. The song’s video shows her dressed up as a clown and everyone laughing at her. These people bully her just because she is different. Soon she meets another clown at the party and that makes her feel happier.
The song’s message is that just because you are different, does not mean that you’re unworthy or that you’d end up alone. Madeline The Person has dedicated MEAN! to all those who are in a toxic situation or relationship. It is an empowering track that urges people to seek out the confidence they need and put themselves first.
Bad Bad Leroy Brown by Jim Croce
Bad Bad, Leroy Brown is a track from Jim Croce’s 1973 album, Life and Times. The song’s lyrics describe a bad and mean man in Chicago, Mr. Leroy Brown. Men are afraid of him while the ladies love him for his bad-boy image.
Leroy Brown is “badder than Old King Kong and meaner than the junkyard dog”. He gambles his way around town and flaunts his fancy clothes and rings. One day, he makes the mistake of making a pass at a pretty woman named Doris.
Little does he know that Doris has a jealous husband who beats him (Leroy), leaving him looking like a jigsaw puzzle with a couple of pieces missing! Croce is believed to have based this character on a real life ‘mean’ person he knew.
Mean Mean People by Mark Bishop
Mean, Mean People is a track from Mark Bishop’s album Abundant Sunshine. It is a devotional song that asks listeners to celebrate life. Life can be beautiful when people smile and accept each other.
However, some mean people grumble and complain all day and they make a bright sunny day appear rainy and cloudy. The singer asks everyone to embrace these mean people and use love as a remedy to cure their malady of meanness.
Big Weenie by Eminem
Eminem starts the song Big Weenie by asking the question: “Why are you so mean? I don’t understand!”
Once Eminem became a star, the people he considered his friends became jealous of him. While they did not say anything to the rapper’s face, they said mean things about him behind his back. Eminem addresses these friends as “big weenies” because he has done what they wanted to and that has left them looking like idiots.
Hey Bully! by Morgan Frazier
Morgan Frazier co-wrote Hey Bully with Sherrie Austin and Tiffany Goss to highlight the bullying problem in American schools. The track’s lyrics ask why bullies bully. The singer knows that most bullies behave the way they do because they have been hurt by someone else.
If that is the case, they are not handling the situation well. The beautiful song then goes on to say that the protagonist/singer will not use their pain to get back at the people who bully. Doing that won’t solve anything; worse, it might make them a link in the bullying chain.
The Bully by Sody
The Bully is a song written by British songwriter and singer Sody, whose real name is Sophie Dyson. The track was released on April 12, 2019.
As the name suggests, The Bully is a song about bullies at school. While the singer sings from the perspective of the victim, she also conveys that she is not helpless. She believes that all mean people have a reason behind their meanness and that is why she is sympathetic towards them.
Sody wrote the track based on her own childhood experience with bullies. She said in an interview that even at that young age, she tried to see the positive in that negative situation and that helped her maintain her sanity. To promote this single, Sody toured British schools and spoke to students about the problem of bullying.
Shake Them Haters Off by Kelly Rowland
Kelly Rowland’s single Shake Them Haters Off has a limited online presence, so you won’t find any official music video for it. Talented singer Ne-Yo wrote the lyrics to the track.
The singer describes starting to ‘shake off her haters’ as soon as she wakes up. She says that shaking those mean people is a full-time job, since their hatred just continues. However, she does not let that get to her. Instead, she says that she must be doing something right, since she has so many mean people spewing all that hate and negativity at her.
Haters by Hillary Duff
In Haters, Hillary Duff says that she has no place for the haters in her life. She dedicates this track to all the people who have experienced similar meanness and hatred from jealous people around them. The upbeat dance track is a great reminder to shake off mean hateful people and focus on your goals.
Songs About Bullying And People Being Mean: Final Thoughts
As mentioned, I tried to include songs about mean people in as many different genres as possible, but found it hard to find ones in certain genres. That’s where you can help.
If you know any additional songs that should be on this list, especially in missing or underrepresented genres, please let me know in the comments below.
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