TIMOTHY - The Buoys. About being trapped in a mine.
Great song! Never heard before now...one of the great "lost" gems of those hallowed early '70s. I also learned about the Hudson Brothers recently; one of 'em's even the papa of Kate Hudson, so even Goldie Hawn couldn't resist them.
Many Pet Shop Boys tracks qualify because most of their songs are upbeat enough for the dancefloor but are often married to melancholy Neil Tennant lyrics such as:
"Just for the sake of it make sure you're always frowning (Angst! Angst! Angst!) It shows the world that you've got substance and depth. You know life is an impossible scheme and love an imperceptible dream." (Miserablism)
"I'm always hoping you'll be faithful but you're not I suppose We've both given up smoking 'cause it's fatal, so whose matches are those?" (So Hard)
"DJ Culture. Dance with me. DJ Culture. Let's pretend. Living in a satellite fantasy wondering who's your friend." (DJ Culture)
Just a sampling of lyrics taken from one album at random. (Behaviour Further Listening)
My daughter picked out The Monkees' Greatest Hits to spin this evening and remarked that this song "sounds happy, but also dark," which reminded me of this thread.