John Darnielle conveys a powerful message in what initially seems like a joke.

Track: “Short Song for Justin Bieber and His Paparazzi”
Album: Unreleased (Uploaded online by John Darnielle in 2013)

If you’re going to consider every song from the band that wrote “Dance Music,” “This Year,” and “No Children” then you have a lot of work to do. As you go, you may wonder if a short song released potentially as a joke should be on a list of “official songs.” I draw the distinction at anything John Darnielle has released or considers a release, which can be murky and if you disagree then I totally get it.

“Short Song for Justin Bieber and His Paparazzi” is a response to an incident where Justin Bieber got in a fight with some people who were following him around for a story. John Darnielle isn’t Justin Bieber, but you can imagine him seeing both sides and wanting to briefly explore the perspective of being dogged by people who want nothing more than a disaster.

“It’s hard to feel sorry for the very rich,” John Darnielle says, “but even a rich guy needs some space.” The song quickly gets to the point as he says “don’t be an asshole” and ultimately concludes with “try not to be an asshole.”

It’s just a silly song, or would be without the final message. “Are there bigger problems in the world, yes // abortion’s legal, but not everybody has access” is a powerful set of lines. John Darnielle’s public political views focus on equal rights, reproductive rights, and animal rights passionately, and it’s interesting that he’d use a joke song to remind us to think about what actually matters. But then, at the end, he ties it all back to the thesis: be it Bieber or something more important, just don’t be an asshole.