Frontman Ric Ocasek explained the inspiration for the song in an interview with
Spinner UK: "That song's a little bit topical, I guess. The lyrics in the song, it's all about 'heartache's waiting to strike' and 'too many screamers wearing a mask,' which is all kind of a sad scenario. But it's got happy music and a happy melody. It's almost like '
Just What I Needed,' where you're looking for someone to bleep and you don't realize the song is not really that positive. Sometimes it's just subconsciously things pull you in. It can be a sad song that pulls you in subconsciously. The lyrics to 'Sad Song' are a sad state of affairs and you just get pulled along with them all. Maybe it's media, maybe it's the general ambiance of life."