The Most MISUNDERSTOOD Songs in Music History

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Hey everybody! Thanks for watching this video on "The Most MISUNDERSTOOD Songs in Music History". I've been into this format lately when I list a bunch of quickfire examples of something. I think it's a cool concept to put out a video with quality information --- while still covering a wide array of stories. Hope you liked it. Within this video, we're talking about songs that are misunderstood. Whether people think they have one meaning but it means something else, or there's a hidden meaning when people didn't expect one, these are some of the most famous examples ever. Let me know if you have any examples in the comments down below.
Fun fact / Misunderstood / Meaning / Hidden / Message / Messages / Wrong / Favorite / Fortunate Son / CCR / Born in the USA / Bruce Springsteen / This Land Is Your Land / Woody Guthrie / John Lennon / Imagine / Closing Time / Semisonic / In the Air Tonight / Phil Collins / Total Eclipse of the Heart / Bonnie Tyler / Royals / Lorde / Who Let the Dogs Out / Baha Men / Good Riddance Time of Your Life / Green Day / Summer of 69 / Bryan Adams / Macarena / Los Del Rio / Gangnam Style / Psy / Every Breath You Take / The Police / You're Beautiful / James Blunt / Semi Charmed Life / Third Eye Blind / Forever Young / Alphaville / Blackbird / The Beatles / I Will Always Love You / Dolly Parton / Swimming Pools / Kendrick Lamar / Fight For Your Right / Beastie Boys / Song 2 / Blur / Hook / Blues Traveler

[@pickeliebaba]

"Hey Ya!" by Outkast has literally the line "y'all don't want to hear me, ya just want to dance"

[@nikitahichoii482]

I think even the video gets the point that people wont care about the lyrics

[@necronsplayer]

Coincidentally that's one of the few songs with lyrics my busted brain can actually parse.

[@th3mdt]

After delivering the lines that really bring his point home. "If what they say is 'Nothing is forever,' then what makes... love the exception? So why-oh-why... are we still in denial when we know we're not happy here?"

[@axman6815]

Honestly surprised this one wasn’t brought up, I think about it a lot lol

[@timothymerrylees7590]

Yeah I only thought about that hearing the Will Young version.

[@kenshin4113]

“Who let the dogs out is a feminist anthem” is one of those sentences I would have never thought could exist in life, but here I am.

[@MrSdsok]

Yeah I thought women hated that song

[@Tues48]

@@MrSdsok my pastor sure did. I remember being a kid and hearing a sermon about that song.

[@toothless3835]

This is a 90's kid song and the 90's kids who remember remember it in rugrats I paris. Haha. I don't think women hate the song. I never did. It was always just a fun chorus to me as a kid.

[@Mikakarot23]

My mother was absolutely certain it was anti woman. Dog was code for bitch. Bitch is an insult to women. Basically she was 100% certain they guys were saying the party was fun until women showed up and ruined it.

[@emkayusa]

I know right? I had no idea.

[@ram0166]

I wrote poetry for a creative writing class in college and quickly discovered that an artist loses control of the meaning of his work the moment it’s experienced by another person.

[@markfeemster5053]

I have exactly the same thought when some art student wants to explain the original meaning behind Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah

[@KJ-nv9uz]

Lol same when i did my interview fir art school. When the guy went through my portfolio and started ' interpreting' it. I was like wth? No i just like skeletons, they dont mean anything. (For a particular piece)

[@whyputaname]

That is true.. 👍👍

[@whyrocha]

As should be. Otherwise it's dead meat...no life of it's own.

[@ram0166]

@@whyrocha I agree

[@mrfalcon7871]

“I don’t like Mondays” by The Boomtown Rats, Was about the Cleveland Elementary School shooting in 1979 and people still think it’s about not liking Mondays …

[@Lymborium]

Well it kind of is... when they asked the school shooter why she did it, she said "I don't like Mondays." It's still about not liking Mondays, just with a school shooting mixed in

[@juliusfrauenglass2411]

@@Lymborium No take a look at the lyrics it is totally about the shooting. they were heavily criticizes for making light of the shooting also.

[@PatDK]

@@juliusfrauenglass2411you didn’t even read what they wrote did you?

[@procurion8934]

"Fortunate Son" more specifically was about how the sons of important people were not sent to the Vietnam War. They were given easy positions stateside and not exposed to the "horrors of war" and were celebrated for their "Bravery".

[@ZakhadWOW]

cue Donald Trunp and his bone spurs as a prime example

[@shaunmcisaac782]

@@ZakhadWOW “You know, if you’re young, and in this era, and if you have any guilt about not having gone to Vietnam, we have our own Vietnam - it’s called the dating game,” Trump said to Stern in a 1993 interview. “Dating is like being in Vietnam. You’re the equivalent of a soldier going over to Vietnam.”

[@tommackinnon8445]

@@ZakhadWOW not just trump , , Edward kennedy,Dick Cheny, Ted Nugent, rush limbaugh, bill clinton, Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, Bruce Springsteen, Muhamed Ali, John Wayne, and many others......

[@kilroy2517]

@@tommackinnon8445 Exactly, and take it one step further to it's logical conclusion. This song has nothing to do (directly) with the war. It's about how American society was, and still is set up to favor the rich. Look at the words. There's three verses, and only one brief mention of war.

[@Dog-ManTribe]

Que...Joe Biden, and Bill Clinton

[@thomashodgkins6233]

John Lennon gave "I Am the Walrus" the most random lyrics because he was mad that everyone was over-analyzing all of his lyrics at the time.

[@maverickREAL]

It was actually inspired by a student writing a letter to him saying his class was analyzing Beatles lyrics. He wrote it just to mess with this one specific class.

[@grimsleeper5945]

The insane lyrics are what makes that such a good song. Unironically one of my favourite Beatles tracks.

[@tsunderecat413]

and then glass onion was written because people continued to overanalyze his lyrics, so he gave fake meanings to all those songs

[@NimhLabs]

okay... but how are we suppose to get updates about how Paul is dead, and the various doubles they have pretending to be him, if we don't over analyse the lyrics of Beatles songs?

[@tanyat1896]

@@maverickREAL that's what they told us. The song has everything to do with Satanist & warlock Allister Crowley. The Beatles studied his bible, as does every musician. The Beatles, Elvis & The Stones pioneered the trend of studio witches casting spells & putting evil in subliminal messages, back masking & tract layering. A tiny pic of Crowley was featured on The Beatles Sergeant Peppers album cover & they even wrote a song about him. The music industry has gotten so carried away with this damaging, disgusting agenda that it's literally dangerous to listen anymore. Now in order to sign an artist they must sign in blood- yes I said blood. The contract owns the artist & pays them little. But the worst part? They must sign their soul to Satan & do required rituals which involve sacrificing a family member or another artist, pedofilia, grotesque sex acts with animals & it's all through the illumaniti. If an artist doesn't do it they aren't famous, period. And they've added synthesized vibrations that agitate & cause depression. This dude making these videos has no clue. He also showed Nirvana with the naked baby & money- duh it's human trafficking. He's been hiding safe in his mom's house I guess

[@dalwand]

"I like big butts" is often misunderstood as a critique to nepotism in society, but it is actually about the singer's appreciation of female behinds.

[@they65]

Im sorry, but your wrong. Sir mix Al lot wants you to think it’s about big butts, but you have to look deeper…”I CAN NOT LIE”. Mix a lot is trying to let us know he is cursed to always speak the truth much like Jim carey in Liar/liar

[@blackman5867]

"Fortnite Balls (Freestyle)" by Kanye East is very oftenly misunderstood by the social media that's it's just a funny quirky rap song that was made up just for memeing. But very little do we know the true, dark meaning behind it... It's originally dedicated to a once famous youtuber named "EDP445" who was wrongly accussed by the internet to be a blatant pedophile, and now his entire career and even his own life has been ruined so bad that nobody knows where or how he is doing today, as if he has been vasnished out of this world mysteriously without a trace. The song is also to warn the world about the toxicity of social media (especially Tiktok) as it is corrupting and addicting our minds to a point that it had brainwashed us into believing that anything we see can become a cheap comedic joke that will make everyone laugh and satisfy themselves temporarily for a day, even if it doesn't make any actual sense whatsoever. Hardly anything we see in our lives can look the same as before again. That's the danger of the internet and we need find the solution to prevent it before it destroys our future generations and our own pure lives!

[@PooPooLord69]

Just as "Grilled cheese obama sandwich" has deep lyrics, it's about someone struggling to withstand his intrusive thoughts. He says he can't comprehend it, which means he doesn't understand the attractive feeling towards the grilled cheese obama sandwich.

[@nothingeverything355]

​@@PooPooLord69 damn i've never thought i would read a comment about that song

[@chocobo_bruuuu]

​@@PooPooLord69 bruh I'm dead 💀😭💀😭💀💀😭💀😭

[@Lernrnrbebenehrhrnrn]

I literally remember singing "This Land Is Your Land." In kindergarten in front of a bunch of parents and grandparents with my whole class that year.

[@PhilSophia-ox7ep]

​@marshalmarrs3269Woody Guthrie was a communist ....like any sensible person.

[@wuotanaz1106]

That's the artist's fault at that point for being too afraid to make his message clear. Like imagine if I wrote a song a out how awesome America is then got butthurt because "actually deep down it's about my love for Lenin!"

[@PhilSophia-ox7ep]

@@wuotanaz1106 The message is clear enough, if you're not an imbecile.

[@ltb1345]

I had to listen to that song so many goddamn times in elementary school, I got beyond sick of it.

[@Sip_Dhit]

​@@wuotanaz1106i feel like that neglects the very real general opinion of the public at the time

[@yadiaag7771]

Psy’s song was about how everyone wants to be the 1% in Korea in which the rich live in Gangnam. He was very confused why people liked the song because it was about South Koreas Economic social pyramid. He’s written other songs about this issue and all being loved by the South Korean public.

[@bon12121]

A korean friend of mine (about 5 years ago) said that Psy had been around for over (or around about) a decade, and that he often wrote uplifting songs. He said that there was a measurable drop in the suicide rate when he had radio time with those songs. Don't know how true that is though, but I dont expect him to have lied.

[@EelcoPeterzen]

I thought it was about riding a horse and that's where the dance came from. But that's maybe because the rich can afford horses easier? I honestly never looked into it. I never looked up any translations. It was just a song that sounded good, they make fun of themselves in the clip, so it was funny, and I just assumed the first explanation I heard was true. The charts nowadays are filled with meaningless songs, so it never occured to me.

[@Apis4]

It is all the more poignant on the basis that South Korea is basically an open Kleptocracy, where 7 Corporations control 80% of the economy, and put the politicians in power, no literally, between them, they fund the only political parties that have any chance of winning. This system crept in, due to the dependence on these Dynastic family businesses, some centuries old, in the wake of assassination of Park Chung-Hee in 1979, who'd established something of neo-fascist State in SK, and funded and backed these Corporations through the period of growth where SK finally outgrew NK economically. When he died, much of his power structure, formed by his authoritarian rule, collapsed... but the big corporations who'd quid pro quo'ed to grow and line both pockets, through Nepotism with his regime, not being part of the Government, did NOT. So they slowly emmeshed with the nascent new leadership, well, infiltrated, would be a better word, and now basically control South Korea, and it is is a pretty open secret, too, how much control of the place they wield. Gangnam Style is a satirical examination of how these oligarchs are almost venerated in Korea, and people envy, and aspire to be like, them, even though they have seized control of the country (actually, to the point where they literally get away with killing people, see Samsung's poisoning of workers). But we all adored it in the West and blindly bounce along doi9ng the skippy-hoppy horsey dance, thinking it's the coolest thing ever. No wonder the guy was confused.

[@danurkresnamurti3598]

@@EelcoPeterzen well it is true. Rich can afford house. Psy said oppa gangnam style. Horse riding is like mocking their stye.

[@Natalietrans]

Of course us Americans would like it, we love oppressive capitalist hierarchies

[@Cameron-hw5kh]

I mean The Weeknd did win a kid's award for Can't Feel My Face lmao.

[@OsKarMike1306]

"I just won a new award for a kid's show talking about a face numbing off a bag of blow" is the one of the hardest flex I've ever heard. I bet he laughed for hours when he heard he won.

[@alfonsaditya2243]

Exactly

[@SGT676]

@@OsKarMike1306 lol that line in Reminder always made me laugh

[@Juanhernandez-zx7kt]

Cocaine is a hell of a drug.

[@kaiupnxt]

@@OsKarMike1306What can I say... kid's love drugs 😂

[@frankfromalbuquerque3506]

“Barbie Girl” is just too deep to comprehend for us mortals on this plane of existence.

[@IHIKD]

I think it's actually satirical

[@trinaq]

I agree, it's intended to be a farce of the material Barbie lifestyle, and not about the actual product.

[@jjthepikazard212]

truly, barbie girl is an absolute slapper

[@jml6263]

Unironically Aqua's first two albums kinda slap hard.

[@ms.x1669]

It was my favorite song when I was around six or seven and I genuinely thought it was Matel Barbie's official song. 😂😂😂

[@cowinjapanese6896]

Just like Amerika by Rammstein. I love how people often ignore the "This is not a love song" part.

[@snuup_frogg]

Rammstein lyrics barely leave room open for interpretation.

[@gtothereal]

I don’t care.

[@MoonManMoonMan]

@@gtotherealclearly you do if you took the time to respond to a 7 month old comment.

[@neotronextrem]

Same as Sonne, being used in Conservative Trad-montages when its about Heroin

[@Je_QzcY3mN0]

Or someone is just unironically imperialist and loves the idea of US dominating the world and cultures

[@abrahamlincolnstophat4761]

Alfo could make me believe that the Barney theme song is about the prison industrial complex

[@DJ5780]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@mariokarter13]

I love you, you love me, we live in a society.

[@universpro7741]

Every road you take. I like the police

[@universpro7741]

You're beautiful is sad but he has the perfect voice for the song

[@universpro7741]

Forever young

[@Phono_Wizard]

That video at the begining of the guy singing Fortunate Son was like a punch in the face. I thought everyone knew that was an anti war song.

[@kabirbajaj7225]

what did he say i could not hear him over the music

[@gavingascho4303]

Omg its hank hill hello hank

[@maxwell0027]

@@kabirbajaj7225Got chu. He said "thank God my mom didn't raise a fucking liberal."

[@andretyroneii941]

@@maxwell0027 I was like "brruhhh"

[@clwireg]

There’s also the famous clip of that one dude with a thin blue line flag dancing to Killing In The Name at a Trump rally lmao

[@jared4608]

LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem is a critique of the military-industrial complex and how it encourages reckless hedonism

[@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770]

“I don’t think we’re ’gonna get alot of songs from that say “I oppose unauthorized military engagement in Lybia tonight!”” - Todd In The Shadows

[@neversobad]

I thought it was about a Las Vegas card dealer who longs to be one of the high rollers. "Every day I'm shuffling"... it's all right there.

[@kohlgate]

WHAT

[@mariokarter13]

From their hit album: Sorry for Drones and Rockets

[@CookiePoochy]

party rock is

[@harrycushing]

A great one in my mind is Hey Ya! by Outkast, a song about the difficulties of a relationship, and staying in a relationship where neither partner is happy ("My baby don't mess around because she loves me so, and this I know for sure - But does she really wanna, but can't stand to see me walk out the door" "If what they say is 'Nothing lasts forever', then what makes... love the exception - so why oh (x5) are we so in denial when we know where not happy here?"). This is then directly followed by a recognition that the message of the song wont come across, similarly to Hook as was mentioned in the video ("Ya'll dont want to hear me you just wanna dance").

[@HeroQuestFans]

good rule of thumb for pop rock: everything you think is about drugs and/or sex is actually not, and everything you didn't think is about drugs/sex actually is about that.

[@alanfike]

Proof by Beatles songs: "Got to Get You Into My Life" sounds like it's a song about being obsessed for seeing someone again. It's about cannabis. Paul says so in his book. "Lovely Rita Meter Maid" sounds like it's about fondness for a meter maid. Something McCartney wrote after a bad encounter with a female meter maid (parking attendant, who issue the tickets) that he thought he'd take out his stress by writing a song about it. Except he turned it into an orgy at the end for the hell of it.

[@darkmarksfantasticallyrand6666]

Its been stated that the most out of control of all the music stars are the squeeky clean pop kids!... guess they dont have to waste time writing songs.... so plenty of time for debauchery!.

[@stevenboyd6560]

This whole video could have been your comment.

[@str.77]

And if you take that literally it will spring you into a never-ending loop.

[@JustCallMeEmily]

*cough* Whistle by Flo Rida

[@TylerDurden420247]

Gangham Style is NOT about a rich neighborhood. It's about extremely poor people who are without means that spend all of their money in order to appear as if they are rich and successful to the point of literal financial ruin for a lot of these people. Yes the neighborhood of Gangham is rich. But this song has more to do with how it was a fad to try an appear as if you lived this expensive high life through your choice of fashion and accoutrements that you can not really afford.

[@tealduckduckgoose]

^^^ And that's why they ride fake horses throughout

[@helensarkisian7491]

@@tealduckduckgoose : I was wondering about that.

[@coolbeans5992]

o wow

[@JP-JustSayin]

Beverly hills by weezer

[@tonysuda9066]

@@JP-JustSayin Beverly hills by Eddie Murphy

[@jjjlove2260]

I honestly thought the "every breath you take" was an obvious stalker song. It scared the shit out of me as a kid. I always turned the radio off anytime it played.

[@kellyhoward6941]

I'm a lot older than you, I suspect, but I always wanted to turn the radio off any time it played, too, tho not b/c it scared me, but because I loathed it the first time I heard it & more every additional time.

[@aobakwemodisane3773]

I loved that track till I found out what's its about

[@jjjlove2260]

@@kellyhoward6941 Now after that assumption, I'm curious. How old are you? 😄

[@kellyhoward6941]

@@jjjlove2260 Hope it didn't sound insulting. Now I'm not sure why I made the assumption. I'm 61. That sounds a lot older than I feel!

[@jjjlove2260]

@@kellyhoward6941 No worries. I didn't take it as an insult at all. Though I am indeed younger, I think you're still young! 😁

[@1one3_Racing]

As someone who "built" wedding sets (yes, theres a person who does that) I would often be around to dismantle of we had back to back weddings. The amount of songs about death, break-ups, cheating, and stalking that are played at weddings for first dances is actually quite shocking. Mr Bightside featured a lot, actually.

[@casualcaptor]

mr brightside goes hard tho

[@thevfxmancolorizationvfxex4051]

Macarena was the most surprising one for me. How a song about a woman who cheats on her boyfriend with 2 of his friends while the latter's in the military spawn a big dance craze is beyond me

[@KyleKartan87]

If I remember it right, the two were dance-instructor and they created the dfance themselfes. But why they mixed up a dance and an up-tone beat with such a messed up story I don't know ether.

[@Szylepiel]

Explanation is simple: It's not sung in English and it's catchy. Most of people don't care to check what it is about really and just vibe to the rhythm.

[@BundasaurusPecs]

It’s weird cause I always knew this cause I could at least partially understand the lyrics 😂😂

[@Greencheez-y]

I was doing that dance in p.e. back in grade school every other week

[@janine2957]

@@Szylepiel tbh, I'm from Spain and it is as much of a party song as it is in the USA. sometimes the music is so catchy that nothing else matters. but also, the cheating situation is so awkward and fucked up that is funny, so it's not really contradicting the music. it's the Spanish sense of humor.

[@josephdawson8073]

"Every Breath you Take" is actually a story about my dog whenever I have food in my hand.

[@eledatowle7128]

Oh my gosh, yes!

[@bullshark3771]

I was at work today that song came on the radio and I literally said to my coworker “when you actually listen to it this song is kinda fucked up how it keeps on saying I’ll be watching u like wtf”

[@phoenixwright9105]

That is a great comment right there :D

[@ronnieguitar99]

I never did think this was really about a stalker, just a guy who can't get over a girl and thinks about her all the time. Of course if it came out now that might be the first thing I would think about.

[@heavensubala4535]

For sure my cat knows this tune very well!

[@lurkingndarkness]

In Bloom by Nirvana is another example of a song that was embraced by the people it was making fun of. "He's the one who likes all our pretty songs And he likes to sing along... ... But he don't know what it means"

[@emPtysp4ce]

Took me a while to realize "likes to shoot his gun" is probably about masturbating

[@penusman6304]

The thing about that is Kurt's lyrics almost always meant nothing in particular. He wanted people to put there own meaning into his lyrics. Only like 3 songs of his have a distinct meaning, heart shaped box, you know you're right and polly.

[@sebastianbuchner8484]

I heard that this song is about a friend of Kurt and the others, who did suicide

[@drillbit8280]

@@penusman6304 in an interview in 1993 he said that in the Bleach & Nevermind days he would take random pieces of poetry & random words and mash them together to make lyrics, and he said that he was trying to actually write lyrics that meant something.

[@theninjamaster67]

@@penusman6304 You're forgetting Rape me which was made as an anti rape song so that's at least one other Nirvana song with an intentional message to it.

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

A hugely misunderstood song is Enola Gay by the British electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark that was released in 1980. With many people describing it as "joyous" and "infinitely danceable" simply because it's a 1980s electronic band song without realizing what the lyrics are actually about unless you're American or know your history. Enola Gay is the name of the USAAF B-29 Superfortress bomber that dropped the atomic blast on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. You can actually see the Enola Gay on display as it is located at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center next to Dulles International. The lyric to the song reflects on the decision to use the bomb and asks the listener to consider whether the bombings were necessary ("It shouldn't ever have to end this way"). The phrase "Is mother proud of little boy today?", is an allusion to both the nickname of the uranium bomb Little Boy and pilot Paul Tibbets naming the aircraft after his mother. The phrase, "It's 8:15, and that's the time that it's always been", refers to the time of detonation over Hiroshima at 8:15 am JST as many timepieces were "frozen" by the effects of the blast, it becomes "the time that it's always been".

[@brokenbrastraps]

i’m sorry but HOW did people misunderstand enola gay, that song is the opposite of subtlety lmaoooo

[@ddandymann]

@@brokenbrastraps You're underestimating how little the average person knows about history.

[@AC-hj9tv]

Bro acts like he the professor

[@Anvilshock]

@@ddandymann As aptly demonstrated by @AC-hj9tv …

[@mistabook]

"99 Luftbalons"/"99 Red Balloons" by Nena sounds like a bouncy pop song about nothing, but it's actually about a nuclear holocaust. The narrator lets a huge cluster of helium balloons into the air and it gets picked up by radar and mistaken for an air strike, triggering a global nuclear war. At the end of the song she's looking out over the rubble and lets the last balloon go.

[@dragonladygray1335]

Came here to suggest this gem ☝

[@stephenfocosi7075]

It's also about Captain Kirk of Star Trek starting WWIII.

[@argonwheatbelly637]

It has nothing to do with "red" balloons. It's just...sadly...a filler word when they cut an English version. Listen to it in German. It's better.

[@philippeamon7271]

@@stephenfocosi7075 That's a weird line... the ufo's/balloons thought they were Captain Kirk?

[@philippeamon7271]

Not nuclear, attrition. 99 years of it. A global nuclear war wouldn't last 99 years, It's an important distinction, because it's about how revenge destroys the world.

[@briansimpson6710]

"Thrift Shop" by Macklemore was a parody against the people who were wearing overpriced designer clothing to show off as a status symbol, and it ended up being a fad of people going out and spending rediculous amounts of money on fur coats and other over-the-top fashion

[@plaecholder]

I think thrift shop was mostly understood well by the folks i know. My city actually had a huge influx of people buying and selling clothes second hand after it dropped. Got to the point that thirfters were getting upset regular folks were getting the best finds.

[@tsweder]

Well, duh. That's no secret.

[@DarrionParton]

@@plaecholder Yeah especially in Washington state that I feel already had a big thrift culture, after the song dropped I saw prices of vintage sports gear go way up. It sucks a lot too when I’ve sold some of my stuff for a little more than I’ve bought it for to have someone buy it and immediately up the price 200% on Depop smh

[@dbspaceoditty]

@@plaecholder nah, thrifting just got really expensive. he ruined the thrift industry. 20 dollars USED to get you a drippin fit. but now 20 gets you a pair of pants and a shirt. 20 used to be a weeks worth of outfits.

[@Furiouspenguin27]

That one is pretty obvious

[@samuraijackoff5354]

The amount of Japanese songs about depression and suicide with people who don’t know the lyrics dancing to it in a jolly manner are pretty funny to me. Same goes with a ton of other songs in different languages.

[@remytherat1419]

YOASOBI, Racing the Night is a prime example rn. It is such a bop and so up beat, but is about a double suicide between 2 depressed people in a relationship.

[@mklaebel]

Balloons by DBSK/TVXQ is a great example. It's so upbeat and cheerful, but the meaning is melancholy as hell.

[@terfaniabdou5908]

"Alors on danse" by Stromae belongs to this category

[@ronnleemorris6300]

That's the usual reason non-english songs become hits. It's because they're just easy to dance to.

[@Rynsworld365]

@@remytherat1419 i immediately thought about that one

[@SpukiTheLoveKitten75]

About "Gangnam Style", it's ridiculing people who live beyond their means and trying to appear rich, going into debit in the process. Gangnam refers to the Gangnam district in Seoul, Korea, which is a swanky place like Rodeo Drive in in Beverly Hills. Psi was calling out folks obsessed with looking wealthy. It's not simply a fun goofy song with a silly dance.

[@isaacleutton8060]

The fact that Total Eclipse of the Heart was written for NOSFERATU THE MUSICAL is the most amazing thing ever

[@hagridsdisappointingson769]

Nosferatu the musical is the most cursed concept I never knew I needed.

[@OlgaSPN]

Wait until you hear the actual musical! Depending on how you feel about extremely theatrical music ofc. It's called Dance of the Vampires and it's based on the Fearless Vampire Killers movie. It was pretty popular all over Europe when the Germans did it. Till this day I believe that the money spent on the tickets to the Polish version was one of the best theatrical purchases of my life^^

[@isaacleutton8060]

@@OlgaSPN thank you I will look into that!

[@masterboa6321]

here i was thinkin nosferatu was a fire emblem spell

[@annabarr1304]

Bal de vampire

[@looneyflight]

Dolly has a great sense of humor. When asked if she minded Whitney Houston being more well known for singing a song that she wrote her response was "She can have the fame as long as I get the money.".

[@eywine.7762]

Gotta love Dolly!

[@hippiemama52]

I still like Dolly's version better. WH was never my cup of tea.

[@emmahollow6188]

Laughing all the way to the bank

[@SingingSealRiana]

She IS really good Sports

[@spoonwinnipeg2021]

... all of which she donated

[@eringibson5598]

The best one ever is the Beatles “I am the Walrus”. A guy studying at the art school John Lennon went to, wrote him a letter saying that his class was analysing one of the Beatle’s songs and he wanted to check with John to find out what he really meant. John thought that was madness, people trying to find hidden meanings in his lyrics. So he wrote the lyrics for “I am the walrus” basically saying “analyse this”.

[@curtisfranzen986]

Ya, I actually saw an interview where he expressed that. I thought it was hysterical. Decades later, people are still debating about who "the walrus" is.

[@spacecase8888]

There is video of John Lennon talking to one of his acid head fans that showed up at his property because he thought Lennon's lyrics were talking about him and John was explaining that his lyrics were just made up nonsense that he thought sounded good at the time. Then he invited him in and fed him breakfast. Search for the video titled The Beatles Moments - Dialogue With A Homeless Guy

[@todolossush7146]

yeah lmao and ppl still did 😭

[@jareddanielgibson]

Haha, they try to say the walrus is Paul McCartney, and that Paul is dead an the one we see now is an actor. They've got a ton of more "evidence" that even got me questioning things, but its all a bunch of horse pucky

[@ANDROLOMA]

@@curtisfranzen986 Glass Onion: "The walrus was Paul."

[@PenneySounds]

Ever since 2017, basically every song by Linkin Park falls into this category, because people now read all their lyrics as being about Chester Bennington's suicidal depression, even though the majority of the lyrics he sang were written by Mike Shinoda and were about completely different things.

[@richmonksgtr]

Lorde saying “I’ve never seen a diamond in the flesh” was just her saying that she’s never been to a ballpark.

[@punkisinthedetails1470]

or an illegal gambling den. ♣️

[@KWChess]

She's never seen lil uzi

[@thewkovacs316]

do the royals play the song at homegames?

[@mp.6058]

@@KWChess exactly what I was thinking 😭😭

[@gusquinzel8847]

@@thewkovacs316 no but they hear it at every away game because the home team will never be the royals

[@tobyespinoza253]

Knowing the true meaning of "Macarena" gives the ending of Hotel Transylvania 3 a whole new meaning

[@WaywardRailroad]

Oh my goodness! I have no idea why but this revelation feels so important! 🤣

[@firepuppies4086]

@@WaywardRailroad Have we even seen Johnny's friends? Or... we have met Drac's

[@numberyellow]

It really is the ultimate "Jody boy" anthem, lol.

[@danieljob3184]

There are actually 2 versions. In the Los Del Mar 'Macarena' they show 3 boys next to a pool doing the dance from the Los Del Rio video. It's not a chick! It's a dance which Mar came up with & his buddies Rio stole!

[@sharangadeka5156]

​@@firepuppies4086 p⁰

[@roogy1622]

Feel Good Inc. is used in a lot of advertising and marketing when it's making fun of how music is now made to be advertised and to make customers feel good artificially.

[@ectofriend]

You could honestly use ANY Gorillaz song that gets popular.

[@EldritchNoise]

Bruh I fuckin see you with your Rak eating a banana over here. A+

[@SavageGreywolf]

let's see them use Superfast Jellyfish :)

[@JadetheGoober]

Isn’t DARE about something similar? Demon Days was an morbidly themed album.

[@3DOM_]

@@JadetheGoober I believe dare is about calling out negativity and hatred in the world and yet doing nothing about it. I may be wrong but thats my understanding.

[@rossMIE]

It wasn't until recently that I realized "I will always love you" is actually about Dolly Partons fondness for the Yew tree. It's even more incredible that years later, fellow dendrophile, Whitney Houston's famous cover helped raise funds to support the planting of over 10k yew saplings in northern Ohio.

[@spoonwinnipeg2021]

In the less humourous but more inspiring true story... After Whitney died, Dolly donated all the residuals from that song to schools & community projects in disadvantaged black neighbourhoods. Also Elvis sang it to Pricilla as they were walking out of divorce court.

[@stephajn]

I was so glad to see you bring up "Every Breath You Take". It always blew my mind how people couldn't see that it was a stalker song and not romantic in any way at all.

[@daffers2345]

As a kid I thought it was about him watching his kid grow up and having his heartstrings pulled, so to speak. When I got older I realized how creepy it was. I thought, how ironic that it's by "The Police" who are supposed to be good guys XD

[@HappyCodingZX]

Yes, I was waiting for it to come up as well. However, i wouldn't say it isn't romantic at all. The sad truth is, many stalkers do actually have a very romantic, albeit misguided, idea about following someone around and waiting outside their house and so on. So in a way it's kind of interesting that so many people misunderstand the song in the same way that stalkers themselves misunderstand the impact of their actions on their targets. They make the terrible mistake of thinking what they are doing has some kind of romantic element to it.

[@JannPoo]

I mean it's totally creepy if you think about the lyrics, but was it really the intent of the songwriter to make a song about a Stalker? I believe that rather than being a song about a stalker it's a love song made by someone with a stalker mentality genuinely thinking it's romantic.

[@HappyCodingZX]

@@JannPoo yes, it's about the power of obsession and the darker side of infatuation which not many of us are willing to recognise in ourselves.

[@HappyCodingZX]

and one thing for sure, definitely not a wedding song!

[@redeadhead4]

Holy s**t the Macarena dance makes so much more sense now. The two hands touching the shoulders, then waist, then hips. Then turn to the side and do it again.

[@somedudeonyoutube8079]

Omg hahahaha

[@pmangano]

holy shit...

[@ElFreakinCid]

And to think, we all did this dance as children.

[@charlesco7413]

@@ElFreakinCid and weddings

[@ptonpc]

The female singer's lyrics are even in English.

[@OsKarMike1306]

Everybody Hurts by REM is generally regarded as a very sad song because of its tone, but it's actually an inspiring song about overcoming depression.

[@sarah2.017]

And "The One I Love" is not a love song.

[@dirtball1011]

Strange music fans always impress me cuz they know their shit

[@CrYpTiK_Kaiser]

@@dirtball1011 When you listen to guys like N9na, you get a habit for looking up the lyrics cuz you didn't catch all the words he threw at you the first time.

[@gregbowen2477]

And Shiny Happy People is incredibly dark.

[@nancyl6745]

It's about not giving in to depression, trying to help people to hang on and not give in to suicidal thoughts. Its encouragement, saying I know, I've been there, but it will get better.

[@nozon5686]

one that always comes to mind is pina colada. where a husband and wife each put out/respond to an ad in the newspaper to cheat but it ends up being each other

[@darrenokeeffe-coles4177]

Olde school for you: Yankie Doodle was sung by the British to ridicule the rebel Americans, but then the Americans took it as their own and started singing it. Check out the lyrics.

[@kmj217]

I think that was a case of the rebels taking it over to take the power out of it.

[@adiahaalexander9359]

I think I learned that from a Disney cartoon when I was a kid.

[@Cryhai]

I totally forgot how the song went, so I was thinking “Yankee Doodle went to town, E-I-E-I-O” lol

[@adiahaalexander9359]

@@Cryhai 🤣🤣🤣

[@dknickd]

Probably one of the most American things that could happen....

[@gaurangatrades7847]

"I'm Too Sexy For My Shirt" was written to make fun of models and "the beautiful people" who were the clientele at the songwriter's gym. It went on to become un-ironically popular with that demographic.

[@castlerock58]

It was an example of a novelty song by someone with no talent becoming one of the most irritating songs of all time. It ranks with Disco Duck.

[@EsotericOccultist]

@@castlerock58 State your opinion like it's fact narcissist 🙄

[@wdalldorf]

Un-ironic? Sounds very ironic.

[@ihave3dogs2]

@@wdalldorf I think he means that when Fred wrote the song, it was to make fun of those sort of people. But the people it makes fun of, they love to listen to it un-ironically. Much like the example of Fight For Your Right by Beastie Boys.

[@steamboatwill3.367]

@@ihave3dogs2 ) and people who act like Archie Bunker.....

[@ScienceMessiah]

It's funny how many people misunderstand Bob Marleys 'No woman no cry' thinking it means women will make you cry. He actually says "No woman DON'T cry" in Caribbean English. "Hey little sister, don't shed no tears!"

[@Pooknottin]

That was the song a good friend of mine chose to be played at his funeral. Needless to say, everyone cried.

[@uzaktaneyitim]

Haha that's genuinely funny!

[@felicitybywater8012]

That info clears up a lot.

[@jjjlove2260]

Oh wow. I never knew that people interpreted it any other way than how it's supposed to be. I always knew it was a sweet song comforting a sad woman.

[@uzaktaneyitim]

Ever since I heard this interpretation I am using it in my relationahip status :-)

[@KatonRyu]

My mom thought that "Last Stop This Town" by Eels was a catchy, happy song. It literally opens with the lines, "You're dead, but the world keeps spinning, take a spin through the world you left" and was about the death of the singer's sister. Needless to say, I picked that song for her funeral.

[@laurencemoore2105]

Sorry to correct you, but it's about the passing of his dad Hugh Everett III. His dad was a physicist. Sorry about the passing of your mum.

[@Rhomega]

Careless Whisper by George Michael is about a guy who's deeply remorseful about cheating on his SO, but everyone just loves that sexy saxophone and see it as romantic.

[@kasiazdrojewska3616]

Well, it's not that romantic, but damn it's sexy. And cheating can be too.

[@dayyflowerss3082]

Lmaooo

[@John_Weiss]

That reminds me of people think, "Every Breath You Take," is a love song, when it's clear about _a stalker_ … even Sting himself has said that's what the song is about and is _supposed to be _*_unsettling,_* not romantic.

[@phie2807]

the Seether version makes the meaning more apparent

[@b1gg1n1]

Yes! I was just about to comment about Careless Whisper 😆

[@raymondkent5762]

The # 1 misunderstood song that is inappropriately used is "Daughters" by John Mayer. Some people play it at weddings during the father/daughter dance. But it actually is about a guy who is trying to date a woman with daddy issues and by extension men issues. Her dad treated her poorly when she was a girl and that caused her to have trust issues with men and it prevents her from having trusting and loving relationships. Her father messed her up for all men. So the song begs for fathers and mothers to be good to daughters or they will be messed up for life. It is absolutely the worst possible song for a bride to dance with her father to.

[@mochimellow4188]

Oh...oh no

[@John_Weiss]

Kinda like how people think, "Every Breath You Take," is a love song, when it's clear about _a stalker_ … even Sting himself has said that's what the song is about and now wishes they'd never written it, due to how wrong people are using it.

[@colinfrags5691]

Exactly. A bunch of the songs he listed are obviously stalker songs or bad in other ways yet people blindly listen. People just like the sound of the song and don't think at all about the actual lyrics.

[@blackpilledchad1927]

We're all broken

[@mariecusick9513]

Reminds me of a baby shower Playlist that had the song "small bump" on it. This person clearly heard enough to know it included a pregnancy but not enough to know the song ends in a tragic miscarriage. Worst baby shower song ever!

[@jared4608]

Hey Ya by OutKast is about the impermanence and fleeting nature of love

[@Herspirit.sings1998]

Alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright

[@riversider2506]

Fogle????

[@Jay-go4vw]

"Y'all don't wanna hear me, y'all just wanna dance."

[@albertbuzek5007]

@@Jay-go4vw exactlyyyy. That would have been the best example in my opinion.

[@astrotravellin]

It is also advised to not shake a Polaroid picture

[@ericepperson8409]

I remember a girl I was dating said she loved how upbeat and fun "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People was. I should have taken that as the sign to break up with her then.

[@CancerChick0523]

Seriously! 😅

[@st.haborym]

I love Pumped Up Kicks so much

[@ddandymann]

Or maybe just checked to see if she understood the lyrics? A lot of people like that song for being upbeat without really listening to the lyrics.

[@standardtoad]

I don't really understand why people take such huge issue with that song when they're perfectly fine with songs that describe intercourse, drugs, etc. The song exists to point out a problem in our society, just like many others. Now if someone really likes that song and ALSO often talks about being violent or offing peopl it definitely could be a red flag.

[@sertaki]

There is no issue with people just listening to music without paying attention to lyrics. It's not a requirement.

[@melissamiracle1313]

"He's the one who likes all the pretty songs and he likes to sing along.... but he don't know what it means....." -Nirvana, In Bloom

[@gregiles908]

He knows not what it means....

[@uni4rm]

If they cared they'd do it at the end of every song.

[@lioneljoseduterte4847]

The real irony of psy's gangnam style is it is a mockery of gangnam's rich people while being born into a rich family himself. 😂

[@dancingx4539]

That's what I was thinking. 😂

[@codehard5824]

Well people wouldn't have liked it if the song made fun of poor people

[@TupocalypseShakur]

Gives me the same vibes as rich celebrities making movies about how the rich take advantage of the common man and we can't do anything about it

[@boxylemons7961]

That's kpop for ya

[@wayothefro3249]

you can be born rich but still critique their ridiculous lifestyle, the same way you can be born to America and still critique America.

[@ivapx]

Careless whisper by George Michael People use it for "sexy time" but it's about break up and cheating and not moving on 🤔 it's quite ironic

[@theATSthetic]

It's that saxophone He could be singing about a train crashing into a kitten orphanage, as long as that saxophone stays, I think people would still shag to it

[@sethcoma]

I'd wager 99.99999% of people only know 5 seconds of that song

[@andrewharper1609]

@@sethcoma Pleased to say I don't know any of that song. I didn't like his music as a general rule Jesus to a Child was not my cup of tea. Outside was ok and everyone had a laugh given the context but I didn't like Wham's material with the dayglo colours. Last Christmas might just be my least favourite Christmas song ever recorded. It just felt like they were trying too hard.

[@mahraba874]

Literally that one is so obvious

[@sweett3253]

Was actually watching the video to see if careless whisper was in it😂

[@19murkigurki95]

2 examples that come into my mind: The one I love by REM is also often referred to as a love song but is more about an abusive relationship I took a pill in Ibiza by Mike Posner is the opposite of a happy party song

[@BombShot]

I always dug how everyone around me didn't understand the themes of "Hey Ya!" By OutKast, Andre3000 literally stops singing and just say "y'all don't wanna hear me you just wanna dance" and the entire song is about how love is put on a pedestal and you're expected to stay in an unhappy relationship because social norms...

[@AkumaNoKuroi]

Plus the line "If nothing is forever, then what makes (what makes, what makes) love the exception?" - pointing out that Love is treated as this sacrosanct thing that is somehow immune to the ravages of time, decay, chaos and otherwise entropy that tolls on everything else in this universe of ours.

[@horserage]

@@AkumaNoKuroi Yes, but that was INTENTIONAL, and that's not what the video is about.

[@AkumaNoKuroi]

@@horserage and 99% of people who listen to the song *totally miss out on understanding that line* emphasising the point they don't want a story in the song only something to dance to.

[@horserage]

@@AkumaNoKuroi And? Outkast knew what he was doing. We have other tracks from him that come across as sincere and still paint a good show of what he means.

[@pillbugm8914]

The people arguing in this comment section can rest easy now knowing that Alfo covers Hey Ya in his second misunderstood songs video

[@lizzy4868]

When my mum thought take me to church was a gospel song💔

[@janine2957]

hozier said "gay rights!" and put a Christian bow on top and everybody eat that up, it's lovely

[@mariokarter13]

@@janine2957 Gay rights? It's about them thighs being so T H I C C you're like "Praise Jesus."

[@taylorjones8303]

I get the music video is about that, but does he not refer to his significant other in the song as a “she”

[@autumnphillips151]

@@mariokarter13 Yep, basically the same as Ariana Grande’s “God Is a Woman” ;) The video for the song doesn’t match the song, but the video shows a gay couple fleeing persecution. It’s been a long time since I watched it, but I think I remember that.

[@autumnphillips151]

My mom thought that, too, lol. And so did a _ton_ of others here in the so-called “Bible Belt”-it was hilarious ;) There was a similarly delightful story that I read about a Christian bookshop that had a Mark Twain quote on display. The quote was, “The best cure for Christianity is reading the Bible.” They really just see the words “church”, “Christian”, or “Bible” and immediately assume it must be in support of them...

[@brianarbenz7206]

Johnny Nash's stirring "I Can See Clearly Now, the Rain is Gone" has inspired people battling back from addiction or psychological problems, but it was actually about Nash's successful cataract removal. The blockages in his eyes had looked like raindrops to him, and they were gone. Still, this song inspires people to overcome worse crises, so let it do so!

[@shygalaxyyt2400]

I had no idea that song was by him! My mom loves that song because it reminds her of her sister, her sister once had a dream about that song and went to ask my mother about it both if them had never heard it but it because a song they would both joke about. Years ago my aunt died of alcohol poison from all the drinking she did and the day she did my mom heard that sing everywhere on the radio on ads just everywhere, now that is the song seems to come on every year on her birthday

[@brianarbenz7206]

@@shygalaxyyt2400 It's beautiful and inspiring just because of its sound, his voice, and its feeling. It also helped me aspire to improve myself to get past problems, because I want to experience that feeling: "I think I can make it now, the rain is going. Gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day." That's my motivation.

[@shygalaxyyt2400]

@@brianarbenz7206 that's so great! It truly is a beautiful inspiring song

[@davidl570]

No surprise it hit #1!

[@alZiiHardstylez]

Sounds to me like art is perceived by the EYE of the beholder 😌

[@thethumper088]

Jimmy Buffet - Margaritaville If you actually listen to the lyrics, it's a really sad song about a guy who gets piss drunk as he comes to terms with a break-up, but it's always played as a good time vacation tune.

[@littlearies3862]

Knowing that Total Eclipse of the Heart is actually about vampires make me love it even more.

[@alisterfolson]

I thought Possum Kingdom by The Toadies was about vampires too

[@pittipu1]

There is actually a german musical who actually uses a version of the song. in germany it´s called: Tanz der Vampire which basically translates to "Dance of The Vampires". Which is stil a musical version of a vampire movie. Just not Nosferatu. The movie it´s based on is "The fearless vampire Killers" by Roman Polanski. I really love that version and if you wanna give it a listen just search for "Totale Finsternis".

[@CS-ui4qj]

Rose for the dead - Theater of Tragedy.. you’re welcome.

[@Qwufi]

There is a whole musical based on it.

[@michs342]

@@pittipu1 Yeah created by Roman Polanski based on his movie of the same name, Jim Steinman created the music for that musical and hence used Total Eclipse Of The Heart as the Nosferatu musical it was written for never happened. It was really weird listening to that song in German when a Polish friend of my introduced me to that musical. Actually saw a production of it here in Denmark January last year just before Covid happened. Just as weird listening to a Danish version :D

[@sanjhak4517]

"Wake me up when September ends" is constantly poked fun at every year on September 1st. It's about Billie Joe's dad dying.

[@sanjhak4517]

Also Burning Beds by Midnight Oil gets thought of as an "upbeat" song when it's a environmentalist protest song.

[@denjdenji560]

Yeesh, that's awful, my god (how people make fun of it, not the song)

[@DataLal]

@@sanjhak4517 An environmentalist AND anti-colonialist song. "The time has come/ A fact's a fact/ It belongs to them / We're gonna give it back." Although "it" can mean both Australia and the Earth, and "them" can refer to the Aboriginees of Australia, and also stopping the sprawl of human development to literally give habitat back to at-risk or endangered animals.

[@ragingbullet3447]

That song hits me all the time. My dad’s birthday was in September and he died in September.

[@campbellfiles9019]

My brother died on sept 31...its his song too

[@HomerSparkle]

Smells Like Teen Spirit, I guess, because everyone insists the lyrics have some deeper meaning, but Cobain explicitly intended it to be nonsense, essentially trolling people who love songs without even bothering to understand the lyrics. Even the title itself is a parody.

[@jbrisby]

Weird Al nailed it.

[@houstonpenguin]

What is the title a parody of?

[@tammycosby4495]

I’d never heard that but if it’s true, he definitely succeeded!

[@edgemaxxer1573]

@@houstonpenguin smells like nirvana is what the parody is called

[@joeschembrie9450]

​@@jbrisby When Al called to ask permission to make a parody song, Curt asked, "Will it be about food?"

[@ccubsfan94]

One of my favorite bits of irony is Ironic by Alanis Morissette. None of the examples of "irony" in the song, are actually ironic. Which then makes the song kind of ironic

[@seanmiller1983]

100% it's full on meta irony

[@Laszlo-Kelemen]

Actually, the irony is that none of the situations mentioned in the song pass as being ironic. They are unfortunate events. And there is not a bit of iron there either.

[@TheGoldfishArmy]

My dad explained that to me once. He hates that song with a burning passion. I hate it too, but for unrelated reasons (just doesn't fot my music taste)

[@ccubsfan94]

@@Laszlo-Kelemen Uhh, pretty much echoing what I said

[@ccubsfan94]

@TheGoldfishArmy I'm not totally on the same front, but close. It ain't on my Playlist, but I won't change the station if it's on

[@emilyjane7027]

Don't You Want Me by The Human League is about an abuser threatening to ruin a girl's career if she doesn't stay with him, but everyone just thinks it's a breakup song or whatever.

[@moe245]

Omg I never knew that! I need to listen again

[@theknightsofawesomeness2701]

Wow, that's dark!

[@thepancakereviewer]

I didn't even realize that until I watched It and the dude who Beverly Marsh left reminded me alot of the dude in the song.

[@donv5349]

Oh yeah man. “You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar when I met you...⏩...Now 5 years later on you’ve got the world at your feet, success has been so easy for you / But don’t forget it’s me that got you where you are now and I can put you back there too”

[@emilyjane7027]

@@donv5349 "You think you've changed your mind / You'd better change it back or we will both be sorry" 😬

[@Aprl521]

Billy Idol's White wedding is often played at weddings, but is actually an anti-marriage song written for his sister who got married because she was pregnant.

[@MysteriumArcanum]

Yup, it was a shotgun wedding hence the line "hey little sister shotgun"

[@JoMagic-ny8zu]

Lol I would always sing that at karaoke and would think of my sister not marrying this fool that got her pregnant and now he's on the run from the police..💢😵☠️

[@billy_romeo]

It's actually not ! Sorry to fact-check but I'm a big fan of his :) And it's an interesting story ! Billy Idol actually stated in interviews and in his book that this song was indeed inspired by his sister getting married (happily and by choice). But the song was rather a reflective piece on how women used to be coerced into marriage through pregnancy, and sometimes even after abuse, to men they didn't love. He wrote White Wedding as a hypothetical : "What if I arrived to my sister's forced wedding, in these times, hellbent on revenge ?" There's even, as he stated, a layer of incestuous obsession he worked into this fictional situation and character ("hey little sister, who's your superman ? hey little sister who's the only one ?"). By the way, he also wrote this song in around twenty minutes ! It was a turning point at the beginning of his career and a hit that truly grounded him in the US music business (during the Second Brit Invasion). He's a very impressive song writer and musician behind the popular MTV front man and 80's faux-punk eye candy.

[@billy_romeo]

in case you're interested in a source : "How Billy Idol turned a song of crazed vengeance into the hit that made him a star" article from Louder, with interview extracts from a Classic Rock 85 feature from 2005 where he discusses the making of this song :)

[@StellaWaldvogel]

Huh. I always just thought it was about coke.

[@earthknight60]

Careless Whisper is another badly misunderstood song that is often played at weddings. It's a song about cheating on your partner, not the sort of thing to play at a wedding.

[@g.strobl4458]

Unless you mean it as a warning * cue creepy background music *

[@mista414]

I was just thinking about that song and how it's become like a "insert (cheesy) sexy sax solo" joke, and i mean I guess that isn't incorrect, but to me it sounds more sad than anything. And yeah, the lyrics are very clearly not about a budding or successful romance. Oh well lol.

[@autumnj6246]

WHY on EARTH would you wanna hear "I'm never gonna dance again" at your WEDDING

[@jackbits6397]

It's predictive programing for when your new wife ultimately gets bored and cheats it won't hit you as hard 😂

[@rileyk5228]

I thought it was that he knew white people have no rhythm and therefore, he was guilty of it

[@Seanic_Hedgehog]

Much like “Every Breath You Take,” Bon Jovi’s “Always” is also written from the perspective of a stalker.

[@notme69]

I always thought "Every breath you take" was kinda creepy I mean if someone watches every move you make and every step you take, who wouldn't be creeped out about it

[@MysteriumArcanum]

It's literally about the lead singer's ex wife who began stalking him after their divorce

[@Hotobu]

It also works well as a father daughter song. Weird for a wedding, but not as bad as a sweet sixteen or father daughter dance.

[@MysteriumArcanum]

@@Hotobu I can kinda see that as the father would have that "my little girl is all grown up" kind of mentality but IDK.

[@Gyallarhorn1]

I also always thought it was creepy, but just assumed it was one of those weird things where creepy things are suddenly romantic for some odd reason. Like vampires...

[@GegoXaren]

You should her the version that the Melodicka Bros did... Creepyness to the max.

[@OsKarMike1306]

Can't Feel My Face by The Weeknd was his breakout radio hit that everyone assumed was about vague but passionate infatuation due to its upbeat nature and the references to a girl. A cursory look at the lyrics and a surface level of knowledge on drug culture shows that it is clearly about cocaine addiction. That didn't stop it from winning a Nickelodeon Teen Choice Award, which Abel notes the absurdity of on the song Reminder

[@abdullahnoman2923]

It was bout cocaine

[@heyumnew1401]

Just imagine Nickelodeon supporting drug abise

[@arieson7715]

And there goes my hope in this generation. The worst part is I'm apart of it.

[@azazelreficulmefistofelicu7158]

Never heard that song, but the title made me think about cocaine.

[@juliatakacs3994]

Am i a weird for thinking it is about a girl sitting on his face? Xd

[@DoctorZisIN]

Everyone thinks that "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves is the most upbeat and happy song ever. In reality, the subject of the song has a manic infatuation for someone who never writes, calls or shows up. Se's forever waiting for this love which to her is "really real" but never becomes so.

[@JadetheGoober]

I knew there was a reason i felt that song in my bones

[@samplager4482]

thats song makes me sad because it reminds of the sad dog episode from futurama

[@alflemon2783]

@@samplager4482 *Starts barking the song *

[@GAWTYONEK]

Thanks Patrick

[@jamesriley007]

Kinda like the song gloria which sounds all peppy and upbeat but if you listen to the words "gloria" is a out of the game actress who has deluded herself into believing the calls will come soon and cant be hearing it ain't going to happen

[@kellynn739]

Did anyone else's volume blip out at 5:33?

[@Anvilshock]

Guess why that is.

[@orakkus]

As a child of the 80s, everyone knew the true meaning of Alphaville's Forever Young.. no one from that era thought it was coming of age song. It was a song lamenting how unlikely we were to escape nuclear war.

[@magicmulder]

There’s also Vamos A La Playa by Righeira which people took for a bouncy “let’s all go to the beach” holiday song but actually was about a nuke going off.

[@Peanutdenver]

The 80s are before my time, but I've listened to that track and know the lyrics say "Are they really gonna drop the bomb?". You'd think that would be a big indicator of the song's meaning. But I guess a lot of people just hear the lyrics as background noise and don't really pay attention to its meaning or just hear the hook.

[@brendanr1525]

But did they really? And was that really a popular song in the US? Alphaville was a German Europop band. With the lack of the internet, and the band being, well.. _German,_ I imagine they were a lot more well-known in Germany/Europe than the US (which generally didn't broadcast German culture). Even today, a lot of programming is exported _from_ the US, but the US isn't very interested in/imports very little German culture.

[@macweldon6643]

@@Peanutdenver If you didn't grow up under the shadow of the bomb (like I didn't) its easy to think that lyric means something else, like a big revelation or a confession or something similar.

[@johnnynorrisjr.39]

The night is young, tbh

[@alexandersergal]

"every breath you take" always creeped me out as i heard it like the dudes a stalker, but my family saw it as a love song.

[@shygalaxyyt2400]

My family thinks I'm weird cuz I say it's the creepy song when it comes on little do they know

[@miaswapp]

My family realized it was a stalker song a few years back and now whenever it turns on we’re like, “stalker song stalker song”

[@dfskdf]

There seems to be a lot of stalker songs. One I like is "Night vision binoculars". One of the lyrics is "I'm the boy with restraining orders". LOL

[@mrsynth2643]

It's not actually about a stalker either though

[@Keokithederp]

Have them listen to it in minor key. It definitely sounds like how it actually is.

[@jomi025]

How in the world would anyone misconstrue "You're Beautiful" and use it in their wedding when there are literal lyrics like "She was with another man", "I don't think that I'd see her again" and "It's time to face the truth, I will never be with you". 😆

[@Katy-sh3ru]

One word: chorus 🙄😂

[@jomi025]

@@Katy-sh3ru But there's still "And I don't know what to do/coz I'll never be with you" in the chorus. 😂 Like, I get it, the instrumental and the song overall sounds like a typical love song. But that all falls apart once you get to the lyrics, none of it is really too cryptic that you could misunderstand. Maybe if you play just the instrumental in your wedding, then you could get away with it, I guess. 😆

[@Katy-sh3ru]

@@jomi025 it's sad, but I think people just only hear the bit that they want to hear! 🙄

[@nala6846]

@@Katy-sh3ru Y'all don't wanna hear me, you just wanna dance 😔

[@johnw8578]

In the video, he is about to suicide.

[@P-J-W-777]

As most artists usually say when asked what there songs mean they’ll will sometimes tell their story. In some cases I’ve seen them change what the song meant a few times depending when they were asked. But they almost always say it really doesn’t matter what it meant to them. What matters is if you’re able to find a connection to it and what it means to you because they usually have different meanings to different people depending on that connection.

[@O1dmanwalker]

Pumped up kicks is the song that made me pay more attention to what I'm listening to

[@leopoldfreiherrvonbernewit4747]

All the other kids better run. Outrun my gun.

[@caseys2698]

And that’s a good thing-Mark Foster (Foster the People’s frontman & lead vocalist) wrote that song to bring attention to the U.S. gun violence, mass shooting, and mental health epidemic. Its happy tone contradictory to the disturbing lyrics actually fits well with the desensitization surrounding and glorification of gun violence in the U.S. So yeah, it’s really great that that song did that for you- it succeeded! 😁 Just glad to share knowledge about one of my favorite bands :)))

[@JackRabbitSlim]

I listened to that song a ridiculous amount of times before I ever really started to pay attention to what was being said..."You better run...outrun my gun...faster than my bullet". But just makes the song even greater imo. I love when a really well-produced, catchy song manages to sneak subversive or dark subjects into their lyrics.

[@TrevorHutt-Australia]

It got used in an ad for beer in Australia. Great message!

[@TheCanadianCricket]

Hallelujah... Not a religious song at all

[@SphericalCheese-qb4wd]

"Schools Out" by Alice Cooper is still played in classrooms on the last day of school and often thought to be about the beginning of summer vacation. It's not. The original lyrics are about a group of kids who find some explosives (referred to in the song as "new toys") and decide to blow up the school, teachers and all.

[@jeromevadon81]

WOW! I knew it was bad, but not that it was that bad!

[@Mrs.T.Rusch25]

Holy crap! Seriously?? I remember when that song came out, I never knew that!

[@jasperwisecarver]

yeah that makes more sense, actually. not called "shock rock" for nothing

[@cynthia-lr1mx]

I know that's what that song is about & I still play it at the end of the school year, though not in my classroom. 😅

[@jasperwisecarver]

@@cynthia-lr1mx incredibly valid, I always listen to it at the end of the year too. It is the song they play when everyone leaves school in Dazed and Confused so somehow I feel like that helps with the association to the school year

[@maceyomaze]

Of course we can't forget about the infamous Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People

[@janine2957]

i thought it was about underdogs, i just searched the lyrics ans it's about... murder??? 😃 that was a good one

[@sportsguy404]

I’ve been looking for this comment. I can’t tell if no one knows it’s about school shootings or if everybody knows and doesn’t think it needs explaining anymore.

[@ahorowitz15]

@@janine2957 It's from the perspective of a kid having homicidal thoughts and inspired by mental illness in American youth. It's not really about murder or a school shooting as much as it's about mental illness and giving people a platform to talk to their kids about their feelings and mental health.

[@plasmakitten4261]

I think everyone knows what that one's about...

[@saucymongoose7246]

I don't understand how people can misunderstand that one.

[@zefciu]

When you mentioned about the “I’ll be watching you” played on weddings, I immediately thought about a Polish song “windą do nieba”, “elevator to heaven”. It is a song about a girl that is marrying a guy, she doesn’t love, just because the society expects her to have a husband. But the chorus is a description of a wedding, so it was played on most Polish weddings I attended.

[@InvaderTroy]

KZbin muting the 3 second audio clip for "time of your life" is an absolute indictment of this platform.

[@11anonymous6]

..it’s only because the narrator is in the middle of saying “look at the f*cking title”

[@franader]

I'm glad I saw this comment. I thought something happened with my laptop :D

[@ThePodVon]

Ditto - I was confused about what the hell had happened there.

[@babykay1330]

I read this *right* as it happened. 😂

[@golvic1436]

My choir teacher in middle school was obsessed with “Music of the Night” (Phantom of the Opera) and didn’t realize what the song was about until I, the plucky theater brat who had gone to see Phantom with my cousin at least 4 times by that point, printed out the lyrics and spoke them without singing. She didn’t like me very much after that.

[@robneff7084]

idk, that one doesn't seem so bad... am I missing something? Obviously the phantom didn't go out in daylight much, and wanted her to join him.

[@Fitch93]

@@robneff7084 He's trying to seduce her.

[@Chef_Mordo]

@@robneff7084 He’s trying to seduce her and make her forget the rest of her life.

[@dnxx503]

@@Chef_Mordo dang that's crazy

[@klausstock8020]

It's probably that when an opera singer sings "aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh" it sounds more cultivated than when you yell it. Especially in the night.

[@Lizzie-ve7kt]

For those of us who couldn’t wait to graduate, Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) is actually pretty appropriate as a graduation song.

[@jasperwisecarver]

that's how I feel for real. I was like "are schools seriously playing this? they would never acknowledge how much we wanted out like that..."

[@Snoebal]

Yeah

[@jamesschwartz3837]

Interesting it was used in the series finale of Seinfeld.

[@ram0166]

Amen! High school was the biggest boring experience of my life. I still can't stand to be around the people I knew in high school.

[@cg0825]

It took me a very long time to figure out that song. It really comes down to you made your bed now lay in it. Another one from Green Day is Wake Me Up When September Ends. It is not about the army (the video is very misleading in that) and not about Hurricane Katrina although it became a tribute song. It is really about the loss of the lead singer's dad which happened when he was a kid

[@ConejitoPequenito]

As a society, we could stand to talk about song meanings more. They add so much to the songs

[@nosrah9660]

How the hell does anyone miss what “Every Breath You Take” means? I remember asking my parents why someone would write something so creepy when I was five.

[@TheMelMan]

Yeah it sounds like a threat more than anything.

[@anjobanjo1221]

Exactly.

[@TheMasterBlaze]

The lyrics may be creepy, but it does indeed slap though...

[@nosrah9660]

@@TheMasterBlaze Can't deny that.

[@woodpecker8116]

For me, it was the music, and the way he sings just felt like a love song. But when I heard a much slower version of this song I realized that the Lyrics actually are very creepy. And I couldn't understand anything until I actually learned English anyway xD

[@doomhammer3022]

On that last point about irony, I kinda want to give a shoutout to The Village People's "In The Navy" where it seems that the US Navy funded and almost used the song for draft advertising until they realised it was gay. Seems only the navy misunderstood

[@U99DrunkDinosaur]

"You In the Army Now" were used in a draft campaign in the UK while it clearly is anti-war song

[@LeoWolfish]

A part of me wishes that the still went ahead and used it anyway.

[@willyeeton4390]

To carry on with The Village People, folks should look in to the extreme gayness of YMCA, and the band in general.

[@justinlast2lastharder749]

Oh, so you also watch Fact Fiend videos...

[@honolulublues5548]

@@willyeeton4390 I didn't know anybody that didn't know what the song was about or the fact that they were gay. They were pretty out there for the 70s. However, the song YMCA was written by the front man who was straight. What he wrote about was when he used to hang out with his friends at the Y and play basketball. It wasn't gay innuendo that he wrote about.

[@Plisko1]

I once wrote a very serious song about alcohol addiction but it was disguised as a party song...because that's what addiction is...a party that becomes a demon. A critic panned it as a vapid party song. People just don't see layers.

[@adenkyramud5005]

Reminds me of bullet by Hollywood undead. Sounds happy, but if you take one look at the lyrics you know it's about suicide. Still heard it at almost any party I went to back in those days

[@johnthemangood8700]

@@adenkyramud5005 like party by myself is super sad

[@SeasideDetective2]

One of the most brilliant examples I've ever seen of a song being DELIBERATELY misinterpreted was the use of Alter Bridge's "Metalingus" (a title I find bizarre because it sounds like the word for a robot penis!) as the theme song for World Wrestling Entertainment's "evil" wrestler Edge. The lyrics are apparently about reforming one's life and setting out for a brighter future (and, of course, given Alter Bridge's background, are code for "born-again" Christianity...but they were being used to introduce a character who became so obsessed with winning a world championship that he betrayed his best friend (Chris Benoit) in order to get more opportunities at it. But then, of course, maybe Edge was so miserable in his envy that he really did see winning the championship by any means necessary as his "salvation." And all I can say to that is, "Whoa - that's SUPER-dark. That makes the Undertaker's theme cheery by comparison!"

[@thelonggame9166]

Keep putting in the effort, man! Keep on keepin' on!

[@ludmilakotovski1837]

@@SeasideDetective2 :?Perhaps Metalingus could also be a substitute word for Cunninlingus!

[@ralphe5842]

Yea when pumpkin head was using “fortunate son” at his campaign as he was one of the people they were talking sarcastically about

[@Aegius]

"Every Breath you Take" is definitely a stalker song. However I checked the lyrics for "You're Beautiful." It really is more like an unrequited love song. The guy knows that she is with another guy and knows that he doesn't have a chance with her, and is struggling to deal with that painful reality.

[@howardsmith9342]

That's the way I've always looked at it. He has a massive crush on a girl he sees all the time, but he knows nothing can or will ever come of it, so he pours out his feelings in a song that she will never hear.

[@mistersydster]

And I always love how hopelessly destroyed he is while she's doing well and moved on. He encounters her on the train or whatever and he's clearly high out of his mind. 😆

[@sharonjensen3016]

Anyone who plays "Every Breath You Take" at weddings and funerals needs their head read.

[@nomiddlenamenmn427]

I agree. Happy Together is another stalker anthem. The way the lead singer whispers can seem very creepy, although beautifully done.

[@morreddie717]

And anyone that thinks a person plays a song about stalking at their should get their head checked should probably get theirs. Why the fuck do you care what song a person plays at a wedding?

[@namtellectjoonal7230]

My brother was really confused about a movie scene that showed the preparations for a school shooting with the song Pumped up Kicks playing and asked me why they chose such a cheerful song. He had actually played the drums to that song as practice for quite some time at that point but I guess he never really listened to the lyrics

[@uni4rm]

It was actually a song condemning school shootings but people assume its about condoning school shootings. Close but no cigar.

[@wendyokoopa7048]

@@uni4rm one of the band's members had ties to Columbine

[@wendyheatherwood]

One of my coworkers was singing it in the office once. I asked her if it was because of the conversation some people had been having earlier about shootings. She hasn't realised that's what it was about and she was singing the chorus.

[@1JasonBradly]

Personally I could not figure out how this tune with its lyrics got so much attention and be so misunderstood. I could not get over the darkness of it, ever and to this day. Hit top 40 with "better run faster than my bullet" . Even the melody is dark.

[@Shiznittlebizbampop1]

I guess as a musician (Mostly a guitarist, But also singer and song writer.) It always shocks me when people listen to music and love a certain song so much that they even sing along with it.... But they still don't have a clue what the songs about. And Pumped Up Kicks is actually a PERFECT prime example of this "phenomenon" (I have it in quotation, because again it just shocks me so freaking much.) of a popular song and everyone listened to all the time and would sing along with it and STILL have no idea what the song was about. Like after I started writing songs at the young age of 11 (God, THOSE songs at that age were SOOOOO bad.... Im6 so freaking glad I had to buy all my own recording equipment because if any of those songs were out there on the internet somewhere and I couldn't find them to take them down, every time I would think about them I would die on the inside a little bit... But thank God that's not the case LMFAO 😂) idk if it's because I was really into the process of writing or what? But I stopped just mindlessly listening to music and really really started listening to the lyrics to the point where especially to this day I have to listen to a song about 3 times to actually enjoy it as just a song because the first time I hear a song I listen to the lyrics and then the second time I pick apart what the band is doing and what they did in the studio to make it sound better and more clean ect. And then if the song isn't that complex I can actually listen to it for what it is, a freaking song lolol But yeah, that's just the long-winded way of me saying that I can't believe the majority of people can listen to and even sing along with a song and have absolutely no clue what it's about. Like not even a close or confident guess. But then again, so freaking much of Pop music is so crappy and is made for one reason and one reason only, and that's to be catchy so it gets stuck in your head. So when I think about how most music is Pop music, it makes sense that the lyrics don't matter. Just like in Mumble-Rap. Do the lyrics make any sense? No. But is it catchy? Yeah. So it'll sell and that's all that matters.

[@Gustalba]

I Took a Pill In Ibiza was a song that criticized the fame, and the abuse of drugs in partys, but the Seeb Remix is a song that a lot of DJs put in Ibiza while some people take pills listening to that, so weird

[@santiagobauza4257]

I think that's exactly the point. It works much better as a club remix because it sounds all the more empty from the narrator's point of view. Like he's still trapped in the life he describes. Reminds me of Dancing On My Own by Robyn for that reason. That doesn't happen at all in the original.

[@Gustalba]

@@santiagobauza4257 Exactly, I said that by the fact that a lot of people listen to that in the same context (I think)

[@judeterry8579]

@@santiagobauza4257 Thanks Todd in the Shadows

[@santiagobauza4257]

@@judeterry8579 To be quite honest if it wasn't for him I wouldn't even know there was an original version

[@josefinebliss2801]

I had no idea that was even a remix. They mentioned it on the radio like a week ago before playing it and I was like whaa. Never heard the original (but now i've gotta go listen to it lol)

[@killd1011]

Omg a great example is breezeblocks by alt-j where people don’t know that the lyrics are lowkey scary… it’s literally about a dude who’s girl cheated on him so he kidnaps her keeps her captive then accidentally kills her, then proceeds to cannibalize her and people think it’s about love

[@bottomless666]

"No woman no cry" is jamaican for "No woman, don't cry". The protagonist of the song is comforting a woman which, well, cries.

[@NickB1967]

Exactly, and they were stuck "in a government yard" (slummy housing project) "in Trenchtown" (bad part of Kingston, Jamaica)

[@alm2187]

Thank you! Thanks for...for clearing that up, right there...

[@christophzeit6282]

I'm surprised that there are people out there who misinterpret that. I'm not even from an english speaking country, my mom und my uncle were huge fans of bob marley, i always knew what that line meant

[@AlienIschozar]

If you translate it to german (not to accuratly) No woman no cry You roughly get Keine Frau kein geschrei Which translated back means No Women no screaming :) Which is pretty funny considering that no women around usually means peace an quiet :) Oh btw. The chinese symbol for Fighting/arguing/debate Is literally the symbol women x2 With a roof over it :) Old chinese people knew the drill

[@woodpecker8116]

@@AlienIschozar That is indeed very roughly translated ^^

[@maherhussein1999]

“Summer of ‘69 is not about the year, that’s all I have to say about that one” 😂

[@santiagobauza4257]

Anyone who googles Bryan Adams will realise that he was 10 in 1969

[@Tangerine2600]

I just found that one out and now the fact that I like this song scares me

[@mariokarter13]

Everything I Do, While You're Doing Me Too

[@daruween1398]

oh....

[@josephhumpherston4740]

@@Tangerine2600 what is it about?

[@recursivecoin359]

Jimmy Hendrix's "Are You Experienced" is about drugs while everyone assumes it's about sex. "Purple Haze" is about a dream he once had while everyone assumes it's about drugs.

[@opadrip]

@Frank Einstein Tbf it's literally called "Purple Haze" which is a slang for weed.

[@Moto_Medics]

It’s a bout the rare occurrences when hay grows purple rather than green and just has been misspelled this whole time

[@Val.Kyrie.]

@@opadrip purple is definitely a group of strains but I’ve never heard of it as a slang for weed?

[@rhov-anion]

Jimmy Hendrix also had sound-color synesthesia, where sounds produce a visual color, like a fog. The chords he plays at the beginning were what he called the "purple chords." Not sure if he picked those chords to match the song, or if his synesthesia inspired the song.

[@derPetunientopf]

@@rhov-anion Okay thats a cool background story but without knowing this already its pretty unlikely that someone would figured this out by just listening to the song.

[@adamdebord1897]

“I ran so far away” by A Flock of Seagulls is about alien abduction.

[@masquerabe6692]

My baby don’t mess around Because she loves me so And this I know for sho-

[@andrewmwelwachanda9336]

I was also wondering why 'Hey ya!' wasn't on the list.

[@nl3064]

@@andrewmwelwachanda9336 he can't include evey fucking song ever. Plus at this point, everyone pretty much knows what it's about.

[@andrewmwelwachanda9336]

@@nl3064 Yeah, I guess you're right.

[@Urmom-gm1oy]

@@nl3064 well just about everyone knows what imagine by john lennon is about and he included it.

[@nl3064]

@@Urmom-gm1oy well clearly more people misunderstand Imagine than Hey Ya. And like I said, he can't include every goddam song ever made.

[@zachery2759]

Another song many people misunderstand is Wake Me Up When September Ends. Billie Armstrong, leader of Green Day, wrote it about his dad who tragically passed away on September 1st 1982 when Billie was only 10 years old. He ran from the funeral and locked himself in his bedroom. His worried mother followed him and knocked on his bedroom door and asked him if he was okay and to please come out, and Billie simply said, “Wake Me Up When September Ends”, hence the title.

[@user-wr8no7kv2g]

And now people on Twitter can remind him of this every October 1st

[@Marianna2877]

This song also stuck to many people with mental illness and that's why many awareness months is around that time. I didn't know Billie was talking about his loss, but he made it well that many of us are drowning in our own room.

[@goretoriumgaming8600]

Most greenday fans do know this but non fans are the ones who post jokes about it every October

[@argusfleibeit1165]

All I ever thought about it was that it was on the radio a lot during the Katrina disaster that happened in September of 2005. I think the song was released before that event, but it sure seemed apt. I still can't listen to it, remembering how awful it all was, feeling so helpless as our government failed to do enough to help the people who lost everything.

[@M4GG0TK1NG]

That's not misunderstood. Pretty much everyone has known that for over a decade now. That's like the musical equivalent of the "viggo mortenson actually broke his foot" meme

[@SingularlyNaked]

The one time I saw the Dead Kennedys, lots of people were (of course) shouting for them to play "Kill the Poor!". Jello replied "We're not gonna play that song cause 90% of you are the dumb jocks we're singing about." They kept their word.

[@sorenwestlock2899]

It feels a little like they wrote Nazi Punks f*ck off about those guys.

[@ryandegrave8978]

But Kill the Poor has nothing to do with dumb jocks.

[@piecesofstarlight]

Well if jocks are the antithesis of punks then yes it is sort of. More about the mindset of that particular set of people than -actually- about them. To be fair I did just listen to it for the first time ever out of sheer curiosity so I could be off but that was my impression.

[@ryandegrave8978]

@@piecesofstarlight Kill the Poor is a satire about the elite eliminating poverty by literally killing all the poor people, viewed through the eyes of the rich as they envision the better world they will create.

[@hermezkonrad]

Literally the text of "In Bloom". Even though this song is written in like 30 minutes, chorus is literally calling out "that" type of fans.

[@maddie8415]

It's astounding that people can misunderstand "Fortunate Son"...the lyrics are so easy to hear and so clear with their meaning, right from the beginning.

[@knowledge-girl]

There were a lot of '80s songs about nuclear war: "99 Luftballons," "Melt With You," "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" to name a few.

[@elisabethandersen1102]

'The Futures So Bright' my school 100% used for graduation and I was pretty astounded. These teachers spent four years trying to make us analyze Shakespear and Beowolf but couldn't figure out that song.

[@honolulublues5548]

Let's Go All the Way by Sly Fox.

[@kristen5174]

Yes, so many songs about nuclear war in the 80s. "Red skies at night" by The Fixx is one that was misunderstood and taken as a lovely sunset foretelling a beautiful day tomorrow.

[@huge-s]

"Vamos a la Playa"

[@RB-tz8kj]

Dancing with tears in my eyes-Ultravox

[@crasyman101]

Everyone thinks 3005 by childish Gambino is a love song when it's about depression and how he swears no one cares about him. He literally says " I've lost all hope of a happy ending"

[@asparagusnoodle]

I always got the impression that it gradually unfolds into desperation

[@jeremyusreevu237]

3005 is literally my best song of 2013. The production is phenomenal, Gambino's flow is incredible, and the entire song is so trippy, poignant, and amazing.

[@lyssa4378]

The video is def the icing on that cake. The decomposing bear still gives me goosebumps 😖

[@sozzll]

@@jeremyusreevu237 have you listened to the rest of because the internet? If not please do

[@blackcatdreams2011]

Wait people think that?

[@kristideeley]

In the same vein as "Hook", Sarah Bareilles' "Love Song" was not written for a boyfriend wanting a her to write him a love song but rather a response to her record label insisting her album needed a love song on it and is, basically, her giving them the finger in response.

[@kellyhoward6941]

Don't forget Mac Davis' "Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me," written for basically the same reason as the first song; a producer told him he needed a song with a hook & Davis came back with the "hook," giving the guy the proverbial finger.

[@ootfan7882]

@@kellyhoward6941 Don't forget Harder To Breath by Maroon 5.

[@kellyhoward6941]

@@ootfan7882 I gotta confess that I actually had forgotten that! 😁 I had to go back & listen to it again...thanks for the reminder!

[@ootfan7882]

@@kellyhoward6941 np

[@jakeaurod]

So was "Bottle It Up" by Sara Bareilles.

[@Vermeulenisdenaam]

"Narcotic" by Liquido, this always gets people up, wildly jumping and dancing to the uplifting melody, while it is actually describing a crippling and unescapable addiction.