You Probably Didn’t Know What these Misunderstood Songs Are Actually About

There’s no secret that some songs just have more to say than what you hear. They could have hidden meanings or are very personal to the songwriter, so the average listener can’t understand.

Sometimes, the songs are just so misunderstood that the lyrics are misconstrued by people throughout the years. With them, the original intention of the song gets lost. Whether it’s from misleading chords, urban legends, or misinterpretation at its most basic, the public often gets hold of a song and morphs it into something new.

Is that good or bad? Well, look at these commonly misunderstood songs to see what you think!

The One I Love by R.E.M.

Here’s a song that wasn’t supposed to be about love. The band almost didn’t record it at all because they felt it was really violent, brutal, and awful, according to Michael Stipe, the lead singer. Though the title is misleading, the lyrics aren’t!

Alive by Pearl Jam

While Pearl Jam’s hit from 1991 might sound like it’s about perseverance, there’s a deeper reading for it. The track is based on Vedder learning that his dad was his stepdad and his biological father was actually dead.

Good Riddance (The Time of Your Life) by Green Day

Green Day has an acoustic ballad that was a huge crossover hit because it was used in the finale of Seinfeld in 1998. The track has wistful lyrics about how time flies and is great for weddings, graduations, and proms. Still, the happy people might need to examine the lyrics because it’s actually about a rebuke against a girlfriend!

Closing Time by Semisonic

This song has become the anthem for last calls in bars. However, the lyrics don’t have anything to do with that. Instead, they were written about Dan Wilson’s girlfriend’s pregnancy. They realized the bar connection and admitted they knew the audience might think it was about that.

In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins

This track by Phil Collins is said to be a dark pop hit. According to legend, it focuses on a man watching another drown without trying to save him. Collins wrote the song, invited that person to the show, and sang it to him. This is not really true, and the song actually has no story to it.

American Girl by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Though the song’s lyrics are thought to be about a woman committing suicide, this is widely untrue and discussed in Petty’s book. In fact, the inspiration for this song came when he lived in California and has nothing to do with anyone.

Every Breath You Take by The Police

This song was a highly successful single in the 80s and is often the first dance song at hundreds of weddings. However, it isn’t about love and focuses on obsession and stalking. Sting has been told by many couples that it was played for them, and he thinks, “Good luck!”

Blackbird by The Beatles

Blackbird is a very debated song from the Beatles catalog. Written by Paul McCartney, it sounds like your everyday love song. However, according to McCartney, the lyrics reference the Civil Rights Movement, which was happening in the US then.

Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind

The 1997 hit from Third Eye Blind is remembered for its fun chorus and pop sound. However, it has a dark undertone. Stephan Jenkins, songwriter and lead singer, explained that it’s about addiction. He said that most of his friends were on speed.

Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen

The most well-known song on the list has been misunderstood for over 30 years! Its lyrics focus on a young man who is drafted, fights in the Vietnam War, and comes home with psychological scars. Still, the upbeat arrangement hid the irony.

Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler

Total Eclipse of the Heart is a power ballad and appeared on Tyler’s fifth album. Everyone loved it, but they didn’t know that it was a love song for vampires. It’s pretty creepy!

Love Song by Sara Bareilles

You’ve probably heard the distinct voice of the chart-topping single called Love Song. Most people think it’s about love, but the chorus sets you straight. Plus, it’s not about a girl or guy. Bareilles wrote it because she was frustrated with her record label! How ironic that it became her breakout hit.

London Calling by The Clash

This song ended up taking on a bigger meaning, with a common interpretation that it’s focusing on British politics. However, it was about something simple. The writer feared that the Thames river could overflow London and became scared.

Pink Houses by John Mellencamp

Ultimately, John Mellencamp wrote this song to rebuke the Reaganomics of the 1980s. However, the uplifting music and chorus lead people to think that it’s a patriotic tune! Many political candidates learned the hard way!

Higher by Creed

Creed had a hugely popular hit in 1999 called Higher. It became the signature song of the band and focused on the post-grunge scene. Though it seems to be about a drug-induced high or Creed publicizing Christianity, it’s not. In fact, it’s about lucid dreaming!

Buddy Holly by Weezer

This song by Weezer isn’t actually about Buddy Holly, but you probably know that if you listened to it. However, it’s easy to hear the lyrics and think it’s about romance. Still, when you’re careful, you can figure out that it’s not about love at all!

Always by Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi is a band that has tons of power ballads, and Always was one of them. However, it wasn’t a ballad, but most people ignored the lyrics to get to the heart of it. John Bon Jovi explained, saying that it’s a sick and twisted lyric. Everyone thinks it’s romantic, but the guy is a stalker!

Mr. Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan

Most people feel that Mr. Tambourine Man was an autobiography of the singer when he found his muse with drugs. However, it’s a tribute to Bruce Langhorne, a touring musician who played in the band a few times!

Hotel California by the Eagles

It’s believed that this song is primarily about purgatory. However, Don Henley claimed in a 2002 interview that it’s just a song about the dark aspect of the American dream and so much excess in America.

Waterfalls by TLC

The popular conception out there is that TLC’s Waterfalls (1995) is about appreciating what you have, slowing down, and not rushing. Though there’s truth to it in the chorus, it’s actually focused on AIDs and HIV!

Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter, Paul, and Mary

Everyone feels that this song is about drugs, but it’s not! The lyrics are based on a poem written by Leonard Lipton, a friend of Peter Yarrow. It focuses on a child playing with an imaginary dragon before getting too old.

Perfect Day by Lou Reed

Perfect Day is used in tons of upbeat, chipper commercials for products, such as AT&T and Sony Playstation 4. It’s quite odd, though, since it’s about heroin. The track is often described as being about love’s power, but it really focuses on the high you get after using narcotics!

Like a Virgin by Madonna

Though it seems obvious to most that this song is the ode to a young woman losing her virginity, it’s not! In fact, it talks about how song writer Billy  Steinberg felt vulnerable about getting into a new relationship. However, the lyrics are ambiguous enough that anyone can interpret them any way they choose.

Harder to Breathe by Maroon 5

The “Songs About Jane” album focused on Adam Levine’s ex-girlfriends. Therefore, it makes sense to think that Harder to Breathe was inspired by it. However, it came because of the pressure from the band’s recording company.

Summer of ’69 by Bryan Adams

Summer of ’69 was written by Bryan Adams and had a powerful focus on nostalgia. Therefore, everyone assumes that he wrote it about being a teenager in that period. However, he was actually only 9 years old. There are allusions to the lives of the writers, but Adams chose the number based on the sexual position.

Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana

This song is hailed as a generational masterpiece since it was released back in 1991. However, no one knows what it’s all about, including Kurt Cobain! The title came from one woman who claimed that Kurt smelled like Teen Spirit, and the band members didn’t know it was a brand of deodorant!

Paper Planes by M.I.A.

Most people think that this song is about a drug dealer. However, the singer actually explained that it’s about the immigrant experiences in the US. She thought about living in an African neighborhood where everyone thinks of them as leeches.

Ticket to Ride by The Beatles

Ticket to Ride seems like it’s a reference to a woman riding the train to get to her boyfriend. John Lennon claims that the meaning is completely different. Instead, it focuses on cards to indicate a healthy person, which was carried by prostitutes in Germany in the 1960s!

Slide by Goo Goo Dolls

Slide was the first single from the 1998 album for the band and helped them achieve the superstar status. Initially, it seems to talk about a tale of young lovers fighting the world. However, Johnny Rzeznik claims that there’s more to it, and it’s about two teenagers where the girl gets pregnant, and they don’t know if they should keep the baby.

One by U2

When this song was initially released, it became legendary. It seems to be about togetherness, whether that’s fraternal, romantic, or platonic. However, it was written when U2 had no idea about its future!

American Woman by The Guess Who

To modern listeners, this song has all the sex appeal. However, the true meaning is more to do with politics and the Vietnam War. The band had been touring the US, and the government tried drafting them to send them to Vietnam, even though they hail from Canada.

Just Like Heaven by The Cure

While the song sounds like your average love song, the lyrics are more complex, according to Robert Smith, the lead singer. He claims that it’s about hyperventilating, where you kiss and faint. Some of it refers to his childhood memories, as well.

Imagine by John Lennon

While this is a classic ballad and might be viewed as a plea for world peace, that’s not the case. Lennon claims that there’s much more to it. In fact, it was about not having one religion but the concept of positivity.

Cherry Bomb by The Runaways

This song isn’t necessarily misunderstood because of the lyrics but by the story for its creation. It’s a classic rock song and a huge hit for Joan Jett. However, it wasn’t written to be that and was done in five minutes or so.

Feel It Still by Portugal the Man

Though this hit single might sound like an ode to John Gourley’s daughter, it was written from a more political stance. He explained that the lyrics seep in and can mean different things.

Royals by Lorde

Royals by Lorde might sound like a song about someone lamenting about never being royal, but in fact, she is actually ridiculing the celebrity lifestyle of riches and fame that everybody seems to want.

Poker Face by Lady Gaga

Clearly, Poker Face has tons of sexual innuendo, but it’s not clear that this song talks about one specific sexual experience the singer had. According to her, she fantasized about a female being intimate with a man and trying not to let him know what she was thinking.

Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day

This song is an ode to Billie Joe Armstrong’s dad, who passed when the singer was only 7 years old. However, since it’s placed on an album focusing heavily on 9/11, many people get it confused.

Who Let the Dogs Out by Baha Men

Even though it’s in the title, this song isn’t about your furry pooch friend. It’s actually about men cat-calling women on the street and the women responding by calling the men dogs. Who knew?

Macarena by Los Del Rio

Though the choreographed moves are just as iconic as the song, this Spanish cult classic isn’t quite as innocent as you might remember. It’s all about a woman cheating on her boyfriend with two of his friends after he gets drafted into the Army!