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Think you know your favorite songs? Think again! Join us as we reveal the true meanings behind hits that fans have been misinterpreting for years. From patriotic anthems that are actually protest songs to cheerful tunes with dark undertones, these tracks aren't what they seem. Which surprising song meaning shocked you most?
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 50 song meanings
00:10that people still manage to get totally mixed up about, sometimes even decades later.
00:2050. Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince, Taylor Swift
00:24Although Taylor Swift is not likely to run out of inspiration anytime soon
00:28when it comes to masterfully crafting songs about love, this entry into her catalogue isn't one of them.
00:39Or at least, that's not all it is. Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince could be interpreted as a love song,
00:45but the more interesting meaning behind it is that it's a dive into her own political awakening.
00:49It's you and me, it's nothing like this
00:52Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince
00:55Experiences in Swift's personal life led her to become a bit more outspoken,
01:00and the shifting political climate in the United States helped in compelling her to express herself more directly.
01:0649. BYOB, System of a Down
01:09People were very prepared to jump to the obvious conclusion when System of a Down put out a song called BYOB.
01:15Surely Serge Tonkian was telling people to bring your own beer, right?
01:22Well, the overtly political nature of some of the band's earlier work wasn't enough to make this one obvious enough, it seemed.
01:33The track is in fact titled Bring Your Own Bombs,
01:36and is pretty clearly a protest song directed at the US government's war with Iraq.
01:40Everybody's gone to the party, have a real good time
01:46The song went on to become a pretty big commercial success for the band,
01:51becoming their only Billboard Top 40 hit, peaking at number 27.
01:56Number 48. White Lightning, Def Leppard
01:59Def Leppard is one of those bands that has more than a few songs about the party-heavy lifestyle of rock and roll.
02:03You wanna write white lightning, then the side won't leave
02:07However, for as much as White Lightning has been misinterpreted as just another generic rock song,
02:13the track is actually dedicated to their guitarist, Steve Clark.
02:17Just one year prior to its release, Clark passed away from a lethal mix of alcohol and prescription drugs,
02:23leaving a huge void in the band.
02:24The song's title is a reference to Clark's nickname,
02:35and according to the band, is littered with a range of in-jokes at his expense,
02:39something they are certain he would have enjoyed.
02:42Number 47. Martha, My Dear
02:44The Beatles
02:45The Beatles were responsible for some of the biggest lyrical head-scratchers of all time.
02:49Martha, My Dear
02:58Martha, My Dear from the White Album is the type of song that could have very easily been about one of Paul McCartney's exes,
03:02but as it turns out, it's not even about a human.
03:05When you find yourself in the thick of it
03:09Help yourself to a better body's all around you
03:13The song is quite literally about McCartney's old English sheepdog Martha.
03:17If you ever thought that there weren't enough love songs about dogs,
03:21well, thankfully, the Beatles have got you covered.
03:24Number 46. Mbop, Hanson
03:26Surely the Hanson teen bop classic Mbop is pretty confidently understood by now.
03:36Although we're not going to try and claim that the song is filled with scathing political commentary or philosophical messages,
03:41it's not as senseless as some people think.
03:44Mbop is actually a pretty poignant song about the passage of time and how fleeting things can be.
03:49Life moves fast, and for Hanson, understanding how people come and go is essential in the pursuit of peace.
03:59Sure, the iconic chorus is literally gibberish, but if you don't pay attention to the verses,
04:03you might just miss a neatly packaged message.
04:06Number 45. Swimming Pools, Drank
04:16Kendrick Lamar
04:17There's no shortage of songs in the mainstream market that are geared towards celebrating the high life.
04:22Joys of money, liquor, and excess in all forms.
04:25Some people like the way it feels, some people want to kill their sorrow,
04:28some people want to fit in with the popular, that was my problem.
04:31However, Kendrick Lamar was not trying to do this with swimming pools, no matter how much it may seem so.
04:37The song might sound like it's glamorizing a certain lifestyle,
04:40but the lyrics are very obviously a warning about the disastrous effects of alcohol dependency.
04:46Kendrick reflects on his own life, as well as his family history,
04:49and how it all affected his own relationship with alcohol.
04:52It's the type of song that really takes on a whole different meaning upon closer inspection.
05:04Number 44. King of Anything, Sara Bareilles
05:07Self-empowerment anthems are as common as can be,
05:11but if you thought that King of Anything by Sara Bareilles was just one more example, think again.
05:15You've got opinions, man, we're all entitled to them, but I never asked.
05:22The song might be masquerading as a generic tune about self-confidence,
05:26but in reality, Bareilles crafted something a lot more interesting.
05:29She uses the track as a clapback against a particular person
05:32who was offering her a whole load of unsolicited advice.
05:35In other words, this person was getting a little too big for their boots,
05:39thinking they could offer insight into someone else's life in a way that Bareilles saw as patronizing.
05:44Who died and made you king of anything
05:48All in all, king of anything is one hell of a response.
05:54Number 43. Hook, Blues Traveler
05:56There are probably many listeners who know the song Hook by Blues Traveler quite well
06:00without actually understanding its lyrics or overall intention.
06:05It doesn't matter what I've said
06:08The song isn't the straightforward formulaic pop song it claims to be.
06:12Instead, it is a cutting satire of the entire idea of pop music
06:17and how shallow it can be.
06:19Even the title alludes to the fact that the track is about to dive into the idea of hooks in music.
06:31Blues Traveler succeeded in crafting a memorable pop song nonetheless,
06:35but the fact that they did it by taking aim at memorable pop song structure is pretty hilarious.
06:39Number 42. Crash Into Me, Dave Matthews Band
06:43The song Crash Into Me by the Dave Matthews Band doesn't pull any punches when it comes to its subject matter.
06:49It is openly romantic and even a little risque from time to time,
07:01detailing some pretty intense passion and longing.
07:04On first listen, it might seem like the track is about a normal relationship,
07:08but as you continue to listen, things become a little clearer.
07:12The song actually details a stalker who is infatuated with a woman,
07:15watching her from afar without her knowledge.
07:18Oh, I watch it air through the window and I stare at you
07:23This knowledge recontextualizes the song pretty heavily,
07:27making it a much less charming release from Dave Matthews and company.
07:31Number 41. Wolves, Selena Gomez and Marshmello
07:34When Selena Gomez revealed to the world that she was battling lupus,
07:38the track Wolves was seen by many as her first major artistic statement on the topic.
07:42Lupus, after all, translates to Wolves in Latin.
07:53However, the song isn't just a cut and dry take on her illness.
07:56The lyrics dive into a range of different subjects.
07:59Romance and her health are indeed at the core of it all,
08:01but to try and narrow the song down to those two topics would be ignoring the bigger picture.
08:06I've been running through the jungle, I've been running with the wolves to get to you,
08:11to get to you.
08:13Selena doesn't confine herself to one area of her life here,
08:17and the song resonates even more as a result.
08:20Number 40. The A-Team, Ed Sheeran
08:22When Ed Sheeran burst onto the scene, he was an instant success.
08:26Ripped gloves, rain the coat, tried to swim to stay flowed.
08:31Not only did he have the hooks and melodies needed to crack the top of the charts,
08:36but to say his lyrics delivered would be an understatement.
08:39The A-Team was one of the first major standouts in his repertoire,
08:42but a surprising number of people don't actually know what it's about.
08:46No, the song isn't about B.A. Baracus and those lovable soldiers of fortune.
08:51Instead, it deals with an unhoused woman with a substance use problem.
08:54It's too cold outside
08:57But angels to fly
09:00Pretty heavy subject matter for such a mainstream success.
09:04Number 39. Feel It Still, Portugal The Man
09:07Portugal The Man had been around the music business for quite a long time
09:11before they eventually scored their biggest hit, Feel It Still, in 2017.
09:23Considering that the song is so breezy and easy to listen to,
09:26you'd be forgiven for assuming that it's not any deeper than that.
09:29The lyrics go quite a lot deeper, though,
09:31dealing with themes of social unrest, rebellion, and anxiety
09:35over being a parent to a daughter who will inherit a fractured world.
09:38Ooh, I'm a rebel just for kids now
09:41I've been feeling it since I can 66 now
09:44On the surface, the words could have easily been placeholders,
09:47but the band succeeded in imbuing the track with some serious depth.
09:51Number 38. Bullet
09:53Hollywood Undead
09:54Hollywood Undead's track Bullet is a classic example of why it's always important to read a little deeper into the lyrics.
10:00Too far, yeah, I'm gone again
10:02It's gone on too long
10:03I'll tell you how it ends
10:05To a casual listener, the song seems to be quite cheerful and upbeat,
10:09the perfect soundtrack for a summer evening.
10:11However, once you actually begin to take note of what the lyrics are referring to,
10:15it does a total U-turn.
10:17Not only does this track deal with incredibly heavy subject matter in a very honest manner,
10:22but it also intentionally throws its audience for a loop from its opening bars onwards.
10:26I wish that I could clap
10:28Way up in the sky
10:31Like a bird so high
10:33That said, the protagonist's struggle with depression and self-harm comes through quite vividly in the lyrics.
10:41Number 37. Rainy Day Women Numbers 12 and 35
10:44Bob Dylan
10:45Any song that repeated the refrain,
10:47Everybody Must Get Stoned, and came out in the mid-60s was going to come under some serious scrutiny.
11:00While it must have been easy to pigeonhole the opening track to Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde
11:04as little more than an attempt to provoke the censors,
11:07that's not quite accurate.
11:09The idea of being stoned is taken more from the very public death sentence act of stoning,
11:14rather than anything you might inhale.
11:16Dylan is speaking about widespread condemnation and criticism,
11:20and when you consider how much of that he had experienced after going electric,
11:23it makes total sense.
11:25Never mind must get stoned
11:27Never mind must get stoned
11:31As for the double meaning,
11:33we're sure he enjoyed the outrage a lot.
11:36Number 36. I Don't Like Mondays
11:38The Boomtown Rats
11:39A song with a title as forthcoming as
11:42I Don't Like Mondays shouldn't really require a closer look.
11:45Nobody's gonna go to school today
11:47She's gonna make them stay at home
11:50The track certainly could be interpreted as a cheeky and juvenile distaste for school or professional life.
11:56However, Bob Geldof later revealed that the song was directly inspired by the shooting spree
12:01carried out by Brenda Ann Spencer in 1979.
12:04The young girl opened fire on a school playground,
12:06killing two adults and injuring eight minors.
12:09In a truly cold and remorseless statement to the public,
12:12she explained her actions by saying,
12:14I don't like Mondays.
12:16This livens up the day.
12:17Tell me why I don't like Mondays
12:20Tell me why I don't like Mondays
12:23Tell me why
12:24In this context, the song makes a whole lot more sense.
12:28Number 35. Total Eclipse of the Heart
12:31Bonnie Tyler
12:32Chances are, if you've heard Total Eclipse of the Heart before,
12:35you have a pretty solid grasp about the song's subject matter and themes.
12:45It's not exactly trying to hide what it's about.
12:47Oh, except for the fact that it's actually about vampires, not mortal humans.
12:52In fact, the track's original title was Vampires in Love,
12:55and it was intended for a musical version of Nosferatu that writer Jim Steinman was working on.
13:00Thankfully, the song got a mainstream coat of paint and was given to Bonnie Tyler with a new title,
13:05allowing it to become the chart-topping success we all know and love.
13:16Number 34. Rock the Casbah
13:18The Clash
13:19By 1982, The Clash was spreading their wings a bit more with their musical output.
13:25Elements of New Wave and Ska had found their way into their music,
13:35and their single Rock the Casbah was one of the finest examples.
13:38Sure, it sounds like an exotic party song on its surface,
13:41but Joe Strummer's lyrics reveal quite a lot more.
13:44The track actually focuses on the banning of music by a tyrannical king or lord,
13:48and was in some ways inspired by the outlying of Western music and media in Iran,
13:52a ban that continued well into the 21st century.
14:03In the end, the king decides to order his jet pilots to bomb a group of protesters,
14:08but they reject his order and join them instead.
14:11Number 33. American Pie
14:13Don McClane
14:14American Pie is the type of musical epic that can and should be interpreted in many different ways.
14:20Long, long time ago
14:22I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
14:27While Don McClane himself has been notoriously tight-lipped about the song's meanings,
14:32a lot of people just let the song's lyrics wash over them.
14:35The track, of course, makes reference to the infamous Day the Music Died,
14:38a name for the plane crash that killed 50s icons Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper.
14:43Besides that, however, there are a whole bunch of other characters, images, and symbols
14:48that fans have spent decades trying to decipher.
14:59This is by no means a work of rambling lyrical gibberish.
15:03Number 32. S&M
15:05Rihanna
15:06The title alone was enough to give the fans and critics some idea of what Rihanna was singing about
15:11when she released S&M.
15:12In fact, it was such a bold and direct statement that, for many people,
15:16there was no reason to dig any deeper.
15:18However, the song isn't actually about the kinky activities it describes,
15:22or at least it's not entirely about them.
15:24I may be bad, but I'm perfectly good at it
15:28It's in the air, I don't care, I love the smell of it
15:32A closer look will tell you that Rihanna was actually singing about her own self-empowerment,
15:36in spite of criticism and speculation from the media.
15:46In its own way, the track represents a way for Rihanna to gain some control over her own narrative.
15:52In that sense, she certainly succeeded.
15:54Number 31. I Will Always Love You
15:57Dolly Parton
15:58Dolly Parton truly struck gold when she managed to craft one of the most succinct and heartfelt love songs of all time.
16:05We both know that I'm not what you need
16:12However, just because the song can be interpreted as a very straightforward statement to a lover,
16:18doesn't mean that Dolly wrote it as one.
16:20She instead crafted it to mark the professional separation between her and her musical partner, Porter Wagoner.
16:25The two had a very successful but seemingly platonic seven-year relationship,
16:30never veering into romantic territory.
16:32I will always love you
16:39When Whitney Houston recorded the song in 1992,
16:43she gave it a new meaning,
16:45and probably a meaning that falls a lot closer to what people imagine the song to be about.
16:49We'll always love you
16:53Number 30. Drops of Jupiter
16:58Train
16:59The lyrics throughout Drops of Jupiter talk about two people being separated from each other,
17:04with the lead singer Pat Monaghan asking about how the other person's time has been since they left.
17:08Now that she's back in the atmosphere
17:11With drops of Jupiter in her head
17:15With that being said,
17:16it isn't a big surprise that many people interpret the song to be about the breakup of a romantic relationship.
17:22However, rather than a romantic partner,
17:24Monaghan wrote this song about an even more powerful loss in his life,
17:28the loss of his mother,
17:29who had succumbed to cancer.
17:30But tell me, did the wind sweep you off your feet?
17:34Once you know that,
17:36it seems obvious given the lyrics about heaven,
17:38the universe,
17:39and the beautiful opening line,
17:41now that she's back in the atmosphere.
17:43And now you're lonely looking for yourself out there
17:47Number 29. Slide
17:51Goo Goo Dolls
17:52The common interpretation of Slide by the Goo Goo Dolls is that the track is a love song.
17:57Could you whisper in my ear
17:59The things you want to feel
18:01And in a way it is,
18:03but not in the way most of us assume.
18:05With lines like,
18:06I want to wake up where you are
18:07and what you are is beautiful,
18:09the couple in the song is definitely in love.
18:11However,
18:12the crux of the song,
18:13the big plot line that gets overlooked by most of us,
18:16is the fact that the girl in the song comes from a very strict religious family,
18:19and she's pregnant.
18:21Don't you love the life you kill
18:23The priest is on the phone
18:25You'll follow him in the wall
18:27When Johnny Resnick sings
18:29Do You Want to Get Married or Run Away?
18:31He's referring to the limited options they think they have.
18:34Run away, run away, run away
18:37Number 28. The One I Love
18:40R.E.M.
18:41The song is called The One I Love.
18:43How can this one not be a love song, right?
18:45This one goes out to the one I love
18:50And in 1987,
18:53Michael Stipe told Rolling Stone that
18:55It's probably better that they just think it's a love song at this point.
18:58However, while the song is relatively light on lyrics,
19:02most of them are anything but loving.
19:04This one goes out to the one I've left behind
19:09In reference to the titular One I Love,
19:13Stipe refers to
19:14As he said in a different interview at the time
19:19It's very clear that it's about using people over and over again.
19:23So basically, you might want to think twice
19:26before you add this to your Spotify romantic playlist.
19:33Number 27. Puff the Magic Dragon
19:36Peter, Paul, and Mary
19:37We know what you're thinking.
19:39Come on, WatchMojo.
19:40We all know this song isn't about a dragon
19:42but it's actually about herbal enjoyment.
19:44Puff the Magic Dragon
19:47Live by the sea
19:50Well, allow us to take this moment to blow your minds
19:53because Puff the Magic Dragon is actually about a dragon.
19:57In 1959, Leonard Lipton wrote a poem about a dragon.
20:00A couple of years later, Peter Yarrow, the Peter in Peter, Paul, and Mary
20:04found the poem and wrote his song based on said poem.
20:13Both Lipton and Yarrow have repeatedly said that
20:16Puff the Magic Dragon is not about anything more than that.
20:19The misinterpretation of a horse with no name being about illicit substances
20:34started pretty immediately after the song's release back in the early 70s.
20:38On the first part of the journey
20:41I was looking at all the life
20:45And it would seem that it comes primarily from the fact that horse is a common slang term.
20:50If the band had anticipated that would happen
20:52maybe they would have stuck with the song's original title, Desert Song.
20:56And why was that the original title?
20:58Because the song is indeed about the desert.
21:00With a Salvador Dali desert painting and an M.C. Escher horse as inspiration
21:12If the song is a metaphor for anything
21:14it's, as songwriter Dewey Bunnell put it
21:16A vehicle to get away from life's confusion
21:18into a quiet, peaceful place
21:20but not with substances.
21:22With lyrics referencing the she in the song's title as
21:35Racing through my brain
21:36Pulsing through my vein
21:37And no one else could heal my pain
21:39It's no surprise that many have interpreted the song
21:42to be about struggles with substance use.
21:48And given the reputation of the prime mover of the laws, Lee Mavers
21:51all the pieces seemed to fit together perfectly
21:54And that assumption was incredibly widespread when the song became a hit
21:58But here's the thing
22:02Mavers and other members of the band have consistently denied
22:05that the song has anything to do with that
22:07Nor does Mavers' personal history at the time of its recording
22:11So we'll take him at his word
22:13Do we sense a theme?
22:23There's an assumption by many that most every song released in the 1960s was about illicit substances
22:29And sure, many are
22:35And yes, Mr. Tambourine Man does have lyrics like
22:38Take me on a trip upon your magic swirling ship
22:41But no, contrary to popular opinion
22:43This Bob Dylan song isn't
22:45In fact, the song's inspiration literally came from a man playing a tambourine
22:50The man in question is folk musician Bruce Langhorne
22:53Who played on a number of Dylan tracks
22:55Well, one day Langhorne came in with a tambourine that Dylan described as
23:04This was the seed that eventually grew into Mr. Tambourine Man
23:11This one goes the other way
23:23With its actual meaning much darker than what is commonly assumed
23:26Given the song's upbeat vibe and status as Rolling Stone called it
23:35Quote, one of the most relentlessly sunshiny songs of the 90s
23:39You'd be forgiven for not realizing semi-charmed life is about struggles with substance use
23:44I want some things
23:47To get me through this
23:49Semi-time kind of life
23:51You'd also be forgiven for missing the not-so-hidden meaning
23:55Had you only heard the edited version that most radio stations pounded into our eardrums back in 1997
24:00Since a line that was very specific in its detail was cut for airplay
24:05While it would make sense for a song called Alive to be a celebration of life
24:15That isn't what Eddie Vedder had in mind when he wrote the lyrics
24:18Rather than a celebration
24:26Alive is a tale about a boy who finds out his dad isn't his biological father
24:30And then it gets much, much darker from there
24:33Vedder used to think the misperception of the song's meaning
24:42And the refrain, I'm still alive
24:44Was, in his own words, quote, a curse
24:46But he has since talked about how the audience's reaction to the song over the years
24:51Quote, lifted the curse
24:52The audience changed the meaning for me
24:54Number 21
25:02Hotel California
25:03Eagles
25:04Don't feel too bad if you don't fully understand the true meaning of the Eagles' Hotel California
25:09Because, well, we're not sure the Eagles know it either
25:11Lead singer Don Henley has even been quoted as saying the song, quote,
25:21Can have a million interpretations
25:23What we do know is that it isn't really about a hotel
25:26Duh
25:27Instead, the hotel in question and the experiences therein are metaphors
25:31But metaphors for what exactly range from
25:40To quote Henley, quote, high life in Los Angeles
25:43To quote, the music business
25:44To quote, the dark underbelly of the American dream
25:47Yeah, that's a lot of ground
25:49You can check out any time you like
25:51But you can never leave
25:54Number 20
25:55Poker Face
25:56Lady Gaga
25:57With lyrics like
25:58Bluffin' with my muffin
26:00Poker Face is obviously an X-rated track, right?
26:03Tell you that I love you
26:04Just to hug you
26:05Cause I'm bluffin' with my muffin
26:07That's also pretty much how Lady Gaga described it to Rolling Stone in 2009
26:11But maybe she wanted to keep the personal backstory to the song a secret for a little while
26:16On the surface, it's also clear that can't read my poker face
26:19Could refer to the early moments of any romantic encounter
26:23When you're trying to suss out what your potential suitor is thinking
26:25But aside from that, it's actually a song that deals with Lady Gaga's personal experiences with bisexuality
26:39She found herself fantasizing about a woman while getting intimate with a man
26:43Requiring her to mask her true feelings
26:45Or wear a poker face, as it were
26:48Number 19
26:49Possession
26:50Sarah McLachlan
26:51If you're under the impression that Possession is a love song
27:03We're sorry in advance
27:05Lines like
27:06I'll take your breath away
27:07Make it easy to see why people might take it that way
27:09But look closer
27:10And you'll notice some pretty creepy sentiments
27:13And I will be the one
27:16To hold you down
27:19McLachlan was inspired to make the song by two fans that created a fantasy relationship with her
27:25Sending love letters on a regular basis
27:28One even went on to sue McLachlan for songwriting credit
27:31But took their own life before the case went to trial
27:34Possession is still one of Sarah's finest songs
27:45But you may want to think twice before playing it on a first date
27:48Number 18
27:49Hey Man, Nice Shot
27:51Filter
27:51Moving on to an even darker topic
27:58Hey Man, Nice Shot debuted just one year after the world was shocked by the sudden death of Kurt Cobain
28:03Given its timing
28:11Many assumed Hey Man, Nice Shot was about this event
28:14In reality, it was inspired by R. Bud Dwyer
28:17A former Pennsylvania state treasurer
28:20Who took his own life on the air in 1987
28:22This was in response to an indictment on Dwyer for bribery
28:26Despite his claims of being framed
28:28Lines referencing those who were right there after the smoke has gone
28:31Highlights the public nature of Dwyer's death
28:34Which differs from Cobain who died all alone
28:37This misinterpretation is due largely to poor timing
28:48And misdirected controversy upon its release
28:51Number 17
28:59Closing Time
29:00This one seems pretty straightforward
29:12Finish your whiskey or beer
29:13Clearly, Semisonic is relaying the sense of loneliness experienced
29:16When the warmth of booze and friends fades away at the end of a night out
29:20However, lead singer Dan Wilson explained that the song is actually a metaphor for childbirth
29:30With his first child on the way, Wilson used the song as a way to express his emotions during a transformative time in his life
29:44Upon learning this, the song's sad existential message transforms into one of hope for new beginnings in a person's life
29:51After experiencing the joys and challenges of parenthood
29:53Number 16
30:00Imagine
30:01John Lennon
30:02Imagine there's no heaven
30:05Rolling Stone hailed this song as
30:07Faith in the power of a world united in purpose to repair and change itself
30:12These sentiments, along with its hopeful sound complete with chirping birds
30:16Have made this song a wholesome classic
30:19Imagine all the people
30:23Living for today
30:30Except for the fact that even John Lennon admitted it's virtually the communist manifesto
30:38Upon closer analysis, you'll find remarks about a world with no possessions, no countries, and no religion
30:45Preaching anti-capitalism and anti-religion doesn't get much sneakier than this
30:59Especially considering the fact that it was released in the early 70s during the peak of the Vietnam War
31:03Number 15
31:05Fire and Rain
31:06James Taylor
31:07Just yesterday morning
31:09They let me know you were gone
31:12Taylor's career-defining masterpiece hits all the right notes needed to reach the upper echelons of folk rock success
31:20It may come as a surprise, however, that it's not actually about his girlfriend dying in a plane crash
31:25I've seen fire and I've seen rain
31:28I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
31:34Each verse tells the story of a low point in Taylor's life
31:37Spanning from the death of a friend to substance use disorder
31:41And finally the failing of his much-loved band Flying Machines
31:44Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground
31:49Unlike some on our list, this revelation doesn't change the essence of the song
31:53And it's still the perfect track to put on next time you're feeling down and out
31:57I thought I'd see you firing me
32:00La la la la la la la la la la la la
32:04Number 14
32:04Ironic
32:05Alanis Morisette
32:07It's a black fly
32:09In your chardonnay
32:11Events and statements that are deliberately opposite of what one may expect are considered ironic
32:17What takes place in Alanis Morisette's song can be more appropriately categorized as tragic
32:22Winning the lottery and dying the next day, being pardoned from death row two minutes too late,
32:32and discovering your dream man is already married are all tragic events,
32:36leaving listeners confused as to why a song named Ironic contains no real irony.
32:42Isn't it ironic? Don't you think? A little too...
32:48Stay with us here, but the lack of irony in a song named for irony is, in fact, ironic.
32:55Confused? Think it over a bit. It's actually quite clever.
32:58Who were to find a figure?
33:03Number 13, Blackbird, The Beatles.
33:06Blackbird singing in the dead of night.
33:08Written by Paul McCartney and featuring background vocals from an actual Blackbird,
33:14it's easy to think this song is just about Blackbirds.
33:17All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to be free.
33:25Paul has since made it clear that Blackbird is actually a metaphor
33:28written in response to high racial tensions during the 1960s civil rights movement.
33:33The Blackbird's attempt to take his broken wings and learn to fly
33:36is meant to symbolize the struggle of African-Americans
33:39to come together and heal amid severe racial discrimination.
33:47This isn't the first time that the Beatles have laced their songs with multiple meanings,
33:51nor the first time they've touched heavily on social issues.
33:53You were only waiting for this moment to arrive.
33:59Number 12, Hallelujah, Leonard Cohen.
34:01Hallelujah is overflowing with religious reference from King David to Samson.
34:13Despite the divine nature of the song,
34:15the oft-repeated Hallelujah is not intended to express worship,
34:19but rather deep pain from a man who has experienced love turned sour.
34:23Every single breath that we drew was Hallelujah.
34:29Each Hallelujah is spoken a little more tongue-in-cheek
34:33with tragic love stories such as David's romantic encounter with Bathsheba
34:37interwoven throughout.
34:39There's a reason the song remains so relevant today,
34:42as it embodies the sensation of great sorrow so profoundly,
34:46despite lyrics suggesting adoration and exaltation upon first impression.
34:50Hallelujah.
34:51One of Green Day's most vulnerable pieces of work,
35:12there's no question that this hit rocked its listeners to the core upon release.
35:17Ring out the bells again
35:21Like we did when spring began
35:25The music video's depiction of war,
35:27along with American Idiot's central theme of George W. Bush-era American life,
35:32may lead listeners to believe that this song references the 9-11 terror attacks in New York.
35:36Pick me up when September end
35:42However, singer Billy Joe Armstrong has gone on to state
35:45that the song's intent was actually to express a much more personal loss,
35:49that of his father who died when Billy was only 10 years old.
35:52Like my father's come to pass
35:57Twenty years has gone so fast
36:01Proximity to tragedy has a strange way of skewing a song's meaning,
36:12as exemplified once again in Tom Petty's American Girl.
36:19A young woman from the University of Florida took her own life shortly before the song's release,
36:23which incidentally took place close to Gainesville, where Tom Petty was born.
36:27The line about a girl standing alone on her balcony is merely a coincidence,
36:35with Petty's inspiration coming from the sounds of the freeway near his apartment.
36:39Unfortunately for urban legend devotees,
36:42Tom made it clear that American Girl is a love song with no intentional references to the tragic event.
36:47He was an American Girl
36:519. More Than Words
36:55Extreme
36:55Saying I love you
36:59Is not the words I want to hear from you
37:05Never say something with good intentions that gets taken completely out of context?
37:09Well, you have plenty in common with this band then.
37:12More than words
37:15Is all you have to do
37:19This 1991 hit is widely interpreted as a beckoning for sex,
37:23because saying I love you to your significant other just isn't enough.
37:26That your love for me is real
37:31Extreme's guitarist Nuno Betancourt has gone on record saying that the song was intended to explore how
37:37the phrase I love you was becoming meaningless in relationships,
37:40and perhaps it would be more evocative to express love in more creative ways.
37:51Clearly our minds were in the gutter on this one.
37:53Just by saying I love you
37:598. Ticket to Ride
38:01The Beatles
38:02I think I'm gonna be sad
38:05I think it's today
38:07The Beatles are a British treasure from a simpler time.
38:10Back then, songs didn't need to be laced with dirty messages to grab the public's attention.
38:15With the exception of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,
38:17which is incorrectly believed to describe a psychedelic experience,
38:21their songs appear squeaky clean most of the time.
38:29Ticket to Ride though, which tells the story of a girl who has decided to leave her lover,
38:33actually has a surprisingly dirty meaning according to John Lennon.
38:37He originally coined the phrase in reference to sex workers that authorities have noted are clean.
38:45Old John Lennon sure knows how to cover up a message the public's not ready for.
38:52Number 7. Harder to Breathe
38:54Maroon 5
38:55Maroon 5's debut album, Songs About Jane, focused much of its efforts on expressing
39:06the inner turmoil of Adam Levine after a tough breakup with, well, Jane.
39:10But when it gets cold outside, you got nobody to love.
39:16It stands to reason that the album's first track would make this message crystal clear.
39:20At first glance, the lyrics appear to describe the feelings of loneliness and suffocation of a breakup.
39:25Is there anyone out there?
39:27Cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe.
39:30But Adam has since declared that Harder to Breathe is actually about the band's label
39:34demanding more music late into production.
39:37It may have been intended initially as a screw you to the band's label.
39:40Is there anyone out there?
39:42Cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe.
39:45But we can guess that the animosity faded when the royalties started to come in.
39:50Number 6. Summer of 69, Bryan Adams
39:57We all know that guy in high school who couldn't go without making a low hanging
40:00sexual joke anytime someone mentioned the number 69.
40:04It turns out that Bryan Adams' nostalgic rock classic was never reminiscent of that final
40:08summer of the 60s as Adams would have only been 10 at the time.
40:19Bryan has gone on to admit that the musical experiences are merely filler
40:22and that the intended meaning is to detail a summer full of lots and lots of sex.
40:27A lot of people think it's about a year, but actually it's more about a,
40:30it's more about making love in the summertime.
40:32It turns out this time around, immature high school guy was right.
40:35And the most obvious of innuendos slipped right under our noses.
40:47Number 5. In the air tonight, Phil Collins
40:55Allegedly, Phil Collins wrote this song after witnessing someone drown
40:59while another man refused to help.
41:01While this would certainly add layers to Collins' character, it begs several questions.
41:14Namely, if Collins saw this all happen, why couldn't he just jump in and save his friend?
41:18It turns out he was actually expressing his emotions during a devastating divorce.
41:22He intended to vent his sporadic anger towards the situation without really giving the song
41:37an exact direction. It's now considered one of the greatest songs of all time,
41:41and likely one of the few examples of divorce leading to a financial gain.
41:52Number 4. Like a virgin, Madonna
41:54If the guys in Reservoir Dogs are any indication as to public perception of this song,
42:05it's safe to say most people think it's about, well, sex.
42:08But Madonna cleared this up in the most remarkable fashion,
42:14sending director Quentin Tarantino an autograph, exclaiming that the song is, quote,
42:18about love.
42:26Written by songwriter Billy Steinberg, it compares the feeling of emotional
42:30destruction after a relationship with the shiny new feeling of falling in love again.
42:34At this point, we're at a loss whether our minds are in the gutter, or we're painfully naive.
42:46Either way, the double meaning of this song has surely helped it become one of her biggest hits ever.
42:53Number 3. Every Breath You Take
42:55The Police
42:56With seemingly loving lyrics and a catchy guitar hook,
43:05this song sounds like it belongs at a wedding reception or a school dance.
43:15However, the song is actually about a stalker, and the lyrics make no mistakes about this.
43:19Every move you make
43:23They actually say the words,
43:24Every bond you break, I'll be watching you.
43:27And that's not even the creepy bit.
43:28It's best not to analyze this one too much.
43:37The focal image of the music video is a window washer,
43:40while the girl in question never once even makes an appearance.
43:44What may have started as a pleasant toe-tapper
43:47kind of makes you want to take a shower when you realize what it's all about.
43:54Number 2. Good riddance, time of your life, Green Day.
44:04This song has a message that is mind-bogglingly obvious, but largely ignored nonetheless.
44:17The expression, good riddance, suggests relief at being liberated from a troublesome person or event.
44:24Yet, the song is heavily associated with nostalgia and high regards for time past.
44:28This is perhaps due to the rich, beautiful melody,
44:30which masks Billy Joe Armstrong's intended message of screw you to his then-girlfriend,
44:34who left him to travel to Ecuador.
44:36With this in mind, it's continual placement in graduation slideshows, weddings, and funerals
44:48becomes a little weird, and we're sure Armstrong is perfectly fine with that.
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45:16This essential 4th of July power ballad likely conjures up images of fireworks,
45:34American flags, and freedom. It's truly an iconic song of patriotism.
45:38Until you realize that Bruce Springsteen basically spends the entire song criticizing America,
45:48with respect to how working-class veterans of the Vietnam War were treated.
46:00Starting out, the song recounts the story of a man born dirt poor and constantly in trouble.
46:04He then goes off to war, and things just get worse from there.
46:16All the while, the ever-popular chorus is repeated again and again.
46:20It's hard to believe that this song is played right next to the likes of God Bless the USA,
46:25when its message could not be any more different.
46:35What totally misunderstood song springs to your mind?
46:38Let us know in the comments.
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