We’ve all been there at least once. We discover a song with a hypnotizing melody that makes us think of someone especial. We memorize the lyrics without being aware what it really means, and annoy everyone around by singing it over and over. But then as we begin to think it through and start to work out what really hides behind this tune, we can only cringe in horror. These are some examples of this kind of songs.
“Every Breath You Take” – The Police
This song has been featured in many movies and series during romantic scenes but the song hides a much darker meaning. This could actually be like an anthem your obsessive stalker would serenade. Sting wrote it after his first divorce. In a 1983 interview for New Musical Express Sting explained: “I think it’s a nasty little song, really rather evil. It’s about jealousy and surveillance and ownership.”
“Here Comes Your Man” – Pixies
The chorus could make you think the song is about a girl who’s waiting for her boyfriend, but Frank Black (the author of the song) had something different in mind. The lyrics are actually about a group of homeless people traveling in a train who die during an earthquake in California.
“There She Goes” – The La’s
This song’s rhythm is upbeat and catchy. Too bad its lyrics are a metaphor about heroin and women, as you’ll be able to notice: “There she goes again, Racing through my brain” and “There she blows again, pulsing through my vein.”
“Fistful of Love” – Antony & the Johnsons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vgwp-iQenn4
This is could be called a “love” song… If only it didn’t describe a relationship based on domestic violence and self-destruction.
“The One I Love” – R.E.M.
This song is anything but a love song, as it is only about taking advantage of a woman who loves you, who you pretend to love. Everything is fine until you reach the part that says: “A simple prop to occupy my time.”
“Cracklin’ Rosie” – Neil Diamond
This is a song dedicated to a bottle of wine, in the absence of a loving partner. In an interview for Rolling Stone, Neil Diamond explained:“On Saturday nights when they go out, the guys all get their girl. The guys without girls get a bottle of Cracklin’ Rosie, that’s their girl for the weekend.”
“April Skies” – The Jesus and Mary Chain
Instead of telling a story of affection under a springtime sky, the band chose to tell a story of unrequited love that ends up with the murder of a young girl… How sweet!
“I Will Always Love You” – Whitney Houston
Even if the title makes you think that this is a perfect song for your wedding, the lyrics tell the story of a break up, so maybe dedicating it to your partner is not a good idea. “Goodbye […] we both know I’m not what you need.”
“Skinny Love” – Bon Iver
This incredibly beautiful song talks about a love that starts to die and leaves you bitter when it’s gone. And then that bitterness remains in all of your future relationships.
“Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” – The Beatles
What starts out as a seduction story soon turns into a grievous and resentful commentary about love and deceit. In an interview, John Lennon told Rolling Stone: “I was trying to write about an affair without letting my wife know I was writing about an affair. I was writing from my experiences, girls’ flats, things like that.”
***
Source:
Rolling Stone
You may also like:
Songs You Didn’t Know Might Hide A Satanic Meaning
Translated by Andrea Valle
