Usually, you listen to a song and you like the tune, but you completely ignore the lyrics. You try to channel your inner rock star and sing along to the chorus, don’t you? Well, what if I told you that some of your favorite songs have some confusing lyrics?
1. Green Day – Wake me up when September ends
The song became a memorial to Billie Joe’s wake on the last day of September. The music video of the song appeared to have a military theme; However, it was actually dedicated to Billie Joe’s father, who died when the Green Day frontman was a child.
“Like my father came
Twenty years have flown by so fast
Wake me up when September ends.
2. Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks
While the tune is very catchy and upbeat, the lyrics tell a completely different story. You don’t have to analyze the whole text, just the chorus is enough. More and more American school children are suffering from mental disorders due to bullying from their classmates. And sometimes, the situation quickly spirals out of control. The band wanted to address the issue, but the message flew over most people’s heads.
“All the other driven kids kick you to run better, run better, outrun my gun.
All the other pumped up kids run you better, faster than my bullet.
3. Eagles – Hotel California
The Eagles’ most popular song is not an advertisement for a particular hotel, nor is it about weary travelers who have decided to stay overnight. Don Henley admits that many representatives of the music industry are about self-destruction and greed. He also mentioned that the song is dedicated to the worst American dream. The lyrics about can’t leave the hotel now make a lot of sense.
“You can watch anytime you want,
But you can never leave. ”
4. Bruce Springsteen – Born in America
This song is not America’s patriotic “anthem” as you all think. Bruce Springsteen has clarified its true meaning in several interviews. If you read it fully, you will understand that the song is about a man who was sent to fight in Vietnam and the scars (mental and physical) that he brought back with him from the war.
“Got a little hometown jam
So they put a gun in my hand
He sent me abroad
“To go and kill the yellow man.”
5. Clash – London Call
Many fans believe that the Clash criticized the British government in the song London Calling, but in reality, everything is very simple. In 1979, local newspapers raised fears among their readers that the Thames could overflow and flood London due to global warming. So the song reflects Mick Jones’ fear of drowning.
“The ice age is coming, the sun is getting bigger
Thawing is expected, wheat is growing thin
The engines stop running, but I have no fear
Because London is sinking
I live by the river.”
6. Bon Jovi – Forever
A romantic rock ballad about eternal love? if you like! Many people think the lyrics are about faith, but go ahead and give it another look. The guy in the song is actually a creepy stalker, a sick man! Even Jon Bon Jovi admits it. In fact, the same goes for every breath the police take.
“What I would give to run my fingers through your hair
Touch your lips to keep you close,
When saying your prayers, try to be understanding
I’ve made mistakes, I’m human.
7. Pearl Jam – Last Kiss
Initially, this song is sweet and bittersweet. The characters share one last kiss as they go their separate ways, but then Pearl Jam hits you. In the next verse, we see an accident. The vehicle spun and crashed, but the driver survived. The traveler was out of luck.
“We were on a date in my dad’s car
We didn’t drive very far
There on the road, straight up
A car stopped and the engine died
I couldn’t stop, so I turned right
I will never forget the sound of that night
Screaming tires, bustin’ glass
The last pained scream I heard.”
8. U2 – One
No, this song is not about unity; Quite the opposite. In U2’s U2 book, Bono says there are no hippie messages of love and life that are all-encompassing in “One,” which is odd considering the song’s title. It turns out that we’re mishearing an essential line like this:
“We are one, but we are not the same
Well, we hurt each other and then we do it again.
Many people ask, “We carry each other,” which basically changes the whole meaning.
