Most People Don’t Know The True Meanings Behind These Iconic Songs

The classic Hotel California has a chilled-out sound that makes the average listener think they’re enjoying a song about relaxing and escaping into a California vacation. The real meaning is deeper, and a bit darker. In a 2002 interview, Don Henley shared that the true meaning of the song is about American excess and how overindulgence in the wealth a person finds can detach them from reality and ultimately destroy them. 

While most songs have a darker meaning than we thought, this one actually has a much purer meaning than the lyrics imply. While the words seem to be pretty obviously about losing your virginity, they’re actually about the feeling of renewal- when the emotional damage by a past relationship begins to heal during the start of a new relationship, making a person feel like they’re experiencing pure love for the very first time. 

This song sounds innocent enough- you may think it’s about a young couple who wants to be together, maybe even run away together. It’s a bit deeper than that. The song is actually about a young couple who find themselves pregnant and aren’t sure whether they should get married or terminate the pregnancy. Suddenly, the lyrics about loving the life you killed, or a priest being on the phone ring a bit clearer. 

This is one of those magical songs that invoke nostalgia, even for those of us who weren’t alive in the summer of ’69. So much happened that year, from Woodstock to the moon landing, that you probably, reasonably, assume the song was inspired by the iconic year and the special summer Adams experienced during it… but not quite. Adams was only born in 1959, so he’d only have been 10 years old at that time.

This may be one of the most misunderstood songs of all time. Based on the word “Puff” and the fantastical nature of the song, many assume that this classic was written about or influenced by drugs. This song is actually as innocent as its whimsical lyrics imply. The words are based on a poem written by a friend of the band- and no, the poem wasn’t about puffing drugs, either. 

Made famous by the late, great Whitney Houston, this song was written by none other than Dolly Parton and has gone down in history as one of the greatest love songs of all time- which makes the fact that it wasn’t written about a romantic love even more surprising. That’s right, Dolly wrote this song for a friend. Before parting ways and moving on to work on her own, Dolly wrote this song to her mentor, Porter Wagoner, to tell him just how much she loves and appreciates him. 

This classic sounds pretty straightforward- the Beatles are singing about a girl they love, who has a ticket for some sort of transportation to leave town… right? Wrong. The background of this song is actually pretty comical. Apparently, John Lennon coined the term “ticket to ride’ referring to prostitutes on the streets of Hamburg, Germany. The girls had a card stating they had a clean bill of health- it was quite literally their ticket to ride.  

So these lyrics aren’t quite mysterious- but did you know the inspiration for this sad tune? Eric Clapton tragically lost his son Conor when the boy was only four years old. Before an outing with his father, Conor was excitedly running around his 53rd floor apartment in New York City. Typically, he would press his nose against the window to look down at the street, but on this day one of the windows was left open. 

One of the most iconic songs ever written, to most, sounds just like a made-up story sung through a dramatic ballad- but this song was way more to the late Freddie Mercury. It was his coming out song before he was truly ready to be open about his sexuality. When in the song Mercury sang about killing a man, he was really singing about killing his former life after he left his then-girlfriend to be with a man. 

This 90’s dance hit had a chokehold on parties for a long time, maybe even to this day. The music is fun and upbeat, and just about everybody knows the silly dance that accompanies it. There’s just one problem- the song is sung in Spanish, which many people don’t understand. It turns out, the lyrics are about a woman who cheats on her boyfriend while he’s away serving in the military. Ouch! 

As you’ve probably noticed by now, our favorite hits are full of secrets. American girl sounds like a fun, patriotic bop. Spoiler, that wasn’t the intention. Many believe that the song was about a specific incident in Florida where a girl committed suicide by jumping off of her balcony. Petty himself said it’s “just not at all true. The song has nothing to do with that.” You heard it here! The rumors are false. 

Another classic 90’s song that we totally misunderstood. Again, the lyrics seem frank- one wouldn’t be crazy to assume the song is just about taking things slow, appreciating what you have, and not chasing outlandish dreams and goals. If that’s how you interpret it, you’re not totally wrong! But the ladies of TLC hid some darker themes in this catchy song that went right over our heads back in the 90s. 

Margaritaville may be the go-to vacation song. It just has a way of transporting you to a relaxed state- no matter where you are, when Jimmy Buffet sings, you feel like you’re on a tropical beach. As light and fun as this song is, the lyrics have a much darker meaning than just relaxing on a beach and enjoying a nice margarita. We know, we know, it’s a bummer, but that’s art! 

Closing Time has now become the anthem for things ending- from closing down the bar to graduating college, this melancholic tune lets you know, it’s time to head home. However, the song was written with a totally different meaning. “Closing Time’ was written as a metaphor for giving birth, not for shutting down the bar! The lead singer of Semisonic, Dan Wilson, was expecting his first child at the time and had the miracle of childbirth on his mind. 

Like American Girl, this song has a proud, patriotic feel. It’s even been used at political rallies to induce a feeling of American pride. The truth is, The Boss had the total opposite intention when he wrote this song. If you listen carefully to the lyrics, this is a scathing observation of how America treated its veterans after the Vietnam war. In the lyrics, he relays the desperation of the working class in post-Vietnam America. 

This is another example of a song that’s meaning was wrongly theorized. The main theory is that Phil Collins saw a man let another drown without helping, and called him out using this song. We love a dramatic story as much as the next person, but that’s just simply not true. Phil Collins set the record straight, saying he had no idea where this popular myth came from, but that it’s just simply not true. 

These lyrics aren’t so much mysterious as they are hidden by a bright, cheerful melody. The lead singer of Third Eye Blind, Stephan Jenkins, even described Sem-Charmed Life as a “dirty, filthy song” and remarked that it’s funny to him that people play it on the radio. Go ahead, give those lyrics another listen. They’re about a meth-addicted couple on a bender- but the reason these dark lyrics and bright beat are in such contrast is actually pretty genius. 

This song is regarded as probably one of the most peaceful songs of all time. The lyrics seem to fit that narrative- “imagine all the people, living life in peace”– sounds pretty peaceful if you ask us. But John Lennon had a totally different idea for this song. He said it was basically a communist manifesto, and that because he sugar-coated it, it was acceptable. He even waited until after the song succeeded to reveal the true meaning because he knew it would change things. 

The true meaning of this song sits right in front of our faces, but for some reason, we all choose to listen to it as a nice love song. In reality, it was written from the perspective of a scorned lover, after Sting suspected his wife was cheating on him. Once you listen from that perspective, these already-creepy lyrics become a whole lot creepier. Every breath you take, every move you make I’ll be watching you?

Are you noticing a trend with songs that mention America? They tend to give off a feel-good, patriotic tone while hiding deeper lyrics, and this classic is no different. In American Pie McLean alludes to the innocence he felt he lost the day the music died- the day a plane crash killed rockstars J.P. Richardson, Ritchie Valens, and McLean’s personal hero, Buddy Holly. The song is also a commentary on the change between the innocent 1950s and turbulent 1960s in America. 

Similar to Closing Time, Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) has become a song for goodbyes- graduations, breakups, etc. And while that sentiment isn’t far from the song’s original meaning, few know the true inspiration behind one of Green Day’s biggest hits. Lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong admitted that the song was written after a nasty breakup with a girlfriend who was moving to Ecuador. He says he was trying to remain level-headed about her leaving, but that he was incredibly resentful and frustrated. 

We have to admit, we didn’t even know this was a full song- we only knew the short tune typically sung to young children. While the shorter lullaby version is just a loving song about someone who makes you happy, the full version is a sad song Cash wrote about a lover who no longer felt the same way about him. We’re glad our parents left that part of the loving song we heard as children! 

In this song, we just hear what we wanna hear. And clearly, that’s just the lyric “this one goes out to the one I love”, and literally nothing else, as the rest of the lyrics refer to the person as “the one I left behind” and “a prop to fill my time”, yet we still think of this as a love song. Aside from that one line, every other lyric is fairly cruel. How could we be so blind?!

This song has become a fun, badass, and cheeky anthem for those of us who have ever been determined to win the affections of our crush. As with most songs on this list, that was far from Debbie Harry’s intention when she wrote this song. It was actually inspired by a scary situation where Harry’s ex-boyfriend stalked her and written from his point of view. She said she tried to make the song a bit more lighthearted, and she clearly succeeded, because we had no idea the meaning was so dark. 

Americans- we hope by now we haven’t offended you, but these American songs just keep coming. It’s not us, it’s them! This time them is The Guess Who– who wrote what initially sounds like an ode to American women- but- you guessed it- holds a deeper meaning. Being Canadian, the band was singing about not wanting Canada to be like America in the times of the Vietnam War. It’s ultimately been deemed an anti-war protest song. 

If you’re not really sure how to interpret this classic, you’re not alone. Even Robert Plant says he interprets it differently depending on the day- and he wrote the lyrics! We can tell you this- it’s not about drugs or a magical quest as many people have come to believe. The simple explanation for the song is that it’s about a woman who gets everything she wants and gives nothing in return, but later realizes her shallow life leads nowhere. 

Similar to Blondie’s One Way Or Another this song is usually heard and understood as being from the perspective of the woman. People interpret this as a cheeky girl power song about winning someone over but it’s actually meant to be from the point of view of a man. It’s about building up the courage to talk to a woman at a bar when the man isn’t feeling particularly confident. 

Yet again, the Beatles have managed to mystify us with their lyrics. This time, it’s Blackbird, and the subject matter isn’t quite as lighthearted as Ticket To Ride. Upon listening to the song you may just think it’s about simply picking yourself up after hard times, thus the lyrics “take these broken wings and learn to fly”. It’s actually about the struggles black people faced in America during the civil rights movement. 

This song has been totally, comically misconstrued. Possibly one of the greatest songs of all time, it’s been covered by just about everyone- from Celine Dion to Bono to the Shrek soundtrack, to just about every contestant on American Idol. Religious groups have also taken a special liking to the song as it has a lot of Biblical references like that of King David. But the song is really about- wait for it- SEX. 

This song hasn’t really been misunderstood by its audience, but by Kurt Cobain himself, and the story is just too funny to keep off the list. Back in the day, a friend of the band wrote  “Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit” on Cobain’s wall, referencing the popular deodorant brand that his then-girlfriend wore. This totally went over Kurt’s head, and he interpreted Teen Spirit to be more of an idea of a rebellious spirit than an actual smell or product. 

Much like John Lennon’s Imagine, this song has come to be understood as being about unity, peace, and people coming together. It’s been used in political movements, in response to tragedies, and even weddings for years- but again, we got it all wrong. The song was actually written when the band was on the brink of a break-up and decided to put their differences aside to complete their album. It was about having no choice but to stick it out with each other. 

“Ain’t that America?”- this catchy chorus has been misconstrued time and time again as another patriotic rock song- but you must’ve learned by now that most “patriotic” sounding songs are usually quite the opposite, haven’t you? This John Mellencamp hit is no different. The fun song is actually a commentary on how he felt that the American Dream was no longer working. Mellencamp told Rolling Stone “it’s really an Anti-American song”. 

It’s clear that this is a sad song about a loss of some sort. But based on the time it was released, everyone came to think of it as being about the war in Iraq, or about 9/11 specifically. It does make sense, as Green Day has never shied away from political statements or anti-war sentiments, but this one has a much deeper meaning for lead singer Billy Joe Armstrong. He wrote the song about his father who died in September when he was only a child. 

This song sounds just like a whimsical love story of a man chasing a girl who just keeps slipping from his grasp. Lovely, right? Wrong! The “she” being referenced in this love story is actually heroin. With that in mind, we suggest giving this song another listen. the lyrics “pulsing through my veins” and “no one else can heal my pain” suddenly make a lot more sense, and feel a lot darker. 

Crash Into Me has been hailed as a classic love song, with Dave Matthews himself saying it’s about the worship of a woman. Sounds nice enough, and Dave Matthews is known as such a good guy you’d never suspect him of something darker, but he continued to explain that this is from the point of view of a creepy guy, the “kind of man you’d call the police on”. Okay, some red flags… now let’s take another look at those lyrics.