Songs with meanings that disappointed you - songs that you thought were deeper than they were

[Daddy's Angry Juice]

Has this happen before? A song has lyrics that sound very cryptic or mysterious,
but the song ended up being about some dumb shit?

i have been a victim of this several times, but let me talk about the latest one.
I hear the song Overkill by Men at Work, and for years just listen to it not thinking anything of it.
One day, i decide to look up the lyrics, but it still feels very mysterious to me, so i decide to watch the video,
but that doesn't really shine any light on the meaning of the song. Then i say fuck it and just look up what the song is about.
Nigga saw a ghost in his hotel room and wrote a song about it.
Goddamn Australians.

So has this ever happened to you, and if so what songs?

 

[TokiBun]

As a kid I was disappointed Master of Puppets was about drug addiction instead of Satan. I thought it was about selling your soul to Satan lol

 

[Brenda Holiday]

Almost Cut My Hair by CSN&Y
I interpreted it personally as considering attempting suicide and changing your mind. Dunno why I was surprised it was actually just dumb hippie babble. I didn't think my interpretation was correct but I expected something more.
In the end the true meaning of a song is irrelevant, its fun to know but what matters is how the song makes you feel. Pink Floyds entire discography means something different to me than what they intended.

 

[Fastest Hand In The East]

I Love Little Girls by Oingo Boingo.
I'm not so sure I can cosign to that.

 

[Stephanie Bustcakes]

Baby Shark.

I thought it was about a man coming to terms with the loss of his friend, how he dealt with the grief that followed, and how he was able to pick up the pieces of his life and move on, trusting that time would heal his heart and that eventually he would be able to smile again as life brings new joys despite his suffering.

But then I found out it was just about a baby shark dodododododo.

 

[SNU]

Runaway train. I thought it was about a cool train but it turns out it's just about missing children or something gay like that

 

[skunt]

the lyrics to "hey ya" by the outkast are actually pretty sad and about a couple coming to terms with their impending breakup - which blew my mind when i realised because the song is a massive feelgood bop.

 

[Axiom.]

When Static by Godspeed You! Black Emporer wasn't about TV noises

 

[Geddy Lee's Fee and See]

i have been a victim of this several times, but let me talk about the latest one.
I hear the song Overkill by Men at Work, and for years just listen to it not thinking anything of it.
One day, i decide to look up the lyrics, but it still feels very mysterious to me, so i decide to watch the video,
but that doesn't really shine any light on the meaning of the song. Then i say fuck it and just look up what the song is about.
Nigga saw a ghost in his hotel room and wrote a song about it.
Goddamn Australians.

I always thought it was about being over-stressed and anxious about shit you know will be fine at the end of the day. Why the fuck is this song about a ghost when it's so fucking somber and talking about shit most people can relate to on a day-to-day level?

the lyrics to "hey ya" by the outkast are actually pretty sad and about a couple coming to terms with their impending breakup - which blew my mind when i realised because the song is a massive feelgood bop.

To be fair, the protagonist in the song clearly wants to break up with the girl so it makes sense why it's so upbeat seeing that it's just getting rid of a garbage relationship.

 

[The Evil Midnight Bomber]

the lyrics to "hey ya" by the outkast are actually pretty sad and about a couple coming to terms with their impending breakup - which blew my mind when i realised because the song is a massive feelgood bop.

But that's the opposite of disappointing. It turns a brainless summer hit into a song with a deeper meaning. I also love that he predicted nobody would care about the lyrics with the "Y'all don't want to hear me you just want to dance." line.

 

[Dambusters' Dog II]

I didn't care about the song personally, but a lot of people are disappointed about what the Zulu lyrics at the start of the Lion King meant:

Spoiler: Lyrics

Here comes a lion, father, Oh yes it’s a lion.
Here comes a lion, father, Oh yes it’s a lion. A lion we’re going to conquer, a lion, a lion and a leopard come to this open place.

I appreciate how much intensity that Zulu put in to something so uninspiring.

Another one is that the lyrics to Mother by Glenn Danzig are about Tipper Gore's campaign for the Parental Advisory stickers:

 

[Dagoth AMOGUS]

“Every Breath You Take” -The Police

This is played at almost every wedding or slow dance. And it’s pretty mellow and nice. But when you understand the meaning behind the lyrics it’s actually creepy.

This song was inspired by the singers divorce and is all about him wanting more control in his marriage. “I’ll be watching you” and “you belong to me” become corrupted after you learn this.

The Police - Every Breath You Take

REMASTERED IN HD! Listen to more from The Police: https://ThePolice.lnk.to/Essentials ‘Every Move You Make: The Studio Recordings’ is out now: a 6CD box set ...

youtu.be

 

[TokiBun]

“Every Breath You Take” -The Police

This is played at almost every wedding or slow dance. And it’s pretty mellow and nice. But when you understand the meaning behind the lyrics it’s actually creepy.

This song was inspired by the singers divorce and is all about him wanting more control in his marriage. “I’ll be watching you” and “you belong to me” become corrupted after you learn this.

The Police - Every Breath You Take

REMASTERED IN HD! Listen to more from The Police: https://ThePolice.lnk.to/Essentials ‘Every Move You Make: The Studio Recordings’ is out now: a 6CD box set ...

youtu.be

Synchronicity is such a good album. I like how dark all the songs are--probably because the band hated each other and were on the verge of breaking up while recording.

 

[Tony Vivaldi]

“Every Breath You Take” -The Police

This is played at almost every wedding or slow dance. And it’s pretty mellow and nice. But when you understand the meaning behind the lyrics it’s actually creepy.

This song was inspired by the singers divorce and is all about him wanting more control in his marriage. “I’ll be watching you” and “you belong to me” become corrupted after you learn this.

The Police - Every Breath You Take

REMASTERED IN HD! Listen to more from The Police: https://ThePolice.lnk.to/Essentials ‘Every Move You Make: The Studio Recordings’ is out now: a 6CD box set ...

youtu.be

Sting's lyrics were always creepy and weird, talking about tied up and raped and perving on schoolgirls and stalking but that's what made them so compelling, coupled with his singing style/voice/demenor.

Billy Idol also sang about his 'sex attack' and how he was musing on murdering his Ex so she better say her prayers lol. That was just how the 80's rolled. Except you knew that Billy wasn't taking himself serious and Sting probably was.

I always wondered what the meaning was behind the song "The Man's Too Strong", any interpretations?

 

[oldTireWater]

I interpreted it personally as considering attempting suicide and changing your mind. Dunno why I was surprised it was actually just dumb hippie babble.

Say what you will about hippies, but angsty suicide-baiting wasn't really their thing.

 

[Lifeguard Hermit]

On the topic of sting: I love ruining ppls interpretation of "don't stand so close to me" since literally everyone hasn't figured out it's about a teacher student sexual relationship. Hence don't stand so close to me (in public)

The one that threw me for a loop was highway to hell. I'm not disappointed in the song but more us as a society. The song is literally about a Aboriginal Australian Hooker. And we are so disingenuous as a society that we changed the lyrics in the newer album liner notes and later versions of AC/DC with brian johnson singing the modified version.

If you look up the lyrics for this song without reading it off the actual album liner notes from the 70s, the song lyrics will state that the first line is "livin easy livin free season ticket on a one way ride."

The line for a fact on every version of the song that bond Scott ever sang reads "living easy living free: She's a nigger on a one way ride."

And we are so brainwashed as the masses that they still allow us to hear the unedited version on the radio. But will swear up-and-down he doesn't say the nigger word to protect profits. (Even though radio doesn't even work that way anymore)

It may be my favorite mass brainwashing technique that was successful. I even hear people sing season ticket on a one way ride whenever they hear that song in public.

(This isn't the only song that does this, another famous one is where the guy in oh oh it's magic just straight yells "MY DICK IS MAGIC" and it's not listed in the lyrics either.)

 

[Easterling]

In the air tonight by Phil Collins, I thought that it was about someone drowning and not helping them. Turns out its just about his divorce,

 

[Antarctica_Bound]

"Semi-charmed life" by Third Eye Blind.

I remember hearing it at a school dance before, didn't realize until recently that it was about meth, and not even in a subtle way.

 

[Unarmed Gunman]

Rocketman by Elton John

When I was a kid I thought it was about the struggles in the life of an aspiring astronaut or some shit.

Turns out it's about a closeted gay man hiding his second life from his wife and kids. Still a banger I guess, but damn once you hear it you can't unhear it.

 

[Angry Shoes]

There's a lot of religious aunts and moms out there who like the song "Like A Prayer" by Madonna because it has the word "prayer" in it. It's a song about sucking dick.