Songs with deeper meanings

[Tarheels.]

I was just listening to The Decemberists 'We Both Go Down Together' and actually listened to the lyrics to find out that it was infact about an upperclass man raping a lowerclass woman, even though on the surface it seems like a Romio & Juliet type love song. So, does anybody else know of any other songs that seem to be like a generic song but turns out to be so much more.

[Farmer Reil]

I heard that Freddy Mercury wrote The Show Must Go On after he was diagnosed with AIDS. Which is sort of on-topic.

[ROC]

Ummm, I guess "Antichrist Television Blues" by The Arcade Fire falls into this category, as it initially just comes off as a simple story about a man losing his mind and selling his daughter's voice and sex appeal for his own gain, but of course, it has the jabs at Christian religion what with the fact that he calls out to God and in the song God never listens, therefore leading to his own desperation to find him...and then losing his mind and selling his daughter's voice and sex appeal for his own gain.

Edited April 29, 2007 by ROC

[ravenjuice]

Every Breath You Take by the Police is actually about a stalker.

[Matt]

Smells Like Teen Spirit is supposed to be about a 3-some or something along those lines.

[YI]

I'd like to believe that "Me Vs Morrissey In The Pretentiousness Contest (The Ladder Match)" by A Wilhelm Scream is about the fact all of AWS's lyrics make NO FUCKING SENSE!!!

[Guest digrind]

"Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" by They Might Be Giants is about how sometimes cities get different names.

Who knew.

[Bushmeister]

Marduk's "The Hangman Of Prague" is actually a pretty accurate re-telling of the life of SS Nazi commander Richard Heydricht and his eventual demise, hidden in some pretty graphic and dark allegories within the lyrics.

[METALMAN]

Every Breath You Take by the Police is actually about a stalker.

Also, I think "Don't Stand So Close To Me" by The Police is about a teacher hitting on a pupil or something along those lines.

[Colly]

Every Breath You Take by the Police is actually about a stalker.

Also, I think "Don't Stand So Close To Me" by The Police is about a teacher hitting on a pupil or something along those lines.

[Lopro]

I heard that Freddy Mercury wrote The Show Must Go On after he was diagnosed with AIDS. Which is sort of on-topic.

[Lord Nibbler]

On the topic of The Decemberists, I remember reading on Pitchfork about the story behind When The War Came;

"The last great book I read was Hunger by Elise Blackwell. It’s about the siege of Leningrad in World War II, and there was a botanical institute. During the siege, which lasted a long time, the entire population were starving, but all of the botanists in the institute swore themselves to protect the catalog of seeds and plants and things, from not only a starving population, but also from themselves. It’s pretty amazing. I actually ended up writing "When the War Came", a song on the new record, about that."

"Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" by They Might Be Giants is about how sometimes cities get different names.

[Guest digrind]

"Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" by They Might Be Giants is about how sometimes cities get different names.

FYI, their version isn't the original.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Rather than made it better by cluing you in that there was another version of such an awesome song?

Back on topic...

"The Jack" by AC/DC is about a woman with an STD (a little obvious, yes)

"I Am The Walrus" by the Beatles has no meaning whatsoever.

"I Don't Like Mondays" by the Boomtown Rats is about a school shooting in the UK or something along those lines.

"You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" by BTO exists only to make fun of Randy Bachman's brother, who has a stuttering problem.

"White Room" by Cream is about Eric Clapton's experiences with drugs, isn't it?

"Money For Nothing" by Dire Straits is about an average joe jealous of successful musicians.

"Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton was written by Clapton as a way to try and get his wife to take less time getting ready to go out.

"No Sugar Tonight" by the Guess Who is about a man getting cornered by a gang and saved when their girlfriends show up, or something like that.

"Lust For Life" by Iggy Pop is about heroin addiction.

"Go For Soda" by Kim Mitchell was NOT intended as an anti-drunk driving message.

"Detroit Rock City" by KISS is about a fan who was killed on his way to a KISS concert.

"California Dreamin'" by the Mamas and the Papas is about 1960s teenagers fantasizing about moving to California and leaving everything behind.

"The Needle And The Damage Done" by Neil Young is about a former bandmate of Young's and the horrors of drug abuse.

"In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins MIGHT be about Collins watching a man drown, or it might be about a divorce.

"What's The Frequency, Kenneth?" by REM is loosely based on Dan Rather getting attacked in Central Park.

"The One I Love" by REM is NOT a sappy love song.

"Life Is A Highway" by Tom Cochrane was written in response to the time he spent in Africa.

"Courage" by the Tragically Hip is allegedly about suicide.

"50 Mission Cap" by the Tragically Hip is about Bill Barilko.

"Rock And Roll Machine" by Triumph exists only to show off Rik Emmett's guitar ability.

"Where The Streets Have No Name" by U2 is about Bono's time in Africa.

"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by The Beatles is about their experimentation with LSD a painting by Julian Lennon.

[Damian WayLNKe]

Brick by Ben Folds is about his girlfriend getting an abortion.

[Lowerdeck]

Some maybe not so obvious references from semi-bad songs you never heard of.

"A Baltimore Love Thing" by 50 Cent is about heroin. At a few times it's practically giving away the fact it's a song about drugs, but quite a few people still think it's a love song and girls who hear it are like... ah, that's special.

"Fire In Your Eyes" by Cyssero is not about a woman, rather it's about a gun. If you pay attention hard enough, it's kinda easy to pick that up. Don't pay attention that well, it's another... ah, that's special song.

[Vamp]

Where The Streets Have No Name" by U2 is about Bono's time in Africa.

[Hickey]

Where The Streets Have No Name" by U2 is about Bono's time in Africa.

I always thought it was about the conflicts in Ireland...

Edited April 30, 2007 by The Souljah

[GoGo Yubari]

Smells Like Teen Spirit is supposed to be about a 3-some or something along those lines.

I have never heard this before, like ever. Moreover, the general gist I have always gotten is that the song isn't really about anything other than maybe a sarcastic jab at teenage apathy.

[MalaCloudy Black]

"In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins MIGHT be about Collins watching a man drown

The story goes that Collins was witness to an event where a man was drowning and another nearby didn't do anything to help the drowning man, and then Collins penned the aformentioned song about the event. However, I'm pretty sure that's been proven to be an urban legend.

And the obvious answer to this thread is Clapton's "Tears in Heaven".

Edited April 30, 2007 by Sir Cloud-A-Lot