Countless people play music exclusively for the sake of the catchy melody, paying no attention to the lyrical content or the historical context of the music they are listening to. The fact remains that many songs contain hidden meanings or were written by legends using aliases, such as “Manic Monday” by The Bangles, which was written by “Christopher,” alias Prince, and recorded by the Bangles in 1967. And that isn’t even the most incredible music fact; keep reading to learn about even more fascinating musical facts!
Mother And Child Reunion
A song titled “Mother and Child Reunion” was released as the lead single from Paul Simon’s second studio album. However, there is something that many people have no idea of about the title of the famous song: it was not just a spontaneous phrase that Simon managed to come up with. On the menu of a Chinese restaurant, there is a chicken and egg dish called Mother and Child Reunion, which served as inspiration for the song’s title. Yes, the track’s origins are somewhat surreal, but that’s the point.
Mother And Child Reunion
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Despite the fact that it has become one of Nirvana’s best known songs, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was actually written as a parody of the band. When Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kills first saw Teen Spirit deodorant at the local supermarket, she thought it had the weirdest name for a deodorant. ” Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit” was scrawled on the wall later that night after partying with Nirvana, having had the name ingrained in her head since early that morning!
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Walk This Way
‘Walk This Way’ is one of Aerosmith’s best-known songs, and it appears on the band’s 1975 album Toys in the Attic. The group found it difficult to come up with a title for the song, which was surprising given their previous experience. That is, until they ended up going to see Young Frankenstein, a movie directed by Mel Brooks, and changed their minds about it. Upon seeing the film, the band made a joke regarding Marty Feldman encouraging Gene Wilder to follow him all around haunting castle, limping along and saying, “walk this way.” The joke was based on the film. As they tell, the rest was history.
Walk This Way
Total Eclipse Of The Heart
The song “Total Eclipse of the Heart” appeared on Bonnie Tyler’s fifth studio album, Faster Than the Speed of Night, which was released in 2008. While it’s clearly evident that it’s a love song, there’s something else about it that many people aren’t aware of: it’s a love song about love. A vampire love ballad, the song was written written by Jim Steinman. During an interview with Playbill, Steinman explained, “…I actually wrote that song to be a vampire love song. It was originally titled ‘Vampires in Love’ because I was working on a musical adaptation of Nosferatu at the time…”.
Total Eclipse Of The Heart
This Land Is Your Land
Woody Guthrie’s 1945 song “This Land is Your Land” is frequently referred to as a patriotic hymn sung by school choirs in honor of the United States of America. Sadly, the original piece isn’t — in particular patriotic if the removed verses aren’t added back in. The original song represented the huge social and economic inequalities that existed in the United States at the time, as well as how people were affected by the Great Depression. That was one of Guthrie’s numerous efforts to bring social justice to the frontline of the public debate, and it was a success.
This Land Is Your Land
I Shot The Sheriff
In 1973, Bob Marley and the Wailers released the single “I Shot the Sheriff.” When the song was first released, many people mistook it for a legitimate song about police. Esther Anderson, Marley’s ex-girlfriend, went, on 2012, to say that the record had been erroneous. According to Anderson, the entire song is about Marley’s objection to her use of birth control, with the word “sheriff” actually translating to “doctor” in the original. Because of this piece of information, the song takes on a new meaning!
I Shot The Sheriff
Casey Jones
The Grateful Dead’s song “Casey Jones” has become a crowd favourite since its debut in 1970. They are said to have performed the song more than 300 times during their peak! Amidst this, many people have no understanding that the song is the total opposite of their perceptions. Because it’s gentle, entertaining, and catchy, many people believe it’s about the title character having a great time doing drugs. On the other hand, the lyrics highly advise against it!
Casey Jones
Hey Jude
The Beatles’ song “Hey Jude,” which had been released in 1968, quickly rose to the top of the charts in a number of countries around the world. Even so, numerous individuals are unaware that Paul McCartney wrote the song particularly for John Lennon’s son, Julian Lennon. The song was written to comfort a young child who had recently experienced his parents’ divorce. “Hey Jules” was the original title of the song. Jude was chosen by McCartney because he thought that sounded nicer.
Hey Jude
Independence Day
The 1994 hit song “Independence Day” by Martina McBride may have become an absolute classic for Fourth of July blasting, but it was about a different kind of freedom. The song is all about a female who, after years of domestic violence, is eventually able to leave her husband. So, instead of just a country gaining freedom and independence, it is a woman who is able to finally escape a terrible situation.
Independence Day
Bad Reputation
“Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett might seem like just another song for the angsty adolescent. They do, nevertheless, talk about the numerous sex roles and shapes that the music business places women in, and also her complete unwillingness to adjust for them (after being rejected by 23 labels!). As per Historian Kathleen Kennedy, “Joan Jett penned these lyrics as a defiant reply to what she understood as the different codes of conduct applied to male and female rock performers.”
Bad Reputation
Rich Girl
Hall & Oates released the single “Rich Girl” throughout 1976 as part of their album Bigger Than Both of Us. The song’s actual title is “Rich Girl,” but the lyrics’ backstory tends to involve a rich man. The song is all about Sara Allen’s ex-boyfriend, a fast-food successor who were once Daryl Hall’s girlfriend. As per Hall, “you can’t write, ‘You’re a rich boy’ in a song, so I changed it to a girl.”
Rich Girl
Wish You Were Here
Oftentimes, when people hear Pink Floyd’s 1975 song “Wish You Were Here,” they presume the verses are referring to Syd Barrett, one of the band’s founding members. However, while that is an admirable sentiment, that is not the song’s underlying meaning. As per David Gilmour, the lyrics are aimed directly at himself in particular. It is essential to live in the present moment in order to fully appreciate one’s life.
Wish You Were Here
The One I Love
Contrary to popular opinion, no matter how many people decided to devote R.E.M’s 1987 song “The One I Love” to their dear ones, the song is not a love song. While not exactly the polar opposite of the previous song, it depicts emotional distress between individuals and being repetitively taken advantage as a “prop.” According to Michael Stipe, the band’s lead singer, the song is “incredibly violent…,” according to Musician magazine. It’s abundantly clear that it’s all about repurposing people time and time again.
The One I Love
Take Me Home
Phil Collins’ song “Take Me Home” is unquestionably one of his most well-known compositions. The irony is that the majority of people interpret the song’s message incorrectly, choosing to believe it to be about a man coming back home. That, however, is not the case in this instance. The song was inspired by the 1975 psychological thriller One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which was written by Stephen King. According to the lyrics, the song is about a man who returns home after being a patient in a mental hospital.
Take Me Home
Let’s Go All The Way
True, the title and lyrics of Sly Fox’s 1985 song “Let’s Go All the Way” actually referred to a romantic relationship. Basically, there’s no mention of romance, nor does it contain any physical descriptions whatsoever! As per songwriter Gary “Mudbone” Cooper, the song is commonly misunderstood and is definitely a song of encouragement, as evidenced by the title line and other lines in the song. According to Cooper, the song’s message is to “go all the way for whatever your goal, dream, or vision is.”
Let’s Go All The Way
Barracuda
It is incorrectly assumed that “Barracuda” by Heart is about a marine species, but this is not true at all. Lead singer Ann Wilson expresses her displeasure with Mushroom Records in the song’s lyrics, which refer to a publicity stunt involving her and her sister, Nancy. Ann’s rage at a male reporter for bringing up the made-up issue is clearly expressed in the music video. Producer Mike Flicker claims that Barracuda was born conceptually from “a lot of this [record industry] nonsense.” That whole experience inspired the creation of this piece.
Barracuda
The God That Failed
Despite the success of Metallica’s song “The God That Failed,” the heavy metal band’s image took a hit as a result of many fans mistaking the band for worshipping the devil. In reality, this is not the case. According to the band, the song is about religion and how people have become overly reliant on it, particularly when it comes to healing. When James Hetfield’s mother refused to seek treatment for her cancer, trying to claim that God would heal her, the lyrics for the song were inspired.
The God That Failed
Macho Man
It’s no surprise that the Village People aren’t well-known for their serious music, especially when considering that their most well-known song is none other than “YMCA.” That’s not to say that one of their music wasn’t written with a serious tone in mind; in fact, one of their songs was. The song “Macho Man” was written in order to depict traditional male characters in American culture and history. Randy Jones, on the other hand, claimed that it was not working out. In the end, they managed to make it a little less serious and somewhat more entertaining.
Macho Man
Le Freak
It was released in 1978 and is a disco and funk song by Chic. “Le Freak” was written by Chic and was released in 1978. Since it is a popular party song, most people don’t pay attention to it for its deeper meaning, but rather for its entertaining qualities. To say that the music isn’t meaningful is an understatement. In reality, the song is about Chic’s bassist as well as guitarist being turned down for admission to New York’s legendary Studio 54 nightclub. It appears that the bouncer told them to “f off” since their names weren’t on the guest list. That incident served as the motivation for the expression “freak out!”
Le Freak
Smoke On The Water
The memorable guitar riff was created following the launch of a rocket inside a casino during a Frank Zappa concert. A fire broke out fairly soon after, totally ruining the casino’s structure. After witnessing smoke billowing across Lake Geneva, Roger Glover happened to come up with the title “Smoke on the Water.”
Smoke On The Water
The Way
In a tragic turn of events, the song “The Way” was influenced by a news story about an old couple who mysteriously disappeared while attending a Texas music festival. When the band was in the studio recording the single, they received word from the press that the couple had been discovered dead in their Oldsmobile at the bottom of a gorge, where they had been driving.
The Way
Closing Time
Semisonic front-man Dan Wilson anticipated the band’s sole big hit would have a second life in 2010, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “I really thought that that was the greatest destiny for ‘Closing Time,’ that it would be used by all the bartenders.” When Wilson wrote lyrics like “Time for you to go out to the locations you will be from,” he was focusing on the miracle of birth rather than sending late-night barflies to the curb. Wilson and his wife were expecting their first child shortly after writing the song, so it isn’t entirely surprising that this was the real origin!
Closing Time
Imagine
Lennon’s hallmark lyrics in “Imagine’ were described as “22 lines of graceful, plain-spoken faith in the power of a world, united in purpose, to repair and change itself.” However, the feel-good sentiments behind the song Jimmy Carter once said was “used almost equally with national anthems” have some serious Communist underpinnings. Lennon once referred to the song as “virtually the Communist manifesto,” and at the time that the song became a hit, went on record saying, “Because it’s sugarcoated it’s accepted. Now I understand what you have to do—put your message across with a little honey.”
Imagine
Like A Virgin
In the opening scene in Reservoir Dogs, both Mr. Brown (who thinks “Like a Virgin” is “a metaphor for large d**ks”) and Mr. Blonde (“It’s about a female who is very vulnerable”) misread Madonna’s smash hit. Despite the fact that Madonna famously settled the imaginary dispute by autographing a CD for Quentin Tarantino: “Quentin, it’s about love, not d**k” , the controversy continues.
Like A Virgin
Harder To Breathe
On the surface, the lead single from Maroon 5’s debut album Songs About Jane seems to be just another song about Jane, the name of a partner with whom lead singer Adam Levine had a tumultuous relationship. The album’s first single, “Harder to Breathe,” may sound like a racy nod to the jilted lover Levine claimed to be his muse, but “Harder to Breathe” was inspired by a different kind of suffocating relationship. The song is a scathing critique of the music industry’s pressures.
Harder To Breathe
Summer of ’69
Bryan Adams, who was born in the winter of 1959, would have been 10 years old during the eponymous summer of one of his most well-known songs, which was published in 1985. However, “Summer of ’69” is more of a reference to the sexual position of the same name than it is to Adams waxing nostalgic about the dog days of 1969. In a 2008 interview, Adams told CBS News that “a lot of people think it’s about the year, but actually it’s more about making love in the summertime. It’s using ’69 as a sexual reference.”
Summer Of ’69
The One I Love
When Georgia natives R.E.M. debuted their first Top 10 tune in concert, guitarist Peter Buck was perplexed by the passionate reactions of the crowd. Buck revealed: “I’d look into the audience and there would be couples kissing”. “Yet the verse is… savagely anti-love… People told me that was ‘their song.’ That was your song?”. Singer Michael Stipe clearly felt the same as Buck, revealing in a 1992 interview with Q magazine that he almost didn’t even record the song, calling it “too brutal” and “really violent and awful.”
The One I Love
Semi-Charmed Life
The two censor-triggering words in the line “doing crystal meth will lift you up until you break” would be back-masked in an edited version of the song played by radio stations, so radio purists of the 1990s probably missed out on the fact that the upbeat Third Eye Blind anthem is about a couple on a crystal meth binge. The musical and lyrical juxtapositions were fully planned, according to lead singer Stephen Jenkins, the music reflects “the bright, shiny feeling you get on speed”.
Semi Charmed Life
American Girl
Sorry, urban legend devotees. Tom Petty’s 1977 classic was not inspired by the suicide of a University of Florida student. Despite the fact that the song’s second line mentions a girl standing “alone on her balcony” and “could hear the cars roll by out on 441” (a highway that runs near the Gainesville campus), Petty repeatedly dismissed the misunderstanding more than once.
American Girl
In The Air Tonight
Phil Collins’ debut solo hit wasn’t written about the singer’s run-in with a man who refused point-blank to assist a drowning swimmer in Round Two of Song Meanings Being Twisted By Urban Legends. And, according to Collins, the individual was not invited to sit in the front row of the concert and be verbally abused by “In the Air Tonight.” Alternatively, the song is really a tense, introspective insight into Collins’ divorce from his first wife.
In The Air Tonight
London Calling
One of The Clash’s most stinging political statements is, at its core, a song about Joe Strummer’s own fear of drowning rather than a song about the state of British politics. Mick Jones cited the band’s concern about a 1979 London Evening Standard headline about the Thames River overflowing and drowning London in a dissection of “London Calling” published by the Wall Street Journal. What was the reaction of The Clash to the news? “We flipped,” according to Jones.
London Calling
Blackbird
Whilst on radio with Santa Monica radio station KCRW, Paul McCartney revealed how [Blackbird] “It’s not really about a blackbird whose wings are broken, you know, it’s a bit more symbolic.” In a 2008 interview with Mojo, McCartney explained how enamored The Beatles were with the Civil Rights Movement taking place on the other side of the Atlantic. “I got the idea of using a blackbird as a symbol for a Black person. It wasn’t necessarily a black ‘bird,’ but it works that way, as much as then you called girls ‘birds’… it wasn’t exactly an ornithology ditty; it was purely symbolic.”
Blackbird
Good Riddance
Green Day’s acoustic ballad, a perennial favorite for greatest prom song, was never intended to be a love affair. Billie Joe Armstrong, a brooding frontman, wrote the song about a lover who was relocating to Ecuador and titled it “Good Riddance” out of frustration over the breakup. Armstrong is unconcerned by the ballad’s misunderstanding as a high school slow dance tune, telling VH1’s Behind The Music, “I sort of enjoy the fact that I’m misunderstood most of the time. That’s fine.”
Good Riddance
Born In The U.S.A.
“Born in the U.S.A.” is a must-have on any list of misunderstood songs. The usage of The Boss’s smash as a rah-rah political anthem, according to music critic Greil Marcus, drives its legacy: “Clearly the key to Bruce’s popularity is in a misunderstanding,” he said. “He is a tribute to the fact that people hear what they want to hear.” Most people mistook it for a patriotic song about American pride, when it was actually a condemnation of America’s treatment of Vietnam veterans.
Born In The U.S.A.
Who Let The Dogs Out?
This Calypso-lite music included a lovely (and later frustratingly omnipresent) call-and-response inquiry that never got answered, another song whose meaning was hidden by its party anthem vibes. After the song’s release in 2000, asking who let the dogs out became low-hanging comic fruit, which meant that most people were unaware that it was “a man-bashing song.” It’s a song about a good time being ruined by men catcalling and pestering women, according to songwriter Anslem Douglas in an interview with Rock Cellar Magazine.
Who Let The Dogs Out
Slide
The surface meaning of the feisty pop song is quite standard: forbidden youthful love, the delights of failing your parents, and a partner pleading with you to go away with him. However, as songwriter/lead vocalist Johnny Rzeznik said during the band’s VH1 Storytellers event, the couple’s discontent stems from a deeper source. “The song is actually about these two teenage kids, and the girlfriend gets pregnant, and they’re trying to decide whether she should get an abortion, or they should get married, or what should go on,” he said.
Slide
Macarena
“Macarena” may be the queen of a type of music in which the lyrics are overlooked because the instrumentals are so enjoyable. Listeners who didn’t speak Spanish had another reason to sway their hips happily as the duo sung about a young woman who cheats on her boyfriend with two of his pals while he’s joining in the Army. Macarena, you’re not doing so well!
Macarena
One Way Or Another
It’s that scene in every rom-com where the aspiring architect or bakery entrepreneur is initially rejected by her or his love interest. To win them over, bring out Blondie and a montage of personal improvement initiatives and/or witty conspiracy theory hobby board-level planning. Unfortunately, our well-intentioned soul mate is composing romantic overtures to a stalker tune. Lead singer Debbie Harry told EW, “I was actually stalked by a nutjob, so it came out of a not-so-friendly personal event. But I tried to inject a little bit of levity into it to make it more lighthearted. I think in a way that’s a normal kind of survival mechanism.”
One Way Or Another
Gangnam Style
Psy’s earworm, with its invisible horse dance, was Korea’s first great global musical export, and it came with its own ridiculous music video, in which components of Psy’s big-money lifestyle are exposed to be outrageously sad. It’s easy to think Psy is only making fun of himself if you don’t know anything about Korean culture, but the song and video are both mocking a specific lifestyle of seeking the look of luxury while neglecting your basic needs. The song by the Gangnam neighborhood (think Beverly Hills), where trust-funders eat cheap cuisine in order to purchase costly coffee that they gulp in one sip, exemplifies the false commercial attitude (instead of savoring).
Gangnam Style
Hey Ya
Andre 3000 was correct when he sung near the end of a tremendously euphoric jam with deeply melancholy lyrics about the state of modern relationships, “Y’all don’t want to hear me/ you just wanna to dance.” His child adores him! Perhaps she’s simply terrified of being alone! Separate is always preferable! If nothing lasts forever, why should love be any different? Outkast tweeted a meme featuring Andre 3000’s face from the music video in May 2021, with a little piece labeled “A bop” and a large portion labeled “The saddest song ever written.”
Hey Ya
Can’t Feel My Face
With The Weeknd, nothing is ever black and white. When you first hear the music, you might think it’s a love song, however the lyrical meaning is much different. The actual description of what happens when one consumes too much of a substance is “can’t feel my face.” As if this substance were a lady, the artist figuratively depicted his relationship with it. It’s more like a drug addict’s confessions.
Can’t Feel My Face
Poker Face
Lady Gaga has always been open about her sexuality, particularly in her early albums. Poker Face was one of the songs about a song with a muddled message. In an interview, though, she stated that the song is about being in a relationship with a male while thinking about a girl. The song’s concept was bisexuality. As a result, the lyrics contain a variety of sexual innuendos.
Poker Face
Chandelier
When this song was first released, most people mistook it for a party song. All of the time, deep tunes are readily misunderstood. Sia opens up about her battle with addiction and alcoholism. After her lover was killed by a cab, she turned to booze and drugs to cope. She put her heart and soul into the song. That didn’t stop it from becoming one of pop’s most popular party songs.
Chandelier
A Little Bit Longer
Most people assumed that this song was about a breakup. It turns out, though, that it’s about Nick Jonas’ battle with type 1 diabetes. He claims that he penned the song in 20 minutes one day when his sugar was out of control. That’s when a few of the lyrics began to make sense. You might easily deduce the song’s deeper meaning and pick up on some of the details you missed the first time around.
A Little Bit Longer
Pumped Up Kicks
In the previous 10 years, you’ve probably danced to the Pumped Up Kicks song. The song is about an alienated adolescent who fantasizes about shooting down his school as a form of retaliation. The artist claims he intended to write from the perspective of a victim, but instead chose to enter the mind of the perpetrator. It’s supposed to be an anti-gun song, he claims. Some detractors, though, believed he was taking advantage of the situation.
Pumped Up Kicks
Let It Be
You can probably guess what the song is about if you know Paul McCartney. The song was inspired by Paul’s late mother, though the lyrics don’t mention so explicitly. He created this song after his mother died of cancer while he was only 14 years old. His mother’s name was likewise Mary. When questioned if the song alluded to the Virgin Mary, the Beatles responded it was up to the listener to decide.
Let It Be
No Tears Left To Cry
In this legendary pop ballad, Ariana Grande kept a lot of serious issues hidden. The lyrics reflect her emotions following the terrorist attack on her concert in Manchester. She never explained the lyrics, although they sound a lot like the rest of the album Sweetener, which was released after the attack. Through this song, she stresses that moving forward is the best option.
No Tears Left To Cry
American Woman
This song from 1970 is about a woman who has wronged the singers. The literal meaning of the words will lead you to this conclusion. The woman, on the other hand, represents America. They penned the song in response to a failed attempt to draft the band while they were on the road in North Dakota. That is why the Canadian musicians felt betrayed by their homeland.
American Woman
I Cry
When you listen to the songs about meaning, you’ll notice that Flo Rida mentioned terrorist incidents and natural calamities. Religion provides solace to these victims. When you pay close attention, the message is not difficult to decipher. When you realize the meaning behind the seemingly innocuous lyrics, you might cry.
I Cry
Semi-Charmed Life
This peppy tune was heavily modified in order to be broadcast on the radio. As a result, there are no references to illegal substances. When you look at the original lyrics, though, you will discover the song’s deeper hidden significance. The clean version hides the fact that the song is about a couple going on a road trip together.
Semi Charmed Life
The A Team
Ed’s strong song is really catchy and simple to sing along to. But did you really understand what you were singing about? The lyrics of the song are about a sex worker who is hooked to illegal drugs, specifically a “class A drug,” hence the name The A-Team. If you pay attention, you’ll notice that there’s more to the lyrics than meets the eye.
The A Team
Wolves
Selena Gomez’s army of followers, dubbed Selenators, is always ready to dig for the song’s deeper meaning whenever she releases a new song. They saw this song as a metaphor for her lupus battles. Lupus is a Latin word that means “wolf.” But Selena stated the lyrics tell a tale, and she was going through some personal issues at the time, which the song reflected.
Wolves
Chop Suey!
The song’s original title was suicide, but the label requested that it be changed to prevent controversy. The song is about more than just applying makeup. Suicidal ideas are plaguing the members of the band. It also discusses drug usage and whether or not death is justifiable.
Chop Suey!
Chocolate Rain
In 2007, the meme “Chocolate Rain” became extremely famous. It was funny to watch him move away from the microphone every time he needed to take a breath. The video became viral, yet most people have no idea what the lyrics represent. He discussed the challenges that people of color confront in a repressive and racist culture.
Chocolate Rain
Cake By The Ocean
This was Joe Jonas’ debut single as a member of the DNCE group. The chorus lyrics and title were changed in a radio-friendly cut of the song. The song isn’t about eating cake while seeing the sea. They cleverly disguised the true meaning of cake by rewording it. The modifications were necessary since Sex on the Beach would not have been a kid-friendly title.
Cake By The Ocean
Spice Up Your Life
This famous song contains recipes or culinary directions for a specific substance. Despite the fact that it is a fantastic lively, enjoyable song, there has been much suspicion and criticism that the lyrics contain innuendos concerning this substance. Breaking Bad, a popular television drama, included this music in a scene once too. The Spice Girls, on the other hand, never agreed with the interpretation.
Spice Up Your Life
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
Despite the fact that the first letter of each word in the song title spells out “LSD,” John Lennon has consistently disputed suggestions that The Beatles’ 1967 smash “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” was about any illegal activities. Paul McCartney clarified the story in a 2004 interview with Uncut magazine, decades later. “That’s very evident,” he stated of ‘Lucy in the Sky.’ “There are others who make subtle references to drugs, but it’s easy to exaggerate the impact of drugs on the Beatles’ music.” Here are 50 Totally Absurd Celeb Rumors That Some People Really Believe for more Beatles claims that aren’t really true.
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
n
Total Eclipse of the Heart
Bonnie Tyler’s hit 1993 song “Total Eclipse of the Heart” was originally titled “Vampires in Love,” according to song writer Jim Steinman.” “If anyone listens to the lyrics, they’re really like vampire lines. It’s all about the darkness, the power of darkness and love’s place in dark,” the composer told Playbill in 2002. So, the next time you hear this 1990s hit, pretend it’s about two vampires necking. If you grew up in the 1990s, you may recall these 25 Songs Every ’90s Kid Knows By Heart.
Total Eclipse Of The Heart
Firework
Since its release in 2010, Katy Perry’s “Firework” has been a motivational anthem. But, according to the pop queen, it was her own impending mortality that inspired it. “Basically, I have this very morbid idea,” Perry told Billboard in 2010. “When I pass, I want to be put into a firework and shot across the sky over the Santa Barbara Ocean as my last hurrah.” Perry added that she liked the fact that fireworks make crowds “ooh” and “ahh.” “I guess that making people go ‘ahhh’ is kind of like my motto,” she said.
Firework
Love Song
Sara Bareilles does not tell a clingy boyfriend to get off her back in her 2007 single “Love Song,” contrary to common misconception. In reality, like Maroon 5’s “Harder to Breathe,” Bareilles wrote this song for record label executives who demanded that she write a romantic song that she didn’t have in her repertoire. “They had encouraged me to keep writing, and I just wasn’t having any luck, and I was turning in the beginnings of ideas and snippets of moments of a song, and I was just getting a really sort of blasé reaction to everything,” she told MTV in 2008. “It’s totally honest, and I’m very lucky the label liked it as well.”
Love Song
Just Like Heaven
The Cure’s synth-laden love ballad was named the 25th greatest love song of all time by Entertainment Weekly, but the publication also wondered, “Just what is this scream/laugh/hug inducing trick?” Turns out, the phrase that threw most Cure fans for a loop simply alludes to a sudden shortness of breath. In an interview in 2003 with Blender, Smith told how “Just Like Heaven,” inspired by a trip with his girlfriend to Beachy Head in southern England, was “about hyperventilating—kissing and falling to the floor.” Interesting.
Just Like Heaven