6 Songs That Don't Mean What You Think

Every kind of art we produce is open for interpretation. Two different people, for example, can look at the same painting, and pull from it wildly different truths. The same goes for fields like literature, poetry, and theater. But despite the many ways in which art can be interpreted, most artists work with a certain vision in mind—they have a specific message they wish to convey, or a question they wish to raise.

We sometimes forget that music is an art, too, and the lyrics we listen to every day can hold numerous hidden meanings—some more than others. And, at times, the popular interpretation of a song is vastly different from the artist’s original vision.

But you can stand out from the masses by taking a moment to learn the real meanings of a few of the most misunderstood songs of the past few decades. If you want to be the cool, knowledgeable one in your group of friends—or if you just enjoy ruining seemingly cheery songs for people—take a look at this list of 6 songs that don’t mean what you think, and learn what these musicians really had in mind when they sang their famous lyrics.

"Every Breath You Take"

AM

The song, “Every Breath You Take,” written by Sting and performed by The Police, has an upbeat, almost romantic sound. Those not listening carefully might mistake it for a love song, thinking the song’s narrator to be hopelessly in love with the object of his affection.

In reality, this piece of music is about just the opposite.

Sting explains, in a 1983 interview with New Musical Express, that “It's about jealousy and surveillance and ownership.”

Don’t believe it? Just take a look at the lyrics.

“Every move you make, every vow you break, every smile you fake, every claim you stake, I'll be watching you.”

This is a song about obsession and control—the narrator is looking for faults in the person who is being watched. And the lyrics that seal the darkest aspect of this song—“Oh can’t you see, you belong to me”—are the words of a possessive lover and, as Sting said, display a sense of ownership over another human being.

For years, Sting was uncomfortable with how many people interpreted the song in a positive way—his song about someone’s obsession with a lost lover was even being played at weddings, much to his chagrin.

So the next time your buddy starts singing this song to his girlfriend, kindly save him some humiliation by letting him know what it’s really about.

"Wake Me Up When September Ends"

Reprise

You might catch the sense of melancholy that emanates from Green Day’s “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” but you might not know just how meaningful these lyrics actually are. While the music video reflects the realities of war, the song’s writer, Billie Joel Armstrong, had something else in mind when he created this piece of music.

The lead singer of Green Day, Armstrong is no stranger to tragedy. His father died of cancer in on September 1^st, 1982. Billie was 10, and after the funeral, locked himself in his room. When his mother knocked, he cried out, “Wake me up when September ends!”

“Wake Me Up When September Ends” is about the death of Armstrong’s father, about the pain that still lingers decades later. Let’s look at a few of the lyrics.

“Summer has come and passed, the innocent can never last, wake me up when September ends, like my father's come to pass, twenty years has gone so fast.”

When Armstrong wrote this song, his father was twenty years gone—the lyrics reflect this, as well as the simple desire to simply work through and get past a painful memory.

The next time you listen to this song, honor the man it is dedicated to by remembering its true meaning.

"Harder to Breathe"

Octone

For something a bit lighter, let’s look at Maroon 5’s hit song, “Harder to Breathe,” which has origins few know about.

It’s well-known that many of the songs from the album Songs About Jane are about lead singer Adam Levine’s dysfunctional relationship with his girlfriend, Jane. “There’s at least one line in every song about her,” says Levine in an interview with MTV.

But there’s one song in the album that isn’t—the catchy “Harder to Breathe.”

“That song comes from wanting to throw something,” says Levine. “It was the 11^th hour, and the label wanted more songs. It was the last crack. I was pissed. I wanted to make a record and the label was applying a lot of pressure…”

And so, rather than being about a suffocating relationship, this song is about the band’s frustrated retaliation toward their record label, which they felt was, as the song says, “So condescending, unnecessarily critical.”

"Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds"

Apple

Much has been made about interpreting The Beatles' “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” in the decades after its release. It was once banned from the radio by BBC because of supposed drug references, and despite protestations from the band members, this theory continues on. Many listeners comment on the fact that the primary words of the song’s title form “LSD,” a popular hallucinogenic drug.

This song was primarily written by John Lennon, not after indulging in LSD, but after his young son, Julian, showed him a drawing that the boy called “Lucy—in the Sky with Diamonds,” which showed his classmate, Lucy. Lennon said, during an interview on The Dick Cavett Show, that "I thought that [it was] beautiful. I immediately wrote a song about it.”

Both Lennon and McCartney have also stated that much of the song’s fantastical imagery was inspired by Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” books.

That’s it—now you know the true origins to one of The Beatles' most famous songs! Now go make John Lennon proud by spreading the word.

"Hotel California"

Asylum

On the surface, the Eagles’ song, “Hotel California,” seems to talk about a stay at a luxurious hotel, but as you may have picked up, there’s something more ominous going on here. This song has more in common with “The Great Gatsby” than it does with most classic rock.

This song is about the dangers of the American Dream, about the trap of materialism and excess in the world of the California music industry. When “Hotel California” was released, the Eagles were at the frightening height of success, and although they partook in the pleasures of fame, fortune, drugs, and women, the effects of this made them uneasy. That uneasiness was distilled into their music.

They felt, as the lyrics say, that they were “all just prisoners here, of our own device,” and that they could “check out any time you like, but you can never leave!”

But while the metaphorical Hotel California is the setting of the song, its themes can relate to just about anywhere in America—this song is a warning against excess.

"Pumped Up Kicks"

Colombia

“Pumped Up Kicks,” by Foster the People, is one of those songs with lyrics to which no one listens closely. It has a happy, upbeat tune that just makes you feel good when you listen to it.

But what most people don’t realize is that it’s actually about a school shooter. Let’s look at a few lyrics.

“All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you better run, better run, outrun my gun. All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you better run, better run faster than my bullet.”

The writer of “Pumped Up Kicks,” Mark Foster, says that the song came to him after he read some unnerving statics about trends in teenage mental illness. In an interview with Kroq, Foster explains that, in writing the song, he attempted to get inside the head of an isolated, unloved kid who snaps.

Be sure to tell your friends about this one, and watch closely as the horror of what they've been bouncing their knees to dawns on their faces.

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