You Never Knew What These Misunderstood Songs Were Really About

It’s no secret that there’s a lot more to some songs than meets the eye. Some have hidden meanings, while others are so deeply personal to the songwriter that the average listener couldn’t possibly hope to understand. There are some completely misunderstood songs out there, though; songs whose lyrics have been so misconstrued by people over the years that the original intention was lost completely. Whether it is because of urban legend, misleadingly sweet chords that eschew sinister lyrics, or just plain misinterpretation, when the public gets hold of a song, it can morph into something entirely new.

Is it for better, or for worse? Take a look at these commonly misunderstood songs and let us know what you think, and don’t forget to SHARE if you want others to know what the true meanings are!

'The One I Love' - R.E.M.

Here’s one more song that was never supposed to be a love song. The band actually almost didn’t record the song because they felt it was “too brutal, … really violent and awful,” according to lead singer Michael Stipe. The title may be misleading, sure, but the lyrics sure aren’t. Calling your lover “a simple prop to occupy my time” sure doesn’t sound like a romantic overture.

'Alive' - Pearl Jam

While Pearl Jam’s 1991 hit may initially sound like an anthem of perseverance — particularly when singer Eddie Vedder belts out “Yeah, yeah I, oh, I’m still alive” — a deeper reading reveals something else entirely. The track is actually based around Vedder learning as a teenager that the man he thought was his father was actually his stepfather, and that his biological father was dead. “He’s still dealing with love, he’s still dealing with the death of his father. All he knows is ‘I’m still alive’ … That’s totally out of burden,” Vedder once explained to Rolling Stone.

'Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)' - Green Day

Green Day’s acoustic ballad became a massive crossover hit — partially thanks to its use in the Seinfeld finale — in 1998. The track, with it’s seemingly wistful lyrics about the passage of time, has become a favorite at proms, graduations, and weddings. However, those happy couples probably should have examined the lyrics — or at least the song’s title — just a bit closer. The lyrics are not a tender goodbye at all, but rather an angry rebuke against a girlfriend who will one day regret leaving the “time of her life.”

'Closing Time' - Semisonic

Semisonic’s “Closing Time” has become an anthem for last calls around the world, as countless bars and clubs play the track as their last song of the night. However, the song’s lyrics have little to do with a bar. Instead, they were initially written by singer Dan Wilson about his girlfriend’s pregnancy. The band realized the bar connection early on, however, and admitted they realized that’s what audiences would think the song’s about.

'In The Air Tonight' - Phil Collins

This Phil Collins track is thought by many to be one of the darkest pop hits of all time. According to urban legend, the song tells the story of a man watching another man drown and doing nothing to save him, all supposedly seen by Collins himself. The singer then wrote the song, invited the man to a show, and sang it right to his face. The story spread far and wide in the early days of the internet, and was even mentioned in Eminem’s hit “Stan,” which contained the lyric, “You know the song by Phil Collins, ‘In the Air of the Night’ (sic) about that guy who coulda saved that other guy from drownin’, but didn’t, then Phil saw it all, then at a show he found him?” However, the story is a total fabrication. According to Collins, the song has no specific story to it at all, and is more a stream of consciousness on the feelings he had after his divorce.

'American Girl' - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

“American Girl” is one of the late, great Tom Petty’s most beloved songs. The track melded jangling 1960s guitars with late 1970s punk/new wave influences to become a classic, ending Petty’s concerts right up to the final show before his untimely passing. Despite its hallowed status as a rock classic, the song’s lyrics often have been misunderstood. For years, the song was thought to be about a girl who committed suicide by throwing herself from a residential tower at the University of Florida, which is located in Petty’s hometown of Gainesville.

However, Petty himself categorically shot the story down in the 2005 book Conversations With Tom Petty. “Urban legend. It’s become a huge urban myth down in Florida. That’s just not at all true. The song has nothing to do with that. But that story really gets around. … They’ve really got the whole story. I’ve even seen magazine articles about that story. ‘Is it true or isn’t it true?’ They could have just called me and found out it wasn’t true.”

In the same book, he explained the song’s true inspiration came from his time living in California. “I was living in an apartment where I was right by the freeway. And the cars would go by. … In Encino, near Leon Russell’s house. And I remember thinking that that sounded like the ocean to me. That was my ocean. My Malibu. Where I heard the waves crash, but it was just the cars going by. I think that must have inspired the lyric.”

'Every Breath You Take' - The Police

The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” was one of the most successful singles of the ’80s, and has been the first dance at probably hundreds of weddings since then. However, the track isn’t a love song at all. Rather, the lyrics depict a dark story of obsession and stalking. Sting has said of the song, “One couple told me, ‘Oh, we love that song; it was the main song played at our wedding!’ I thought, ‘Well, good luck.’” He’s also said, “I think the song is very, very sinister and ugly, and people have actually misinterpreted it as being a gentle little love song, when it’s quite the opposite.”

'Blackbird' - The Beatles

“Blackbird” has been one of the most heavily debated songs in The Beatles’ legendary catalogue. Primarily written by Paul McCartney, on the surface the song sounds like a typical love song. However, according to McCartney at various points over the years, the song’s lyrics are actually a reference to the Civil Rights Movement, which was happening in the United States at the time.

'Semi-Charmed Life' - Third Eye Blind

Third Eye Blind’s 1997 smash hit is best remembered for its pop sound and ear-worm chorus of “doot doot doot, dootdodootdoot.” However, that pop sound belies the song’s very dark underbelly. Lead singer and songwriter Stephan Jenkins has explained that the song is actually about addiction. “It’s about a time in my life when it seemed like all of my friends just sort of tapped out on speed.”

On the song’s sound, he’s said it’s “bright and shiny on the surface, and then it just pulls you down in this lockjawed mess. … The music that I wrote for it is not intended to be bright and shiny for bright and shiny’s sake.”

'Born in the U.S.A.' - Bruce Springsteen

Perhaps the most well-known example on this list, Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” has been consistently misunderstood for more than 30 years. The song’s biting lyrics tell the story of a young man’s experiences being drafted, fighting in the Vietnam War, and the psychological scars that came home with him. However, the song’s bombastic musical arrangement hid the irony of its explosive “Born in the U.S.A.” chorus, leading many to believe the song was simply a fists-in-the-air, jingoistic anthem. Springsteen, who particularly bristled at the song being name-dropped by then-president Ronald Reagan, attempted to clarify the song’s meaning through numerous interviews and eventually introduced an acoustic version of the song that stripped away the bombastic elements.