{"id":8734,"date":"2018-03-22T10:14:32","date_gmt":"2018-03-22T10:14:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/?p=8734"},"modified":"2021-08-12T14:57:10","modified_gmt":"2021-08-12T13:57:10","slug":"nine-songs-with-hidden-meanings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/2018\/03\/22\/nine-songs-with-hidden-meanings\/","title":{"rendered":"Nine songs with hidden meanings"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s easy to decipher some lyrics \u201d\u201c some have no deep-rooted meaning at all, and just happen to rhyme. There are plenty of hugely popular tracks that people think they have sussed, but they don\u2019t have a clue what lies beneath the catchy tune. We took nine popular tracks and dug deeper into the meanings behind them.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xGytDsqkQY8\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Semisonic \u201d\u201c Closing Time<\/h3>\n<p>Semisonic\u2019s most famous single, <em>Closing Time<\/em>, is synonymous with the end of a night out \u201d\u201c being turfed out of a bar or club by a bouncer. Turns out, that\u2019s not really the meaning of the song at all. It\u2019s actually detailing the birth of lead singer Dan Wilson\u2019s first child; how he and his partner felt before their daughter was born. <em>Closing Time<\/em> reached #1 in the Modern Rock charts, was nominated for Best Rock Song at the Grammys and has been used a number of times in TV and film.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SDTZ7iX4vTQ\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Foster the People \u201d\u201c Pumped Up Kicks<\/h3>\n<p><em>Pumped Up Kicks<\/em> by Foster the People is often seen as a cheery track, due to its jingly melody and how popular it became back in 2011. The reality is the song has a darker meaning behind it. <em>Pumped Up Kicks<\/em> is actually a song about the thoughts of a homicidal teenager \u201d\u201c Mark Foster, who wrote the song, said he wanted to understand the psychology behind teenage mental illness. The song is poignant as the band\u2019s bassist Cubbie Fink has a cousin who survived the Columbine High School Massacre in 1999.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2vjPBrBU-TM\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Sia \u201d\u201c Chandelier<\/h3>\n<p><em>Chandelier<\/em>, the lead single from Sia\u2019s sixth album <em>1000 Forms of Fear,<\/em> was immensely popular for its catchy reggae beat and the incredible video with Maddie Ziegler; just one of many Ziegler would appear in. Whilst the world was singing along to the critically acclaimed track, little did we know it has a dark element to it. The song is about Sia\u2019s struggle with alcoholism and drug abuse \u201d\u201c rationalising these issues as a typical thought of a \u201d\u02dcparty girl\u2019.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EPhWR4d3FJQ\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Bruce Springsteen \u201d\u201c Born in the USA<\/h3>\n<p>Springsteen\u2019s 1984 track is often cited as a patriotic anthem, with the chorus seemingly announcing his heritage as an American. Couple that with the fact is was released just a month before the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, it\u2019s easy to see why people tied the two together. In actual fact, <em>Born in the USA<\/em> is critical of the US and how their war veterans were treated. When you listen to the verses, rather than the chorus, you can see that Springsteen is laying bare life for working-class men, drafted into fighting the Vietnam War but who cannot get a job upon their return \u201d\u201c or worse, didn\u2019t return at all.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qi7Yh16dA0w\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Sara Bareilles \u201d\u201c Love Song<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;I\u2019m not gonna write you a love song \/ \u201d\u02dcCause you asked for it, \u201d\u02dccause you need one&#8230;&#8221; this must be about a past (or even current) lover, right? Wrong. It\u2019s actually referencing Bareilles\u2019s record label. When producing her album <em>Little Voice<\/em>, Bareilles felt she was being pushed by the label and having no luck with the music she was creating. So, she sat down to write a song for herself; from this session, <em>Love Song<\/em> was created. It shot her to fame and bagged her two Grammy nominations \u201d\u201c Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nrnZSLwfzVs\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Bob Marley \u201d\u201c I Shot the Sheriff<\/h3>\n<p>The 1973 track by Bob Marley and the Wailers is believed to have been an autobiographical song about injustice; the protagonist admits to shooting a crooked sheriff, having been falsely accused of killing the deputy. Back in 2012, Marley\u2019s former girlfriend Esther Anderson revealed there was a very different meaning behind <em>I Shot the Sheriff<\/em>. She stated it stemmed from a disagreement about birth control; Marley was against birth control and the doctor who prescribed the pills for Anderson then became the \u201d\u02dcsheriff\u2019. The tell-tale lyric is \u201cSheriff John Brown always hated me \/ For what, I don\u2019t know \/ Every time I plant a seed \/ He said &#8216;Kill it before it grow&#8217;\u201d\u009d.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/N5Xqzp8NvDI\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">The Eagles \u201d\u201c Hotel California<\/h3>\n<p><em>Hotel California<\/em> by The Eagles is instantly recognisable, and plenty of people have tried to dig into the lyrics about a hotel you cannot leave. Don Henley, who sang lead vocal on the track, has openly spoken out that the song is about hedonism and indulgence in America \u201d\u201c how the band interpreted living the high life in LA during their fame. In 1978, Hotel California was awarded Record of the Year at the Grammys.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fJ9rUzIMcZQ\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Queen &#8211; Bohemian Rhapsody<\/h3>\n<p>Some critics believe Queen\u2019s massive hit <em>Bohemian Rhapsody<\/em> doesn\u2019t have any meaning at all; some believe the track is inspired by Albert Camus\u2019s novel <em>The Stranger<\/em>. One of the clearest theories is that the song explains Mercury\u2019s coming out as gay. In the early 1970s, Mercury had been in a relationship with Mary Austin, but in the middle of the decade, Freddie had an affair with a male record executive and would tell Austin of his sexuality in 1976. With <em>Bohemian Rhapsody<\/em> being released in 1975, the time line fits \u201d\u201c it\u2019s thought the death that is described in the lyrics is that of Mercury and his former life.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8WEtxJ4-sh4\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">TLC \u201d\u201c Waterfalls<\/h3>\n<p>One of the biggest tracks of 1995 is a deep, socially aware track. The song <em>Waterfalls<\/em> may not be incredibly explicit in its subject matter, but it does look to the illegal drug trade, as well as the HIV\/AIDS epidemic. The first verse depicts an inner-city mother and son relationship; the son is a drug dealer and his mother knows this kind of job won\u2019t end well. The second verse details a promiscuous man suffering from, and who dies from HIV \u201d\u201c \u201cThree letters took him to his final resting place.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Did this post get your brain ticking as to what hidden meaning lies behind your favourite song? Expand your music collection and take a magnifying glass to it! Take a deeper look without breaking the bank at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/\">musicMagpie Store<\/a>. With FREE delivery, why wouldn\u2019t you?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s easy to decipher some lyrics \u201d\u201c some have no deep-rooted meaning at all, and just happen to rhyme. There are plenty of hugely popular tracks that people think they have sussed, but they don\u2019t have a clue what lies beneath the catchy tune. We took nine popular tracks and &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":8739,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[159],"tags":[1581],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8734"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8734"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8734\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12877,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8734\/revisions\/12877"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}