Luckily, the Village People decided there was "no way we can do this seriously" and ended up recording the campy, lighthearted version instead. 19 Popular song definition, a song that is written to have an immediate and wide appeal and is usually popular for only a short time, but that sometimes is of a sufficiently high quality to become part of the permanent repertoire of popular music and jazz. Anytime we hear the song, we automatically think of that video with Chevy Chase, where he hilariously lip syncs next to a miserable-looking Paul Simon. This is for sure the most meaningful song on the list. "MMMBop" by Hanson. But it's also a tragic tale of a teenage fan who learned too late that there are worse things than being late to a KISS concert. Some health officials are criticizing the plan. And that's where a song like [that] comes in. "Got to Get You Into My Life" by The Beatles, This foot-tapping tune by Paul McCartney always seemed pretty straightforward. Marissa Laliberte Updated: Nov. 15, 2019. One of her bests, Umbrella is loaded with dirty meanings - the Umbrella here is a symbol of protection, a condom and it follows Rihanna singing Ooh, baby, it's rainin', rainin' baby, come here to me, come into me," to which Jay Z says "In anticipation for precipitation, stack chips for the rainy day, Jay—Rain Man is back," insinuating that he’s ready to make it rain. What if I die here?" It's probably impossible to hear this song anymore and not think of. ", 23 Whether this mythical fan death actually happened has been the subject of much debate, and one devoted sleuth is still trying to identify the accident that may've inspired the song. "You have so many relationships in this life/Only one or two will last/You go through all the pain and strife/Then you turn your back and they're gone so fast." "Whoa my nights are so long," Simon sings. 20 We never get the full picture of why and how his relationship is so miserable, but there are hints with lines like "separate's always better" and the part about being in denial because "we know we're not happy here." His girlfriend was moving to. But the guys who weren't able to find a girl "get a bottle of Cracklin' Rosie (instead)," he said. And the existential dread just gets worse from there. The lyrics support that claim, with lines like "It's a cool place and they say it gets colder/You're bundled up now wait 'til you get older" and "The water's getting warm so you might as well swim/My world's on fire. The song is a frustrated retaliation – but hey, it all worked out for the best in the end. 28 But listen again and you'll realize it's actually told from the point-of-view of a stalker. But when Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart was asked during an interview with Modern Drummer magazine to explain the song, he said it was much, much, much simpler than any of the theories. There's obviously a lot of anger in there. But in a 2002 episode of VH1's Storytellers, lead singer Johnny Rzeznik revealed the song's true meaning—and it's much darker than anyone had anticipated. "Jack & Diane" is about as unambiguous as songs get, except for one crucial detail. "All Star" by Smash Mouth, It's probably impossible to hear this song anymore and not think of Shrek or any of its sequels. Furthermore, Flitsch also praised Grande's vocals in the song for being "flawless" alongside Mika's. '", 30 "This is really a song about race relationships and a white girl being with a black guy, and that's what the song's about," Mellencamp said he explained to his record company in 1982. The song's narrator isn't on vacation, but "wasting away" in a beach resort community, getting tattoos he doesn't remember, looking for lost salt shakers, and drinking endless cocktails to "help me hang on." We don't remember that being quite the case, but whatever, some people had fears that masculinity was under attack, and the world needed a song championing men who weren't afraid to dress like sexy Indians or shirtless bikers. Live smarter, look better,​ and live your life to the absolute fullest. "Millions and millions of people bought the song and heard the song and didn't get it," he once said during a show. C'mon, it's a song about balloons… Ninety-nine balloons! Rumor has it that, You would think that a song with a title like. singer Michael Stipe told The New York Times that the song had nothing to do with losing faith in his spiritual beliefs. The song's lyrics hold deep meaning and symbolize Lee Hi's struggle to maintain her ability to sing despite her panic disorder. But in the authorized Nirvana biography Come As You Are, Cobain was pretty clear about the song's meaning, explaining that it's about "little kids with cancer. "Jump" by Van Halen. ", 12 The first song on Destroyer, arguably KISS's best album, is widely considered a party anthem and a tribute to the city of Detroit. "Every Breath You Take" by The Police, If you came of age in the '80s, there's a good chance they played this song at your prom or homecoming dance. This may be the most shocking revelation of this list. Of course there are many more (and perhaps some with better stories), but these songs were chosen simply because of their widespread popularity. "And sometimes it's like, 'Well, [forget] you.' Of course there are many more (and perhaps some with better stories), but these songs were chosen simply because of their widespread popularity. He compared it to something a waitress might say when dealing with annoying customers: "I almost lost my religion over that table, they were such jerks." But none of this is true, according to Collins. "We'll never be royals," she sings. So if it's not supposed to a paean to a woman's beauty, what is going on exactly? Not a lot of layers going on there. — Boyd once claimed that just listening to this song could be "torture". But Roth revealed that the song's origins are actually much darker than anyone could have guessed. All Free. I tell them, 'Are you mad? Not so, says Furs singer and lyricist Richard Butler, who explained that the song was "a metaphor for being naked." We don't know about you, but this is going to take some time for us to digest. When you think of the Village People song "Macho Man," two words that probably don't spring to mind are dark and serious. "Things are going to be gone," he went on, "whether it's your age and your youth, or maybe the money you have, or whatever it is." There's a bigger story happening in this tune than just a bunch of balloons taking flight. I was like, I really like that word, because I'm a big word fetishist. It was inspired by something lead singer Gabriele Kerner witnessed at a Rolling Stones concert in West Berlin during their, She had apparently been flipping through an old issue of, , and happened upon a picture of "this dude signing baseballs," Lorde explained to VH1. Stipe seems to pride himself on writing lyrics that are a little opaque – very symbolic, with meanings hidden. What is that all about? Jim Steinman, the guy who penned "Total Eclipse of the Heart" for Bonnie Tyler, says the song's original title was "Vampires in Love" and if you listen carefully to the lyrics, "they're really like vampire lines," he says. Popular music is a generic term for a wide variety of genres of music that appeal to the tastes of a large segment of the population, whereas pop music usually refers to a specific musical genre within popular music. Wait, what? Here are 10 well known songs that fans have misinterpreted over the years. Say what? It's been called an anthem for millennials, a generational rejection of consumerism and materialism. We're not sure if that gives a new meaning to the "only a motion away" line, but we're not sure what to think anymore. When John Hughes decided to base his 1986 movie about teenage love on an obscure Psychedelic Furs song, he maybe should've listened a little more closely to the lyrics. The song's narrator wanders through a foreign country, out of money and looking for "angels in the architecture." As singer/songwriter Billie Joe Armstrong has explained, it's about a bad breakup. Few songs in music history have seemed as innocuous as "Jump," a song in which David Lee Roth implores us to jump a lot. Popular music songs and pieces typically have easily singable melodies. "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins. As it turns out, we were duped. George Brett, former third baseman for the Kansas City Royals. As he explained in a, interview, the song was about his divorce. I appreciate you and I hope you do great and I appreciate everything you've done, but I'm out of here.'". There was no plane crash, or at least there wasn't in this James Taylor classic. It's got to be about a woman he fancies, right? Was Taylor referring to a woman named Suzanne, mentioned earlier in the song for the plans made that "put an end to (her)"? How about yours?" It'd be like finding out that the Prince song "Darling Nikki" is really about a guy named Nicholas. But the guys who weren't able to find a girl "get a bottle of Cracklin' Rosie (instead)," he said. How could a tune that seemed so innocent, that we all sang when we were kids, possibly be a not-so-subtle metaphor for drugs? Lead singer Paul Stanley admitted that the the song wasn't all fist-bumping rock celebration, but was actually inspired by a real KISS fan who died in a car crash, hitting a truck in a head-on collision while speeding to make it to a show on time. We get our first clue when André 3000 starts thanking Mom and Dad "for sticking through together/because we don't know how." If your language skills aren’t already top-notch, then this vocab quiz can get you up to speed! Wow. "Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem?". 11 Popular Song Lyrics That Don’t Mean What You Think. "Where's my wife and family? “Affect” vs. “Effect”: Use The Correct Word Every Time. The. The song's narrator wanders through a foreign country, out of money and looking for "angels in the architecture." He goes on to explain that the girl in the song "thinks that she's wanted and in demand and clever and beautiful, but people are talking about her behind her back. ", Apparently he watched some infomercials that featured terminally ill children and found it "sadder than anything I can think of. And John Hughes, bless his late heart, took it completely literally and completely overrode the metaphor altogether!" I'll pick a word and I'll pin an idea to that." ", 2 "Sometimes it's like, 'I love you. If you imagine the world that we live in like the world John Lennon is telling us to imagine it like, its perfect. The lyrics definitely don't come across as playfully lighthearted as the music. "It was gonna be very dark and very serious." "Detroit Rock City" by KISS. 25 This story of "unrest in the forest," with anthropomorphic maple and oak trees battling for sunlight, sure does feel like an allegory for civil rights, or an argument for libertarian politics, or maybe a cautionary tale about the futility of war. "Puff, the Magic Dragon" really was about a magical dragon and not just drug propaganda. Here are 10 well known songs that fans have misinterpreted over the years. It was the first big hit for Paul Simon as a solo artist, and the title came, as he admitted in a Rolling Stone interview, from a menu. Ecuador and he wasn't exactly happy about it. Arguably the best song meanings website, SongMeanings, has been around for decades. Daniels also praised the song for being a stand out track. Wow, that is, James Blunt didn't mince words when explaining his reaction to fans who think, , in which McCartney explains that he wrote the song "when I had first been introduced to pot. Nobody seems to remember that the song is actually called "Good Riddance" and that the "Time of Your Life" part is actually in parentheses. It’s the End of the World is no exception, and as one of their most upbeat and popular songs, it’s crammed with lyrics that test even the biggest REM fans. Greg Camp, the band's guitarist and songwriter, insisted that the song isn't "completely" about climate change but admitted "it has elements" and does directly address "a hole in the ozone layer and global warming. popular definition: 1. liked, enjoyed, or supported by many people: 2. for or involving ordinary people rather than…. "It's about a guy who's high as a kite on drugs in the subway stalking someone else's girlfriend when that guy is there in front of him," Blunt explained. Look up any song, and you'll find lyrics and (hopefully) comments discussing them. Many of the songs we sing along to innocently use symbolism and personification to make us assume they’re about one thing, when really, they’re telling a totally different story that would be incredibly controversial out in the open. "That's their girl for the weekend." Turns out, Rosie wasn't even meant to be a person at all. Exploring the meanings of songs since 2003. Just like that, the song that always made us smile because it was silly good fun has become the most depressing song about suicide, Not so, says Furs singer and lyricist Richard Butler, who explained that, interview that the song was inspired by a Native American tribe in Canada which had more men than women. But R.E.M. There are some songs that everyone knows while having zero clue what they mean. popular song - WordReference English dictionary, questions, discussion and forums. We're afraid to ask. Imagine - John Lennon. "I saw a cartoon picture of these trees carrying on like fools," Peart said. 14 "Macho Man" by The Village People. 27 13. Enrich your vocabulary with the English Definition dictionary Or as Parton explained it years later, "It's saying, 'Just because I'm going don't mean I wont love you. Well, if you think that, you might want to listen to it again. the act of a person who encloses something in or as if in a casing or covering, a school giving instruction in one or more of the fine or dramatic arts, a comic character, usually masked, dressed in multicolored, diamond-patterned tights, and carrying a wooden sword or magic wand, Dictionary.com Unabridged Rumor has it that "Wonderful Tonight" was written when Boyd and Clapton were getting ready to attend a party hosted by friends Paul and Linda McCartney, a celebration of Buddy Holly's birthday. The part that most people remember about this song is the "sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground" line, which sure does sound like a fatal plane crash. Has there ever been a song more inconsequential? "Mick Jagger released thousands of balloons at the end of the concert," she recalled. This famous enka song (an emotional, and at times sad, Japanese folk song style) has been performed by many artists, with Hibari Misora’s version being the most famous. "Closing Time" by Semisonic, What else could this be but a song about a bar closing at the end of the night and the bartender telling everybody to get out? Jason Merritt/Getty. Most pop songs are about love, heartbreak or having a good time. When you think of the Village People song, Fans of prog-rock legends Rush might be tempted to overanalyze a song like. Do you remember when you first learned that the Peter, Paul & Mary song "Puff, the Magic Dragon" was really about marijuana? © 2020 Galvanized Media. Here are 30 examples of beloved pop songs that aren't actually about what you think they're about. If you're not paying attention, it might sound like an ode to endless love. And that's where a song like [that] comes in. "The Trees" by Rush. How to use popular music in a sentence. Telltale lyric: "How dare you say that my behaviour is unacceptable AABA Song Form. "People have actually misinterpreted it as being a gentle little love song, when it's quite the opposite. Learn more. The Dictionary.com Word Of The Year For 2020 Is …. List of songs with lyrics, meanings, interpretations and chart positions. "There was a dish called 'Mother and Child Reunion.' "That was the twist of 'Detroit Rock City.'" "I think the song is very, very sinister and ugly," he says. "I was eating in a Chinese restaurant downtown," Simon said. "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton, Clapton has never been so syrupy sweet as in this love ballad to his future wife Pattie Boyd, also known as ex-Mrs. George Harrison and the woman who once had Clapton "on his knees" in "Layla.". ", Few songs in music history have seemed as innocuous as, Wow. The song features American singer Ariana Grande and is included on her debut album, Yours Truly. "One" by U2, Whatever your interpretation of this U2 song, it's probably wrong. "I was watching television one night and it was the five o'clock news and there was a fellow standing on top of the Arco Towers in Los Angeles," Roth recalled. SongMeanings is a community of thousands of music lovers who contribute song lyrics, discuss interpretations, and connect over songs and artists they love! But believe it or not, "All Star" really had nothing to do with lovable green ogres voiced by Mike Myers. "You have so many relationships in this life/Only one or two will last/You go through all the pain and strife/Then you turn your back and they're gone so fast." ... Good instinct—the song landed the duo on the Billboard Top 100 in 1977. It was an old Southern saying, he claimed, "the same as being at the end of your rope or reaching the final straw and snapping." A new study finds this group is at a higher risk. , where he hilariously lip syncs next to a miserable-looking Paul Simon. We're afraid to ask. 18 We couldn't agree more. That was the idea of the song. ‘The popular opinion was that if Stein had a weakness it was in making substitutions.’ ‘Studies of Scottish popular belief in the trials have hitherto emphasised narratives.’ ‘In fact, Moore expresses a set of increasingly popular attitudes toward politics.’ It's about splitting up! "You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon. But there’s actually a bit more to the song. That "dude" turned out to be George Brett, former third baseman for the Kansas City Royals. I was like, I really like that word, because I'm a big word fetishist. Like someone else might write an ode to chocolate or a good claret. or any of its sequels. Some wineries even briefly sold their own version of Cracklin' Rosie wine, though it was never as popular as the song. As it turns out, Simon was giving more clues about what the song's about than Chase. The record execs were not impressed, and purportedly told Mellencamp, "Whoa, can't you make him something other than that?". That still doesn't explain why he thought he heard us laughing, and then thought he heard us sing. Wait, what? "He should be locked up or put in prison for being some kind of perv. That "dude". Has there ever been a song more inconsequential? The Most Surprisingly Serendipitous Words Of The Day. "Hey Ya!" Enter your email address to get the best tips and advice. Whatever the future holds for him, it isn't good. Since its release in 1998, many believed that this popular song by the Goo Goo Dolls is a love story. Some wineries even briefly sold. 24 As it turns out, Simon was giving more clues about what the song's about than Chase. There's obviously a lot of anger in there. It’s the End of the World is no exception, and as one of their most upbeat and popular songs, it’s crammed with lyrics that test even the biggest REM fans. "That's their girl for the weekend." Legendary U2 rocker Bono once said, "Music can change the world because it can change people." "Jack & Diane" by John Mellencamp. Muchos ejemplos de oraciones traducidas contienen “popular song” – Diccionario español-inglés y buscador de traducciones en español. I have certainly met a hundred people who've had it at their weddings. "Sometimes it's like, 'I love you. ", 7 "Mother and Child Reunion" by Paul Simon. 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