Oddly Misunderstood Songs

Just saw the latest Heinz advert on the tellybox, which uses the classic “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine”. Lovely.

Shame it’s actually about someone who is heartbroken because their lover left them:

“I’ll always love you
and make you happy
If you will only
Say the same
but if you leave me
To have another
You’ll regret it all someday
..
You told me once dear
You really loved me
and no one else could come between
but now you’ve left me and I’ve got nothing
You have tattered all my dreams!”

Mmm.. Heartbreak and tattered dreams. I fancy some soup. 🙂

What other songs are popularly misunderstood?

Some that spring to mind:

You’re Gorgeous by Baby Bird: popular at weddings of a certain era, but actually about being lied to and taken advantage of by someone you love.

Wake Up Boo by Boo Radleys: a summer anthem, that actually starts “Summer’s gone”

Barbie Girl by Aqua: cutesy airhead song, that is actually quite cutting about blonde bimbos.

I think you may be overthinking a bean advert.

George W Bush once used Springsteens’ “Born in the USA” as a campaign song failing to appreciate both
A/ it’s a Vietnam war protest song and
B/ Bruce’s permission should have been sought first but wasn’t so he sued Bush.

I think you may be overthinking a bean advert.

Maybe 😛 but it’s one of those songs that gets used a lot in adverts and happy montages, which always amuses me.

There She Goes by the Las is actually about heroin

“there she goes….running through my veins….racing through my brain…”

Broader than just songs but it amazes me that people think The Smiths are depressing. They do have their glum moments but at other times they’re hilarious.

BBC using Lou Reed’s ‘pefect day’…also a song abour drugs.
Madonna singing about Anna Friel on ‘ray of light’ 😉

There She Goes by the Las is actually about heroin

See also ‘Golden Brown’ by The Stranglers, ‘Perfect Day’ by Lou Reid and many others.

All the best songs are about drugs you know 8)

contrary to popular opinion, the song ‘Ironic’ by Alanis Morrisette, is actually ironic. by deliberately describing things in her song that actually aren’t ironic, she is being ironic.
I think.
probably.

Springsteen’s ‘Secret Garden’ in Jerry Maguire.

It’s used in a sentimental way – the misunderstandings between Tom and Rene etc. But it’s actually about how sad it is to be a hoe…

“‘scuze me while I kiss this guy”

there used to be a website for misunderstood song lyrics, not surprisingly it was “www.kissthisguy.com” or some such

If we’re talking inappropriate songs for weddings, then “Band of Gold” has to be right up there!

Cameron and Eton Rifles 😀

I thought the bloke that wrote it has said that There she goes is not about drugs?

i remember being at clubs and seeing the rage against the machine anthem **** you I wont do what you tell me and how all the moody types would all get up en mass and dance to it shouting it in unison …very “yes we are al individuals” – life of brian for me.
Dancing queen as well but I have spent to much time in gay clubs 😉

Ronald Reagan or Bush who used Born in the USA?

The Police – I’ll Be Watching You. Not a nice sweet romantic song, it’s about stalking…

My wife has just reminded me of the wedding we attended where the happy couple left to “young hearts, run free” 😯

You’re Gorgeous by Baby Bird

What always struck me about that song was, it’s very clearly a woman singing to a bloke from the lyrics. Sung by a bloke either doesn’t make sense or, well, changes the dynamic somewhat.

REM The One I Love

Often mistaken for a love song

“A simple prop to occupy my time”
“Another prop has occupied my time”

But quite the opposite

W.A.S.P’s “F___ like a beast”, was actually quite a tender love song

yes that old softie Blackie lawless…like barbara cartland with long hair and only slightly less makeup 😉

The Police – I’ll Be Watching You. Not a nice sweet romantic song, it’s about stalking…

Yep nice one. Sting apparently hates that this one is used at weddings etc as he wrote it while breaking up with his wife.

Just though of another one along the same line, good ol’ Phil Collins and “In The Air Tonight”.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for all my life” – oooh that’s so romantic isn’t it?

Erm… no!

“Well if you told me you were drowning
I would not lend a hand
I’ve seen your face before, my friend
But I don’t know if you know who I am?
Well I was there and I saw what you did
I saw it with my own two eyes
So you can wipe off that grin
Know where you’ve been
It’s all been a pack of lies”

Apparently about a guy that Phil saw commit some crime, possibly murder, finally getting what was coming to him!

REM The One I Love
Often mistaken for a love song

I always read that as: he has occupied his time with someone else because the one he loved got away. The second verse suggests that more clearly:

“This one goes out to the one I’ve left behind
Another prop has occupied my time
This one goes out to the one I love “

But yeah, hardly the romantic notion to sing to your sweetheart 😀

On REM, what about “Shiny Happy People”?

Chirpy, bouncy, feel good anthem or absolutely dripping with sarcasm?

“Everyone around love them, love them
Put it in your hands
Take it take it
There’s no time to cry”

It’s actually about folk high on Benzedrine, that “Gold and silver shine”:

Junkyard – Member
yes that old softie Blackie lawless…like barbara cartland with long hair and only slightly less makeup

Even more alike after his exploding cod piece backfired of course

The Police song about the BBC presenter..
‘Sue lawley, Sue Lawley’ 🙂

If we’re talking inappropriate songs for weddings, then “Band of Gold” has to be right up there!

Or the wedding I was at, sat and had pictures taken while “Time to Say Goodbye” by Andrea Bocelli was being played…….nice

the classic song Ken Lee

Broader than just songs but it amazes me that people think The Smiths are depressing. They do have their glum moments but at other times they’re hilarious.

Well I’ve never thought they were depressing, just rubbish. I must admit, I don’t get the attraction.

didnt no this was about an execution untill i saw him sing it this year awsome performance

Just for giggles I tried updating the Wikipedia article about “Shiny Happy People” to point out that it is about Benzedrine.

I included the image of Benzedrine in the “gold and silver shine” packaging, linked to the wiki article about recreational abuse of Benzedrine and the euphoric high it produces and noted that “What’s The Frequency Kenneth?” actually mentions Benzedrine by name.

Funnily enough my additions got immediately reverted by a user describing himself as a “Christian radical”. 🙄

Hey ho, the joys of the wiki. 😀

I giggled at the All Saints covering ‘Under the Bridge’, thinking it was a ‘really nice love song’. Er, no. It’s about scoring drugs. Under a bridge.

And Tazzy, love Ken Lee! 😀

“Ken Leeeee, aribbydiibbbydouchooooo! KEEENNNNN LLEEEEEEEE! KEN LEE HEENNNY HAWWWW!”

Mr Toast is the master of misheard lyrics – his spirited rendition of ‘Grapefruit’ by Queen (aka Breakthrough) has to be heard!

More misheard lyrics…

When I saw them supporting Iron Maiden the other year, I couldn’t stop laughing when they played that song. BOAT! RUDDER! STRANGE! MOUNTAIN!

Was going to mention under the bridge but mrs toast beat me to it.

if were talking inappropriate songs then at a friend of ours wedding their first dance was genuinly to ‘if you cant be with the one you love, love the one you’re with’. i spat champagne everywhere it was so funny.

Spent ages reading the lyrics of songs looking for wedding music. I think we’re going to have to go for instrumentals.

Not related but two that annoy me are Greenday – time of your life and The Killers – Mr Brightside which people always seem to think are happy songs when they are both fairly depressing.

We had a debate whether we could do our first dance to the Eels song – My beloved monster and me. We both like the song but I think we’ve decided against it. I was all for trying to find something we could laugh about and see if anyone would notice but this was a bit blatant.

I giggled at the All Saints covering ‘Under the Bridge’, thinking it was a ‘really nice love song’. Er, no. It’s about scoring drugs. Under a bridge

to be fair to them*, they recorded it cos they liked the overall feel of the song.

Anyway the man himself has said the song is about loneliness and being emotionally drained and how his bandmates rescued him from that, it’s not just about drugs.

“I don’t ever want to feel like that” it’s about NOT wanting to be on drugs, not scoring them.

Oddly misunderstood lyrics…good title

*massive All Saints fan 😳