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Original poster

Meanings behind songs that people don't seem to know...

605 replies

Arlanymor · 28/10/2025 21:38

Do you remember the Real Fires advert with the dog kissing the cat and the cat kissing a mouse? My mum brought it up the other day as one of their neighbours has just got a dog that looks identical to the one in the advertisement. Awww!

I couldn't quite remember the song that was the soundtrack so I looked it up later... it's Will You Love Me Tomorrow by The Shirelles and I brought it up on YouTube to listen to it. It's about a one night stand isn't it? I had no idea until now... there I was thinking it was a lovely warm anthem for chaste kisses between pets!

By the way, not remotely making a judgement about the topic, I've a had a few 'Shirelles' nights of my own in the past... I just never knew what it was about before. Have you had any similar revelations?!

OP posts:
Myblueclematis · 29/10/2025 08:07

BarryKentPoet · 29/10/2025 08:01

My kids told me that Cake by the Ocean was about sex on the beach but I'm not convinced!

I'm quite old and left school in 72 so a lot of the previous mentioned lyrics to songs passed me by especially the references to drugs but I did realise once I heard the words that Cake by the Ocean was about sex. I quite liked singing along to that one. 😆

Shakeyourwammyfannyfunkysong · 29/10/2025 08:06

Cheese55 · 29/10/2025 07:54

'Nothing really matters to me' ???

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Yes! Freddie has hinted at times that it is about his own struggles with his sexuality etc which I can see. However the band have also alluded that their main aim for that whole album and especially bohemian rhapsody was to create a ridiculously ellaborate rock opera. I think a lot of it was them just experimenting and goofing around but man did they do it in style!

Katemax82 · 29/10/2025 08:04

InjurySolicitor · 28/10/2025 23:59

Pumped up kicks. What a jolly bop! Literally years later a friend pointed out to me it was about a American-style school shooting. 😱😭

Yes! My daughter told me!

UncleHerbieIsBack · 29/10/2025 08:03

Kingsleadhat · 29/10/2025 00:52

Afternoon Delight... blatantly obvious ditty about the joys of an afternoon shag but no one seemed to notice at the time

Nope. Everybody knew it was about afternoon sex! 😂

Anyusernamewilldo8963 · 29/10/2025 08:03

Cotton Eyed Joe is all about an STI

Frynye · 29/10/2025 08:02

“There she goes”. I swear whenever that song comes on anywhere someone will say “that’s really about heroine you know”. It’s like it has to be said.

BarryKentPoet · 29/10/2025 08:01

My kids told me that Cake by the Ocean was about sex on the beach but I'm not convinced!

Didshejustsaythatoutloud · 29/10/2025 08:00

Mothership4two · 29/10/2025 00:51

Cornflake Girl is about FGM. The lyrics are chilling once you know that

Edited

😱

ThatBlackCat · 29/10/2025 07:57

SriouslyWhutNow · 29/10/2025 01:36

What it says to me is that posters like you paid zero attention at school during drug education lessons and didn’t bother educating yourself about it all either, letting yourself and your future children down by being unable to keep them safe.

So not the “I’m so amazing and well-brought-up” look that these faux naive posters were going for. I feel the same way about adult women who pretend they don’t understand contraception. Anyone of childbearing age absolutely got told all this stuff at school multiple times and none of it should be surprising to anyone who was paying attention so they only have themselves to blame.

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Um, we all had drug education lessons. That doesn't mean we had the lived experience to understand in jokes about drugs in songs.

Greysowhat · 29/10/2025 07:55

Kingsleadhat · 29/10/2025 00:52

Afternoon Delight... blatantly obvious ditty about the joys of an afternoon shag but no one seemed to notice at the time

I was very small when that came out. I always thought it was about someone having a Turkish Delight after their lunch!!

MyOtherProfile · 29/10/2025 07:54

AllTheTreesOfTheField · 29/10/2025 07:38

So what is Dancing in the Moonlight about, please?

The guy who wrote it got beaten up and then imagined a place where there wouldn't be any fighting and everyone would be too busy dancing and feeling relaxed to fight.

AmaryllisNightAndDay · 29/10/2025 07:54

Melonmango70 · 29/10/2025 06:54

I'm 55 and I only realised/found this out a few weeks ago! 😆

Edited
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I didn't realise it was deliberate - thought it was just me with a filthy mind! (I hadn't seen the stage show though)

Cheese55 · 29/10/2025 07:54

Shakeyourwammyfannyfunkysong · 29/10/2025 07:31

It explains itself in the last 2 lines of the song 😁

Show quote history

'Nothing really matters to me' ???

AnonAnora · 29/10/2025 07:49

Addicted by Kelly Clarkson - I was sure it was about toxic love (and could relate at the time!) but then I kept coming across opinions that it was actually about heroine addiction.

Frynye · 29/10/2025 07:48

Teenytwo · 29/10/2025 03:44

We are young is about domestic violence.

My lover, she's waiting for me just across the bar
My seat's been taken by some sunglasses asking 'bout her scar and
I know I gave it to you months ago
I know you're trying to forget

I’m sure I read somewhere that it’s about an emotional scar from a bad relationship. Lies told and what not

BreatheAndFocus · 29/10/2025 07:47

Dollymylove · 29/10/2025 07:41

Of course most songs are about sex and drugs and rock'n'roll. Unless you dissect the lyrics minutely you probably dont notice a lot of it 😅
I dont know if anyone remembers but back in the 80s Bruno Brookes on Radio One used to do a 'misheard lyrics" slot on his show. I can't remember any of them but I do remember howling with laughter as some of them 🤣

It was Gary Davies - I know because he featured one of my misheard lyrics and I won the t shirt! 🤣 Perhaps Bruno did a later version?

NamelessNancy · 29/10/2025 07:44

Dollymylove · 29/10/2025 07:41

Of course most songs are about sex and drugs and rock'n'roll. Unless you dissect the lyrics minutely you probably dont notice a lot of it 😅
I dont know if anyone remembers but back in the 80s Bruno Brookes on Radio One used to do a 'misheard lyrics" slot on his show. I can't remember any of them but I do remember howling with laughter as some of them 🤣

My favourite misheard lyric (not by me) is "Ireland's Industry" for "Islands in the Stream" 😂

ThatBlackCat · 29/10/2025 07:41

emilysquest · 29/10/2025 00:43

Oh come on @nomorehothols this isn't really the thread for your holier than thou attitude. You are not better than anyone else because you don't understand drug references in a song.

Edited

Wow, what a really nasty post that is, @emilysquest . Many of us haven't touched drugs (whether by choice or by circumstance), it doesn't mean we are 'holier than thou'. You seem really personally offended that nomorehothols hasn't had drugs like an insult to you. Perhaps look at yourself as to why you think like that, instead of attacking people.

Dollymylove · 29/10/2025 07:41

Of course most songs are about sex and drugs and rock'n'roll. Unless you dissect the lyrics minutely you probably dont notice a lot of it 😅
I dont know if anyone remembers but back in the 80s Bruno Brookes on Radio One used to do a 'misheard lyrics" slot on his show. I can't remember any of them but I do remember howling with laughter as some of them 🤣

AllTheTreesOfTheField · 29/10/2025 07:38

So what is Dancing in the Moonlight about, please?

MyOtherProfile · 29/10/2025 07:36

FlorenceAgainstTheMachine · 29/10/2025 07:20

Dancing in the Moonlight. The background to the original version is grim.

I loved the song even more when I found out what triggered it.

SparrowSally · 29/10/2025 07:32

Bryan Adams has recently confirmed that 'Summer of 69' isn't about the year...

Wordsmithery · 29/10/2025 07:32

emilysquest · 29/10/2025 00:43

Oh come on @nomorehothols this isn't really the thread for your holier than thou attitude. You are not better than anyone else because you don't understand drug references in a song.

Edited

Harsh, @emilysquest. They weren't being disapproving in any way. Has this turned into a thread about misinterpreting MN posts?

NamelessNancy · 29/10/2025 07:32

WinterFrogs · 29/10/2025 06:17

The Winds Of Change by Scorpions. Beautiful melodies and didn't really take notice of the lyrics, to my shame ( at the time)

Also in defence of some of us older posters, some of us spent ages trying to work out lyrics of a song, by taping it from the radio, them repeatedly pressing pause/play and writing the lyrics as we heard them. If you were lucky, the lyrics would be written on the record sleeve or you'd find them in Smash Hits. It made for a few misheard lyrics and earnest discussions at school!

I was 18 when Relax came out, and my mum kept on at me wanting to know why the song was banned. I'll never know if she genuinely didn't understand, or if she was testing me. I said I had no idea.

There's an amazing podcast exploring the myth (or is it?!) that Winds of Change was written by the CIA to target young people behind the Iron Curtain.

Shakeyourwammyfannyfunkysong · 29/10/2025 07:31

Lazygardener · 29/10/2025 07:17

Great thread. Until it turned into a silly argument. Is there nothing on MN that doesn’t do that?? Also, can someone explain the lyrics of Bohemian Rhapsody please😝

It explains itself in the last 2 lines of the song 😁