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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:
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. 😱😭

SusanSHelit · 29/10/2025 00:03

Hey ya by outkast. Sounds like a happy bouncy bop but is actual about a relationship coming to an end. It even has the line y'all don't wanna hear me you just wanna dance

AliTheMinx · 29/10/2025 00:05

I didn't realise for years that There She Goes by the LAs is about heroin use - just like the beautiful song Angel.by Sarah McLaxhlan is about drug use.

I also only recently got around to working out what Purple Rain was about.

Chiseltip · 29/10/2025 00:10

Madonna

Like a Prayer

"When you call my name
It's like a little prayer
I'm down on my knees
I wanna take you there"

She's not talking about praying . . .

LaserPumpkin · 29/10/2025 00:11

I Will Always Love You - played so often at weddings, but it’s a breakup song.

LakieLady · 29/10/2025 00:14

Grace Jones "Pull Up To My Bumper" is filthy, and loads of people don't realise until they read the lyrics.

mrsmumbles · 29/10/2025 00:18

Chiseltip · 29/10/2025 00:10

Madonna

Like a Prayer

"When you call my name
It's like a little prayer
I'm down on my knees
I wanna take you there"

She's not talking about praying . . .

Same as Hozier's Take Me to Church, that's about sex ("offer me that deathless death", which wouldn't make sense unless you knew that "la petite mort" is the french phrase for an orgasm) and also about anti-LGBT discrimination in religion. I think it was a Christian / religious anthem in the States for a while, inexplicably!

mrsmumbles · 29/10/2025 00:20

LaserPumpkin · 29/10/2025 00:11

I Will Always Love You - played so often at weddings, but it’s a breakup song.

As is The Police's Every Breath You Take, and I think that one is about stalking isn't it!

mrsmumbles · 29/10/2025 00:20

LaserPumpkin · 29/10/2025 00:11

I Will Always Love You - played so often at weddings, but it’s a breakup song.

As is The Police's Every Breath You Take, and I think that one is about stalking isn't it!

Original poster
Arlanymor · 29/10/2025 00:20

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. 😱😭

Oh yes - everyone knows the background to 'I Don't Like Mondays' but far fewer know about this one!

OP posts:
thecatfromneptune · 29/10/2025 00:20

I couldn’t stand Come On Eileen anyway, but it certainly wasn’t improved by reading the lyrics!

Original poster
Arlanymor · 29/10/2025 00:20

SusanSHelit · 29/10/2025 00:03

Hey ya by outkast. Sounds like a happy bouncy bop but is actual about a relationship coming to an end. It even has the line y'all don't wanna hear me you just wanna dance

I did not know that until today - thank you!

OP posts:
Original poster
Arlanymor · 29/10/2025 00:21

AliTheMinx · 29/10/2025 00:05

I didn't realise for years that There She Goes by the LAs is about heroin use - just like the beautiful song Angel.by Sarah McLaxhlan is about drug use.

I also only recently got around to working out what Purple Rain was about.

It's amazing how many songs are about drug use isn't it?

OP posts:
Original poster
Arlanymor · 29/10/2025 00:22

Chiseltip · 29/10/2025 00:10

Madonna

Like a Prayer

"When you call my name
It's like a little prayer
I'm down on my knees
I wanna take you there"

She's not talking about praying . . .

I knew because my babysitter delighted in telling me! I was 10 and very confused!

OP posts:
Original poster
Arlanymor · 29/10/2025 00:24

LaserPumpkin · 29/10/2025 00:11

I Will Always Love You - played so often at weddings, but it’s a breakup song.

Indeed - I knew what the song was about. But I had a bit of a 'mondegreen' issue with the lyrics and for quite some time thought that the bittersweet memories line was: "You've been a sweet man, Maurice." Which confused me because Kevin Costner's character in The Bodyguard was called Frank!

OP posts:
Original poster
Arlanymor · 29/10/2025 00:24

LakieLady · 29/10/2025 00:14

Grace Jones "Pull Up To My Bumper" is filthy, and loads of people don't realise until they read the lyrics.

True and when you do read them it's SO overt isn't it?!

OP posts:
clary · 29/10/2025 00:26

Yeh so many people have Every Breath You Take as "their" song which is bizarre as it's a nasty song about a stalker, surely?

EmeraldRoulette · 29/10/2025 00:26

I'm always a bit surprised at what people don't know or what they can't figure out from song lyrics

I remember a poster here complaining that she thought the 1975 were really insipid and she gave "it's not living (if it's not with you)" as an example. How could you listen to that and not realise? I mean you might not specifically know that it's about heroin. But it's obviously not about a person!

now hoping somebody will sing the magic two words back at me...👂

and "pumped up kicks" they're literally singing "you better run, better run... faster than my bullet"

emilysquest · 29/10/2025 00:27

I knew a couple years ago who named their son Luca...after the Suzanne Vega song about child abuse. I never understood that at all and wonder what he thought when he found out the origin of his name.

Awobabobob · 29/10/2025 00:28

Born in the USA by Springsteen is not a celebration of being American

PervyMuskrat · 29/10/2025 00:30

Hurt by NIN (covered by Johnny Cash) was written about Trent Reznor’s heroin addiction.

FilthyforFirth · 29/10/2025 00:30

Golden brown, texture like sun... I had no idea initially it was about heroin. Makes me a bit sad how many songs I liked turned out to be about drugs.

emilysquest · 29/10/2025 00:30

@Awobabobob yes exactly, and same for "We take care of our own". Deeply ironic and tragically misunderstood.

NoMoreHotHols · 29/10/2025 00:37

With reference to the song about drugs: how were you supposed to know these were wbout drugs if you’ve never been near them and have no experience? I can only relate to things that I know of, I’m not sure how I was ‘supposed to know’. I’m pretty crap at hearing lyricw correctly as well. :-)

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.