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

[Arlanymor]

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?!

Terry Wogan used to say that the Stranglers song was about 'our beloved prime minister' so often that I actually started to believe it

There weren’t any drug education classes in my schools in the 70s and 80s when Golden Brown was a hit. So no, we didn’t know what it was about at all. Nothing holier than thou about that!

This thread is making me realise I really don't listen to the lyrics. :(

I never got inference or symbolism in poetry appreciation either.

I was 14 when Afternoon Delight was released and not worldly or experienced but even so, there was no doubt what the song was about! It couldn't be much more explicit.

I'm glad someone mentioned you're gorgeous by babybird. Such a disturbing song

And Every Breath You Take - the song of the stalker - also gets played a lot as a first dance song at weddings

This post reminded me of the song "Gentle reminder of an appointment".

Indeed. The genesis of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is well known. Ringo was present when Julian came home with a painting that he described as "Lucy - in the sky with diamonds" to his father. The identity of Lucy is well known (sadly, she died in 2009 at the age of 46) and the painting still exists. The Beatles have been quite open that some of their other songs were about drugs (Day Tripper, Got To Get You Into My Life, Doctor Robert and others), but they all insist that this song isn't and that the title is not a hidden reference to LSD. And yet this myth persists. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is NOT about taking drugs.

Stevie Wonders 'Happy Birthday' is a protest song against the USA government at the time refusing to honour the birthday of Martin Luther King.

I didn't realise Flowers by SFA was about standing by a grave until last year 😭

> What it says to me is that posters like you paid zero attention at school during drug education lessons
Or poster is old enough that, like me, they didn't have drug education lessons (other than anti-smoking)

I had a very sheltered upbringing, for which I’m pretty grateful, and sing along mindlessly to songs all the time. Often lyrics are absolute gibberish so I don’t go looking for deeper meaning
in the ones that happen not to be.

These threads come round fairly often and they’re always full of people being smug for knowing something others didn’t, but that knowledge isn’t significant. My life didn’t change once I knew what Golden Brown was about!

A great many people subconsciously ignore the verses of songs and only home in on the chorus.

On Tenable, whenever they have a list of 'the first lyrics of X or more letters to Y song', a lot of contestants will jump straight to the chorus and then look surprised when they're told that they're wrong.

Even with many extremely well-known songs, people don't just join in with the chorus because it's their favourite bit; rather it's the only bit they actually know by heart!

WinterFrogs · Today 06:19
PS I was school in 70s/80s and there were no drug lessons at my school. Very little in the way of sex education too.

I was at secondary school in the 80s and we had a maths teacher who would if asked, give his A level classes detailed information about how to recognise magic mushrooms including drawing diagrams on the blackboard, and where you could find them locally. We also used to go to the pub at lunchtime with some of the teachers.

I left in 82 ,no drug education mind I don't think it would have stopped me as it was an integral part of Northern soul scene.

> along with the 'black Jesus'
Alannah Miles Black Velvet also did not go down well in certain lowlife areas of the US...

The writer has said it's not about a school shooting though. It's about a specific troubled child yes but school isn't mentioned. He says it looked different jn the later era of school shootings.
It is incredibly uobeat for such a heavy subject.

I still can't believe that Lulu's 'Boom Bang-a-Bang' got past the censors for Eurovision. It was back in the days when it was all much more innocent too; as opposed to nowadays, when many of the songs are routinely a lot more 'knowing' and 'worldly'.

It's a really unashamedly filthy song - and she's clearly not just singing about her heart beating!

Ok, what is Purple Rain about?

I think the point is, there is a wider world outside of your bubble and people are having and living experiences different to you. We are richer people if we know about wider issues around us even though it doesnt directly impact you day to day

John Lennon song, ‘im just a jealous guy’ a domestic abuse anthem- ‘ I didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t mean to make you cry. I’m just a jealous guy.’

Well by that (illogical) argument nobody who has ever directly witnessed child abuse or been in a school shooting or fallen in love or been stalked would have a clue about any of the other songs mentioned here either!

You don't have to have done something to understand it!

Tori Amos said that cornflake girl was more generally about female betrayal - the 'cornflake girl' is a woman who can't be trusted - who will let you down in the worst way.

In terms of FGM she was talking to a friend about this at the time she was developing it so it certainly fed in to the theme of betrayal by women that you trust, but it doesn't seem to be the main theme.

No, 'we all' didn't

It's actually surprising that it's not about shootings. And when you look at the lyrics, it is really more surprising that more people don't assume it's about shootings. Either way, I still think it was a horrendously poor choice of music to play immediately after that news item.

Robert's got a quick hand
He'll look around the room, but won't tell you his plan
He's got a rolled cigarette
Hanging out his mouth, he's a cowboy kid, yeah
He found a six-shooter gun
In his dad's closet, and with a box of fun things
I don't even know what
But he's coming for you, yeah, he's coming for you
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run faster than my bullet
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run faster than my bullet
Daddy works a long day
He'd be coming home late, yeah, he's coming home late
And he's bringing me a surprise
'Cause dinner's in the kitchen, and it's packed in ice
I've waited for a long time
Yeah, the sleight of my hand is now a quick pull trigger
I reason with my cigarette
Then say, "Your hair's on fire, you must have lost your wits, yeah"
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run faster than my bullet