Great Misinterpreted Songs

[simondykes]

"Heroes" by David Bowie,which isn't about being heroic at all,hence the quotation marks around the title.This point passes above the head of everybody who ever uses it to soundtrack something,whether it's sporting events or shit movies about parole officers.

[Egyptian Feast]

And Vodaphone opting to use The Only Ones' Another Girl, Another Planet in their ads. The song is about Peter Perrett's relationship with heroin.

Now Foster's are using 'Blister In The Sun' to advertise their horrid piss-weak lager, despite the drug & masturbation references.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

funny movies about parole officers

fixed

'Prince Charming' is actually a fable about an errant leopard.

[Identity Crisis Ahoy!]

That Radiohead song. Also, Springsteen's Born in the USA and The Police's Every Breath You Take were misinterpreted.

[alan nagsworth]

That Radiohead song. Also, Springsteen's Born in the USA and The Police's Every Breath You Take were misinterpreted.

Examples of point 1) would be Bruse Springsteen's 'Born In The USA' (a song about the declining state of America in some way or another, which people thought was some patriotic anthem) and 'Every Breath You Take' by The Police, which people mistook for a love song when in fact it's about a stalker.

Come on man, first post and everything.

[Don_Preston]

Famed drug anthem White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane is actually an ode to Grace Slick's deceased leporid

[Identity Crisis Ahoy!]

Come on man, first post and everything.

You misinterpreted me.

[BJB]

An obvious one but "I Am The Walrus". And most of the songs on the white album. Possibly the most dangerous case of misunderstanding a song ever.

Apple using Gorillaz "Feel Good Inc" on there ipod adverts although the song is about the shittiness of corporations.

[alan nagsworth]

You misinterpreted me.

What, so you did it ironically because "everyone knows the real meaning except idiots of course" ? If that's the case, it's pretty dull and unneccesary. If not, you've lost me.

[scarecrow]

He's been mentioned, but basically EVERYTHING by Randy Newman because he empoys so much irony. Short People had dwarfs up in arms, while sail away was covered with the lyrics changed so that it wasn't being addressed to a slave- disgusting.

[simondykes]

shit movies about parole officers.

To be honest,I've never seen the whole film,but I caught the ending and the over-naff (and misinterpreted) use of "Heroes" caused me to tut rather loudly.

[Whug Baspin]

yes my first thought on seeing this thread title was Randy Newman, I Love LA being another one that got used as a promotional song. "look at that bum over there he's down on his knees, I love LA"

[jonbob]

"Heroes" by David Bowie,which isn't about being heroic at all,hence the quotation marks around the title.This point passes above the head of everybody who ever uses it to soundtrack something,whether it's sporting events or shit movies about parole officers.

For a while in Australia it was used by Centrelink (the dole office/social services payments people) in their advertising, you got to hear when you phoned them as their hold music....

[Beagle 2]

Wake Up Boo is a classic example, meant as an attack on the image of happy summers, now apparently the most uplifiting song evaarrr and all that.

I'd be interested to hear more about that, there are a couple of lyrics in it I've never understood. I'm pretty sure there was at least some intention to make that song uplifting though, surely!

[CaledonianGonzo]

I'd be interested to hear more about that, there are a couple of lyrics in it I've never understood. I'm pretty sure there was at least some intention to make that song uplifting though, surely!

From their old website:

I wrote this in the back room of some miserable flat I shared with my girlfriend somewhere in Preston. I wanted everything to have a chorus that day. I remember that I wrote most of it watching The Big Breakfast. The words were written after a night on acid. We had moved to Mount Street, near Preston Station. The demo had some strange drumming on it which I persuaded Bob to replicate on the first version we did. We recorded it a semi-tone higher than the released version and the guitars were much more prominent. After playing to a number of people the general consensus was that it was good but could be better. So we did it again and we nicked the beat from the Jam's 'Solid Bond In Your Heart' demo and added trumpets. One day the record company came down to Rockfield Studios to see how it was all going. Only Tim and I were there. I had my head in the Leslie cabinet, tripping off my face, listening to him turn the revolving speaker on and off.

[variant]

Design For Life is so consistently misinterpreted even the Manics refer to it as 'the drinking song'.

I'm not sure if they are actually misinterpreted but I think a lot of of the anger and cycnicism in Beautiful South songs was missed by large chunks of their audience.

[Don_Preston]

Design For Life is so consistently misinterpreted even the Manics refer to it as 'the drinking song'.

I'm not sure if they are actually misinterpreted but I think a lot of of the anger and cycnicism in Beautiful South songs was missed by large chunks of their audience.

Yes. I for one as a child thought that Dave Hemingway just wrote love songs for a lot of women...

[Paaaaul]

Design For Life is so consistently misinterpreted even the Manics refer to it as 'the drinking song'.

See also - Born Slippy Nuxx by Underworld.

[Mindbear]

Young Hearts Run Free by Candi Staton. It's basically a very depressing song about a miserable relationship, but for some reason it gets played at bloody weddings as an uplifting love song. I love that song.

[Ray Le Otter]

"You're So Vain" by Carly Simon. Apparently misinterpreted by the listener as a song about them.

[A Passing Turk Slipper]

I think the most common kind of song that gets this is the jolly sounding song with lyrics that have a much more non-jolly edge and play on the atmosphere created by the music, like Mr E's Beautiful Blues by the Eels, with it's sarcastic 'goddamn right it's a beautiful day' refrain. In general though, when that's played at the end of Roadtrip or whatever, it's not really being 'misinterpreted' though because it's meant to sound jolly and that's the side of the song that those people are choosing to listen to. Erm, kind of  pedantic I suppose but I'm all for the death of the author, I think the idea that there is the meaning of the song that the writer intends and everything else is a misinterpretation is way too restrictive - that's why I don't like people dissing early REM or Animal Collective lyrics, it's not like they're going for a really coherent boy loves girl and is sad about it subject, I love the lyrics because the songs have unique meanings to every seperate listener. I know it's less applicable to stuff like Born in the USA when there is such an explicit point and the intended tone is so badly mistaken but in general there is something I don't like about people going on about other people missing the 'point' of songs. Then again I'm not having a go at this thread, I just find the subject of interpretation quite interesting and fun to ramble about.
And in reference to There She Goes, yeah, Maver's is asked about it in In Search of the La's (good book), but denies it's got anything to do with heroin, but at the same time I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't intend the double meaning. Everyone know's his love for the Beatles who had plenty of songs in that, bad pun, vein (like Got to Get You Into my Life which Paul says is his love song to weed). Also, I suppose he'd probably have good reason to deny it as well what with him having a family and maybe not wanting it known he used to enjoy the smack.

[Glebe]

Hitler's "I wanna purify the human race" is often misunderstood. It's like The Born In The USA of it's time.

[Paaaaul]

Hitler's "I wanna purify the human race" is often misunderstood. It's like The Born In The USA of it's time.

mp3 plz thx

[Bohemia]

The Dylan song off Desire "Oh Sister". If I had a pound for every person I've met who thought this was actually about incest I'd have a fiver at least!

[JCBillington]

Young Hearts Run Free by Candi Staton. It's basically a very depressing song about a miserable relationship, but for some reason it gets played at bloody weddings as an uplifting love song. I love that song.

It's fucking great, isn't it? And you're right, you get people dancing to it at weddings despite the opening line being "What's the use in sharing/this one and only life?"

[fEDORA]

VH1s GREATEST EVAH LOVE SONG - U2s 'One'

A nasty, bitter song about the break up of fading, overly co-dependent relationship - The EDGE's I think - about how ultimately when it comes to life and love you have to be a selfish cunty bollock

[simondykes]

Hitler's "I wanna purify the human race" is often misunderstood. It's like The Born In The USA of it's time.

Funnily enough,at work today somebody mentioned the time they were talking to someone who said they liked Skrewdriver (notorious racist '80s/'90s band) "as long as you don't listen to the lyrics".Which is a bit like saying that Adolf Hitler's basically alright "as long as you don't actually listen to what he says."

[dr beat]

I always thought 'This Guys In Love With You' was about Herb Alpert commenting wryly on an unrequited love's boyfriend, and on unrequited love in general.  Turns out it was a wryly sung song about his missus, with him in the third person.

[Ignatius_S]

Mack The Knife has to be one of the great misinterpreted songs, largely due to versions by Bobby Darin, Armstrong, Sinatra et al. Although it's all about explaining how MacHeath is is a muderer and a pimp, these version gloss over the fact somewhat.

Isn't Every Breath You Take actually about a stalker?

OBVIOUS ONES
...Turning Japanese by The Vapors is about masturbation or is it?

Indeed it is - as it Billy Idol's Dancing with Myself, which not everyone gets.