Songs with commonly misinterpreted messages

[JesusAndYourBush]

Nick Abbot always used to joke that The Labour Party used "Things Can Only Get Better" as their anthem when the song is about exctasy.  It's not.

New page BOOOOOZE!!!!!

[AsparagusTrevor]

Is Perfect Day actually about drugs, or is that just the Trainspotting connection?

Reed denied it's about drug use, whether you believe him or not is another story.

However, the Velvet Underground song 'Heroin' is about having a lovely day out in the park.

[Astronaut Omens]

Baby, it's Cold Outside is a really complicated one, and I think that the calls for it not to be played are both legitimate but also sort of unfair on the original writers:
I think from the jauntiness of the performances we are meant to infer that the woman really does want to stay the night, but is going through the motions of insisting that she must leave even though she really has no intention of doing so. She's doing this because that's what the social attitudes at the time the song was made would have forced her to do. She can't explicitly say that she wants to stay, it would have been inappropriate.
To modern ears, this makes the record seem to be saying that "No means Yes", and gives the song a dodgy, date-rapey vibe, (and for the possibility of that misinterpretation I suppose it might be justified in dropping it from Christmas playlists). But it's not really fair on the original writers and performers to think that there was any misogynistic intention behind the song.

[phantom_power]

I think the "say what's in that drink" line meant something completely different then than it does now for one thing. It does seem that something that was originally a playful bit of flirting where both sides are aware of what is happening has become a go-to for "this hasn't aged well" bantz

[JaDanketies]

I thought Born Slippy had a refrain in the middle about a racist confrontation. Turns out I was mishearing the words 'mega mega white thing mega mega'.

In Baby it's Cold Outside it comes from an era where women could not clearly want sex. So she's trying to pretend she doesn't and alleging that her inhibitions are looser because of alcohol. Sounds really weird nowadays though.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I used to DJ at weddings, and I swear one couple had their first dance to Careless Whisper. Not a joke

On one level fair play, they might just think it's a tune and don't go in for the lyrics having to match the occasion. On the other, they are rather inviting being laughed at. On the other they probably don't give a shit and/or they're thick.

By the way I grew a third hand during making that point, cheers

[Astronaut Omens]

I remember one of Super Furry Animals mentioning in an interview that quite a few people have mistaken the anti-establishment anger of "The Man Don't Give A Fuck" for an endorsement of a selfish and solipsistic attitude, "I don't give a fuck about anybody else"

[purlieu]

I thought Born Slippy had a refrain in the middle about a racist confrontation. Turns out I was mishearing the words 'mega mega white thing mega mega'.

Honestly amazed how just how many people hear the n word instead of mega. First time I heard it was a kid at school, and I see it online to this day.