10 Songs With Surprising Meanings

Lauryn Hill – “The Ex Factor”

This post was inspired by a Youtube comment on this song.  A woman dedicated it to her husband, and another said that it was the song she danced to on her wedding night.

The problem is, “The Ex Factor,” which was inspired by Lauryn’s troubled relationship with Wyclef, was about an emotionally abusive relationship that the singer is desperately trying to get out of.

Suspect lyric:  “And when I try to walk away/ You hurt yourself to make me stay/ This is crazy.”

Yes, it is INCREDIBLY crazy!

Not the song you want to passionately sing to your groom, no?

Lionel Richie – “Hello”

I think everyone likes to feel like there’s someone out that has a secret crush on them, but this song takes it to a different level.  Named on Watch Mojo’s list of stalker songs, Lionel Richie croons about his daydreams of loving a woman that not only did he never meet, but don’t really know anything about her.

Suspect lyric:  “Tell me how to win your heart/ Because I haven’t got a clue/ But let me start by saying I love you.”

Really dude?!  GOODBYE!

Third Eye Blind – “Semi Charmed Life”

I have very broad tastes in music, so when I first heard Third Eye Blind in middle school, I was smitten!  My friend loaned her CD and I spent the week hiding it from my mother and trying to memorize every song, particularly this one.

However, when I printed the lyrics from online to finally be able to sing along, the words “crystal meth” smacked me in the face!  Dude, you were high in this song?!

Suspect lyrics:  “Smiling in the pictures that you take/ Doing crystal meth will lift you up until you break.”

Don’t even get me STARTED on “Jumper,” depressing me through songs and such…

Bruno Mars – “Marry You”

This was the song for all flash mob/secret proposals of the last few years.  The song is infectious, makes you feel good, and makes you want to jump a broom (or break a glass, if you’re Jewish).

However, if you listen to the lyrics, and it seems like less of declaration of wanting to spend the rest of your life with someone and more like something that pops into your head after Zach Galifianakis spikes your drink while you’re in Vegas.

Suspect lyrics:  “It’s a beautiful night/ We’re looking for something dumb to do. / Hey baby/ I think I want to marry you.”

The hell?!

Eddy Grant – “Electric Avenue”

There’s one sure way to get me to do the robot in a public place, and it’s play this song (honestly, that’s a lie.  I’m always looking for a reason to bust out my sweet-sweet robotic moves).

But “Electric Avenue” is actually about the 1981 Brixton riot in London.

In actuality, this is a theme of Eddy Grant.  Most of his songs make political statements, it’s just a shame that this one has such an infectious ’80’s beat.

Suspect lyrics:  “Now in the street, there is violence / And-and a lot of work to be done.”

Robot powering down now.

J. Cole – “Dreams”

Another song about unrequited- she would love me if she knew I existed- songs.  J. Cole raps about a young lady that he fancies and would like to date.  However, when she tells him that he has a boyfriend, he decides to duel him to the death!

I’m just kidding, he ponders running him off the road, killing him, then winning her over by comforting her.

Suspect lyrics:  “Ay, tell me if it’s stalking if I follow her, / Like all the way home without her knowing it?”

YES!

Outkast – Hey Ya!

It’s very easy to miss the message of this song while there are just soo many Andre 3000s, shaking that glorious mane, and gyrating… I need to fan myself with a Polaroid picture!

But when you actually listen, and hear that Andre is pretty much painting a picture of an unhappy couple on the brink of breaking up, it makes you want to stop dancing.

Suspect lyrics:  “Why are we so in denial when we know we’re not happy here?”

Well, at least he’s being honest…?

Hanson – “MmmBop”

A lot of people dissed this song for being so… disgustingly happy.  You got a bunch of blond haired boys, playing their own instruments, writing their own songs.  What did they think this was? The Partridge Family?!  Get outta here!

However, this song had a lot of wisdom, unbeknownst to the millions of people who were playing it.  The song was about how fickle people and friendships were.

Suspect lyrics:  “You have so many relationships in this life/ Only one or two will last. / You go through pain and strife / Then you turn your back and they’re gone so fast.”

Hanson, so young, but they sang so true.

Bonus hilarity via Youtube comment:

TLC – “Creep”

I think that this song is pretty self-explanatory, but I think my horror comes in in knowing that I was singing this so loud and proud in middle school!  I had NO idea what “Creep” referred to.  I just wanted to wear the silky pajamas and do the dance!

But the term is now synonymous with cheating and it’s usually used as a verb.

But the lyrics were so repulsive to Left-Eye that she threatened to wear black tape over her mouth as protest.  Instead, she just didn’t sing along to it in the video.

Suspect lyrics:  “I’ll never leave him down/ Though I might mess around / It’s only ’cause I need some affection.”

Word?

Toni Braxton – “You’re Makin’ Me High”

With a collection of love songs, you’d naturally think that “You’re Makin’ Me High” is about a woman’s insatiable need for her beau.

But NO!  Toni revealed during her “Behind the Music” special that the special ode was to marijuana.

Suspect lyrics:  “Let’s make a deal / You roll, I lick, / And we can go flying into ecstasy.”

Hey, she got a Grammy for the song, so no judgement!

MIA – “Paper Planes”

This song was very self-explanatory.  I mean, there are gun shot sound effects in the chorus, for goodness sake!  But, I still had to sit in an uncomfortable middle school performance of children singing this song (WHO APPROVED THAT?!)

But MIA’s song makes rapping about such hot button political topics of drugs, illegal immigration, guns, and the such seem like fun with a great beat behind it.

Suspect lyrics:  “Pirate skulls and bones / Sticks and stones and weeds and bones / Running when we hit ’em / Lethal poison for the system.”

It’s still one of my ringtones though!

D’Angelo – “Brown Sugar”

Speaking of negligent schools, my elementary school allowed the kids to do a dance to this song, which at first seemed very inappropriate because it seemed like it was about sex.  However, it was MORE inappropriate because it’s an ode to weed!

Suspect lyrics:  “See, we be making love, constantly / That’s why my eyes are a shade blood burgundy.”

Bruce Springsteen – “Born in the USA”

If you’re very patriotic, but oppose the war, this song’s for you.  Bruce Springsteen saw the injustices that were put upon Vietnam veterans and wrote an anthem for them.

However, political parties who supported the war and ran for office tended to use this as their anthems.

Suspect lyrics:  “Got in a little hometown jam, / So they put a rifle in my hand / Sent off to a foreign land / To go kill the yellow man.”

A lot of people were “dancing in the dark” to the meaning of this song.  See what I did there?

Petey Pablo’s feature in Ciara’s “Goodies”

Now, “Goodies” was a pretty good, “can’t just touch my body!” anthem that was always ruined to me by the very misogynistic lyrics that Petey Pablo did before each verse.

They completely NEGATED the meaning of the song!  Then to see girls at parties go up to guys, sing the lyrics and rap them as if to say:  “not my goodies!”  I was just completely thrown off for such a long time.

Suspect lyrics:  “I got a sick reputation for handling broads / All I need is me a few seconds or more,” and “All I got to do is tell a girl who I am (Petey!) / Ain’t naa chick in here dat I can’t have.”

I don’t care if her lyrics were a response to his… it still ruined the song for me!