5 Songs That Mean Something Completely Different than What You Thought

Inbal Chiat
Inbal Chiat

You walk around in the world, humming your favorite songs and thinking you know exactly what they mean, until one day – BOOM! Your musical universe collapses into itself when you suddenly realize that things are very different and are not at all what they seem. We have compiled a short list of songs that have managed to fool many, and that actually mean something very different than what they may seem to mean.

Total Eclipse Of The Heart – Bonnie Tyler
Call the butterfly police and tell them to stop fluttering their wings!
Ask someone to hold you tight all night, make it right forever and be brave as we reveal this is actually quite a bloody tune meant for vampires and not humans. Don’t believe us? Ask Jim Steinman, the songwriter, who revealed this song was originally called Vampires in Love. Now turn around those bright eyes and try not to fall apart.

Waterfalls – TLC
You would think that this song is just a nice gesture brought to you by your friendly weather forecaster advising you to not go chasing waterfalls, but alas! You have been living a lie. This tune is in fact quite morbid, and is actually about HIV, drug dealing and other tragedies. This actually makes sense, as TLC were known for being big on promoting AIDS prevention.

Barbie Girl – Aqua
Quick – cover your eyes, hide your dolls, pray it isn’t so! How can you possibly believe in all that is pure and innocent after you find out that your childhood heroine was objectified in a seemingly innocent song? This is not a feel-good, bubbly, kiddie-safe party song, but rather the opposite. Needless to say, Mattel (the toy manufacturing company), was not a fan of this song to say the least and we can see why. Mattel went on to sue MCA Records (Aqua’s recording company) for violating Barbie’s trademark. The case was ultimately dismissed.

Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
Can you smell that? It’s the sweet smell of deception filling your nostrils. One does indeed wonder what teen spirit actually smell like, but luckily the great mystery has finally been unraveled. The master mind behind this iconic title was Kurt Cobain’s (the frontman of American rock band Nirvana) friend Kathleen Hanna, who at the time was the lead singer of the riot girl band Bikini Kill. She thought kurt smelled like the deodorant brand teen spirit, which his then girlfriend Tobi Vail wore. It obviously left a long lasting impression in her nostrils, and she decided to write in on Cobain’s wall. Cobain later claimed he was unaware that it was a brand of deodorant until months after the single was released.

Wake Me Up When September Ends – Green Day
The video for this song made many believe that it had something to do with war. The real story behind this hit song had nothing to do with wars or politics for that matter. It was written in memory of lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong’s father, who passed away when he was a child.

We know it is not always easy having to deal with your musical bubble being burst, so why not cheer yourself up by playing some authentic great hits on our Simply Piano app?