A song can tell a story through its lyrics quite poetically, depending on the songwriter behind it. However, some popular rock songs have been quite misunderstood through the years. These four rock songs, in particular, have meanings that are commonly misunderstood by listeners; even listeners who are fans of the bands in question. Let’s take a look!
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1. “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” by Bonnie Tyler
Whether you were around to hear this Bonnie Tyler hit in the 1980s or not, you’re probably at least somewhat familiar with the opening vocals and telltale piano. “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” is the power ballad of power ballads, and many simply think it’s about lost love. It definitely is, but it’s also about vampires.
Songwriter Jim Steinman penned the tune for his musical Dance Of The Vampires. Steinman said that the song was intended to “be a vampire love song” and that the title was originally “Vampires In Love”. The Broadway show was an unfortunate flop, so the song went to Tyler. To this day, it’s still the biggest hit of her career.
2. “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure
“Just Like Heaven” is one of the best love songs of all time. It’s loaded with Robert Smith’s unique brand of poetic lyricism, and the song is about a little more than just being in love.
According to Smith himself, the song was inspired by a makeout-filled trip he took with his then-girlfriend, now-wife Mary Poole. The earworm lyrics “Show me, show me, show me how you do that trick” boast a double meaning. They alluded to Smith’s love of performing magic tricks as a kid, as well as a “seduction trick” as an adult. We don’t need to dig deeper than that.
3. “Closing Time” by Semisonic
Semisonic’s Dan Wilson once said that he expected the band’s big hit “Closing Time” to become a song used by bartenders around the world. That being said, the lyrics were actually more about being physically born than they were about bartenders kicking out their patrons at the end of the night.
“My wife and I were expecting our first kid very soon after I wrote that song,” Wilson said. “I had birth on the brain, I was struck by what a funny pun it was to be bounced from the womb.”
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4. “American Girl” by Tom Petty
Everybody knows this hit 1977 Tom Petty classic. And some conspiracy theorists believe that the song was secretly inspired by the suicide of a Florida girl. Petty himself put the rumor to rest in the book Conversations With Tom Petty by saying it was “just not at all true.” The Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell also noted that the song is simply “just a really beautiful love song.”
Photo by Vinnie Zuffante
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