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5 Songs You’ve Gotten All Wrong
On the surface, several of our favorite songs may seem to be all about romance. It’s easy to think that way, especially when captivated by their melodies. However, most of the following five ballads can be quite deceiving if you don’t pay close attention to the lyrics.
The Beatles – “Got to Get You Into My Life”
You may think the lyrics are a declaration of love for someone, but co-writer Paul McCartney admitted it was actually an ode…to weed. Officially credited to Paul McCartney and John Lennon, McCartney was primarily responsible for the writing of the song. According to the knighted musician, ““Got To Get You Into My Life” was one I wrote when I had first been introduced to pot. I’d been a rather straight working-class lad, but when we started to get into pot it seemed to me to be quite uplifting… I didn’t have a hard time with it, and to me it was mind-expanding, literally mind-expanding.
So “Got To Get You Into My Life” is really a song about that; it’s not to a person, it’s actually about pot. It’s saying, I’m going to do this. This is not a bad idea. So, it’s actually an ode to pot, like someone else might write an ode to chocolate or a good claret.”
Another legendary group, Earth, Wind & Fire covered the song for the 1978 Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band film soundtrack. It peaked at number nine in the US that same year.
Earth, Wind & Fire – “Reasons”
Speaking of EWF, this band had one of the most misunderstood songs in music history. Philip Bailey’s distinct falsetto mesmerized listeners to the point where it quickly became a popular song played at wedding receptions. No one seemed to realize that he was actually singing about a one-night stand.
In their recent documentary, Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World), Bailey shared the song’s fictional backstory of a woman coming to his hotel room. “How could people think that this song is a love song?” he asked. ‘So early that morning, I hear her [saying] ‘yes, honey.’ She’s talking to her dude!”
Prince – “Nothing Compares 2 U
The late artist never confirmed the inspiration behind the single, but insiders suggest he wrote it about then-girlfriend and bandmate Susannah Melvoin. However, his engineer Susan Rogers recalled Prince writing it while grappling with the departure of his housekeeper, Sandy Scipioni. According to Rogers, “Sandy ran Prince’s life. He kept saying, ‘When’s Sandy coming back?’”
U2 – “With or Without You”
The lyrics are often misinterpreted as crooning for one’s partner, but lead singer Bono explained the song is about the tension between his rock star lifestyle and personal relationships, along with dependency — and not the good kind.
The Police – “Every Breath You Take”
Written by Sting, the artist recalled, “The lyrics are the words of a possessive lover who is watching ‘every breath you take; every move you make.’ It sounds like a comforting love song. I didn’t realize at the time how sinister it is. I think I was thinking of Big Brother, surveillance and control.”
-Sharon Oliver
Photo: Prince (penner, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
