The easiest interpretation of “Space Song” is: two people becoming emotionally distant. The “space” isn’t necessarily outer space. It may be the distance that appears between people when a relationship begins falling apart. But Beach…
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“Beat It” isn’t telling somebody to attack another person. It means the opposite. Leave. Walk away. Don’t let pride turn a confrontation into violence. Michael Jackson wrote the song around the idea of machismo: the…
“Dreams” is about falling in love for the first time. That’s really it. No complicated metaphor. No hidden political message. No devastating breakup. Dolores O’Riordan wrote it about the extraordinary emotional shift that happens when…
It sounds like one of the happiest records of the 1980s. The subject is considerably darker. “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” is about power. Who wants it. What people do to obtain it. And…
You could easily assume “Where Is My Mind?” is about: mental illnessdrugslosing controlexistential collapse The real inspiration is considerably funnier. Scuba diving. Pixies frontman Black Francis wrote the song after diving in the Caribbean and…
Lenny Kravitz wrote “It Ain’t Over ’Til It’s Over” while his marriage to actress Lisa Bonet was falling apart. The song isn’t about accepting the breakup. It’s about refusing to believe the relationship is finished.…
“Vienna” is essentially Billy Joel telling young people: Slow down. You don’t have to achieve everything immediately. Your life isn’t going to end when your twenties do. The song has become unexpectedly popular with younger…
“Fast Car” isn’t really about a car. It’s about escape. The narrator dreams of leaving poverty behind with somebody she loves. The fast car represents the possibility of another life. They leave. For a while,…
“Zombie” was written after two children were killed in the 1993 Warrington bombing in England. Three-year-old Johnathan Ball and 12-year-old Tim Parry died after bombs planted by the IRA exploded in Warrington town centre. Dolores…
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” became an anthem for an entire generation. The title began as a joke about deodorant. That contrast tells you almost everything you need to know about Nirvana. Kathleen Hanna of Bikini…
