“Golden Brown” by The Stranglers is about two things. Heroin. And a woman. The band’s former singer Hugh Cornwell has confirmed that the lyrics were deliberately written to work on both levels. The song appeared…
Tag: meaning
Diana Ross’s “Upside Down” is trending on TikTok because creators are using its instantly recognisable opening for a hand-flip transition. The trend is simple. A creator moves their hand across the camera. The screen is…
Gorillaz’s “Feel Good Inc.” is about artificial happiness, manipulation and the pressure to consume entertainment without questioning what is happening around you. At least, that’s one of the central ideas expressed through the song and…
Dua Lipa’s “Training Season” is about being tired of teaching romantic partners how to behave in a relationship. The singer wants somebody emotionally mature enough to understand what a healthy relationship requires without needing constant…
“Every Breath You Take” is not the romantic declaration many people believe it is. Sting wrote it about obsession, jealousy and the desire to control another person. The narrator isn’t simply admiring somebody he loves.…
OutKast’s “Hey Ya!” is about relationships that continue even when the people involved are no longer happy. Yes. That song. The one everybody dances to at weddings. André 3000 wrote it as a playful but…
Kate Bush’s “Cloudbusting” is about a boy remembering his extraordinary relationship with his father. And the story is based on real people. The father was Wilhelm Reich. The boy was his son, Peter. Reich was…
Jamie Miller’s “Babydoll” is about loving somebody so deeply that you’re willing to risk having your heart broken. But there’s a surprising twist. Miller wasn’t actually in a relationship when he wrote it. In fact,…
Ashe’s “Stop the Wedding!” is about wishing you could go back in time and tell your younger self to leave a relationship that was making you unhappy. And the story behind it is real. Ashe…
“Common People” is about class tourism. Specifically: wealthy people romanticising poverty because they know they can leave whenever they want. Jarvis Cocker based the song on a real conversation with a Greek student he met…
