Hey, I just listened to BONE OF CONTENTION by Spirit of the West again and am always reduced to a little puddle of awe when I listen to it.
It’s a beautiful, sweeping, melodic piece with lyrics that are simultaneously cryptic and piercing. Listening to it, you feel part of an amazing saga.
Then I found out what the song is about. The true nature of the song doesn’t detract from my appreciation, though. Quite the opposite, in fact, as I marvel at what vulgar thing they so wondrously hid amidst fields of grace.
I won’t tell you what the song is about, because I want you guys to download it and try to guess what it’s about. Go on, try. You’ll never guess in a million years. (Though you could always cheat by searching Google, but then you would just know what the song is about without hearing the amazingly beautiful tune that disguises it.)
The Stranglers - Golden Brown - A quirky, waltz like and very un punk song which revived the bands then flagging fortunes, and is in fact about the heroin trade.
The Vapours - Turning Japanese - I’ve heard a few people suggest that the title and chorus of this is a euphemism for masterbation. I’m a bit dubious about this one.
Alright, I’m downloading Bone of Contention. Will listen to it and hazard a guess, maybe see if I can think of a couple more of my own.
The Banana Boat Song, by Harry Belafonte, at first listen seems to be an insipid little ditty about work & play. However, on closer inspection, seems to be about slavery. Of course, I could be wrong…
The song Molly’s Lips, a Vaseline’s song Nirvana covered, I always thought was about two addicts in love.
From the song…
“She says she’ll take me anywhere, she’ll take me anywhere as long as she stays clean. She said she’ll take me anywhere as long as I stay clean. Kiss, kiss Molly’s lips…”
Then I read in a book of Nirvana lyrics it’s about child molestation? WTF?
Chestnut Mare by the Byrds. It seems to be a story song about a man riding a wild horse. If you listen closely to the lyrics, however, it’s a long, extended sexual metaphor.
I recommend “With God On Our Side” by Bob Dylan. When hearing it for the first time, you might think it’s this ultra-patriotic jingoistic song. Like Springsteen’s “Born in the USA.”
Then after a few verses sink in, you realize how profoundly ironic the words are. It’s a valuable song that deserves to be revived in the present situation.
How about Semi-charmed Life by Third Eye Blind? It was fairly popular and was seen as a peppy, happy kind of pop song; it was about being a crystal meth addict. Yeah, that’s peppy.
Rosie you’re alright
you wear my ring
when you hold me tight
Rosie that’s my thing
when you turn out the lights
I’ve got to hand it to me
Looks like it’s you and me again tonight
Rosie
The rest of the lyrics are about a guy obsessed with staring at a picture of a beautiful woman, so it at least makes some sense to interpret the song as being about masturbation.
That song is the leadoff track of the CD that I just burned.
It’s pretty obvious when you read the lyrics, but before I knew what they were I had no idea that Metallica’s ‘Creeping Death’ is based on part of the Book of Exodus.
The rest of the lyrics are about a guy obsessed with staring at a picture of a beautiful woman, so it at least makes some sense to interpret the song as being about masturbation.
It most certainly is about masturbation. It is English schoolboy slang (well it was when I was an English schoolboy), and refers to the facial expression whilst going at it.
“Every Day a Little Death”, from A Little Night Music. The tune is light and carefree, and the lyrics talk about being killed, piece by piece, by love.
“He talks softly of his wars,
and his horses and his whores,
a humiliating business!”
How 'bout the Barry Manilow classic “Mandy,” originally titled “Brandy,” but changed to avoid confusion with the (different) Looking Glass song by the same name of a couple of years earlier.
It’s about a dog.
And The Association’s song “Windy,” which was actually inspired by a hippie guy friend of the group, not a gal.
I don’t know if you are just being ironic, but if you listen carefully to the lyrics of Springsteen’s song, it is obviously an very bitter review of how various individuals have been betrayed by their own country: Link to lyrics