# Real Meanings Behind Pop Songs **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 12, 2001, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-meanings-behind-pop-songs/57689 "2001-03-12T19:06:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DonQuixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@DonQuixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonQuixote)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-meanings-behind-pop-songs/57689/21 "2001-03-13T02:49:00Z")
**CnoteChris** , you were close. I’m pretty sure **‘Jeremy’** is about a boy who goes to school and shoots himself. ---
**Author:** ![ThisYearsGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@ThisYearsGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisYearsGirl)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-meanings-behind-pop-songs/57689/22 "2001-03-13T03:03:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CnoteChris \* > \*\*But keep in mind, I’m horrible when it comes to songs/meanings/lyrics. I once thought the lyrics to Van Halen’s **‘Panama’** went, ‘Bang a gong. Bang aAA gAAaaooonggg’ > \*\* Are you sure you’re not thinking of T. Rex’s “Bang a Gong”? ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-meanings-behind-pop-songs/57689/23 "2001-03-13T03:22:06Z")
> [@](#): > > As for songs with hidden meanings, Don McLean’s “Vincent” is a tribute to Vincent Lombardi. Wow, that guy was really stretching for meaning there. Anyway, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” is NOT about LSD. I know no one has said it yet, but this is a pre-emptive strike. ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-meanings-behind-pop-songs/57689/24 "2001-03-13T03:39:16Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by ThisYearsGirl_ > \*\*Are you sure you’re not thinking of T. Rex’s “Bang a Gong”? \*\* I may have been off on the **Jeremy** thing, but I’m positve about the **Panama** mistake- it’s burned in my brain. I learned I was wrong by singing the lyrics out loud on the schoolbus on its way to school. My classmates were quick to point out and laugh at my faux pas. You really don’t forget moments like that… ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-meanings-behind-pop-songs/57689/25 "2001-03-13T03:50:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DonQuixote \* > \*\ ***CnoteChris** , you were close. I’m pretty sure **‘Jeremy’** is about a boy who goes to school and shoots himself. \*\* But what about the video? All of his classmates were dead in the video. ---
**Author:** ![hardygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@hardygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hardygrrl)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-meanings-behind-pop-songs/57689/26 "2001-03-13T04:07:50Z")
The classmates are not dead-just have been blood from Jeremy on them. Heart Shaped Box by Nirvana is about Kurt and Courtney’s relationship. Early in the courtship she sent him a heart shaped box filled w/ girly things and (supposedly) herion. The line “I’ve been pulled into your magnetic tar pit trap” refers to the gift. The songs Northern Star and Malibu by Hole are about Kurt. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-meanings-behind-pop-songs/57689/27 "2001-03-13T04:11:31Z")
‘Angel’ by Sarah McLachlan is about a guy getting high on crack I believe… _remembers hearing about that somewhere_ Funny considering it’s on teh City of Angels soundtrack which is a movie about love… ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-meanings-behind-pop-songs/57689/28 "2001-03-13T04:25:57Z")
It took me nearly forever to figure out what “I Don’t like Mondays” by the Boomtown Rats was about. Pretty embarassing, actually. The lines “And daddy doesn’t understand it, He always said she was as good as gold,” were what finally clicked. For you youngsters, January 29, 1979, Brenda Spencer, age 16, opened fire on the playground at the Cleveland Elementary School in San Carlos, CA, killing the principal and the custodian and wounding eight kids and a cop. From the days when most school shooters were female. Her father was quoted at the time that he couldn’t understand the rampage, as Brenda had always been “as good as gold.” As for songs about heroin, I was surprised to learn that the Velvet Underground’s songs “Heroin” and “I’m Waiting For the Man” were about it. :rolleyes: [aside]Hey! Moe Tucker has her own [website!](http://www.spearedpeanut.com/tajmoehal/index.html) Favorite Moe Tucker story: her band was going on tour but Walmart wouldn’t give her a leave of absence from her accounting job so she quit. Okay, it’s not a GREAT Moe Tucker story, but it’s the only one I know.[/aside] I think it’s safe to assume that most songs are about heroin, liquor, or sex. An exception is “Big Ted,” by the [Incredible String Band,](http://www.makingtime.co.uk/beglad/index.htm) which is about a pig. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-meanings-behind-pop-songs/57689/29 "2001-03-13T04:33:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RealityChuck \* > \*\* > I know of at least one radio station that thought “I Don’t Like Mondays” by the Boomtown Rats would be a great song to use to promote an “I Don’t Like Mondays” contest. It was promoted, but dropped, probably because someone explained them what the song was about (someone shooting other students in her school). > \*\* It wasn’t her own school, it was an elementary school next to her house. The girl’s name was Brenda Spencer and she lived in San Carlos, California. Before I heard the story behind the song I thought it was a simple ditty about not liking Mondays that had some weird lyrics. It makes much more sense once you know what it’s really about, but it seems less appopriate to sing it on Monday mornings. The song came out not long after the 1979 shooting and was unofficially boycotted by many radio stations due to fear of legal action by Spencer’s family. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CnoteChris \* > \*\*Don’t hold me to this, but I had always heard that the song **‘Jeremy’** by Pearl Jam was about a kid that went in a shot up his classroom. Kinda fitting these days, if it’s actually true. > \*\* As **DonQuixote** said, “Jeremy” is about a boy who commits suicide. This song was also based on a true story about a boy named Jeremy Delle from Richardson, Texas who shot himself in front of his English class. The original ending of the “Jeremy” video made it clear that Jeremy put the gun to his head, but MTV edited it. They might have reconsidered this decision if they had realized that it would lead many viewers to mistakenly assume that Jeremy murdered his classmates. The students at the end of the video are meant to be frozen in horror, not dead, and the blood on their clothes is Jeremy’s own. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-meanings-behind-pop-songs/57689/30 "2001-03-13T04:37:00Z")
Sorry for the simulpost on Brenda Spencer, **dropzone**! ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-meanings-behind-pop-songs/57689/31 "2001-03-13T04:39:14Z")
Thanks for the clarification **Lamia**. Laugh at me now, will they… ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-meanings-behind-pop-songs/57689/32 "2001-03-13T05:03:03Z")
> [@](#): > > The other day I was listening to a Lou Reed album and a friend mentioned that the song “Perfect Day” was about heroin. I was astonished at this news. . . I could see being surprised if you didn’t know it, but how could you be “astonished” given, say, the following: > [@](#): > > Gawd, so how many songs are actually about heroine? “Heroin” – Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground > [@](#): > > Anyway, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” is NOT about LSD. I have no trouble believing that the title for the song came from a drawing by his son, and I believe John when he says the **L** ucy in the **S** ky with **D** iamonds thing is a coincidence . . . but listen to the lyrics. At the very least, it was an intentionally trippy _mood_. Anyway, Beatles songs: _Please Please Me_: Unsubstantiated but plausible (and fun): refers to oral sex. _Norwegian Wood_: Not what the song’s about, but: the narrator burns down the cabin at the end. Took me a long time to catch on to this. _She Said She Said_: Comes from an encounter John had with Peter Fonda while tripping. Apparently, Fonda told John that he knew “what it’s like to be dead,” among other things, and was just a general drag to be around at the time. _Doctor Robert_: About a drug dealer, natch. _Fool on The Hill_: Unsubstantiated: about Zen. _Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except me and My Monkey_: Basic teachings of the Maharishi, if rephrased a bit. Ironically, this is almost right next to: _Sexy Sadie_: About disillusionment with the Maharishi (“Maharishi,” in fact, was the original lyric but was apparently changed for legal reasons). _Carry That weight_: Unsubstantiated: Apparently, the recognition by Paul that each of the Beatles’ would “carry the weight” of their accomplishments after the impending collapse of the Beatles and that nothing they ever did separetly could match what they had done together. _Two of Us_: Ostensibly about Paul and Linda McCartney, the part about “You and me chasing paper, getting nowhere” sounds more like his legal quarrels with John at the time (and, for that matter, the rest of the group). _Let It Be_: No references to the virgin Mary, as it would at first appear. Rather referring to a dream that Paul had about his mother, Mary. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-meanings-behind-pop-songs/57689/33 "2001-03-13T06:02:41Z")
The one that really shocked me was hearing that the **Everly Brothers** hit _All I Have To Do Is Dream_ was about masturbation. Kinda makes sense when you listen to it. Other songs about (and allegedly about) masturbation: _Pictures of Lily_ by **The Who** _Dancing With Myself_ by **Billy Idol** _Pink Thing_ by **XTC** _Longview_ by **Green Day** Damn, I used to know a whole bunch, but this is all I can think of right now. I’ll keep you updated. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-meanings-behind-pop-songs/57689/34 "2001-03-13T06:09:48Z")
> [@](#): > > Two of Us: Ostensibly about Paul and Linda McCartney, the part about “You and me chasing paper, getting > nowhere” sounds more like his legal quarrels with John at the time (and, for that matter, the rest of the group) I know Paul says it’s about Linda and him, but the lyrics fit so much better with John. What about “Shock the Monkey” by Peter Gabriel, woodstockbirdy? ---
**Author:** ![BigStar303](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@BigStar303](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigStar303)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-meanings-behind-pop-songs/57689/35 "2001-03-13T06:29:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by VarlosZ \* > \*\* > > _Doctor Robert_: About a drug dealer, natch. John’s friend Pete Shotten says this is about a real Dr. Roberts, a New York City physician “whose unorthodox prescriptions had made him a great favorite of Andy Warhol’s entourage, and indeed, of the Beatles themselves, whenever they passed through town.” > [@](#): > > _Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except me and My Monkey_: Basic teachings of the Maharishi, if rephrased a bit. \*\* Nope. In the Playboy interviews (1980), John said “[This] was just sort of a nice line that I made into a song. It was about me and Yoko. Everybody seemed to be paranoid except for us two, who were in the glow of love.” I’ll go with the rest of your Beatles interpretations, except for “Please Please Me.” Fun, but definitely a stretch. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-meanings-behind-pop-songs/57689/36 "2001-03-13T07:04:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zoggie \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by mouthbreather \* > > \*\*“Under the Bridge” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. > > > > Same deal, about herion addiction. I know this isn’t by any means a secret but I’d be surprised if most people knew this. I don’t think it would have made # 1 if they had. (It did go #1, didn’t it? Regardless, it was pretty popular when it came out…all over radio and MTV). \*\* > > Yeah but arguably it could just be a song about a lonely guy. > > Where do you get the heroin parallels? \*\* Well, there’s the rub. I always figured it was about heroin. And Anthony Kiedis has said, yeah, it was about heroin. But many people, who, possibly, have not even done heroin, have responed to the song, as being about loneliness, sucide, various forms of saddness and loss. So in other words, Anthony wrote a song about his very particular experience and other people, even those who had not had that particular experience, connected to it. That, I think, is an artist’s job. One of 'em, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-meanings-behind-pop-songs/57689/37 "2001-03-13T07:14:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dropzone \* > \*\*Favorite Moe Tucker story: her band was going on tour but Walmart wouldn’t give her a leave of absence from her accounting job so she quit. \*\* Yet another reason to consider Walmart inherently evil. \*\* > [@](#): > > I think it’s safe to assume that most songs are about heroin, liquor, or sex. An exception is “Big Ted,” by the [Incredible String Band,](http://www.makingtime.co.uk/beglad/index.htm) which is about a pig. \*\* Heroin, liquor, sex and pigs. What else is the there to sing about, really? ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-meanings-behind-pop-songs/57689/38 "2001-03-13T07:42:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pepperlandgirl \* > \*\*What about “Shock the Monkey” by Peter Gabriel, woodstockbirdy? \*\* Really, **pep**? “Shock the Monkey”? Never heard that one. I’m aware of the euphemism “spanking the monkey”, but _shocking_ it? Peter Gabriel’s masturbation sessions must be pretty intense. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-meanings-behind-pop-songs/57689/39 "2001-03-13T08:16:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hardygrrl \* > \*\*The classmates are not dead-just have been blood from Jeremy on them. > > Heart Shaped Box by Nirvana is about Kurt and Courtney’s relationship. Early in the courtship she sent him a heart shaped box filled w/ girly things and (supposedly) herion. The line “I’ve been pulled into your magnetic tar pit trap” refers to the gift. > The songs Northern Star and Malibu by Hole are about Kurt. > \*\* Are you sure about this? I thought the song was about motherhood (with an abortion references). I always saw ‘heart shaped box’ as an analogy for the womb (which is somewhat heart-shaped) and they lyrics really seem to tie in to that. ---
**Author:** ![hardygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@hardygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hardygrrl)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2001, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-meanings-behind-pop-songs/57689/40 "2001-03-13T12:49:06Z")
Nope-it’s about Courtney. “Tied myself w/ angel hair and babies breath”-referances to a marriage ceremony. “Meat eating orchids forgive no one just yet.”-hmm vagina reference? “Throw down your umbilical noose”-refers to Frances who tied them together. “Forever in debt to your priceless advice” gee…is Courtney opinionated? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-meanings-behind-pop-songs/57689.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-meanings-behind-pop-songs/57689.md?page=3)