# Songs that are just plain wrong **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 22, 2004, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-just-plain-wrong/270580 "2004-10-22T11:50:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-just-plain-wrong/270580/1 "2004-10-22T11:50:58Z")
The radio here at work is currently on the local classic rock station. One of the songs that gets fairly heavy rotation is “Only The Good Die Young.” If you think about it, this stong is pretty stupid. Bad people die young all the time. Gang members kill each other; criminals get killed by police; suicide bombers kill themselves. That inspired this thread. Name some other songs that make a statement that is not correct. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-just-plain-wrong/270580/2 "2004-10-22T11:59:44Z")
Practically everything in a certain Leonard Cohen song is not something that “Everybody Knows”. ---
**Author:** ![sleeepy2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@sleeepy2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeepy2)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-just-plain-wrong/270580/3 "2004-10-22T12:02:07Z")
Alanis Morissette’s _Ironic_ comes to mind. She whines about a bunch of things that, while they may be a bummer, are certainly not “ironic”. ---
**Author:** ![Jenny\_Haniver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Jenny\_Haniver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenny_Haniver)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-just-plain-wrong/270580/4 "2004-10-22T13:09:31Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > The radio here at work is currently on the local classic rock station. One of the songs that gets fairly heavy rotation is “Only The Good Die Young.” If you think about it, this stong is pretty stupid. Bad people die young all the time. Gang members kill each other; criminals get killed by police; suicide bombers kill themselves. > > That inspired this thread. Name some other songs that make a statement that is not correct. Possibly I’m reading way too much into it, but I always figured that what “Only The Good Die Young” is getting at is experience - the bad kids die young chronologically, but they’re more worldly than the good at any age. It’s basically about convincing Virginina that she’s never going to learn if she doesn’t make a few mistakes. I always thought that “I Love You Just the Way You Are” was kinda messed up though. I mean, “I’m too insecure to allow you to _change your hair_, let allow attempt clever conversation” - yeah, that’s a healthy kind of love. But I want to second “Ironic” as the most irritatingly wrong song ever. What’s worse is people who argue the position that it’s intentional! No it’s not! Alanis is _not that freakin clever._ ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-just-plain-wrong/270580/5 "2004-10-22T13:20:36Z")
> [@](#): > > Possibly I’m reading way too much into it, but I always figured that what “Only The Good Die Young” is getting at is experience - the bad kids die young chronologically, but they’re more worldly than the good at any age. It’s basically about convincing Virginina that she’s never going to learn if she doesn’t make a few mistakes. Unless you are listening to the Iron Maiden song then its, “Only the good die young, the evil seem to last forever.” ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-just-plain-wrong/270580/6 "2004-10-22T13:51:35Z")
“If you refuse me, Honey, you’ll lose me, And you’ll be left alone…” How codependent is _that_? ---
**Author:** ![Jenny\_Haniver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Jenny\_Haniver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenny_Haniver)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-just-plain-wrong/270580/7 "2004-10-22T14:05:07Z")
Check please! ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-just-plain-wrong/270580/8 "2004-10-22T14:19:31Z")
> [@Jenny Haniver](#): > > Possibly I’m reading way too much into it, but I always figured that what “Only The Good Die Young” is getting at is experience - the bad kids die young chronologically, but they’re more worldly than the good at any age. It’s basically about convincing Virginina that she’s never going to learn if she doesn’t make a few mistakes. I always thought he was just trying to get her in bed. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-just-plain-wrong/270580/9 "2004-10-22T14:38:06Z")
> [@sleeepy2](#): > > Alanis Morissette’s _Ironic_ comes to mind. She whines about a bunch of things that, while they may be a bummer, are certainly not “ironic”. That in itself is quite ironic though, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Sayid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@Jack\_Sayid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Sayid)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-just-plain-wrong/270580/10 "2004-10-22T14:41:16Z")
**Norman Greenbaum** - _Spirit in the Sky_ _When I die and they lay me to rest Gonna go to the place that’s the best When I lay me down to die Goin’ up to the spirit in the sky Goin’ up to the spirit in the sky That’s where I’m gonna go when I die When I die and they lay me to rest Gonna go to the place that’s the best_ Wrong! … err a, at least I think so!? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-just-plain-wrong/270580/11 "2004-10-22T14:43:22Z")
> [@Jack Sayid](#): > > **Norman Greenbaum** - _Spirit in the Sky_ > > _When I die and they lay me to rest > Gonna go to the place that’s the best > When I lay me down to die > Goin’ up to the spirit in the sky > Goin’ up to the spirit in the sky > That’s where I’m gonna go when I die > When I die and they lay me to rest > Gonna go to the place that’s the best_ > > Wrong! … err a, at least I think so!? What’s wrong with that? It’s a song about going to heaven, like _I’ll fly away_. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-just-plain-wrong/270580/12 "2004-10-22T14:45:44Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > That in itself is quite ironic though, isn’t it? “Metairony”…gotta confess I never saw that angle before. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-just-plain-wrong/270580/13 "2004-10-22T14:46:24Z")
**I’m a Little Teapot** ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-just-plain-wrong/270580/14 "2004-10-22T14:47:54Z")
In \*\*Jack Sayid’s \*\* defense, there is a line about how the singer “never sinned”. Oh…kay. ---
**Author:** ![Ithaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Ithaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ithaka)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-just-plain-wrong/270580/15 "2004-10-22T14:49:50Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > **I’m a Little Teapot** How do we konw you’re not? CITE ---
**Author:** ![Ithaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Ithaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ithaka)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-just-plain-wrong/270580/16 "2004-10-22T14:50:58Z")
know :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-just-plain-wrong/270580/17 "2004-10-22T14:54:33Z")
“There’s a rose in a fisted glove And the eagle flies with the dove And if you can’t be with the one you love, honey Love the one you’re with.” That one lyric is so fuckin’ horrible I can’t think the name “Stephen Stills” without immediately attaching “asshole.” ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-just-plain-wrong/270580/18 "2004-10-22T14:57:02Z")
“Ain’t no mountain high enough. Ain’t no river wide enough. Ain’t no valley low enough, to keep me from you.” _Where’s that restraining order?_ “Young girl get out of my mind. My love for you is way out of line. Better run girl. You’re much too young girl.” _RUN!_ ---
**Author:** ![Martiju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Martiju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martiju)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-just-plain-wrong/270580/19 "2004-10-22T14:59:18Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > What’s wrong with that? It’s a song about going to heaven, like _I’ll fly away_. I think perhaps **Jack Sayid** is expressing some scepticism about whether or not there is a heaven… ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Sayid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@Jack\_Sayid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Sayid)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-just-plain-wrong/270580/20 "2004-10-22T15:01:02Z")
> [@hillbilly queen](#): > > “Young girl get out of my mind. > My love for you is way out of line. > Better run girl. You’re much too young girl.” What song is that? I can’t pull it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-just-plain-wrong/270580.md?page=2)