Songs are a work of art. And just like paintings, they are easily misinterpreted. Each person molds the words into what they believe to be the truth, which is often light-years away from the artist’s initial intention.
And sometimes, musicians add such a fun tune to their songs that it’s hard to imagine it as anything other than an optimistic anthem of free-spirited love. But it only takes one glance at the words to uncover a dark and disturbing meaning.
Here are some examples of songs that we have entirely misunderstood.
I’ll Be Stalking You
Is there anything more romantic than a caring gesture of keeping an eye on your loved one? “Every step you take, every move you make…I’ll be watching you.” The mellow music that accompanies Sting’s lyrics makes it seem like the perfect ballad.
But it’s not. It’s a creepy song about an obsessive stalker who can’t let go of his desire to own the other person. Sting is surprised at how misunderstood his song is: “I think the song is very, very sinister and ugly. People have actually misinterpreted it as being a gentle little love song when it’s quite the opposite.”
You Better Run, Better Run, Outrun My Gun
This song is so fun to bop your head to that you barely notice the lyrics. And it has a happy-go-lucky tune that gives you a sense that everyone is going to be alright! Well, a deeper look into the lyrics reveals that everything is terribly, terribly wrong.
“All the other kids with their pumped-up kicks, you better run, better run, faster than my gun.” In case you were wondering, Foster the People don’t mean a fun and innocent water gun. They mean an actual killing device. Singer Mark Foster explained: “I remember that week, there was some shooting that happened, and it really bothered me, because I recognized that it was going to continue to get worse. And then that song popped out.”
