The Hidden Meanings Behind Your Favorite Pop Songs

‘Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince’ by Taylor Swift

What initially appears to be one of Taylor Swift’s many love songs, “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince” is actually an anthem of someone getting sick and mad about politics. 

The song, released in the album Lover, contains many references to the fight between the Democrats and Republicans in the 2018 presidential election. Lyrics include “Now I’m feeling hopeless, ripped up my prom dress/ Running through rose thorns, I saw the scoreboard/ And ran for my life.” Later on Swift sings, “My team is losing, battered and bruising/ I see the high fives between the bad guys.” 

‘Watermelon Sugar’ by Harry Styles

Not only is this song about what many of us thought it was about, but more. Harry told the crowd, “It’s about — it’s about, uh, the sweetness of life. Sing it for me.” After a pause punctuated by rapturous applause and shrieks from the audience, he added with a chuckle, “It’s also about the female orgasm. But that’s totally different. It’s not really relevant.” Harry, it’s always relevant!

‘Born in the U.S.A.’ by Bruce Springsteen

Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” has been misunderstood since it was first released. Used by countless politicians from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump to extol the virtues of America, this song is in reality a protest anthem from the point of view of a Vietnam veteran. As I learned from The Boss himself when I saw Springsteen on Broadway last summer, Springsteen picked up a copy of Born on the 4th of July by Ron Covic at a gas station in Arizona while he was on tour. Soon thereafter he met Covic in person and visited veterans with him in California, which inspired the writing of this truly anthemic, even if chronically misunderstood, song.

‘King of Anything’ by Sara Bareilles

On her first album, Sara Bareilles found huge success with a not-so-veiled reference to a record label executive who *suggested she add a hit to her album that led to the creation of the song, “Love Song.” Turns out as she was completing album number 2, that same exec offered more unwanted advice, and being the incredibly clever wordsmith that she is, Sara responded with the ultimate pop kiss-off, the song “King of Anything,” in which tells the know-it-all that he doesn’t know jack. All hail.

‘Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds’ by The Beatles

On a much lighter note, this Beatles hit from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was not an ode to a hallucinogenic, despite years of erroneous accounts that the words Lucy, Sky, Diamonds were code for LSD. This song has a much sweeter origin story. Ready for it? Legend has it that lyricist John Lennon’s eldest son Julian came home from preschool one day with a drawing he’d made of his classmate Lucy, with diamonds in the sky above her, proving once more that inspiration can strike in the simplest of places.

‘Cake By the Ocean’ by DNCE

When he’s not busy being a Jonas Brother, Joe Jonas spends his spare time singing and writing with his side project, DNCE. The group’s first single had some seriously hidden meaning thanks to a radio-friendly edit that not only affected the chorus, but the song’s title. Yup, “Cake By The Ocean” isn’t really about cake, which makes sense because when was the last time you thought about cake at the beach (Me? Never.). In this clever rewording, cake = sex, so the song is really about having sex on the beach. A bit less kid-friendly so the re-titling was probably a good call.

‘The A Team’ by Ed Sheeran

It’s been 10 years since Ed Sheeran made his first appearance on the music scene with his debut single, “The A Team,” which catapulted him into the pop stratosphere. I’m sure you remember the song, as it’s classic Ed – power ballad, catchy, easy to sing along to. But did you know what you’re singing about when you join in? Oof, this one is a doozy. The song was written about a sex worker who was addicted to crack cocaine, a Class A (hence the A Team) drug.

‘Baby One More Time’ by Britney Spears

Though the lyric, “Hit me one more time,” may sound like Britney Spears is talking about her relationship with Christian Grey, the Swedish songwriters meant “hit” to mean “call,” as in “hit me up one more time” or “call me one more time.”

‘Wolves’ by Selena Gomez

In late 2017, Selena Gomez’s army of fans really did the most trying to figure out what exactly her single “Wolves” meant. Was it about her boyfriend at the time The Weeknd? Or was it about her open struggle with Lupus? As soon as the name of her single was released, fans quickly figured out that “lupus” is Latin for “wolf.” So that has to be it, right?

Not so fast. 

“The song is very beautiful and personal, and the lyrics have a whole story of its own,” Gomez told Zane Lowe. “Weirdly, at the same time, I was working on it in Japan I was going through stuff too, so it’s mirrored everything.”

This has led fans to think it’s actually about her ex, Justin Bieber. Guess we’ll never really know…

‘Feel It Still’ by Portugal. The Man

The catchy single that took the world by storm in 2017, “Feel It Still,” was undoubtedly Portland rockers Portugal. The Man’s biggest single to date. It even won them a Grammy! But what does the infectious single really mean?

The opening lines may be about lead singer and guitarist John Gourley’s daughter, Francis, but the rest of the song is very sociopolitical. For instance, the lyrics, “It’s time to give a little to the kids in the middle/But, oh until it falls/Won’t bother me,” are about our Mexico border.

“It’s another one of those lyrics that just kind of seeps in,” Gourley tells Genius. “With all the talk right now, of building a wall at our borders and the Berlin Wall, it was so much just like the image that you had in your head growing up that these people are separated by a wall, and why do we need that?”

‘Love Myself’ by Hailee Steinfeld

Back in 2015, triple-threat Hailee Steinfeld’s single “Love Myself” blew up. It was all over the radio, and we were all jamming out and singing along to this upbeat bop. But what we didn’t know for quite some time is that the song is actually about masturbation.

And with lyrics like this: “Pictures in my mind on replay/I’m gonna touch the pain away” … “Gonna love myself/No I don’t need anybody else,” how did we not figure it out sooner?

“There is that double meaning that some people perceive, and there’s even a triple meaning that some people hear when they listen,” Steinfeld told LADYGUNN magazine. “There was never a doubt in my mind that made me uncomfortable because again, I don’t think it’s anything to be ashamed of. There are so many lines that are drawn between male and female when it comes to sexuality, lines that need to be cleared. I can only do and say what I can and I think, with this being my first single, it says enough as to how I feel.”

‘Umbrella’ by Rihanna

In “Umbrella,” the canopy is a symbol for protection, like a condom. Rihanna sings, “Ooh, baby/ It’s rainin’, rainin’ baby/Come here to me/Come into me.” 

Jay Z raps, “No clouds in my stones,” meaning his testicles are working properly. He then says, “In anticipation for precipitation/Stack chips for the rainy day, Jay/Rain Man is back.” Jay Z is planning on “making it rain,” if you catch our drift.

‘Royals’ by Lorde

While the song sounds like it’s about the British royal family, Lorde admits the song “Royals” was actually inspired by this photo of a player from the Royals baseball team being hounded for autographs that appeared in National Geographic. The photo was taken by Ted Spiegel.

‘Firework’ by Katy Perry

Surprisingly, the true meaning behind the song “Firework” is quite literal. Katy Perry told Billboard magazine, “Basically I have this very morbid idea… When I pass, I want to be put into a firework and shot across the sky over the Santa Barbara Ocean as my last hurrah.” 

‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ by Nirvana

Kurt Cobain's friend Kathleen Hanna, lead singer of Bikini Kill, spray-painted the phrase, "Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit" on his wall. Though Cobain didn't know that Teen Spirit was a brand of deodorant, Hanna was implying that Cobain smelled like his girlfriend Tobi Vail, who wore that brand of deodorant.

‘Heart-Shaped Box’ by Nirvana

Courtney Love recently responded to singer Lana Del Rey after Del Rey covered the Nirvana song “Heart-Shaped Box,” by tweeting her that the song was actually about Love’s vagina. Though Love’s tweet has since been deleted, it reportedly said, “You do know the song is about my vagina right? ‘Throw down your umbilical noose so i can climb right back.’ On top of which some of the lyrics about my vagina I contributed. So umm next time you sing it, think about my vagina will you?”

‘Timber’ by Kesha

In the Pit Bull and Kesha song “Timber,” it’s not hard to understand that the song isn’t about a tree falling in the woods. The lyrics go, “Swing your partner round and round/End of the night, it’s going down/One more shot, another round/End of the night, it’s going down.” Obviously, the thing going down is a person, who, after drinking too many shots, is going to fall down drunk.

‘Poker Face’ by Lady Gaga

According to Lady Gaga, this song was inspired when she was having sex with a man but fantasizing about being with a woman. Because of her “poker face,” the man had no idea who she was thinking about.

‘Pumped Up Kicks’ by Foster The People

“Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster The People may sound like a school kid enjoying a new pair of shoes, but it’s really about a school shooting. This lyric, “All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you better run, better run, outrun my gun” says it all.

“I was trying to get inside the head of an isolated, psychotic kid,” lead singer Mark Foster said during a 2011 Rolling Stone interview.

‘Like a Prayer’ by Madonna

Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” sounds like she’s having a religious experience, and maybe she is if it’s sex that brings her closer to God. The lyrics, “When you call my name, it’s like a little prayer. I’m down on my knees, I wanna take you there. In the midnight hour, I can feel your power. Just like a prayer, you know I’ll take you there.” So we think “there” means “orgasm.”

She told Rolling Stone when the song was released: “I pray when I’m in trouble or when I’m happy. When I feel any kind of extreme.”

‘Spice Up Your Life’ by Spice Girls

The Spice Girls song “Spice Up Your Life” is apparently a recipe for cooking meth. The lyrics, “Slam it to the left if you’re having a good time/Shake it to the right if you know that you feel fine,” are instructions on what to do when the crystals are cooking. Don’t believe it? The song was even used in the TV show Breaking Bad.

‘Pretty in Pink’ by The Psychedelic Furs

We’ve all come to associate the song “Pretty in Pink” with the film of the same name starring Molly Ringwald. The Psychadelic Furs, the band who sang the song, admitted that the phrase “pretty in pink” is a euphemism for being pretty naked. 

“The song was about a girl who kinda sleeps around, and thinks it’s really cool and thinks everybody really likes her, but they really don’t,” vocalist Richard Butler explained to Mojo magazine in 2010. “She’s just being used. It’s quite scathing.”

‘Closing Time’ By Semisonic

The song “Closing Time” seems pretty straightforward, but when you look more closely at the lyrics, things change. 

“Closing time/This room won’t be open ’til your brothers or your sisters come.” Singer Dan Wilson was referring to his wife’s womb and his impending fatherhood, not a bar closing up.

‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ by Bonnie Tyler

The original title of this mega-hit from 1983 was “Vampires in Love,” according to composer Jim Steinman. “If anyone listens to the lyrics, they’re really like vampire lines. It’s all about the darkness, the power of darkness and love’s place in dark,” Steinman said. 

‘Tutti Frutti’ by Little Richard

According to Little Richard himself, this song is about anal sex between two men. The original lyrics went like this, “A wop bop a loo mop a good goddam/Tutti Frutti/Good booty/If it don’t fit, don’t force it/You can grease it/Make it easy.”

‘Can’t Feel My Face’ by The Weeknd

The Weeknd’s lyrics, “I can’t feel my face when I’m with you/And I love it,” may seem like a sweet ditty about a guy who is so in love that he’s numb with happiness, it’s actually about something quite different.

The talented crooner isn’t actually talking about a woman at all in “Can’t Feel My Face,” but is actually personifying cocaine addiction, which completely makes sense when you consider lyrics like “I know she’ll be the death of me,” “at least we’ll both be numb” and “we both knew we can’t go without it.”

‘Chandelier’ by Sia

Like “Can’t Feel My Face,” Sia’s “Chandelier” is a catchy pop tune with a dark meaning.

With lyrics like “phone’s blowin’ up, ringin’ my doorbell/I feel the love, feel the love” and “1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, drink,” it’s easy to mistake it for a party song, but it’s really about Sia’s own alcohol and drug addiction. 

Sia has been sober for years now, according to NPR, and she wrote “Chandelier” as a sly nod to the oft-used party them in pop music.

‘Paper Planes’ by M.I.A.

M.I.A.'s 2007 hit "Paper Planes" is about getting high and drug dealers, right? Wrong.

Besides the drug thing, "Paper Planes" also came under fire for being pro-gun and pro-terrorist. M.I.A., who is a refugee from Sri Lanka, says she wants the meaning to be open to interpretation, but does hint that the song is political satire about big business and stereotypes about immigrants.

"It could be about, you know, gun corporations selling guns and making billions of dollars, or it could be about immigrants coming over and being like, the scary thing that's going to take everyone's jobs," she said in a 2009 interview. "I kinda want to leave it ambiguous."

‘Every Breath You Take’ by The Police

The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” has been played as couples’ first dance song at weddings since the ’80s, but Sting says it’s not a romantic ballad — but is instead “very, very sinister and ugly.”

He wrote the song after a bad breakup and intended it to have more of a stalker-ish vibe than rainbows and butterflies. “It sounds like a comforting love song. I didn’t realize at the time how sinister it is. I think I was thinking of Big Brother, surveillance and control,” he said in 1993.

‘Love Song’ by Sara Bareilles

Sara Bareilles' "Love Song" seems like it's about her telling a needy guy begging her to write a song for him to f*** off, but in reality the "f*** you" was going out to her record label.

The label was pressuring her about what kind of music to put on her album, hence the lyrics, "I'm not gonna write you a love song/'Cause you asked for it/'Cause you need one."

"They had encouraged me to keep writing, and I just wasn't having any luck, and I was turning in the beginnings of ideas and snippets of moments of a song, and I was just getting a really sort of blasé reaction to everything," she told MTV.

‘Harder to Breathe’ by Maroon 5

Just like Bareilles' "Love Song," Maroon 5's "Harder to Breathe" was not inspired by the band's love life, but by pressure from their record label to add more songs to the album Songs About Jane.

"That song comes sheerly from wanting to throw something," frontman Adam Levine told MTV. "It was the 11th hour, and the label wanted more songs. It was the last crack. I was just pissed. I wanted to make a record and the label was applying a lot of pressure, but I'm glad they did."

‘Imagine’ by John Lennon

John Lennon's "Imagine" has long been hailed as one of the most peaceful anthems ever, but Lennon himself said that the song is "virtually the Communist manifesto," according to the book Lennon Legend: An Illustrated Life of John Lennon.

Lennon waited until the song was a hit to reveal the meaning behind it, saying, "Because [Communism] is sugarcoated, it's accepted. Now I understand what you have to do — put your message across with a little honey."

‘Semi-Charmed Life’ by Third Eye Blind

It seems like a typical bouncy, fun song from the ’90s about looking to the future, but Third Eye Blind’s “Semi-Charmed Life” is actually about a drug bender.

The band’s frontman, Stephen Jenkins, admitted to Billboard that the song is about meth and the “bright, shiny feeling you get on speed.”