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Songs for which an alternate or bizarro interpretation of the lyrics enhances your enjoyment

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For example, "I'm With You" by Avril Lavigne takes on an undeserving poignancy if it's about being dead, but I have to assume that that probably wasn't the original inspiration for it. I guess I could be wrong, though. I am not familiar with her oeuvre.

I can't think of any other examples at the moment. I finally decided to post this after reading the thread about "Rikki don't lose that number".

― Blood and sparkles (bloodandsparkles), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 10:50 (twenty-two years ago)

I like that Olivia Newton John song about the Wizard Of Oz.

― dog latin (dog latin), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 11:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Excuse me/ while I kiss this guy!

― Jay Kid (Jay K), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 14:45 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't know if Creedence's "Long As I Can See The Light" is truly about death, but thinking it is makes me like it a lot more.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 14:46 (twenty-two years ago)

I like to imagine Bono singing:
"I'm not the only one
Staring at your buns
Scared to step in gum
Staring at you buns
I'm not the only one
who'd rather go bliiind."

― BrianB, Tuesday, 25 November 2003 14:56 (twenty-two years ago)

"Take a horse to the post office, don't stop till you get enough
take a phone to the bus stop, don't stop till you get enough....

etc etc etc

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 15:01 (twenty-two years ago)

www.kissthisguy.com

― Jay Kid (Jay K), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 15:05 (twenty-two years ago)

i like the idea of foxy brown, on "aint no n****," rapping the line "the commissary stayed pallid" instead of whatever it is she's actually saying

― huifhsui, Tuesday, 25 November 2003 17:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Set You Free by N-Trance = psycho-jilted-lover locking his beau in the basement, demanding affection.

― Jim Robinson (Original Miscreant), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 17:39 (twenty-two years ago)

"I Think We're Alone Now" works great if you imagine it being sung by a kidnapper.

― d.w., Tuesday, 25 November 2003 18:13 (twenty-two years ago)

You didn't know what you were looking for
Till you heard the voices in your rear

― Paul Eater (eater), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 19:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Perfect Day -

Is it about a lover who keeps (Lou) from emotionally letting go? (As in "You Keep Me Hanging On" -Supremes) We had a perfect day, I'm glad I spent it with you, BUT you keep me hanging on .. even though I know you're going to leave.

OR

Is it about heroin. ..I'm glad I spent the day on heroin, it helps me make it through the day.

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 20:05 (twenty-two years ago)

"If Man is fine
And the Devil exists
Thank God there's Heaven"

Pixies - "Monkey gone to Heaven"

(I thought it was this for *years* - well at least it makes sense!)

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 20:05 (twenty-two years ago)

im sure a large percentage of teenage boys in the 90s assumed dave gahan was saying 'all i ever wanted, all i ever needed was him in my arms' rather than 'here' for somewhat obvious reasons.

― bill stevens (bscrubbins), Tuesday, 25 November 2003 21:54 (twenty-two years ago)

when i first heard Notwist's One With the Freaks, i thought that he was singing, "have you ever been on a star?"

then I found out he was singing

"Have you ever been all messed up?"

oh.

but its still a great song.

― mandinina (mandinina), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 01:37 (twenty-two years ago)

"highlands industry, that is what we are" Kenny and Dolly (i caught my friend singing these lyrics and had to rewind her!)

― jed (jed_e_3), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 01:46 (twenty-two years ago)

www.kissthisguy.com

Worst. Frames. Ever.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 01:50 (twenty-two years ago)

"highlands industry, that is what we are" = awesome

Split Enz "I Wouldn't Dream Of It" - "I wouldn't pee my bed, I wouldn't pee my bed, I wouldn't pee my bed, oh no!" Good for you, Tim.

― Poppy (poppy), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 04:19 (twenty-two years ago)

That is the best Split Enz song ever with or without that interpretation!

I used to think Steve Malkmus was gay because I always heard that line in "Grave Architecture" ('and I'm fucking glad') as 'and I'm fucking Brad'.

― Schwingung (Damian), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 09:06 (twenty-two years ago)

I always thought "Rhythm 'n' Blues Alibi" by Gomez was a stonking pisstake of crap duffers who adopt a "Rock 'n' Roll" stance to appear hip!!!!! Then I hear an interview with them on the radiogram, and find out it's yet another sixth-form rant about how Missy Is Not 'Real' R'n'B!!!!!!!

― Old Fart!!! (oldfart_sd), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 09:26 (twenty-two years ago)

"Into the Groove" about a girl incarcerated in a mental asylum, who wants to break out and impose herself on someone she's stalking...

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 09:41 (twenty-two years ago)

I'd like to pretend Bobby Brown sings about drugs & Whitney in New Ed's Candy Girl.

― nathalie (nathalie), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 09:45 (twenty-two years ago)

i like to imagine "i don't want nobody getting me nothing, open up the door and I'll get it myself" as being about jb's domestic life.

― adam b (adam b), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 15:20 (twenty-two years ago)

revved up like a douche

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 15:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Now I can't stop hearing these! Oh man:

Someone to claim us
Someone to follow
Someone to shave us
Some gay Lou Barlow

David Bowie, "Big Brother"

― Paul Eater (eater), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 18:01 (twenty-two years ago)

I always imagine "Ted, Just Admit It" by Jane's Addiction to be about Ted Turner, CNN and the US media's representation of sex and violence, rather than Ted Bundy. Serial killers do nothing for me. Though it could also be read as being about both.

― Ben Dot (1977), Thursday, 27 November 2003 00:03 (twenty-two years ago)

nickalicious OTM

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 27 November 2003 00:04 (twenty-two years ago)

"Heart out to tender, came along with my beard"

Robert Forster

― MikeB, Thursday, 27 November 2003 11:21 (twenty-two years ago)

chaka khan: "High Memory Woman".
macy gray wearing goggles when you are not here

― bob snoom, Thursday, 27 November 2003 13:06 (twenty-two years ago)

as in "High Memory Woman, It's all in .. meeeeeeeeee"

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 27 November 2003 13:08 (twenty-two years ago)

www.kissthisguy.com
Worst. Frames. Ever.

trudat, but admit that there's some prrretty darrrn funny stuff on there!

― Jay Kid (Jay K), Thursday, 27 November 2003 13:12 (twenty-two years ago)

yesterday i woke up stuck in a limo

instead of

yesterday i woke up sucking a lemon

radiohead everything in its right place...

― possible m (mandinina), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:04 (twenty-two years ago)

four months pass...
In pixies debaser...I only recently found out that its 'chien andalucia' (not sure of spelling)...i thought it was 'help, I'm gonna lose ya'!!
my friends like to interpret the lyrics as 'wanna grow up to be, be a DEBATER! oh, foolish. can anyone tell me what the song is actually about?

― johnny o' leary, Thursday, 15 April 2004 22:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I can't tell you what it's about, but go here:
http://www.wayney.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/uca.htm

I thought the intention of this thread was radical reinterpretations of actual existing lyrics, rather than mishearing them, but since the trend's established I'll have to say "DON'T LET YOUR SON, Go DOWN on ME, YEA-AHHH ... "

― Dare, Thursday, 15 April 2004 22:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Up until recently, I though the Shins song went...

"A cold and wet November dawn
And the rhino-barking sparrows "

*shrugs*

Going back to high school, I remember one of my friends thought the Romeo Void song went...

"A monarchy better if we slept together
A monarchy better if we slept together...."

― kickitcricket, Thursday, 15 April 2004 22:42 (twenty-one years ago)

JAWBREAKER: Well, I kissed the bottle. I should've been kissing you.
LUCERO: Well, I kissed the bottle. I sure ain't kissing you.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Thursday, 15 April 2004 23:01 (twenty-one years ago)

In ABBA's "So Long":

"You think you're going to make me softer with your fancy car"

It sounds great, but how is it supposed to work, exactly? It's like saying

"You think you're going to make me stronger with your chintzy drapes".

― jazz odysseus, Thursday, 15 April 2004 23:28 (twenty-one years ago)

"Don't Fear The Reaper" has coasted for years on the twisted
"suicide pact" reading, which was unintended by the author.

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Thursday, 15 April 2004 23:54 (twenty-one years ago)

The Fall's 'Middlemass' is commonly accepted to be about Marc Riley, although there isn't any solid evidence for this case.

― Sasha (sgh), Friday, 16 April 2004 00:05 (twenty-one years ago)

The Spice Girls "Wannabe" is even better when I convince myself it's about an orgy.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Friday, 16 April 2004 02:52 (twenty-one years ago)


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