Uncovering the Deeper Significance of “Free Fallin’ by Tom Petty
"Free Fallin'" is about men who leave women brokenhearted and the desire to disconnect from everything. Musical Comedy What started out as something of a joke for Petty's songwriting partner resulted in a hit song. Tom Petty was hanging out with Jeff Lynne, Petty on...
Uncovering the Deeper Significance of “Under the Influence” by Chris Brown
This song is about being in a drug haze while feeling a strong physical attraction to someone who doesn't seem to care. Kid Indigo Sets the Record Straight To some, he's better known as Breezy. Others call him Kid Indigo. There's also C. Breezy, Indigo Breezy, CB and...
Digging Deeper Into the Lyrics of Lady Gaga – “Bad Romance”
"Bad Romance" is all about loving someone so fiercely and deeply that you accept the toxicity that comes from such an unhealthy devotion. The lyrics for the song describe the singer's feelings for her love interest. Her love for this person is so overwhelming and...
The Message Behind the Music: Understanding the lyrics of Alannah Myles – “Black Velvet”
"Black Velvet" is an homage to Elvis Presley. Alannah Myles didn't write "Black Velvet." Her boyfriend at the time, who was named Christopher Ward, wrote the lyrics on his lap while riding a bus to Graceland with a bunch of fans so that they could celebrate the 10th...
Digging Deeper Into the Lyrics of Culture Club – “Karma Chameleon”
The song "Karma Chameleon" is about the combination of fear of alienation and the pressure to conform. Everyone faces societal pressure in one way or another. In the 1980s, when being gay was still seen as a defect instead of just who someone is, George Alan O'Dowd,...
A Closer Look at the Lyrics & Meaning Behind Musical Youth – “Pass the Dutchie”
The version of the song sung by Musical Youth is about having no food while being poor and dealing with that. The original version of the song, which is sung by the group The Mighty Diamonds, is about the spirituality of sharing marijuana in a "koutchie," which is a...
Digging Deeper Into the Lyrics of Eurhythmics – “Sweet Dreams”
The song isn't about what most people think it's about. It's not happiness and sweet dreams; it's all irony and sarcasm about the lousy times the band was having. Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart were in Australia. Their band, the Tourists, had crashed and burned, and...
The Message Behind the Music: Understanding the lyrics of Dexy’s Midnight Runners – “Come on, Eileen”
This song is about a male high-school student who wants to convince his Catholic girlfriend to have sex with him. In the world of "one-hit wonders," Dexy's Midnight Runners nearly always top the list. It's not because the group was horrible and only got lucky with...
Digging Deeper Into the Lyrics of Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen
It's difficult to know where to start when it comes to the lyrics of "Hallelujah." Cohen himself famously said that he wrote hundreds of verses for the song and that he was reduced to bashing his head against the floor while writing them. Even more confusing is that...
A Closer Look at the Lyrics & Meaning Behind Kyrie Eleison by Mr. Mister
In the ordinary of the Mass, "Kyrie Eleison" means, "Lord, have mercy upon us." Mr.Mister blazed a trail of hits for about two or three years in the mid-1980s and then flamed out just as spectacularly. They weren't a one-hit wonder, but as popular as they were, it's...
The Meaning Behind Landslide by Fleetwood Mac
This meaning and the lyrics of Landslide are an introspective, intensely personal expression of both frustration and longing for Stevie Nicks. Music Has the Power to Ease Frustration Polydor Records had just released Nicks and her boyfriend, Lindsey Buckingham, and...
Uncovering The Deeper Significance of Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne
It didn't take long for the band's debut album, 1980's Blizzard of Ozz, to become a hit. The Crazy Train's unexpected success as the most shared video from World Detour is discussed at Ozzy Osbourne on 'Crazy Train.' It went viral, receiving countless views, since by...
