THE MEANING BEHIND THE MOST FAMOUS SONGS IN HISTORY

The meaning of songs

«Music starts where words end»

Like a Virgin

Poker Face

Born in the USA

In the Air Tonight

Hurricane

The show must go on

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Total Eclipse of the Heart

The meaning of songs

'Hurricane'

This song, written in 1975, was one of the main reasons why the famous singer-songwriter from Minnesota was awarded a noble prize in 2016. The lyrics tell the story of Rubin Hurricane Carter, a boxer who was wrongfully imprisoned and inspired this well known Bob Dylan song.

Bob Dylan

Based on an autobiography that the boxer published from prison in 1974, 'The Sixteenth Round', it named celebrities such as Mohamed Ali.

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Dylan met with the boxer and, realizing he was innocent, organized a charity concert to get the word out. In 1985 Carter was declared innocent and released from prison.

'The show must go on'

The last song recorded by the band's famous vocalist Freddie Mercury before he died of HIV, it was released in October 1991. It was written by the guitarist Brian May, although attributed to the group and included on their album Innuendo.

Queen

The song speaks about an imminent end and how, as the title says, the show must go on, preparing fans for what was coming. The song is considered by many to be one of the most emotional and powerful of the group.

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This song got the press speculating about Freddie's illness, a suspicion that had continued unconfirmed since the late 80s.

'Wake Me Up When September Ends'

Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong wrote this song about his father, who died of cancer on September 1, 1982 when Billie was just 10 years old. At his father's funeral, Billie cried, ran home and locked himself in his room.

Green day

When his mother got home and knocked on the door to Billie's room, Billie simply said, "Wake me up when September ends," hence the title.

'Poker Face'

A song inspired by the time the artist spent working as a go-go dancer in New York. The title references tricks she used to use in order to get more money out of the audience that came to see the shows.

Lady Gaga

It also references Lady Gaga's bisexuality, as she told an audience in California in 2009. 'Poker Face' refers to the feeling of having a relationship with a man but thinking about a woman.

'Born in the USA'

Many people, when they hear this famous Bruce Springsteen song, think that it's an American pride anthem, but nothing could be further from the truth.The real message of the song can be heard in the description of how Vietnam war veterans are

Bruce Springsteen

treated when they return to the United States.The antithesis of the American dream, it highlights the feelings of loneliness and abandonment of the working class of that era.

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The artist has said that the protagonist of the song is a citizen that is isolated by the government and separated from his family.

'Like a Virgin'

This 1984 song which launched the queen of pop's career has been misinterpreted many times over the years. Although the title makes us think of virginity in terms of sex, that's not really what it's about. The lyrics speak about love, about the moment when

Madonna

you find the love of your life, and forget about all the other experiences you've had before because you feel NEW. Like a young person who's never experienced love before and finds it for the first time.

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Although the writer of this famous song has explained its real meaning on several occasions, few people are aware of it.

'Total Eclipse of the Heart'

Although everyone who's heard this song thinks it's a love song, we're wrong. It is about love, but the love between vampires... Yes, you read that right. Vampires. This is according to the writer Jim Steinman.

Bonnie Tyler

This song is still Tyler,'s most succssful hit, having reached #1 in many countries and selling over 800,000 copies a day.

'In the Air Tonight'

This was the singer's first solo track, and was previously rumored to have been about a man who refused to save another man from drowning. However, the artist himself has confirmed that it has been misinterpreted for years.

Phil Collins

The truth is that its meaning is actually much simpler than we thought. It speaks about his divorce from his first wife; a somewhat traumatic separation which happened in 1979.