Great Misunderstood Songs Of Our Time

[Slipperduke]

Just listening to the radio and they're playing 'You're Gorgeous' by Babybird.

Now, for the benefit of younger readers, this was a quirky little post-Britpop song warbled by a male singer apparently assuming the character of an impressionable young girl who was being exploited by her boyfriend. He would "throw me on the bonnet," and "pull my legs apart," before taking, "an instamatic camera," and so on and so forth. The point being that he was quite obviously taking nudey pics of her and sending them to the bongo mags.

However, becasue of the loud and resounding chorus of, "You're gorgeous, I'd do anything for you. You're gorgeous, I know you'll see me through," it was misinterpreted as a love ballad and a friend assures me that he heard it used a couple's first dance at their wedding. Brilliant. Here's my new wife, I'll be taking piccies of her mimsy before the night is out.

So, the question being, what's your favourite misunderstood song?

 

[Napster]

There She Goes by the Las. Great drug song, often thought as a paean to a girl.

 

[Napster]

Oh and Every Breath You Take by Police. It's a stalker song, not a love song.

 

[Napster]

and before anyone else, Rigobert.

 

[Slipperduke]

There She Goes by the Las. Great drug song, often thought as a paean to a girl.

Ah yes. Used in countless adverts and covered by that sweet little Christian band a few years back. Apparently they were gobsmacked when a DJ told them, live on air no less, that they were actually singing about heroin.

"There she goes, racing through my veins."

 

[Mad Cyril]

"Shall we take a trip?" by Northside - Actually a celebration of caravaning in the North West.

 

[Kris]

Bizarrely enough, as soon as I saw the title of this thread I thought of You're Gorgeous. Wasn't Perfect Day about heroin? That song has certainly been misinterpreted since.

 

[Mad Cyril]

Most of the heroin addicts I know say that There she goes is what got them onto the gear.

 

[Slipperduke]

I loved the Manic Street Preachers 'A Design For Life' with the line, "We don't talk about love, we only want to get drunk."

They wanted it to be a snide comment on 90s 'lad culture', a cutting swipe at the binge-drinking, non-thinking generation of proto-chavs in the UK.

Instead, it was adopted and adored by the very targets of their pseudo-intellectual disdain. The great unwashed rushed out en masse to buy their album, their concerts sold out and all the skinny kids with eye-liner got bumped out of the way by moshing lads in Ben Sherman shirts.

It was a tragedy, it really was. Not amusing in the slightest.

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

'Born in the USA'. Most people thought it was a patriotic song about American pride, when it actually cast a shameful eye on how America treated its Vietnam veterans. Springsteen considers it one of his best songs, but it bothers him that it is so widely misinterpreted. With the rollicking rhythm, enthusiastic chorus, and patriotic album cover, it is easy to think this has more to do with American pride than Vietnam shame.

 

[fatshrimp]

Turning Japanese by The Vapors. Turns out it's a song about w***ing! I honestly never knew that.

 

[Napster]

Of course, I love Madness' Embarrassment as well being mooted by skinheads.

 

[Firestorm]

Teenage Kicks by the Undertones was about masterbation too

I heard thenAlbum version of the Beautiful Souths Don't Marry her the other day, the lyrics had been changed on the single / radio version they originally were "Don't Marry her, F**k Me"

Most Misunderstood... White Riot by the Clash and White Noise by Stiff little fingers . Bot adopted by Skinhead thugs as racist Anthems when one was commented on the apathy of the white population when it comes to protesting and the other was parodying bigotry

 

[canveyshrimper]

Bizarrely enough, as soon as I saw the title of this thread I thought of You're Gorgeous. Wasn't Perfect Day about heroin? That song has certainly been misinterpreted since.

Walking on the Wild Side with it's reference to giving head. A top ten hit at the time IIRC and never spotted by the BBC.

 

[Mad Cyril]

'Born in the USA'. Most people thought it was a patriotic song about American pride, when it actually cast a shameful eye on how America treated its Vietnam veterans. Springsteen considers it one of his best songs, but it bothers him that it is so widely misinterpreted. With the rollicking rhythm, enthusiastic chorus, and patriotic album cover, it is easy to think this has more to do with American pride than Vietnam shame.

The Reagan election team tried to use it in the second election campaign and were told to **** off by 'The Boss'.

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

The Reagan election team tried to use it in the second election campaign and were told to **** off by 'The Boss'.

Thankfully the voters didn't tell Reagan to **** off and he won 49 states in 1984. Even more than Jesus Obama!

 

[Rayleigh Weir]

A subject close to my heart - particularly the 'first song at a wedding' sub-category. Napster's already nabbed my stand-out favourite, but other honourable mentions go to:

'The One I Love' by R.E.M - containing the line 'A simple prop to occupy my time, this one goes out to the one I love', not really a love song is it?

'I Will Always Love you' by Whitney - the opening line(s) completely give away that this is actually a song about breaking up. Do people not listen to the words before choosing a song?

 

[Firestorm]

When choosing on the Music for our wedding, we decided that the usual sloppy stuff was not really our cup of tea so felt that something a bit different but still meaningful would be best. I quite liked the idea of Alison by Elvis Costello. the wife (called Alison btw) heard the song and felt it was very suitable, until I listened to it again and realised it is about a bloke trying to persuade a woman to leave her Husband for him

 

[Rayleigh Weir]

When choosing on the Music for our wedding, we decided that the usual sloppy stuff was not really our cup of tea so felt that something a bit different but still meaningful would be best. I quite liked the idea of Alison by Elvis Costello. the wife (called Alison btw) heard the song and felt it was very suitable, until I listened to it again and realised it is about a bloke trying to persuade a woman to leave her Husband for him

And you still wanted to invite her ex-husband to the wedding without upsetting him?

 

[Gremlin]

'Born in the USA'. Most people thought it was a patriotic song about American pride, when it actually cast a shameful eye on how America treated its Vietnam veterans. Springsteen considers it one of his best songs, but it bothers him that it is so widely misinterpreted. With the rollicking rhythm, enthusiastic chorus, and patriotic album cover, it is easy to think this has more to do with American pride than Vietnam shame.

Great post and this song would get my vote in terms of seemingly being misunderstood globally. I wouldn't mind betting that if tonight we all went and asked some non-Zoner what the song was about then a good 90% would get it wrong. The prominent use of the Stars & Stripes on the album cover must have been a factor.