Songs Misheard As Happy/Love Songs

Just To See You Smile - Tim McGraw

 

Here Comes My Baby - The Tremeloes

 

Semi Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind.

 

The title is so uplifting though

 

"When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge.

 

A recent example, Lily Allen's "Smile". The chorus goes "At first when I see you cry, it makes me smile. At worst I feel bad for a while, but then I just smile I go ahead and smile" But it's all delivered with such a sunny sounding melody that you don't notice the bitterness in the lyric.

 

When I was young some kids in school (single, macho guys) used to sing Bob Marley's song as No woman = No cry. I smiled to myself, as I view this song as a comfortsong, and quite opposite of what these guys were trying to express.

 

Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People surprised quite a few of us a few years back. Not that the lyrics are up for misinterpretation, but the melody is so upbeat and infectious, once you listen to the lyrics, you're like, "Oh."

 

First one I thought of. It amazes me how many deejays I've heard introduce it as "a beautiful love song". What's beautiful about losing your self respect and your friends over a woman who doesn't give a hoot about you?

 

this ^

there is like a million other songs I would sing if I was going to serenade some lass

 

Babybird - You're Gorgeous. Chorus & title make it sound like a love song,

verses are are from the pov of someone who's (unknowingly) been exploited/ripped off /tricked into 'modelling' via promises of magazine covers and fame. The chorus is either what/how the victim still feels towards the person who exploited them or what the exploiter sold the victim to get them to trust them.

 

Pearl Jam - "Better Man," about an abusive relationship. Audience members have asked Pearl Jam to play it after they've just got engaged.

 

I Honestly Love You - Olivia Newton John. About being in love with a person who isn't your spouse. Ironically played at weddings in the 70's

 

A lyric in Happy Together never made sense to me.
The only one for me is you. And you for me
Those two sentences say the exact same thing, but it sort of sounds right on first hearing it.

I think he is trying to say that she is the one person for him, and he is the one person for her. But what he actually says is that she is the one person for him (the only one for me is you) and then he repeats the same thought by shifting words (and you for me). While I've never figured out how he should say it melodically, he should say "the only one for me is you, and me for you". (She is for him and he is for her)

 

I have always been baffled as to why most wedding receptions I've been to always play "For the Good Times." Apparently, no one actually listens to the lyrics. Or it is unintentional foreshadowing!

 

The song has such a gentle melody; paired with the abuse portrayed in the lyrics, it becomes quite chilling. You're left wondering if the victim is aware of the exploitation...
According to Wiki, the song was also used in an Australian advert for a brand of children's medicine. I assume only the chorus was utilized, but it must be quite bizarre for those who know the true meaning of the song.

 

Yeah. I've seen couples at Pearl Jam gigs, singing along to this and holding on to each other like it was "their song", and not in a sort of, "Awww... it's great that we have each other and we're not like the people in the song" manner.

 

"There She Goes" by The La's is a metaphor about shooting heroin, frontman Lee Mavers' drug of choice.

 

Badfinger - No Matter What

 

Some of the girls at work were singing 'Easy Like Sunday Morning' recently.

When I pointed out that the song was about a bloke dumping his girlfriend, they didn't believe me.

 

I didn't know that either. Just looked it up, and you are completely right. Funny.

 

No it's not. The band members themselves said this was not true, and that it was in fact about a guy who regretted not talking to a girl he liked.

 

new order - ceremony

 

Everything by The Beautiful South.

 

My favorite case.

Paradise (author: Harry Nilsson) (original version: Shangri-Las) (covers include: Ronettes, Bette Midler, The Supremes...)

most (only?) successful version is the Shangri-Las, so I'm ready to bet that at least the producer got it.
But Ronettes and Midler versions don't even make any sense to me.