“In the Air Tonight” was a huge hit when it was first released in 1981, despite its rather disturbing (alleged) backstory. It became a sort of urban legend that the song was about a man that watched another man drown and did nothing to help him. And apparently, Phil Collins witnessed the whole thing and decided to write a song about it. What’s more, Collins supposedly found the man and invited him to a concert, and sang the tune right in his face.
The story became so viral on the internet that even famous rapper Eminem wrote a few sentences about it in his hit song, “Stan.” However, as it turns out, the whole story was fake, and Collins later explained there was no particular backstory to the song but rather a general reference to the sadness he felt after his divorce.
"American Pie" by Don McLean
Don McLean's 1971 iconic song, "American Pie," became a symbol of the times, and even though almost 50 years have passed since its release, you can still hear it today at friendly music jams, bonfires, karaoke parties, and more, all across the U.S. However, anybody who's ever listened carefully to the lyrics can quickly feel their nostalgic and depressing nature. Since its release, the song has been covered by countless artists, including Madonna's popular cover in the year 2000. But people just chant the famous "Bye, Bye Miss American Pie" and often forget what the original song was actually about.
The lyrically deep song is actually about the infamous 1959 plane crash that claimed the lives of Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly, and J.P. Richardson, and which is widely known as "the day the music died." McLean auctioned the original manuscript in 2015, saying, "Basically, in 'American Pie, things are heading in the wrong direction. It is becoming less ideal, less idyllic. I was around in 1970, and now I am around in 2015. There is no poetry and very little romance in anything anymore, so it is really like the last phase of 'American Pie.'"
"Perfect Day" by Lou Reed
Lou Reed will forever remain one of history's most talented musicians. His legendary career spanned over five decades, producing many masterpieces. One of those masterpieces was the 1972 hit, "Perfect Day." The song has been used over the years in countless upbeat and cheerful commercials for products like Playstation 4, cellphone company services, etc. This is quite ironic, considering that the song is actually about substances and how they make for the "perfect day."
For years, many thought the song was about love and how it had the power of making someone's day perfect. But it wasn't love that Lou was thinking about when he sang, "Oh, it's such a perfect day, I'm glad I spent it with you."
"Poker Face" by Lady Gaga
Ever since Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" came out in 2008, it has been playing non-stop in clubs, parties, on radios, and virtually everywhere around the world. Now, while it is immediately clear that the song is full of controversial innuendos, not many people actually know about the specific experience Lady Gaga is referring to.
The singer revealed that the song was about a time when she was intimately involved with a man but was actually fantasizing about a woman. Hence the "poker face" she had to pull so the man wouldn't know what she was actually thinking about.
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is considered Nirvana's magnum opus and a generational anthem for 90s youth. Ironically so, nobody seems to have really understood what the 1991 hit song was about, and that includes Kurt Cobain himself. While many thought that it was a criticism of Cobain's generation and surroundings, the title actually came from something a friend of the band wrote on Cobain's wall.
Apparently, a girl called Kathleen Hanna wrote "Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit" on the wall, and since Cobain had no idea that Teen Spirit was actually a deodorant brand, he used the phrase while writing what he said was "the ultimate pop song." In a biographical book about Nirvana, Cobain said the song “described what I felt about my surroundings and my generation and people my age.” But then he goes on to say the song was “making fun of the thought of having a revolution.” Drummer Dave Grohl has said that the song's lyrics have no real meaning.