Songs that have Different Meanings than You Thought

Screencap from Lady Gaga's music video "Poker Face"

Ever have a favorite song, memorized the lyrics, and sing it out loud while you're in your car or in your shower. Maybe you even sing that song occasionally in front of an inebriated audience at a local bar's karaoke night. Listening to that song countless times, you may think you're an expert about the meaning of that song.

Well, everything may not be as you thought. Here's a list of some hit songs that many people have heard over and over again, but never knew the real meaning of the song. It may make you think twice when you listen to that song the next time.

1. "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan: The song that everyone associates with the sad, abused dogs commercials now was once a hit song that peaked on the charts when the movie City of Angels hit movie theaters in the late '90s. People associated the song with the angel that gave up his immortality to be with a woman that he cared for. Schools played the song at proms and homecoming dances so couples could waddle back and forth slowly in each other's arms.

What if you found out the song the overdose death of musician? The Smashing Pumpkins' Jonathan Melvoin, a touring keyboardist, overdosed on heroin in 1996 and passed away. He died while Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlain tried to revive him, but it didn't work. With ties to Prince, The Wrecking Crew, and the punk band, The Dickies, despite Melvoin passing without much mainstream notice, he was well known within the industry. So much so that McLachlan wrote "Angel" in his memory.

2. "Zombie" by the Cranberries: The hit song released in 1994 was a popular song that helped solidify the Cranberries as one of the top grunge acts. It was so popular that it won "Best Song" at the 1995 MTV Europe Music Awards.

How many times have you listened to this song and thought of the 1916 Easter Rising? The majority of people outside of the United Kingdom probably have no idea what that even was.

In 1916 there were skirmishes between England and those in Northern Ireland who wanted to establish an independent Ireland. Over 500 Irish people were killed and another 2,600 were injured when the British shelled Dublin, leaving the inner part of the major city in ruins.

Almost 90 years later Delores Riordan paid tribute to this historical event by writing "Zombie", not knowing that it would be perhaps the most recognizable song that the successful band released.

3. "Semi-Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind: This upbeat pop-rock song had tons of teenage girls singing in unison together while hitting parties and driving to the local mall. If those same people knew what the song was really about, they may have thought twice about singing it publicly with their friends.

Stephan Jenkins, the writer of the song and singer for Third Eye Blind told Billboard Magazine, "It's a dirty, filthy song about snorting speed and getting blow jobs." Just the type of song you want your sixteen-year-old singing with her friends.

4. "The One I Love" by R.E.M.: A song that many couples mistook for a love song, Michael Stipe once remarked that it would amaze him when he would perform the song and see couples making out in front of him.

Stipe has said that the song has a darker theme about people using other people and then ditching them when they were no longer needed. The song even uses the line, "a simple prop to occupy my time," which refers to the people that were used.

Stipe told Rollingstone Magazine, "I've always left myself pretty open to interpretation. It's probably better that they just think it's a love song at this point."

5. "Born in the U.S.A." by Bruce Springsteen: Many mistake this as being a patriotic rock song to the point that even President Ronald Reagan requested to use the song during his 1984 campaign.

What many people fail to notice is that the song is about a Vietnam veteran and there mistreatment once they came back home from the war. Many of Springsteen's songs are about the average Joe and in this case, a soldier that did his job and came back home to a country full of people that didn't respect the man.

6. "Like a Virgin" by Madonna: The song that was made infamous when Madonna sung it at the first MTV Music Awards while writing on the floor in a wedding dress, has been most often associated about a woman losing their virginity. Lyrics such as, "touched for the very first time," contributed to this belief.

The song in fact was written by a man named Billy Steinberg who has said that the song is about coming off a bad breakup and starting a new relationship. He also stated that the song was not even originally written for a female singer.

Madonna even added later on, "...how can you be like a virgin?"

7. "Royals" by Lorde: While most people believe the hit song is inspired by British royalty. References to driving Cadillacs and jewelry only solidify this image.

What most people don't know is that the inspiration of the song is a photo that Lorde saw in National Geographic Magazine of Kansas City Royals Hall-of-Famer, George Brett. In this picture he is surrounded by a mass of fans that are holding out items for him to autograph. This image of being adored by the masses inspired Lorde to write her hit song.

8. "Ticket to Ride" by the Beatles: In a seemingly innocent song, people often believe this Beatles hit was about riding on trains in Europe.

Before the Beatles became world famous they toured Germany, practicing their craft and refining their sound. One of the German cities they spent a lot of time in was Hamburg. In the city of Hamburg, prostitutes carry "tickets" or otherwise known as health cards to show that they were STD-free.

9. "Can't Feel My Face" by The Weeknd: A pop song by the man whose hair might go down in the history books along with the Flock of Seagulls haircut, most people believe it's a love song. The lyric, "I can't feel my face when I'm with you, and I love it," leads people to believe this.

In reality, the song is about a cocaine addiction in where the person who is the subject of the song can't feel his face because he's feeling the effects the cocaine is having on his body.

10. "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga: With the catchy, cool title, lyrically it misleads people to believe that it's a song about Gaga hooking up with a guy.

Later Gaga came out and admitted that the song is about her fantasizing about being with a woman while she's hooking up with a guy. The "poker face" reference is about how she hides her true feelings in the middle of having sex with the unsuspecting man. He never knows what she's thinking about because she's hidden it well.