Song Meanings
The stories and meanings behind well-known songs.
Blackbird by The Beatles: The Meaning Behind the Song
“Blackbird” sounds like one of the gentlest songs the Beatles ever recorded, just Paul McCartney, an acoustic guitar, and an image of a bird singing in...
Song MeaningMacarena by Los del Rio: The Meaning Behind the Song
“Macarena” is the song that made the whole world dance the same silly, joyful dance, at weddings, ballgames, school gyms, and parties on every continent. For...
Song MeaningWonderwall by Oasis: The Meaning Behind the Song
“Wonderwall” might be the most sung-along-to song of the 1990s, the one everyone with a guitar eventually learns and every crowd reflexively joins. Oasis released it...
Song MeaningA Whiter Shade of Pale by Procol Harum: The Meaning Behind the Song
“A Whiter Shade of Pale” is one of the most beautiful and most baffling songs in popular music. Procol Harum released it in 1967, set to...
Song MeaningEscape (The Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes: The Meaning Behind the Song
Almost everyone knows the chorus about piña coladas and getting caught in the rain, and almost everyone assumes the song is a breezy ode to tropical...
Song MeaningClosing Time by Semisonic: The Meaning Behind the Song
“Closing Time” is the song that empties every bar in America at the end of the night, the universal signal that the lights are coming up...
Song MeaningEdelweiss from The Sound of Music: The Meaning Behind the Song
Plenty of people would bet money that “Edelweiss” is a centuries-old Austrian folk song, the kind of tune sung in mountain villages for generations. Some are...
Song MeaningBlack Hole Sun by Soundgarden: The Meaning Behind the Song
“Black Hole Sun” is gorgeous, unsettling, and almost impossible to explain, which is exactly how Soundgarden seemed to want it. Released in 1994, it became the...
Song MeaningHeathens by Twenty One Pilots: The Meaning Behind the Song
“Heathens” arrived in 2016 as the dark, brooding centerpiece of a blockbuster soundtrack, and it became one of twenty one pilots’ biggest hits. Its hushed, ominous...
Song MeaningFade Into You by Mazzy Star: The Meaning Behind the Song
“Fade Into You” sounds like a dream you do not want to wake from. Mazzy Star released it in 1993, and its slow, hazy beauty, built...
Song MeaningAfrica by Toto: The Meaning Behind the Song
“Africa” by Toto might be the most beloved song that almost everyone admits makes very little literal sense. Released in 1982, it became a soft-rock landmark,...
Song MeaningBlack Betty by Ram Jam: The Meaning Behind the Song
“Black Betty” is one of those songs everyone recognizes and almost no one can explain. Ram Jam turned it into a pounding hard-rock hit in 1977,...
Want to find a song instead?
Type the words you remember and find the track fast. No humming, no app, no sign-up.