28 years after 1994 hit ‘Waterfalls’ was released, fans are only just clocking on to the real meaning of the song.
Spoiler alert: It’s not as innocent as you may think…
And, this isn’t the only innocent-sounding song with a surprisingly scandalous meaning. So let’s take a look at some of the most shocking…
“Only The Good Die Young”
Billy Joel really messed us up with this one. It’s a song about convincing a Catholic virgin to sleep with him.
He really went there…
“Come out Virginia, don’t let me wait. You Catholic girls start much too late.”
“Virginia” is the Catholic school girl that Joel is trying to get with.
A pure, religious virgin that Joel is trying to convince to come out of the church and play with the bad boys because you know, only the good die young.
One person commented on the lyric video and said “I sang this song once for a church song contest… I was banned from the competition.”
Well, now we can cross this song off of the church playlist.
It’s such a fun song and it’s easy to sing along to, but it’s really about a grown man showing off his teenage girlfriend.
“Never gonna stop, give it up such a dirty mind, always get it up for the touch of the younger kind.”
Gross!
“You Are My Sunshine”
Everyone knows this song and it’s often a cute lullaby people sing to their children. But have you heard the full song with all the lyrics? It’s honestly heartbreaking.
No more sunshine…
“The other night dear, as I lay sleeping I dreamed I held you in my arms But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken So I hung my head and I cried.”
Is this not the saddest thing you’ve ever heard?
“99 Red Balloons”
The original song was released in the ’80s and was sung by a German band called Nena.
It’s been translated and remade into more of an upbeat rock anthem in the early 2000s.
But that doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s about nuclear war.
That’s dark.
“Back at base, bugs in the software, flash the message, something’s out there, floating in the summer sky, ninety-nine red balloons go by.”
This song is easy to sing along to but it is actually pretty grim.
It’s about innocent children and how the world around them is corrupted and controlled by war.
But wait, there’s more…
Some people have deduced that the song is specifically about the Germans and the Americans. It was supposed to be an anti-war anthem regarding the Berlin Wall.
It’s so fun and who doesn’t like Piña Coladas?
But the story behind the lyrics is different than what most expect …
The perfect scandal…
“So I waited with high hopes, then she walked in the place I knew her smile in an instant, I knew the curve of her face It was my own lovely lady, and she said, “Oh, it´s you!” And we laughed for a moment, and I said, ‘I never knew!'”
Basically, this guy is tired of his wife and tries to cheat on her with a woman who wrote an ad in the paper and then he finds out it was his wife, who was also trying to cheat on him.
Maybe they’re soulmates after all!
“Can’t Feel My Face”
The Weeknd isn’t talking about being numb from love, but from drugs. And he is not afraid to sing it over and over again.
Not the usual kids’ choice…
“And I know she’ll be the death of me, at least we’ll both be numb and she’ll always get the best of me, the worst is yet to come. But at least we’ll both be beautiful and stay forever young.”
So this song is about c*****e.
Might seem pretty obvious, but not to Nickelodeon. It was nominated for a Kids’ Choice Award in 2016 and it’s a little troubling to think that a song about getting high could really be a kids’ choice.
Well, that’s a good joke…
He referenced how ridiculous this was in his song “Reminder” and said: “I just won a new award for a kids show, Talking ’bout a face-numbing off a bag of blow/I’m like… I am not a Teen Choice.”
At least he knows his audience.
It’s catchy and easy to sing along with friends. But it’s also pretty sad when you take away the fun melody.
“Why do you build me up (build me up) Buttercup, baby Just to let me down (let me down) and mess me around And then worst of all (worst of all) you never call, baby When you say you will (say you will) but I love you still.”
Okay, whoever they are singing about sucks because they are flakey.
You shouldn’t have to wait around for someone who never calls. Ain’t nobody got time for this — and that sure does not sound like a buttercup to us!
“The A Team”
Ed Sheeran’s first single swept people off of their feet with his whimsical voice. But it’s a pretty dark story attached to it and the music video really shows what it’s about.
Angels die.
“We’re all under the upper hand, and go mad for a couple of grams. She don’t want to go outside tonight. And in a pipe, she flies to the Motherland or sells love to another man.”
This song is about a girl who gets into drugs and p**********n, which eventually leads to her death.
Beautiful voice, but tragic lyrics.
“Mr. Brightside”
A great karaoke song at your favorite dive bar and a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
It’s fun, loud, and easy to belt out the lyrics to.
But it’s a little troubling when you start to understand what it’s about.
It was only a kiss!
“Now I’m falling asleep and she’s calling a cab. While he’s having a smoke and she’s taking a drag. Now they’re going to bed and my stomach is sick, and it’s all in my head, but she’s touching his chest now, he takes off her dress now.”
This is about his paranoia and worry that his girlfriend is cheating on him.
He can’t even begin to imagine her being with someone else but that’s precisely what is happening — well that’s what he thinks anyway.
“Every Breath You Take”
The Police released this bop in 1983 and people were all over it.
It felt like a romantic ballad at first, but a quick second look and you realize it’s undeniably creepy.
“Every breath you take, every move you make, every bond you break every step you take, I’ll be watching you.”
We’re almost positive this is the definition of being a stalker.
Ladies — if he does this, you might need to find another man.
“Pumped Up Kicks”
Foster the People made this epic single that played on every radio every day in 2011 and beyond. It’s a fun song to sing along to but its meaning is very dark.
A disturbing tale…
“Yeah, he found a six-shooter gun, In his dad’s closet, in the box of fun things. I don’t even know what, but he’s coming for you, yeah, he’s coming for you.”
This song is about a kid bringing a gun to school and shooting his friends who have better shoes than him.
In an interview with Rolling Stones, the lead singer said he was “trying to get inside the head of an isolated, psychotic kid.”
A job well done, I guess…
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside”
A Christmas classic, that’s actually downright messed up.
It all comes down to consent!
“So really I’d better scurry (beautiful please don’t hurry). But maybe just a half a drink more (put some records on while I pour). The neighbors might think (baby, it’s bad out there). Say what’s in this drink? (no cabs to be had out there).”
Girl, you better check your drink!
This guy sounds a little assertive. Even it’s snowing you grab your purse and get the heck out of there. If there’s no cab, you better call an Uber.
“Come on Eileen”
Okay, this is one of the catchiest songs ever and the music video is hilarious. Everyone is wearing overalls and someone has a banjo. But the singer is saying he’s not going to take no for an answer.
Eileen, you better watch out!
“Come on Eileen oh I swear (what he means). Ah come on lets, take off everything. That pretty red dress, Eileen (tell him yes).”
This guy brought all his friends to put pressure on poor Eileen to give into his desires.
Yikes!
“Don’t Stand So Close To Me”
A classic 80’s song. It has a great chorus, but the message is pretty clear in this song and it feels inappropriate singing it so loudly.
Better back up…
“Temptation, frustration, so bad it makes him cry. Wet bus stop, she’s waiting, His car is warm and dry.”
This teacher is fighting off a tempting school girl and it makes everyone feel a little uncomfortable.
What a weird thing to want to write a song about.
“Copacabana”
Barry Manilow made this smash that had everyone on their feet, swaying and dancing all around. But there are a few weird lyrics that ever so briefly talk about murder, and that’s pretty troubling.
Wait, somebody died?
“And then the punches flew and chairs were smashed in two. There was blood and a single gunshot. But just who shot who?”
So now we have a murder mystery on our hands.
This song has a confession in it but no one can resist its catchy tunes.
“Waterfalls”
It turns out this song falls under the category of a more mature nature…
As it goes, the ‘waterfall’ is a metaphor for many more adult, dark themes.
For those of you who like to sing along to the song…
The song begins telling the story of a mother who can’t communicate or reach out to her son who ‘can’t seem to keep his self out of trouble’.
“So, he goes out and he makes his money the best way he know how/ Another body laying cold in the gutter.”
In the chorus, the mother is essentially begging her son to not stray too far chasing ‘waterfalls.’
According to Songfacts: ”The first verse is talking about an inner city mother-and-son relationship. He is chasing “waterfalls” (money and respect by dealing drugs), but his mother knows this cannot end well.”
The second verse gets even deeper…
It delves into a man’s relationship with a woman. His “waterfall” is casual sex – he has a “natural obsession for temptation.”
They allude to the idea that the man is cheating, or that his partner is.
Whatever the situation, the man they sing about contracts HIV and dies (“three letters took him to his final resting place”).
Girl-group TLC were big on AIDS awareness, and often promoted safe sex.
Did you know that’s what ‘Waterfalls’ was about?