Today we have light but weird stuff especially for music lovers.
Listening to foreign songs, you focus more on the melody, on the general atmosphere. Track text is a secondary matter. And this sometimes plays a cruel joke with us.
Let's talk about popular songs, in which people without good English (and sometimes with it) in most cases miss the true meaning. Brace yourself, it will be a little creepy. Go.
Russell Simmons - "Comfortable Place"
Let's start with the almost harmless one. In 2009, the Ukrainian confectionery company Roshen released a chocolate ad with Russell Simmons' song "Comfortable Place" in the background.
The melody is pleasant, but the meaning of the text is very curious.
Text and translation under the spoiler
Gotta girl so fine
Loves me all the time
Pull her hair, slap her face
But it's alright, she just wants
To be disgraced
And you say it should be better than this
And you think so
Temptation
You just can't resist, so it goes
Call it a heaven, call it a day
You think it's wrong
Oh no, it's such a comfortable place
Out all night again
Brews and pills
Cocaine
Getting off however you can
But it's alright
As long as it kills the pain
And you say it should be better than this
Oh you think so
Temptation
You just can't resist, so it goes
Call it heaven, call it a day
You think it's wrong
Oh no, it's such a comfortable place
***
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Loves me all the time
Pull her hair, slap her face
But it's alright, she just wants
To be disgraced
And you say it should be better than this
And you think so
Temptation
You just can't resist, so it goes
Call it a heaven, call it a day
You think it's wrong
Oh no, it's such a comfortable place
Out all night again
Brews and pills
Cocaine
Getting off however you can
But it's alright
As long as it kills the pain
And you say it should be better than this
Oh you think so
Temptation
You just can't resist, so it goes
Call it heaven, call it a day
You think it's wrong
Oh no, it's such a comfortable place
***
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An excellent song about a masochistic girl and drug use, an excerpt from which was played in advertising for five years, so for sure. And even in that piece, everything is perfectly audible.
A jamb of advertisers or a strategic move? What do you think?
The Police - Every Breath You Take
This song has a lot of titles and awards. In 1984 she received two Grammy Awards - Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Group or Duet. According to The Rolling Stone magazine, she is ranked 84th in the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" ranking. And at # 25 on Billboard's Hot 100 Songs of All Time.
This song is loved to be played at weddings during the first dance of the bride and groom. And when listening, it can really seem like a song about love and support. But that's not the case at all.
Lyrics and translation under the spoiler
Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I'll be watching you
Every single day
Every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay
I'll be watching you
O can't you see
You belong to me
How my poor heart aches with every step you take
Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I'll be watching you
Since you've gone I been lost without a trace
I dream at night I can only see your face
I look around but it's you I can't replace
I feel so cold and I long for your embrace
I keep crying baby, baby please
Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I'll be watching you
***
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Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I'll be watching you
Every single day
Every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay
I'll be watching you
O can't you see
You belong to me
How my poor heart aches with every step you take
Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I'll be watching you
Since you've gone I been lost without a trace
I dream at night I can only see your face
I look around but it's you I can't replace
I feel so cold and I long for your embrace
I keep crying baby, baby please
Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I'll be watching you
***
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If the song is really about love and support, then what has it to do with broken promises and vows, fake smiles and pain in the heart?
Sting himself, the author of the song, claimed that it was about obsession, about tracking and controlling a person who is unrequitedly in love. And in this context, the words “I will watch your every step” sound a little creepy.
Nick Cave & Kylie Minogue - Where The Wild Roses Grow
When this track was just released, he immediately became a regular at school discos both abroad and in the post-Soviet space. The slow and flowing melody became an excellent slow-paced one that gathered all the couples around.
Indeed, it is sung about dating, kissing, first sex. But this is not the main meaning of the song.
Under the spoiler lyrics
They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day
From the first day I saw her I knew she was the one
She stared in my eyes and smiled
For her lips were the colour of the roses
That grew down the river, all bloody and wild
When he knocked on my door and entered the room
My trembling subsided in his sure embrace
He would be my first man, and with a careful hand
He wiped up the tears that ran down my face
On the second day I brought her a flower
She was more beautiful than any woman I'd seen
And I said, 'Do you know where the wild roses grow
So sweet and scarlet and free?'
On the second day he came with a single red rose
Said: 'Give me your loss and your sorrow?'
I nodded my head, as I lay on the bed
If I show you the roses will you follow?'
On the third day he took me to the river
He showed me the roses and we kissed
And the last thing I heard was a muttered word
As he knelt above me with a rock in his fist
On the last day I took her where the wild roses grow
And she lay on the bank, the wind light as a thief
As I kissed her goodbye, I said, 'All beauty must die'
And I lent down and planted a rose between her teeth
***
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But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day
From the first day I saw her I knew she was the one
She stared in my eyes and smiled
For her lips were the colour of the roses
That grew down the river, all bloody and wild
When he knocked on my door and entered the room
My trembling subsided in his sure embrace
He would be my first man, and with a careful hand
He wiped up the tears that ran down my face
On the second day I brought her a flower
She was more beautiful than any woman I'd seen
And I said, 'Do you know where the wild roses grow
So sweet and scarlet and free?'
On the second day he came with a single red rose
Said: 'Give me your loss and your sorrow?'
I nodded my head, as I lay on the bed
If I show you the roses will you follow?'
On the third day he took me to the river
He showed me the roses and we kissed
And the last thing I heard was a muttered word
As he knelt above me with a rock in his fist
On the last day I took her where the wild roses grow
And she lay on the bank, the wind light as a thief
As I kissed her goodbye, I said, 'All beauty must die'
And I lent down and planted a rose between her teeth
***
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In fact, the song is about a maniac who seduces an innocent girl and then kills her. However, this is directly sung at the very end:
And the last thing I heard was a muttered word
As he knelt above me with a rock in his fist
And I kissed her goodbye, said “All beauty must die”
And I knelt down and planted a rose between her teeth
But that's not all, because the song makes it pretty clear that the girl is not the first victim of a maniac. Because her name is "Wild Rose", and the man wants to show her the place where wild roses grow - that is, he wants to take her to the place where he kills all his victims, and kill her there. A plot worthy of a movie.
Alphaville - Big In Japan
This song is a real phenomenon. Because it was from her that the phrase “Big in Japan” became an idiom.
Big in Japan is the name of the phenomenon when an artist or a musical group could not become popular in their native country, but at the same time became literally idols in another. Why Japan? Because the musical tastes of the Japanese are very, very flexible - they like almost everything, so this is a very rewarding market for musicians.
For example, the American metal band Manowar at the start of their career was rather poorly known in their homeland, but gained insane popularity in Germany. And the rock group Cheap Trick is generally known to few people in the USA or Europe, but in Japan it received the status of a cult - they were called "American Beatles".
Lyrics under the spoiler
Winter's cityside
Crystal bits of snowflakes
All around my head and in the wind
I had no illusions
That I'd ever find a glimpse
Of summer's heatwaves in your eyes
You did what you did to me
Now it's history I see
Here's my comeback on the road again
Things will happen while they can
I will wait here for my man tonight
It's easy when you're big in Japan
Ah when you're big in Japan tonight
Big in Japan, be tight
Big in Japan, ooh the eastern sea's so blue
Big in Japan, alright
Pay then I'll sleep by your side
Things are easy when you're big in Japan
Oh when you're big in Japan
Neon on my naked skin,
Passing silhouettes
Of strange illuminated mannequins
Shall I stay here at the zoo
Or should I go and change my point of view
For other ugly scenes
You did what you did to me
Now it's history I see
Here's my comeback on the road again
Things will happen while they can
I will wait here for my man tonight
It's easy when you're big in Japan
***
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Crystal bits of snowflakes
All around my head and in the wind
I had no illusions
That I'd ever find a glimpse
Of summer's heatwaves in your eyes
You did what you did to me
Now it's history I see
Here's my comeback on the road again
Things will happen while they can
I will wait here for my man tonight
It's easy when you're big in Japan
Ah when you're big in Japan tonight
Big in Japan, be tight
Big in Japan, ooh the eastern sea's so blue
Big in Japan, alright
Pay then I'll sleep by your side
Things are easy when you're big in Japan
Oh when you're big in Japan
Neon on my naked skin,
Passing silhouettes
Of strange illuminated mannequins
Shall I stay here at the zoo
Or should I go and change my point of view
For other ugly scenes
You did what you did to me
Now it's history I see
Here's my comeback on the road again
Things will happen while they can
I will wait here for my man tonight
It's easy when you're big in Japan
***
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Initially, the author claimed that this is a song about a man everyone considers a failure. And he says he's "cool in Japan."
But the meaning is deeper. As it turned out, this is a story about a couple of drug addicts who dream of getting rid of addiction.
Crystal bits of snowflakes. The phrase literally translates as "tiny crystal snowflakes." But what is really meant here is heroin, cocaine or mephedrone - in slang they are often called "snow" or "snowflakes".
And in the phrases “I will wait here for my man tonight” and “pay then I'll sleep by your side” there is a very transparent hint that the girl has to prostitute herself in order to have money for a new dose.
"Shall I stay here at the zoo?" - This is a reference to a very real Berlin metro station, which at that time was considered the main meeting place for businessmen and drug addicts.
Moreover, Marian Gold, the lead singer of the Alphaville group, admitted that in fact this song is still about drug addicts and a very specific pair of the musician's acquaintances was taken as prototypes of the heroes.
Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks
A real meme song - almost everyone heard the four lines of the chorus on the Internet. Immediately after the release, she gained immense popularity, was nominated for a Grammy and took the first lines in the charts of different countries.
But what exactly is described in it, many have missed. The perky beat and the major mood contrasts strongly with the text, so even many native speakers simply did not think about the meaning, considering it something light and danceable.
Lead singer Mark Foster said that hundreds of people sing this song without thinking about the meaning, and are horrified when it comes to them.
Lyrics under the spoiler
Robert's got a quick hand
He'll look around the room
He won't tell you his plan
He's got a rolled cigarette hanging out his mouth
He's a cowboy kid
Yeah, he found a six-shooter gun
In his dad's closet hidden in a box
Of fun things
And I don't even know what
But he's coming for you, yeah, he's coming for you
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You'd better run, better run, outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet
Daddy works a long day
He be coming home late, yeah, he's coming home late
And he's bringing me a surprise
Because dinner's in the kitchen and it's packed in ice
I've waited for a long time
Yeah, the sleight of my hand is now a quick pull trigger
I reason with my cigarette
And say your hair's on fire
You must have lost your wits, yeah
***
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He'll look around the room
He won't tell you his plan
He's got a rolled cigarette hanging out his mouth
He's a cowboy kid
Yeah, he found a six-shooter gun
In his dad's closet hidden in a box
Of fun things
And I don't even know what
But he's coming for you, yeah, he's coming for you
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You'd better run, better run, outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet
Daddy works a long day
He be coming home late, yeah, he's coming home late
And he's bringing me a surprise
Because dinner's in the kitchen and it's packed in ice
I've waited for a long time
Yeah, the sleight of my hand is now a quick pull trigger
I reason with my cigarette
And say your hair's on fire
You must have lost your wits, yeah
***
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In fact, it is about a teenager planning a massacre at school.
According to the author , the song was born for the same reasons as Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment or Capote's Cold-blooded Murder. Foster wanted to get inside the head of a withdrawn and mentally unhealthy teenager who had similar thoughts.
"Pumped up kicks" is the colloquial name for a cool brand sneaker with an air cushioned sole. And the "cowboy kid" - the "farmer's child" - wants to deal with children who can afford these sneakers. He imagines how he finds a revolver with his father and arranges a hunt for majors.
This contrast of rather eerie lyrics and incendiary melody only strengthened the popularity of the track.
By the way, an unexpectedly large amount of music is devoted to the topic of mass murder. For example, Nightwish - The Kinslayer is also about school shooting, based on Columbine school shooting.
Hozier - Take Me to Church
Let's end on a more positive note. The song Take Me to Church became a real hit in 2014. It sounded from every teapot, it was overwritten on the radio.
And you know, even many religious people think that it is about love of God. After all, if you take into account only the chorus, without the verses, you can make quite unambiguous conclusions. And he is very memorable.
The style of the track itself is similar to gospel - American Christian music, which is all written for the glory of religion and God. But the meaning is much more interesting.
Lyrics under the spoiler
My lover's got humour,
She's the giggle at a funeral,
Knows everybody's disapproval,
I should've worshipped her sooner.
If the Heavens ever did speak,
She is the last true mouthpiece.
Every Sunday's getting more bleak,
A fresh poison each week.
“We were born sick”, you heard them say it,
My church offers no absolution,
She tells me, “Worship in the bedroom”.
The only heaven I'll be sent to
Is when I'm alone with you,
I was born sick, but I love it,
Command me to be well.
Amen, amen, amen!
Take me to church,
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies.
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife.
Offer me my deathless death.
Good God, let me give you my life.
If I'm a pagan of the good times
My lover's the sunlight.
To keep the Goddess on my side,
She demands a sacrifice,
To drain the whole sea,
Get something shiny,
Something meaty for the main course.
That's a fine looking high horse,
What you got in the stable?
We've a lot of starving faithful,
That looks tasty,
That looks plenty,
This is hungry work.
No masters or kings when the ritual begins,
There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin,
In the madness and soil of that sad earthly scene,
Only then I am human,
Only then I am clean.
Amen, amen, amen!
***
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She's the giggle at a funeral,
Knows everybody's disapproval,
I should've worshipped her sooner.
If the Heavens ever did speak,
She is the last true mouthpiece.
Every Sunday's getting more bleak,
A fresh poison each week.
“We were born sick”, you heard them say it,
My church offers no absolution,
She tells me, “Worship in the bedroom”.
The only heaven I'll be sent to
Is when I'm alone with you,
I was born sick, but I love it,
Command me to be well.
Amen, amen, amen!
Take me to church,
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies.
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife.
Offer me my deathless death.
Good God, let me give you my life.
If I'm a pagan of the good times
My lover's the sunlight.
To keep the Goddess on my side,
She demands a sacrifice,
To drain the whole sea,
Get something shiny,
Something meaty for the main course.
That's a fine looking high horse,
What you got in the stable?
We've a lot of starving faithful,
That looks tasty,
That looks plenty,
This is hungry work.
No masters or kings when the ritual begins,
There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin,
In the madness and soil of that sad earthly scene,
Only then I am human,
Only then I am clean.
Amen, amen, amen!
***
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In fact, the songwriter compares love to religion. Even more, the song can be called anti-religious, because the only god he recognizes is his beloved woman (or a man, if you take into account the visual series of the official video).
My church offers no absolutes My church offers no absolutes
She tells me, "Worship in the bedroom" She tells me, "Bow in the bedroom"
The only Heaven I'll be sent to The only heaven I go to,
Is when I ' m alone with you This is when I'm alone with you
An interesting metaphor for amorous pleasures, isn't it? And "bowing down" here is clearly not about prayer. And the whole song is one big metaphor for sex. One phrase "Get something meaty" - "get something meaty" - which is only worth it.
Despite the fact that the song is sung about a woman - "her", the meaning also affects same-sex relationships and their condemnation. According to the author himself , the song was strongly influenced by the situation in Russia with the ban on the promotion of homosexuality.
***
Interestingly, even perfect knowledge of English does not help when listening to songs. Because, first of all, a person perceives rhythm and melody. Words are memorized mainly in the refrain - and even then, if the soloist clearly articulates the text.
Even for native speakers, the meaning of individual songs often comes as a surprise. What can we say about those who learn English as a second.
What songs do you know that are not understood the way they should? Write in the comments.
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