Music is an essential part of life. We all listen to it; whether it’s a playlist you made, music on the radio, or the background music at a party. It’s inescapable. At the same time, most of us aren’t going to take the time to analyze the lyrics to our favourite songs; we get enough of that in class. For many songs, underneath the catchy beats are lyrics that are complete nonsense.
Sucker for Pain: Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, and Imagine Dragons ft. Logic, Ty Dolla Sign and X Ambassadors
“Tongue kiss a shark, got jealous bitches up in the boat
Eating peanut butter and jelly fishes on toast
And if I get stung I get stoked, might choke
Like I chewed a chunk of charcoal
Naked in the North Pole”
This song, showcased in the popular movie Suicide Squad, was etched in the minds of fans. With so many contributing artists, it’s reasonable to believe they’d all be on the same page. However, Lil Wayne’s verse is where it gets really weird. I’m honestly not sure what he was going for here and based on the context of the song, it could be anything.
But please Lil Wayne, don’t tongue kiss a shark or get naked in the North Pole. There’s no way that’ll turn out well.
Starboy: The Weeknd
“House so empty, need a centerpiece
20 racks a table cut from ebony
Cut that ivory into skinny pieces
Then she clean it with her face man I love my baby”
Starboy recently reached #2 on Canadian Billboard charts and if you’ve been anywhere lately, you’ve probably heard it. However, it seems like you need to be fluent in another language to understand the lyrics. I feel like most of us at Laurier live a life far detached from that of The Weeknd. Let’s be honest, we’re all pretty sure that this song is about drugs. What about those drugs, however, I need a translator to find out.
Break Free: Ariana Grande ft. Zedd
“I only wanna die alive
Never by the hands of a broken heart
I don’t wanna hear you lie tonight
Now that I’ve become who I really are”
I’m very curious as to what Ariana Grande was thinking when she agreed to sing this. As far as I’m aware, there’s no way to “die alive.” Please share your secrets if you’ve discovered something different. And who are you really, Ariana? Why couldn’t you just use the word “am.” It would’ve taken up the exact same amount of time and it would’ve made fewer English students cry.
She’s said before that she was hesitant to use these lyrics, but her producers thought it would be funny.
Set Fire to the Rain: Adele
“But I set fire to the rain,
Watched it pour as I touched your face,
Well, it burned while I cried
‘Cause I heard it screaming out your name”
This song is often overshadowed by Adele’s new songs, like Hello, but it’s worth returning to. We can all belt out Adele without thinking too much, but there’s no avoiding that this song is nonsense.
Listen, Adele.
You can’t set the rain on fire. Rain can’t scream someone’s name. It’s just not possible. The lyrics to the song are questionable and can even make you worry about her.
However, they’re just poetic — possibly a metaphor.
Bohemian Rhapsody: Queen
“I see a little silhouette of a man
Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango?
Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very fright’ning me”
Start playing this song anywhere and you’ll immediately have a chorus of people singing along. It’s a classic and it’s likely that most people have no idea what the lyrics actually mean.
Which is understandable, because for the most part, without intense research, they make no sense.
Even the members of Queen have refused to attach a meaning to this song.
How did this song become so famous? Maybe because it’s just so great to sing along to.