When M.I.A.’s hit song “Paper Planes” came out in 2008, most people thought it was about an illegal substance dealer. However, M.I.A. later clarified that the song was about the experiences that immigrants go through when moving to the U.S. She explained how she felt that people didn’t think immigrants contributed to a country’s culture in any way – something she strongly disagreed with.
M.I.A. goes on to say, “People think that they’re just leeches that suck from whatever. So in the song, I say, ‘All I wanna do is [sound of gun shooting and reloading, cash register opening] and take your money.’ I did it in sound effects. It’s up to you how you want to interpret it. America is so obsessed with money; I’m sure they’ll get it.”
"Puff the Magic Dragon" by Peter, Paul, and Mary
It makes sense that most people thought "Puff the Magic Dragon" was about substance use. But most people would be wrong.
The hit song, written by Peter, Paul, and Mary, in 1963, is actually based on a poem that a friend of band member Peter Yarrow wrote. The poem, written by Leonard Lipton, was about a child that played with an imaginary friend - a dragon named Puff.
"Like a Virgin" by Madonna
It may seem that Madonna's "Like a Virgin" is pretty self-explanatory - a tribute to a young woman that is having intimate relations for the first time. However, the 1984 hit song was actually written by artists Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg, and it was inspired by how vulnerable Steinberg felt about a new relationship.
In an interview with the 'LA Times' a few years after the song came out, Steinberg explained, “I wasn’t just trying to get that racy word virgin in a lyric. I was just starting a new relationship, and it just feels so good; it’s healing all the wounds and making me feel like I’ve never done this before because it’s so much deeper and more profound than anything I’ve ever felt.”
"London Calling" by The Clash
The Clash's "London Calling" became an anthem of criticism against British politics and society back in 1979. But in reality, the song's meaning was far simpler.
Apparently, in 1979, the band's co-founder and lead guitarist, Mick Jones, read an article in a newspaper that said the Thames river might overflow and flood the city of London due to severe global warming. Jones took the news very seriously and, as he said himself, "flipped." And then decided to write a song about it.
"Ticket to Ride" by The Beatles
If anyone were to ask you what the famous "Ticket to Ride" song is about, you would probably say it's about a woman on a train on the way to see her boyfriend. At least, most people would. However, as John Lennon explained, the famous Beatles' song had a completely different meaning.
He explained that they got their inspiration for the song while touring in Hamburg, Germany before they reached worldwide fame. The song made reference to cards that German working girls used to carry with them back in the 1960s, indicating a clean bill of health. Or, as Lennon liked to call them, their "ticket to ride."