To anybody who’s only listened to Lenny Kravitz’s famous 1999 cover of this song, it might seem that “American Woman” is mainly about sex appeal. However, as its original co-writer Randy Bachman, from The Guess Who, explained, the song has little to do with sex and is actually about U.S. politics in the 60s and 70s and the Vietnam War.
Bachman said that they “had been touring the States in the late ’60s. One time at the U.S./Canada border in North Dakota, they tried to draft us and send us to Vietnam. We were back in Canada, playing in the safety of Canada where the dance is full of draft dodgers who’ve all left the States.” Then, the song’s co-writer, Burton Cummings, further explained that “When I said ‘American woman, stay away from me,’ I really meant ‘Canadian woman, I prefer you.’ It was all a happy accident.”
"Pink Houses" by John Mellencamp
Much like Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A" was a completely misunderstood criticism of the U.S., so was John Mellencamp's "Pink Houses." Mellencamp actually wrote the song as a protest to Reagan's America and the whole "greedy capitalist" culture of the times.
Still, due to the upbeat music and chorus, many people thought the song was actually a nationalistic, pro-American tune. Especially conservative politicians who used the song to their benefit, to which Mellencamp always angrily protested.
"Blackbird" by The Beatles
There has been much debate over the years about the true meaning behind the Beatles' classic song, "Blackbird." Many believed it to be a typical love song; others thought it carried a deeper, hidden meaning behind it.
However, as the song's main writer, Paul McCartney, has explained many times over the years, Blackbird's lyrics refer to the U.S. Civil Rights Movement that was happening at the time the song was released.
"Feel it Still" by Portugal. The Man
The popular California-based band, Portugal. The Man released a hit single in 2017 called "Feel it Still." At first, everybody thought it was a tribute to lead singer John Gourley's daughter. However, as Gourley later explained, the song was actually about the political and social climate in the U.S. at the time.
As the singer explained, “It’s another one of those lyrics that just kind of seeps in. With all the talk right now of building a wall at our borders and the Berlin Wall, it was so much just like the image that you had in your head growing up that these people are separated by a wall, and why do we need that?”.
"Who Let the Dogs Out" by Baha Men
As much as we love pooches, "Who Let the Dogs Out" is not about our beloved four-legged friends. The Caribbean classic even got its own documentary; Ben Sisto got to the heart of the film's question. After eight years of research, he found the final answer. Though it may seem like a song about a dog, the song is a feminist anthem.
The song is a "rallying" cry against cat-calling. Anslem Douglas, the Trinidadian artist who wrote the song is about how life was going great until men started cat-calling. That's when the girls responded to the call, when a woman shouts, "Who let the dogs out?"