When people talk about the greatest guitar ballads of all time, “Purple Rain” is always in the conversation. It’s an eight-minute epic that mixes gospel, rock, and pure emotional catharsis,Continue readingThe Meaning of “Purple Rain” by Prince
Song Meanings
The Meaning of “Yellow” by Coldplay
Before “Yellow,” Coldplay was a promising British band with some decent buzz. After it, they were on their way to becoming one of the biggest acts on the planet. TheContinue readingThe Meaning of “Yellow” by Coldplay
The Meaning of “Blackbird” by The Beatles
It sounds like a gentle folk song about a bird, and on the surface, that’s exactly what “Blackbird” by The Beatles is. Paul McCartney plays a delicate acoustic guitar part,Continue readingThe Meaning of “Blackbird” by The Beatles
The Meaning of “American Pie” by Don McLean
At more than eight minutes, “American Pie” by Don McLean is long, cryptic, and packed with references that people have been arguing about for fifty years. It topped the chartsContinue readingThe Meaning of “American Pie” by Don McLean
The Meaning of the Song “Ring Around the Rosie”
You probably learned “Ring Around the Rosie” before you could tie your shoes. Kids hold hands, walk in a circle, and fall down laughing at the end. It’s about asContinue readingThe Meaning of the Song “Ring Around the Rosie”
The Meaning of “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi
For about a year, you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing “Despacito.” It blasted out of cars, phones, restaurants, and stadiums, and it broke streaming records in a way that feltContinue readingThe Meaning of “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi
The Meaning of “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls
If you were alive in 1998, you couldn’t escape “Iris.” It was on the radio, in grocery stores, at school dances, and eventually at roughly every wedding reception for theContinue readingThe Meaning of “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls
The Meaning of “Edelweiss” (The Sound of Music)
Ask a room full of people where “Edelweiss” comes from and plenty of them will say it’s an old Austrian folk song, maybe even the national anthem. It sounds likeContinue readingThe Meaning of “Edelweiss” (The Sound of Music)
The Meaning of “Feliz Navidad” by José Feliciano
Every December, “Feliz Navidad” shows up in grocery stores, shopping malls, and car commercials whether you asked for it or not. It’s catchy, it’s short, and it has roughly theContinue readingThe Meaning of “Feliz Navidad” by José Feliciano
The Meaning of the Song “Kumbaya”
Few songs have had a stranger career than “Kumbaya.” It started out as a prayer, turned into a campfire staple, and eventually became an insult people toss at anyone whoContinue readingThe Meaning of the Song “Kumbaya”