It began, as so many modern hits do, as a snippet of a song that did not yet exist. In January 2023 a young singer-songwriter named David Kushner posted aContinue readingThe Meaning of “Daylight” by David Kushner
Song Meanings
The Meaning of “London Calling” by The Clash
Some songs are written to be enjoyed. Others are written to be heard from the other side of a collapsing sky. “London Calling” by The Clash falls firmly into theContinue readingThe Meaning of “London Calling” by The Clash
The Meaning of “Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter
There is a particular sound that a woman makes when a grown man cannot find the thing that is in his hand. It is not quite a sigh and notContinue readingThe Meaning of “Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter
The Meaning of “I Thought I Saw Your Face Today” by She & Him
Imagine a song recorded in 2008, tucked away on a debut album, politely admired by those who owned it and quietly forgotten by everyone else. Then imagine that, seventeen yearsContinue readingThe Meaning of “I Thought I Saw Your Face Today” by She & Him
The Meaning of Song “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”
Four lines. Eighteen words. A tune you could hum in your sleep, and almost certainly have. “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” is the shortest philosophy lecture ever delivered to aContinue readingThe Meaning of Song “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”
The Meaning of “Life On Mars?” by David Bowie
Every so often a pop song stops being a song and becomes a weather system. “Life On Mars?” by David Bowie is one of those, a three-and-a-half-minute storm of piano,Continue readingThe Meaning of “Life On Mars?” by David Bowie
The Meaning of “Sahiba” by Aditya Rikhari
Some hits are shouted into existence. Others are whispered, and have to wait patiently for the world to lean in. “Sahiba” by Aditya Rikhari belongs to the whispering kind. ReleasedContinue readingThe Meaning of “Sahiba” by Aditya Rikhari
The Meaning of “Sirra” by Guru Randhawa
Punjabi pop has never been shy. It arrives in sunglasses, standing beside a tractor or a very expensive car, and announces that it is the best thing in the room.Continue readingThe Meaning of “Sirra” by Guru Randhawa
The Meaning of Song “The Hokey Pokey”
Here is a song that has been sung by toddlers, wedding guests and skiers in a state of cheerful intoxication, and nobody has ever once asked it for identification. “TheContinue readingThe Meaning of Song “The Hokey Pokey”
The Meaning of “Unti-Unti” by UDD
Some songs arrive with a bang, and some arrive the way tides do, quietly rearranging the beach while you are busy looking at your phone. “Unti-Unti” by the Manila bandContinue readingThe Meaning of “Unti-Unti” by UDD