Some songs wear their intentions on their sleeve. Others sneak past radio censors, wedding DJs and your parents with a catchy chorus and a perfectly innocent title.
These are ten hits you have probably sung along to without a second thought, until you actually listened to the lyrics.
10. “Macarena” by Los del Río
The ultimate party dance of the nineties, performed at weddings and school discos around the world. Few of those dancers knew what the Spanish lyrics were saying.
The song is about a woman whose boyfriend has just joined the army. Instead of waiting for him, she hooks up with two of his friends. The famous chorus line roughly translates as “give your body some joy, Macarena”, and she clearly does.
9. “Candy Shop” by 50 Cent
Despite the title, nobody is buying sweets here. The whole song is one long candy metaphor, and the lollipop line in the chorus leaves very little to the imagination.
In fairness, “Candy Shop” is not exactly subtle. The surprise is how often it still gets played at children’s birthday parties.
8. “Lollipop” by Lil Wayne
Another rapper, another lollipop. Lil Wayne’s 2008 hit uses the same sweet-shop imagery as 50 Cent, and it is no more about candy than “Candy Shop” was.
The track spent five weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, which means millions of people sang along to it in the car without thinking twice.
7. “Whistle” by Flo Rida
A cheerful acoustic guitar, a catchy whistled hook and a chorus that asks someone to blow his whistle. Innocent, right?
Not quite. The double meaning is about as thin as it gets, which did not stop the song from topping the charts in several countries in 2012.
6. “If U Seek Amy” by Britney Spears
On the surface, everyone is just looking for a girl named Amy. Say the title out loud a few times, quickly, and you will hear what Britney is actually spelling out.
Several radio stations caught on and either refused to play the song or edited the chorus. It was a clever trick, and the controversy only made it more popular.
5. “Summer of ’69” by Bryan Adams
A nostalgic rock anthem about a first band, a first guitar and the best summer of your life. That is how most people hear it.
Bryan Adams himself has said in interviews that the 69 is not about the year but about the sexual position. His co-writer Jim Vallance remembers it differently and insists it really was about 1969, so the debate continues.
4. “Work from Home” by Fifth Harmony
Years before the rest of the world started working from home, Fifth Harmony released a song about it. Only the “work” in question has nothing to do with spreadsheets.
The video, set on a construction site full of shirtless builders, removes any remaining doubt.
3. “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen
It is one of the most cheerful songs ever recorded, a staple of road trips, karaoke nights and running playlists. But listen closely and it is a celebration of pure, unapologetic hedonism.
Freddie Mercury wrote it in 1978 during one of the wildest periods of his life, and the lyrics about having a good time are not about going for a jog. Bandmate Brian May has said he was worried about the lifestyle the song celebrated.
2. “Animals” by Maroon 5
Adam Levine sings about hunting someone down and devouring them, and he is not talking about dinner. The animal metaphors are about pure, primal lust.
The music video, in which Levine plays a butcher obsessed with a woman, was criticized for glamorizing stalking. The song itself still became a worldwide hit.
1. “Cake by the Ocean” by DNCE
A summer anthem about eating cake on the beach? Not exactly. Joe Jonas has explained that the title came from the Swedish producers he worked with, who kept mixing up the name of the cocktail Sex on the Beach and calling it “cake by the ocean”.
The band loved the mistake and turned it into a song that is very clearly about the original meaning. It became one of the biggest hits of 2016.
