That’s So Deep: The deeper meanings of popular songs

At 8 years old I’d dance around my living room belting out the lyrics of “Slide” — one of Goo Goo Doll’s greatest hits. Before I was even one, my mom put a disc into our TV, the July 4, 2004 Goo Goo Dolls concert in Buffalo, New York. Since then, I have been their number one fan. While I knew every word of the song, I never understood its true meaning and mature hidden concepts.

Essentially, the song is about growing out of the naive bliss that you experience in early teenagehood. Heavy topics, such as debating between following your upbringing and finding your own path, are woven into lines like “Do you wake up on your own, and wonder where you are? You live with all your faults.” What makes this sentiment especially standout is the relevance of the topic nowadays, as it relates to abortion.

The line “Don’t you love the life you killed? The priest is on the phone, your father hit the wall, your ma disowned you” reflects the Catholic upbringing that lead singer Johnny Rzeznik grew to realize was overcontrolling. 

He asks the woman he loves — May, in this song — if she wants “to get married? Or run away?” asking her to make her decision on what path she will choose to follow, but hoping that she’ll “let it slide,” referring to the abortion, and “run away” with him instead of submitting to the constraining nature of her childhood.

If English teachers analyzed this song like it was “The Great Gatsby”, they’d have a week’s worth of socratic seminar material. “Can’t Feel My Face” is one extended metaphor that describes a cocaine addiction like it’s a toxic relationship with a woman.

When this song debuted 2015, my little ten-year-old brain couldn’t have known the line “And I know she’ll be the death of me, at least we’ll both be numb” was about the numbness of addiction. And that you “can’t feel [your] face” when you’re high on cocaine. He knows that it “will always get the best of” him, saying that he can never quit. With drug addiction being essential to The Weeknd’s music, it’s unsurprising that this genius song would have connections to that battle as well.

Though everyone has jammed to Lady Gaga in the back of their mom’s car, I doubt most know the secret meaning behind her hit song “Poker Face”. Hopefully her boyfriend never found out either, because the song is actually about how she fantasizes about being with women instead. The tasteful pair of lines, “I won’t tell you that I love you, kiss or hug you, ‘Cause I’m bluffin’ with my muffin,” when interpreted in this context, says it all.

The pop star has also revealed her song’s references to poker come from her ex-boyfriends’ gambling tendencies. She wanted to make a song they’d like too — without them knowing the meaning, of course.

“Feel It Still” was the earworm of 2017, seemingly never not on the radio. I never understood the references to 1966 until I dug into theories and interviews, the song is a call to end political complacency.

1966 is widely considered a year of social change, with the Electric Kool Aid Acid Test parties run by Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters. Music was a tool for social change at the time and inspired rebellious thinking in youth, leading to wider political diversity. The singer hopes to reignite the passion that marked the time period and show that fighting “a war for peace” will only elicit the worst outcomes for society.