Readers recommend: songs that aren't what they seem | Peter Kimpton
by Peter Kimpton from on (#XA6H)
Ambiguous, misunderstood or misappropriated, suggest your selection of works with words taken the wrong way either by accident or on purpose
"I am just a soul whose intentions are good. Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood."
Nina Simone, who sang the original of this song, also popularised by the Animals and others, appears to be making a clear statement. Or is she? Is this song about something deeply personal, or does it really refer to the civil rights movement? And is the Beatles' Blackbird really about a sweet-singing winged creature? And just who, or what, is Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds? And in what famous song did John Lennon supposedly write a form of the communist manifesto?
