Top 10 Popular Songs With Lyrics That Make No Sense
#10: Give It Away (1991)
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Lead singer and songwriter Anthony Kiedis was moved to write this track about selflessness and the power of giving away your material goods to those who need them. Lofty and inspiring as its message is, Give It Away isnt always easy to follow. Filled with outdated terminology and intentional grammatical errors, the song is most known for its rapid, trilling chorus. Were still not sure what they mean by no time for the piggies or the hoosegow. Sometimes a songs lyrics take a backseat to the music and instrumentation. That certainly seems to be the case here.
#9: The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?) (2013)
Ylvis
One of the biggest memes of the 2010s, this novelty song by two Scandinavian comedians took the Internet by storm. Ylvis didnt mean to write a hit. They were really just trolling. Its barely coherent to begin with, sounding at times like a childrens song. Some of it just sounds like belligerent screaming. Describing the sounds various animals make is all well and good, but once the song gets to its central question, this thing just goes off the rails. The duos fox noises are really just shrill chanting and scatting that gets more absurd as the song goes on.
#8: Hook (1995)
Blues Traveler
Disillusioned by the formulaic nature of contemporary hits, the harmonica-forward rock band behind songs like Run-Around decided to write a song skewering modern pop songwriting. Hook tells you straight up the words dont matter. As long as it sounds like a pop song, well, then its a pop song. The lyrics are knowingly clunky, especially in the third verse, where some unlikely pairings are mixed in with some cultural commentary. To really understand it, you have to look past the cleverly-constructed formula of the music. These are lyrics you have to sift through once the song is over and realize youve been fooled.
#7: The Ketchup Song (Aserejé) (2002)
Las Ketchup
An unexpected hit if theres ever been one, the lyrics here are what you might call Spanish-sounding. Though the verses are written in actual Spanish, the chorus is genuine gibberish. Also, if that chorus seems vaguely familiar, theres a reason. Its inspired by the Sugarhill Gang track, Rappers Delight. In fact, it might just be an approximation of that songs chorus, filtered through another language. The result is a hilariously catchy and captivating jumble of words and sounds. But that didnt stop some from accusing it of having hidden messages trying to convert listeners to Satanism. Thats when you know youve got a real hit on your hands. Regardless of the meaningless lyrics, girl group Las Ketchup scored their biggest success with The Ketchup Song.
#6: I Am the Walrus (1967)
The Beatles
John Lennons admission that he wrote part of this song under the influence of hallucinogenic substances doesnt come as much of a surprise. I Am the Walrus was written for the groups 1967 TV movie, Magical Mystery Tour. Like the film, its a strange experience for a lot of reasons. Playing with its dual-sided stereo sound and adding all sorts of uncanny electronic noises, this songs poetic, surreal imagery and cryptic lyrics only add to its disorienting weirdness. Phrases such as I am the eggman and the repeated refrain of goo-goo-gjoob, have kept listeners, critics, and scholars looking for meaning for decades.
#5: Coconut (1971)
Harry Nilsson
Repetitive, dumb, and ultimately unforgettable, the lyrics of this 1971 novelty song propose an innovative cure for stomach illness. Recorded in a faux-Caribbean accent, Harry Nilsson wrote and performed Coconut, and its charmed listeners ever since. Its simplicity, both musically and lyrically, also drives us nuts. This cant just be about what its purporting to be about, right? There has to be some deeper meaning. Some even suggest that lime in the coconut is some kind of euphemism for an illicit substance. But most signs just point to it being a silly little ditty.
#4: Prisencolinensinainciusol (1972)
Adriano Celentano
An Italian composer decided to explore the theme of miscommunication in a very literal, kind of brilliant way. Adriano Celentano wrote this four-minute mouthful with no real lyrics, just vaguely English sounds. What might sound like unintelligible, disjointed noises is genuinely written to sound like what American English sounds like to a non-native speaker. Every once in a while, a stray word like baby or alright appears to give the gibberish an air of authenticity. Listening to it as an English speaker is completely uncanny. You recognize the vowel sounds, but its like your brain just fully stopped understanding your own language.
#3: Watermelon Sugar (2019)
Harry Styles
Theres a thin line between euphemism and nonsense. Lyrically, Watermelon Sugar makes some sense. Berries, summer, breathing: these are all concepts were familiar with, even if they do feel like theyve been thrown together. Its the title that gives most people pause. Supposedly taken from the title of a novel by Richard Brautigan, its usage by Harry Styles has been the subject of debate and even derision. Writing for Consequence of Sound, music critic Bryan Rolli accused it of essentially not living up to its mysterious title. None of that stopped it from winning a Grammy and becoming one of the biggest hits of 2020.
#2: Loser (1993)
Beck
A Gen X anthem if there ever was one, this rock and hip-hop blend from Beck is an ode to low self-esteem. The musician confessed that the song was born out of one of his songwriting methods to keep peoples interest. Sometimes, you just need to keep playing something out of boredom and commit to whatever ridiculous lyrics come to mind. Losers imagery is striking, to say the least. What does he mean by spray-paint the vegetables, beefcake pantyhose, and a slab of turkey-neck hanging from a pigeon wing? Its hard to say, but it sounds cool.
#1: Smells Like Teen Spirit (1991)
Nirvana
Kurt Cobain was famous for his ability to write a great song in mere minutes. Sometimes it led to poetic genius. Other times, the lyrics can leave you scratching your head. Smells Like Teen Spirit is full of juxtapositions that sometimes just seem like theyre there to make sure every syllable is accounted for. Even Nirvanas drummer and Cobains friend, Dave Grohl, says that the songs lyrics are probably less meaningful than they are a means to an end. But that doesnt matter, considering that its probably the bands most famous song. If this list proves anything, its that a song can be a hit, and even be great, regardless of its lyrical heft.
Do you know what some of these lyrics mean? Let us know in the comments.