3 of the Most Misunderstood Songs of the 80s

If there ever was a decade that had music meant for people to sing along to, it’s the 80s. But just because people can sing songs from that decade by heart doesn’t mean all of the songs are understood. These are three of the best songs from the 80s, which also happen to be widely misunderstood.

“Every Breath You Take” by The Police

In 1983, The Police had a massive hit with “Every Breath You Take”. Written by Sting, “Every Breath You Take” appears on Synchrocity, the group’s fifth and final record.

“Every Breath You Take” begins with, “Every breath you take / And every move you make / Every bond you break / Every step you take / I’ll be watching you.” While the song is interpreted by many to be a love song, Sting wrote it after splitting from his first wife, Frances Tomelty.

“I think it’s a nasty little song, really rather evil,” Sting says. “It’s about jealousy and surveillance and ownership.” 

“In The Air Tonight” by Phil Collins

One of the most popular urban legends in the 80s is that “In The Air Tonight” by Phil Collins was written about a kidnapping. Out in 1981 on his Face Value record, the song seems to be about an abduction that Collins witnessed. 

“In The Air Tonight” says, “I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord / And I’ve been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord / Can you feel it coming in the air tonight? Oh Lord, oh Lord.”

Collins insists that any story about him witnessing a crime is false. Still, he adds that he doesn’t really know what the message in “In The Air Tonight” is about.

“I’m not quite sure what the song is about,” Collins tells Rolling Stone. “But there’s a lot of anger, a lot of despair, and a lot of frustration.”

“Born In The U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen

“Born In The U.S.A.” is a song often sung loudly, especially during patriotic holidays. But Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In The U.S.A.” is actually not an anthem of pride in the United States. Instead, the song, released in 1984 as the title track of his seventh studio album, was written by Springsteen to shine a light on the trouble Vietnam veterans faced when they returned from war. In fact, when Springsteen started working on what became “Born In The U.S.A.,” he called it “Vietnam” at first.

“Born In The U.S.A..” says, “Born down in a dead man’s town / The first kick I took was when I hit the ground / You end up like a dog that’s been beat too much / ’Til you spend half your life just covering up / Born in the U.S.A / I was born in the U.S.A / I was born in the U.S.A / Born in the U.S.A.”

Springsteen later says he understands why people think of “Born In The U.S.A.” as a political anthem.

“You can both be very critical of your nation and very prideful of your nation simultaneously,” he maintains.

Photo by Solomon N’Jie/Getty Images

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