3 Songs That Even Their Singers Can’t Fully Explain

If you’re ever confused by a song, the writer may have been, too. From Phil Collins to Stevie Nicks, here are a few songs that even their singers struggle to understand.

“In The Air Tonight” by Phil Collins

Collins wrote this one after he got divorced from his first wife, Andrea Bertorelli. Although fans speculate that the divorce has something to do with this song, Collins has claimed that he actually has no idea what it’s about.

In an interview with Top 2000 a gogo, even he himself said:

“The lyrics were all improvised. I don’t know what it’s about, which is, you know, the more people say to me what it’s about I just say I can promise you it isn’t about whatever you think it is, because I don’t know what it’s about…”

“Take Me To The Pilot” by Elton John

Hailing from Elton John’s self-titled album, “Take Me To The Pilot” is ominous, to say the least. Don’t ask Elton John or Bernie Taupin what it’s about, because neither of them will be able to help you. 

“…in the early days, there were a lot of inquiries about ‘What does this song mean? What does that song mean?’,” John said of this one in 2005. “And in the case of ‘Take me to the pilot/Lead me through the chamber/Take me to the pilot/I am but a stranger’, I have no idea! You’re on your own, I tell you.”

“Sisters Of The Moon” by Stevie Nicks

“Sisters Of The Moon”, which appears on Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk, is one of the more eclectic songs in Nicks’ discography. While the witchy vibe of this song certainly isn’t unbeknownst to the “Rhiannon” singer, according to her, lyrically it doesn’t really mean anything.

When it comes to this song, Nicks told Rolling Stone, “I honestly don’t know what the hell this song is about. It wasn’t a love song, it wasn’t written about a man. It was just about a feeling I might have had over a couple of days, going inward in my gnarly trollness. Makes no sense. Perfect for this record.”

Photo by: Richard E. Aaron/Redferns

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