3 Songs From the 1980s With Vocal Tracks and Lyrics That I Still Don’t Understand to This Day

These fantastic songs from the 1980s are memorable, but I still don’t understand many of their lyrics. Chalk it up to unique singing styles, I suppose. Despite being hard to understand, these songs are still legendary today. Let’s take a look!

Videos by American Songwriter

“Authority Song” by John Mellencamp from ‘Uh-Huh’ (1983)

This Heartland rock song with a bit of a country twang from John Mellencamp was released as the fifth single from his 1983 album Uh-Huh. And I know I can’t be alone in struggling to string together what the lyrics actually are, especially in that opening verse. The way Mellencamp sings is a bit slurred together, which definitely fits the vibe of the song. The only clear parts I’ve ever been able to make out reference the title, “Well, I fight authority, authority always wins.”

Despite being a bit hard to understand, “Authority Song” peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1984.

“Relax” by Frankie Goes To Hollywood from ‘Welcome To The Pleasuredome’ (1983)

Parts of this song are crystal clear, while others aren’t. Holly Johnson’s vocals are instantly recognizable and certainly iconic, but that doesn’t change the fact that I can’t understand parts of the chorus other than that catchy way he says the word “Relax!” throughout the song. The vocals at the very beginning of the song sit so low in the mix that they’re also pretty hard to understand, too. Doesn’t really matter, though, because this song was an absolute smash back in 1983. “Relax” peaked at No. 10 on the Hot 100 chart and No. 1 on the UK Singles chart.

“Rock The Casbah” by The Clash from ‘Combat Rock’ (1982)

“Rock The Casbah” is a legendary song from a legendary punk band, and it might just be The Clash’s most famous song outside of “London Calling”. But I can’t understand a lot of the vocal lines in this song, likely because of Joe Strummer’s delivery. The only super-clear words in the song are “Rock the Casbah!” That earns this track an entry on our list of 1980s songs that I don’t understand, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad song at all. Look at the charts! “Rock The Casbah” peaked at No. 30 in the UK and No. 8 in the US. It’s a real gem.

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