4 Songs From the 80s That Will Tug at Your Heartstrings (If You’re Really Listening)

Some songs have hidden meanings, but with others, the truth of the music is actually right under our noses. Here are a few songs that are surprisingly deep, romantic, or complex in ways you wouldn’t necessarily expect.

“Just Like Heaven” by The Cure

“Just Like Heaven” is obviously a love song to some degree, but it can be easy to forget that when you’re listening to this one for its windows-down vibe. Lead singer Robert Smith wrote this one after going on a beach trip with his wife, Mary, who was just his girlfriend at the time. Honestly, some of the lyrics are really poetic.

You, soft and only
You, lost and lonely
You, strange as angels
Dancing in the deepest oceans
Twisting in the water
You’re just like a dream
You’re just like a dream.

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

Most people probably think of this song as super patriotic, but it’s actually kind of the opposite. “Born In The U.S.A” is an ode to Vietnam veterans who were treated poorly after the war, despite the sacrifices they made. Even though America is home, Springsteen paints a picture of a place that stops feeling like home for those who needed it most.

“Human Nature” by Michael Jackson

Like most of the songs on Thriller, Michael Jackson sonically delivers with “Human Nature”. When you’re first listening to the song, it feels like it could kind of be about anything. In reality, the meaning of this one was actually very intentional. Steve Porcaro of Toto actually wrote this one for his daughter, Heather.

“Something had happened at school and it just inspired me,” he shared, per Songfacts. “I wrote the song while we were mixing ‘Africa’ and was just tinkering on the piano and wrote ‘Human Nature’. It was one of a batch of three songs I had written in a certain time period…”

“I Wanna Dance With Somebody(Who Loves Me)” by Whitney Houston

This song might sound like a fun invitation to dance the night away, but undercover, it’s really a plea for company. The song was written by the then-husband-and-wife songwriting duo Boy Meets Girl, who wrote it about many of their friends who struggled to be alone, especially when nighttime rolled around. Even the lyrics express a similar sentiment.

“Clock strikes upon the hour / And the sun begins to fade / Still enough time to figure out / How to chase my blues away.”

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