Many a pop song or two through the years have been absolute earworm jams, only for listeners to find out way after the song’s release that the lyrics have a totally different meaning from what they heard. When it comes to these three songs, their lyrical meanings change quite a bit after one watches their respective music videos. Sometimes, visual media can really add context to music. Let’s take a look!
Videos by American Songwriter
1. “Telephone” by Lady Gaga
Millennials probably remember “Telephone” by Lady Gaga (featuring Beyoncé) as if it came out yesterday. This song was absolutely everywhere in 2010. The song itself is about a woman who doesn’t want to be bothered by an admirer on her phone. She has a lot of partying to do at the club, after all. It’s not really that deep, though it’s a pretty addicting song nonetheless.
The music video for this song really changes its meaning, namely because there are so many themes and images in the music video that are not really present in the song. The video shows Gaga in an avant-garde prison, and it’s loaded with themes of misogyny, nostalgia, violence, crime, and female empowerment.
2. “Sorry” by Beyoncé
This example of a music video changing the meaning of a song is quite interesting, even in the broader scope of Beyoncé’s masterpiece record Lemonade. The lyrics of “Sorry”, at face value, put together an empowering and defiant anthem about ignoring a former lover after getting done dirty. It’s your typical IDGAF pop jam about clubbing and not giving a man the time of day.
However, the music video for this song changes its meaning quite a bit. The video showcases Beyonce and her dancers at a sugar plantation. These specific plantations were known to be particularly awful to black women before slavery was abolished in the United States. A group of black women occupying that space, flexing their power and status, and repeating the lyric “I ain’t sorry” over and over lends this song a more empowering meaning.
3. “Delicate” by Taylor Swift
When one listens to “Delicate”, one would definitely expect its accompanying music video to be your typical run-of-the-mill love story on film. Taylor Swift decided to do something completely different. The video depicts Swift finding someone who actually loves her for who she is, not for the celebrity status she brings with her. There’s a lightness and freedom to this video that is not what one would expect for the song in question. It’s a refreshing visual addition to “Delicate”, and it’s a bit underrated in Swift’s fandom.
Photo via YouTube
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