The following three rock songs from the 1970s have meanings that are on the loose side. Many fans still pick apart these songs’ lyrics to try to find more profound meanings behind them. In the end, we might never be 100% sure what they’re about. Let’s take a look!
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“Band On The Run” by Wings (1974)
“Well, the rain exploded with a mighty crash / As we fell into the sun / And the first one said to the second one there / ‘I hope you’re having fun’”
The narrative behind the story of this song is loose at best. The three suites that make up “Band On The Run” have a theme of escape and freedom, though they can be abstract in spots. Considering this song came about after Paul McCartney’s former Beatles bandmates parted with their unsavory manager and started to improve relations with McCartney, we can assume there’s at least some symbolism to be found there.
Regardless, that confusion didn’t stop Paul McCartney’s “Band On The Run” from becoming a massive hit upon its release, peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
“A Horse With No Name” by America (1972)
Is this song really just about a man on a nameless horse, wandering the desert? Is it actually about h*roin, as many radio stations in the US assumed before they promptly banned it? Even the band members of America themselves have given fairly vague explanations of what “A Horse With No Name” actually means. Dewey Bunnell said it was a metaphor for a getaway car. Some critics said it was a ripoff of Neil Young.
Either way, it’s a darn fine song in my book, regardless. Plenty of listeners felt the same way back in 1972, as the folk rock song topped the Hot 100 that very year.
“Hotel California” by Eagles (1976)
Well, there was no avoiding this one. “Hotel California” by Eagles has been the subject of quite a bit of interpretation over the years. And while this song is likely loaded with meaning and metaphor, we still don’t know exactly what it’s about. Maybe that’s the point. It could be all about drugs, getting sucked into the glitz and glamor of Los Angeles, fame, existential dread, death… or all of it. Either way, it’s a legendary song on our list of 1970s rock songs with ambiguous meanings, one that peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100.
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