things we know that just aren't true...music edition

By Jess Santacroce
Music Writer, Phoenix Radio
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 The Bible teaches that “God helps those who help themselves.” It’s impossible for adult English speakers to learn another language. In order to stay hydrated, you have to drink eight full glasses of water every day. Many people would insist these are all pieces of common knowledge, yet none of them are true.“God helps those who help themselves” is a quote from Benjamin Franklin, and is the opposite of Jesus’ teachings in the Bible. Language learning is possible at any age, from any starting language. And the eight glasses of water refers to eight cups, making a drinking glass about two glasses of water or more. Other drinks, such as milk, juice, even coffee, also count toward daily water intake.

In music, we find even more of these pieces of conventional wisdom or common knowledge that just aren’t true.

"Every Breath You Take” by The Police is a love song about knowing everything about your partner.

When you’re in love with someone, the little things about them become important to you. A girlfriend notices that her boyfriend uses exactly three products from a men’s skincare line every morning and always puts on a white shirt when he has a business meeting. The boyfriend notes that his girlfriend drinks hot tea instead of coffee in the morning, and that she likes it with just half a teaspoon of real sugar. A husband and wife each know which tv shows their spouse will put on in the evening. For many, these are signs of real love, and “Every Breath You Take” is chosen as their song in celebration of those sentiments.

This lasts until someone points out that the song is actually about stalking. The main character/narrator in “Every Breath You Take” isn’t in love with the person he’s talking to. They were once in a relationship, or at least were in each others’ lives, but their paths no longer intersect. He’s now obsessed with tracking her every move, noting that he will pay attention to things that are far from charming details and are in fact angering, such as “every bond you break” and “every game you play.”

Contemporary Christian music is always upbeat and happy.

Think of the stereotype of a Christian today, and the traits you list are likely going to be conservative politics, a startlingly conventional appearance, and a demeanor that is always perky and wholesome.

Walk into any church that embraces modern worship music, and you can expect to hear a lot of music that does little to discourage people from forming this image. Most of it is indeed pop music with Christian lyrical themes. This picture of contemporary Christian music is most strongly promoted by the Christian radio station K-Love, with its tagline of “positive, encouraging K-Love” and constant playlist of the latest in Christian pop.

But just as there are Christians with liberal politics, their own sense of style, and a wide variety of moods and interests, there is contemporary Christian music with somber, even dark themes. It is just much less popular and a little more difficult to find than the kind of music you hear on K-Love.

Searches for “Christian music with darker themes” or “dark Christian music” generate more than thirty Spotify playlists, many of which tend toward metal and hardcore styles. The band “Wovenhand,” fronted by David Eugene Edwards, would fit into many punk/alternative playlists. Their song “Dirty Blue,” reflects on the despair of people finding comfort in a world fallen away from God, and sadness at having to live in such a world.

Punk music disappeared in the 1980s

Ask someone to make you a 1980’s playlist, and the person is likely to come back with a collection of songs by Madonna, Rick Springfield, Debbie Gibson, Air Supply, and a series of one-hit wonders with a similar sound. Tack the very early 1990’s on to that, and they’ll tack on some of the first pop bands to be called “boy bands.”

Many people don’t realize that punk and alternative existed and continued to grow throughout the 1980s, especially in larger cities. Minneapolis in particular was home to a thriving and important punk/alternative scene during the decade. Clubs such as First Avenue, 7th Street Entry, and The Longhorn hosted bands that would play a pivotal role in shaping not only the punk music scene, but would pave the way for the 1990’s alternative and grunge music that seemed to steer the world away from 1980’s pop.

Next time you make a 1980’s playlist, fill it with bands such as Husker Du, The Suicide Commandos, Babes in Toyland, and the Replacements.

The lyrics of “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins are a true story about someone watching another person drown but neglecting to help them

The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” is a dark song about doing something horrible to another person that people mistakenly believe is a love song. “In the Air Tonight” is the subject of the same common misconception, just in reverse.

Lines like “Well if you told me you were drowning, I would not lend a hand” and “Well I was there and I saw what you did” have been latched onto and taken literally by several listeners, who then concluded that the song must have been written from the perspective of a person who saw somebody refuse to help a drowning victim. As the urban legend grew, it began to be reported that the story told by the lyrics was not only about a drowning death, it was nonfiction.

While the song does indeed tell a true story, it is not about somebody allowing another person to perish in the water. “In the Air Tonight” is a love song, in particular, a “love gone wrong” song. It was written by Collins about his divorce from his first wife.

Song lyrics are poetry

Song lyrics and poems are both art forms that use, and often rhyme, words. Because both song lyrics and poetry often rely on rhyming while other art forms that use words, such as novels, plays, movies, and various forms of creative nonfiction typically do not use rhyming, some people conclude that the two art forms are the same.

While there are some songs whose lyrics can be easily read as a poem, and some poems that may be able to double as lyrics, this is very rare. Song lyrics and poetry are actually distinct art forms with important differences.

Because song lyrics are designed to be sung, or in the case of rap, spoken to music, they are written to a melody and include the structural pieces of a song, such as verses, choruses, and bridges. Poems are structured differently, as they are designed to be recited alone.

Challenge the next person who claims that song lyrics are poetry to a perfectly safe, ethical experiment. Have the person, or the nearest person who can sing, try to sing a poem. Then try to recite the last song you listened to as a poem. You’ll find that neither one quite works out.


Did you believe any of these common music myths and misconceptions? What do you know about music that just might not be true?