The Dark Meaning Behind 3 of Pop’s Biggest Love Songs That Aren’t Love Songs At All

Love may be one of the most common subjects musicians write about, but sometimes, so-called love songs are also horribly misunderstood. Often, songs which seem to be about love on the surface turn out to be the exact opposite, especially when one takes a closer look at the lyrics. Definitely think twice before putting these songs on a romantic playlist.

“The One I Love” by R.E.M.

R.E.M.’s very first hit single was “The One I Love,” a song whose title makes the subject matter seem pretty obvious. But Michael Stipe has explained that the song is actually about people using each other, and that comes through in lyrics. Although Stipe sings, “This one goes out to the one I love,” he immediately follows that line with, “This one goes out to the one I’ve left behind” and calls the subject of the song “a simple prop to occupy my time.” Stipe has also described the song as “incredibly violent.”

“Every Breath You Take” by The Police

The Police’s hit “Every Breath You Take” sounds like a love song at first, but in reality, it’s quite sinister, with lyrics which describe someone watching another person’s every move–something people have finally begun to realize. Even frontman Sting feels it has been misinterpreted. He’s called it a “nasty little song, really rather evil” and acknowledged the dark lyrics “about jealousy and surveillance and ownership.” “It sounds like a comforting love song,” he once said. “I didn’t realize at the time how sinister it is. I think I was thinking of Big Brother, surveillance and control.”

“One Way or Another” by Blondie

Like “Every Breath You Take,” Blondie’s “One Way or Another” has more to do with stalking than it does love and romance. Frontwoman Deborah Harry was inspired to write the song after her experience with a stalker, one which ultimately forced her to move out of her home in the early ’70s, as she explained in the liner notes of rarities box set Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982. She also called writing the song a “survival mechanism” and intentionally gave it a lighter tone. “I tried to inject a little levity into it to make it more lighthearted,” she said.