Many of the most popular movie soundtracks of all time feature songs that, even years after their release, remain among the most well known and easily recognizable songs around the world. Films such as the ‘Rocky’ film franchise feature scores and soundtracks that are world renowned. ‘The Karate Kid’ featured a soundtrack that performed well and received a great deal of radio airplay.

Soundtracks from the action film series ‘Mortal Kombat’ as well as ‘The Matrix’ became quite popular. ‘West Side Story’ and Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ soundtracks have performed well through the years, highlighted by songs that are still featured in films and covered by other artists even today.

The 80s seemed to be the era of film soundtracks, where John Hughes and his brat pack films made everyone sing and dance along. The soundtracks for ‘Pretty In Pink’ and ‘The Breakfast Club’ boast some of the most popular songs of the era. Wrapping up the decade was the soundtrack for teen angst anthem, ‘Pump Up the Volume.’

In recent years, soundtracks that feature a combination of musical styles and well known artists mixed with up and coming artists have generated great revenue, as well as helping to launch careers. Such is the case with the soundtracks for the ‘Twilight Saga’ films ‘Twilight’ and ‘Twilight: New Moon,’ that featured a blend of folk music, pop, rock, and dub step.Keep looking, there’s more: ‘Twilight’ Newcomers The Joy Formidable Surprised By Spot On Soundtrack

Another group of artists that is often misunderstood is heavy metal artists and gothic artists. Because of the way they dress and some of the words in their lyrics, they often get classified as unholy people or hateful people. When teenagers commit suicide, the public is sometimes very quick to blame such on the music that the teens listened to rather than the pressures that may have been associated with the death. The same happens with rap music and robberies, rapes, and violent crimes. Many times the musicians are being blamed for people making sound choices to participate in such activities.

Artists should not be judged on their appearance or even their words. Words in a song can often be misinterpreted. Only the artist knows the true meaning of his or her lyrics.

Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles is a wonderful combination of the two styles. Paul McCartney used vivid imagery to paint a picture in the mind’s eye of the listeners that led them down a road to a heartbreaking story. As a child, McCartney’s father had always taught him to be kind and respectful to the elderly. He would often offer his seat to elderly women he would see while riding the bus, or offer to help them with their shopping. In his heart he thought that perhaps they were lonely. Maybe his simple offer was the only act of kindness they had received that day. It was in these memories that Eleanor Rigby was born.

The song came out in 1983 and topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 8 weeks. The Police won the Grammy for song of the year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or a Group for the song. The song is considered to be one of the best songs ever ranking 84th on the Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.

Sting has said that the lyrics are derived from a jealous lover who can not get over his ex-girlfriend dating other people. The lyrics, “Every Breath You Take, Every Move You Make, I’ll Be Watching You” are really sinister lyrics and it is quite funny that people choose to have this song played at their wedding. In the video for the song, Sting appears to be angry throughout most of it. I guess this is because he was not singing a love song, but singing about lost love.

Whether through too-fast singing, odd methods of pronunciation, or other verbal tics, artists are often misunderstood. Plus, sometimes the real lyrics just don’t make sense–for example, just about any song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers (“Go ask the dust for any answers/Come back strong with 50 belly dancers” from “Can’t Stop”).Check out this link here.

It’s not just average listeners who misunderstand songs. Politicians have made some odd song choices over the years for campaigns: in 1984, President Reagan chose Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” for his reelection effort, despite the fact the song is about a Vietnam vet who can’t find a job when he returns from war; eight years later, then-Governor Clinton opted for “Don’t Stop” by Fleetwood Mac, a peppy song written about a horrific breakup. More recently, Congresswoman Bachmann was drawn in by Tom Petty’s “American Girl”, a song either about suicide or a bad relationship, depending on how you look at it.

Robert Palmer: Addicted To Love
Abba: Dancing Queen
Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody
One Republic: Apologize
Bee Gees: Stayin’ Alive
Mudvayne: Dull Boy
Toto: Africa
Traditional: We Wish You A Merry Christmas
Bee Gees: More Than A Woman
Madonna: Like a Virgin
Starship: We Built This City
Metallica: Fuel
Rolling Stones: Beast Of Burden
Elvis Presley: Hound Dog
Fifth Dimension: Aquarius
R.E.M.: Losing My Religion
Alice Cooper: Poison
Black Eyed Peas: Boom Boom Pow
National Anthems: Oh Canada
Nirvana: Smells Like Teen Spirit
All of these are great songs and some of the most commonly misheard lyrics. Luckily lyrics can be found all over the web, while singing karaoke and in that little booklet included if you buy the CD.