You know those songs that get overplayed on the radio or in bars and clubs? Sometimes they can be cheery and catchy and other times they can be romantic power ballads. The music sounds so great that these songs just slither into your brain, and embed themselves in there to make you block out the lyrics. When you go back and carefully listen to the lyrics or look them up, you realize how very unromantic and highly questionable these songs can be.
1. “I Like It” by Enrique Iglesias (featuring Pitbull)
Offending Lyrics:
Girl, please excuse me if I’m coming too strong
But tonight is the night we can really let go
My girlfriend’s out of town, and I’m all alone
Your boyfriend is on vacation, and he doesn’t have to know.
The music to this song clearly has a club vibe. It’s definitely catchy, and I can see people hearing it in a loud bar or club without actually listening to any of the lyrics beyond the chorus. Of course, when you hear the beginning lyrics, you realize that Enrique Iglesias is lurking around a bar looking for a one night stand while his unsuspecting girlfriend is away. What the hell, Enrique Iglesias? You seriously couldn’t wait a few days for your girlfriend to come home to get laid? And he’s trying to convince some girl at the bar that she should sleep with him and cheat on her boyfriend who is also out of town (how did he even know that, anyway?). Enrique Iglesias comes off as creepy in this song, and the music video doesn’t make him look much better.
Did he…? Did he just snap that girl’s bra?? That is sexual harassment, and I believe also counts as assault. This is not cool, Enrique Iglesias. How did you go from being known for sentimental love ballads to a smarmy jackass skulking around bars, harassing women, and actively trying to cheat on your girlfriend? Get it together, man.
2. “Unfaithful” by Rihanna
Offending Lyrics:
He’s more than a man
And this is more than love
The reason that the sky is blue
The clouds are rolling in
Because I’m gone again
And to him, I just can’t be true
And I know that he knows I’m unfaithful
And it kills him inside
To know that I am happy with some other guy.
Yes, women can be cheating assholes, too. Again, the music itself sounds nice, it’s an R&B ballad, so I can see why people would like listening to it. It’s just the lyrics will drive you insane. I can’t understand why Rihanna keeps consistently cheating on her boyfriend instead of just breaking up with him so she can be with the other guy that she obviously likes better. Then there’s this:
Every time I walk out the door
I see him die a little more inside
I don’t wanna hurt him anymore
I don’t wanna take away his life
I don’t wanna be
A murderer.
Oh, I’m sorry, you’re feeling bad because you’re hurting your boyfriend and you don’t want to feel like you’re killing him. You’re already doing it! How is continuing to be in a relationship while sneaking around behind your boyfriend’s back make things any better? Breaking up with him would be a hell of a lot kinder than this backstabbing treatment. And it’s got to be better than having to concoct a bunch of lies to your boyfriend whenever you leave the house. Of course, I’m also questioning why the boyfriend doesn’t simply break-up with her if he’s aware of her deceiving ways. I’m not sure what he’s getting out of watching his girlfriend leave the house each day knowing that she’s meeting another man. What does he do when she’s off philandering all day? I would like to think that he’s hired a private investigator to tail her and gather evidence to be used during the inevitable separation.
3. “This Kiss” by Carly Rae Jepson
Offending Lyrics:
I went out last night
I’m going out tonight again
Anything to capture your attention,
And she’s a real sweet girl
And you know I got a boy
Details we both forgot to mention.\
Don’t let this catchy, upbeat song from the Canadian pop princess fool you. And don’t let the cute, colorful music video deceive you either. This song, in spite of a charming music video and infectious tune, only obscures the fact that this is a blatant case of mutual cheating. Carly Rae is cheating on her boyfriend, and her co-cheater also has a girlfriend. And they both just happened to forget to mention these key facts when they met each other? They couldn’t have overlooked their situations for very long since they both are aware that the other one is involved with another person.
And you’re a real hot thing,
But you know I’ve got a boy somewhere.
Carly Rae, this is a distinct lack of self-control. This guy is just so much hotter than your boyfriend, so you simply have to make out with him? And apparently, this other guy has a sweet girlfriend who you have no problem upsetting by making out with her boyfriend? This other guy doesn’t sound like a winner either. He is perfectly fine cheating on his lovely girlfriend with another girl who already has a boyfriend. This is what garbage people do. I hope your boyfriend and the other girlfriend find out about this and dump the both of you. It would be even better if the two of them pulled a Shania Twain and decided to date each other.
4. “Your Love” by the Outfield
Offending Lyrics:
Josie’s on a vacation far away
Come around and talk it over
So many things that I want to say
You know I like my girls a little bit older
I just want to use your love tonight
I don’t want to lose your love tonight.
This is a classic hit from the 1980s; it’s very popular with weddings, 80s nights, cover bands, and karaoke nights. It’s a catchy song with a memorable chorus that crowds of people will emphatically sing/scream when it comes on at 2:00 am. However, sweet and romantic this song is not. The singer is clearly cheating on his girlfriend with a younger girl. I hope to God this girl is of the legal age of consent. I don’t like how he sings, “I like my girls a little bit older.”
And this guy obviously couldn’t care less about the girl he’s cheating with, who is presumably young and probably very naive. This is made obvious from lyrics such as:
Stay the night but keep it undercover.
And this:
As you’re leaving please would you close the door?
And don’t forget what I told you
Just ’cause you’re right that don’t mean I’m wrong
Another shoulder to cry upon.
Yeah, someone needs to tip off Josie that her boyfriend is a cheating piece of shit and could be a pervert as well.
5. “Lips of an Angel” by Hinder
Offending Lyrics:
Honey why you calling me so late?
It’s kinda hard to talk right now.
Honey, why are you crying? Is everything okay?
I gotta whisper ’cause I can’t be too loud
Well, my girl’s in the next room
Sometimes I wish she was you
I guess we never really moved on
It’s really good to hear your voice saying my name
It sounds so sweet
Coming from the lips of an angel
Hearing those words it makes me weak.
In this Hinder song, the singer is talking to his ex-girlfriend on the phone and hoping that his current girlfriend doesn’t overhear him. He laments the fact that his current girlfriend is not his ex, and wishes he could be with his ex again. It’s a romantic sounding power rock ballad about a complete dick.
There is nothing romantic about this song. This is about a jackass who can’t stop talking to his ex and for all intents and purposes, is conducting an emotional affair. Why is the ex-girlfriend calling him up in the first place? There had to be a legitimate reason as to why they broke up in the first place. If they were so perfect for each other, they would still be together. This sounds like a case where someone (maybe both people) having unreliable memories of their past relationship as being a lot better than it actually was. Most likely, these people broke up due to numerous problems in the relationship and decided to go their separate ways. Now, either one or both of them is choosing not to remember any of the bad times of their relationship, and are running back to each other.
I just feel sorry for the current girlfriend in this song. It can’t be easy to be compared to your boyfriend’s ex and have your boyfriend wish you were someone else. You never want to be involved with a guy who is still emotionally hung-up on his ex-girlfriend. Hopefully, this girlfriend finds out about her boyfriend’s emotional affair, dumps him, and tells him he can now be free to go back to his ex.
Welcome To The Gyre 
May I add The Pina Colada song? I know we all love the chorus, but that song is really quite sad. Let’s face it, that couple gets lucky. They are both looking to cheat on each other. The guy who sings that has songs similar to it.
That’s a good one! I had forgotten about that one until I went back and listened to it! Yeah, I’d say the couple in that song deserve each other; the two of them together form exactly one half of a brain.