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'Stairway To Heaven' - Led Zeppelin -

Possibly the most famous rock song of all time, its vague lyrics have intrigued the general public since it was released in 1971.

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'Stairway To Heaven' - Led Zeppelin -

Robert Plant has since explained that the first part of the lyrics are about a woman who makes money all her life only to find out her life doesn't have meaning and she won't be going to heaven. The rest is open to interpretation.

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'Sweet Emotion' – Aerosmith -

Steven Tyler wrote this song when the band was going through a rough time relationship-wise, especially between him and guitarist Joe Perry.

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'Sweet Emotion' – Aerosmith -

Tyler claimed the lines "You talk about things that nobody cares, You're wearing out things that nobody wears" were actually about Perry and his girlfriend Elisa, as there was a lot of tension between him and the couple at the time.

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'Sick, Sick, Sick' - Queens of the Stone Age -

'Sick, Sick, Sick,' from Queens's 2007 album Era Vulgaris, is also thought to have a hidden message.

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'Sick, Sick, Sick' - Queens of the Stone Age -

Many think the chorus "sick, sick, sick, don't resist" actually goes "six six six, don't resist," and is actually a satanic message.

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'Stimulate' – Eminem -

The rapper's song 'Stimulate' from his '8 Mile' soundtrack also has a portion that can be played in reverse.

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'Stimulate' – Eminem -

The bridge section played backwards can be heard saying: "I'm not here to save you, I'm here for the ride, so let me entertain you, and everything will be fine."

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'Fire On High' - Electric Light Orchestra -

The Electric Light Orchestra also used the backmasking technique on their song 'Fire On High.'

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'Fire On High' - Electric Light Orchestra -

When played backwards, the lyrics in the intro say: "The music is reversible, but time is not! Turn back, turn back, turn back."

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'Free As A Bird' - The Beatles -

The original demo for this song was recorded by John Lennon in 1977, but the single was only officially released in 1995—15 years after his death.

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'Free As A Bird' - The Beatles -

The line "turned out nice again" was actually a shout-out to George Formby, a musician who played the ukulele (that was his official catchphrase). The link here was that George Harrison was a member of the George Formby Appreciation Society and played the ukulele himself.

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'Empty Spaces' - Pink Floyd -

Pink Floyd were known as the masters of hidden messages. Their album 'The Wall' was most notable for that, with the song 'Empty Spaces' being the most famous.

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'Empty Spaces' - Pink Floyd -

People noticed that when the record was turned backwards on the record player at the right moment, Roger Waters' voice could be heard saying "Congratulations, you have just discovered the secret message," before being interrupted by an incoming phone call.

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'Darling Nikki' – Prince - Prince's sexually-charged song was part of the soundtrack for his 1984 movie 'Purple Rain.' At the end of the song, the choir seems to be singing in a bizarre language...

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'Darling Nikki' – Prince -

But the King of Pop used the backmasking technique for that section, which means that when played backwards, they're actually singing: "Hello! How are you? I'm fine, 'Cuz I know that the lord is coming soon...coming, coming soon!"

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'Another One Bites The Dust' – Queen -

Queen's tune 'Another One Bites The Dust' served as the catapult for the band's big break in America, however, the lyrics still remain pretty mysterious to this day.

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'Another One Bites The Dust' – Queen -

What many people don't know is that the popular line "another one bites the dust" sounds like "decide to smoke marijuana" when played backwards!

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'Baby One More Time' - Britney Spears -

Britney's first hit was written and produced by Swedish superproducer Max Martin, and it was penned from the perspective of a young teenager whose heart has been broken after her boyfriend left her.

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'Baby One More Time' - Britney Spears -

Even though many thought the lyrics "hit me baby" were a little too literal and implied domestic violence, but Martin actually thought "hit me" was slang for "call me."

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'Imagine' - John Lennon -

'Imagine' has become a global peace anthem ever since Lennon composed it in 1971. The hit envisions a world without divisions of faith, politics, and money, but Lennon went further to call it "virtually the Communist Manifesto."

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'Imagine' - John Lennon -

He said: "Because it is sugarcoated, it is accepted. Now I understand what you have to do. Put your political message across with a little honey.”

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'Watermelon Sugar' - Harry Styles -

Harry Styles's hit song 'Watermelon Sugar' has dominated the airwaves for nearly two years now, giving fans an ample amount of time to theorize what the seemingly sweet summer track is actually about—specifically leaning towards oral pleasure. While performing onstage in Nashville on October 1, the pop star teased the crowd: "This song is about... It doesn't really matter what it's about." He continued, "It's about, uh, the sweetness of life."

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'Watermelon Sugar' - Harry Styles - He sang a few lines, then finally admitted that the song is about female pleasure, prompting his fans in the stadium, and around the world, to erupt in cheers. As you've likely already heard, the lyrics to 'Watermelon Sugar,' include, "I just wanna taste it / Watermelon sugar high."

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'All Too Well' - Taylor Swift -

Taylor Swift made waves when she released 'All Too Well' on her 2012 album 'Red,' largely because it depicted a devastating relationship and heartbreak—and because it was believed to be about a three-month relationship she had with Jake Gyllenhaal. As part of her re-recording process, Swift released a 10-minute version of the song in 2021 and simultaneously resurfaced all those old rumors.

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Taylor Swift -

The song includes the lyric, "And I left my scarf there at your sister's house / And you've still got it in your drawer even now," which fans think references a scarf that the actor was spotted wearing which apparently belonged to Swift. Ironically, during the release of this song, Gyllenhaal was actually with his sister Maggie at an awards ceremony. Maggie also previously expressed confusion a few years prior on 'Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen' about why people keep asking her about this scarf. 

If that weren't enough, the song also includes scathing lyrics like, "I'll get older but your lovers stay my age," and, "You said if we had been closer in age maybe it would have been fine / and that made me want to die," but  Gyllenhaal never commented then and he's unlikely to comment now. 

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'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' – Nursery rhyme -

No this one isn't a hit song, but the nursery rhyme does have an interesting meaning.

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'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' – Nursery rhyme -

The comparative lyrics help children develop their imagination and learn the concept of analogies.

See also: The highest-earning songs of all time

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