Song Titles We Just Now Realized We’ve Been Getting Wrong

Yep, the “Pina Colada” song is titled “Escape.” And if this comes as a surprise, it may gratify you to know that the word “escape” only appears in the song four times. 

Of course, the much more prominent “pina coladas” only appear in the song five times, so…

Rupert Holmes has expressed some disdain for the song, believing it has overshadowed the rest of his songwriting career:

I have a feeling that if I saved an entire orphanage from a fire and carried the last child out on my shoulders, as I stood there charred and smoking, they’d say, "Aren’t you the guy who wrote the piña colada song?"

"Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland is often mistakenly called “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Not surprising, given that the song begins with the lyrics “Somewhere over the rainbow.”

This song was written for the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz by composers Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg and has remained immensely popular despite being released half a century ago.

If you've been calling this one “I Would Walk 500 Miles,” or Just “500 Miles,” you're not alone. This number 1 hit in Australia is actually titled “I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles).”

The Proclaimers' song references 500 miles because it's about a man walking from London to Glasgow to be with the woman he loves. He is so devoted to this woman that he is unafraid to walk the 500-mile distance between the two places to settle down with her, or walk the same distance back home.

This song was released in 1988, but it didn't become truly popular in the US until it was featured in the movie Benny & Joon. 

Who can forget the classic reggae tune “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley and The Wailers? This song has continued to be a fan favorite around the world, but many know it by one of its most famed lyrics, “Don’t worry about a thing.” 

It's an easy mistake to make, since the title is not part of the song's hook. According to Marley's long-time friend Tony Gilbert, the song was inspired by three canaries that would often visit Marley’s windowsill at Hope Road, a place he would frequent. 

“Breakfast in America” is less well known by its title than by its opening lyrics: “Take a look at my girlfriend.” 

The song is about a British person who dreams of living in America - but an idealized, stereotypical America. As Supertramp band member Roger Hodgson explained,

…when I wrote “Breakfast in America,” I mean obviously, I had a lot of dreams. One of them was to go to America, and the America that we saw on the television was very different to the America that we’re very much more connected to today. I mean, it was very archetypal in a way…

The 1965 hit song “I Can’t Help Myself,” sung by the Four Tops, is one of the most well-known Motown songs and among the decade's biggest hits. 

Co-writer of the song Lamont Dozier explained his inspiration for the song for his 2018 Reimagination:

I stayed with my grandmother when I was a kid. She owned her own home beauty shop, and when the women would come up the walkway to get their hair done, my grandfather would be pedaling around in the garden. He was a bit of a flirt and would say, “How you doin’, sugar pie? Good morning, honey bunch.” He was one of those types of guys…