Have you ever wondered how to find the meaning of a song? You probably like a lot of music, but the best songs are usually ones with lyrics that make you ponder when you really consider them.
Next time you want to get lyric interpretations from a song, you can turn to the internet. Here are the best sites for looking up the meanings of songs, whether official or through someone else’s perspective.
1. SongMeanings
Arguably the best song meanings website, SongMeanings.com has been around for decades. Look up any song, and you’ll find lyrics and (hopefully) comments discussing them. In 2011, the site partnered with LyricFind in order to officially license lyrics for many songs.
On the main page, you’ll see top artists, trending songs, and recent comments. If you aren’t interested in any of those, simply search with the bar at the top. This will show songs, albums, and artists that match your query. If you browse an artist page, you can easily see how many comments each of their songs have.
You can read comments without logging in, but you’ll need to make an account to contribute to the site. The site allows you to respond to other people’s comments, as well as add your own. If you register, you can also edit lyrics if you find a mistake.
At the time of writing, the site contained nearly 1.1 million lyrics and 1.7 million comments, so you’re bound to find a discussion on a song you like. It’s a great first stop when you want to see what other people think of a song.
2. Songfacts
This one provides something a little different than song interpretation websites. Instead of people offering their thoughts on what a song means, it collects interesting bits of info on specific music tracks.
The homepage has highlighted artists and songs, as well as interesting categories (such as “songs with beverages in the title”). Search for a song or artist using the bar at the top—just note that Songs is the default, so you’ll need to switch to the Artists tab manually if you search for one.
Once you select a song, you’ll see various Songfacts about it. Not all of these have citations, though some of them do link to relevant interviews or videos. While there’s no way to confirm these facts are 100% correct, the site doesn’t let visitors add them. Thus, you can be reasonably sure the information is accurate.
Some bands also have “Artistfacts,” which are similar factoids that concern the band as a whole. Take a look and maybe you’ll learn something new about your favorite bands.
3. Genius
Genius has provided users with the ability to look up the meaning of songs since 2009. While it was originally founded as Rap Genius with a focus on hip-hop music, it’s since branched out to cover every genre.
Like the other sites, you can search for a song or artist using the top bar. Take a look at top tracks for an artist if you like, then click a song. You’ll see its lyrics, along with information about the track’s recording.
The rest of what you see depends on the song. Some include artist-sourced information about the track or even the whole album. Otherwise, Genius’s key feature is that you can annotate certain lyrics and add your thoughts on them. You’ll see a gray highlight around lyrics someone has annotated. Click them to take a look.
You can view these without an account, but you’ll need to sign up to take full advantage of the site. This allows you to post your own annotations, suggest improvements to what others have added, and upvote/downvote annotations. You can also leave a comment if you don’t have anything specific lines to annotate.
4. Lyric Interpretations
This site isn’t as polished as the above, but it’s still worth stopping by if your search for a song meaning hasn’t been satisfied yet. Search for a song or select one from the homepage, and you’ll see various interpretations posted by other users.
Everyone who visits the site can rate these interpretations from one to five stars. The best ones rise to the top, but of course this doesn’t mean they’re the official meaning.
If you’re looking to discover more music with interesting lyrics, you’ll see categories on the site’s sidebar that you can explore. These include “songs that tell a story” and “songs about not being good enough,” among others.
5. LyricsMode
This site isn’t popular as the above, so you might struggle to find lyrics on it. But it’s still worth mentioning in a collection of song meaning websites.
Like the others, you’ll see feeds of hot tracks and artists on the homepage. Search for something you’d like to dig into using the top bar, and you can read the track’s lyrics.
On the lyric page, you can either highlight a specific bit of the lyrics and explain them, or leave a comment to explain the overall meaning. Neatly, you can also highlight some lyrics and click Request to ask the community what they think that part means.
6. Wikipedia
Still can’t find information about the lyrics of your favorite song? Try turning to Wikipedia if nothing else has given you the answers you seek. While it’s not a proper lyrics meaning website, you’ll often find a bit of backstory on albums and songs when you look them up.
Simply search for the name of the song you want to look up. For singles and other popular songs, Wikipedia typically includes a dedicated page with information about the song’s performance, reception, and other information. You’ll sometimes find background or meaning info in a dedicated section or the intro.
If you can’t find any info on the particular track, try looking at the album’s entry. There might be more detailed info on certain tracks or the album’s overall themes there. You should also take a look at enhanced Wikipedia tools if you enjoy using it to search for lyrics.
How to Figure Out a Song’s Meaning, Made Easy
Next time you want to find the meaning of a song, you now know where to look. Most of these websites are built on people like you who want to dig deeper into their favorite music.
Thus, after you discover the meaning of some lyrics, why not pay it forward and comment on a few songs yourself? You never know who will appreciate it in the future.
If you’re looking for some new music, why not look into some timeless ways to discover fresh tunes?
Read the full article: The 6 Best Websites to Find the Meaning of a Song
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