Listening to songs about being misunderstood, try to tackle those feelings and bring to light the situation you are going through. Some people may call it a cry for help, while others may view it as a form of catharsis for the artist.
Whatever it is, we can all agree that music has helped us get through tough times because it feels like you’re not alone and that someone truly understands your situation and pain.
Songs are an inherently expressive way of communicating your feelings, and most people go through life being misunderstood.
It is a terrible feeling when people never seem to understand what you’re going through, no matter what you do. It can make you feel isolated and spiral into sadness or, even worse, depression.
| Nr | Song | Artist | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exile | Taylor Swift & Bon Iver | Learn More |
| 2 | Me, Myself & I | G-Eazy & Bebe Rexha | Learn More |
| 3 | All Bad | Justin Bieber | Learn More |
| 4 | Lonely | Justin Bieber & Benny Blanco | Learn More |
| 5 | Neighbors | J Cole | Learn More |
| 6 | Reflection | Christina Aguilera | Learn More |
| 7 | Young | Sam Smith | Learn More |
| 8 | Just Give Me A Reason | P!nk & Nate Ruess | Learn More |
| 9 | Bad Child | Tones And I | Learn More |
| 10 | Hello, Goodbye | The Beatles | Learn More |
| 11 | Angel | Kate Voegele | Learn More |
| 12 | Buried Alive | Otep | Learn More |
| 13 | Mariners Apartment Complex | Lana Del Rey | Learn More |
| 14 | Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood | The Animals | Learn More |
| 15 | Sing For The Moment | Eminem | Learn More |
| 16 | Give Me One Good Reason | Blink-182 | Learn More |
| 17 | You Don’t Know Me | Armand Van Helden & Duane Harden | Learn More |
| 18 | Welcome To My Life | Simple Plan | Learn More |
| 19 | Island Girl | Elton John | Learn More |
| 20 | I Shot The Sheriff | Bob Marley | Learn More |
| 21 | The Middle | Jimmy Eat World | Learn More |
21 Songs About Being Misunderstood
Below is a compilation of popular songs from various genres that discuss the state of being misunderstood.
1. Exile – Taylor Swift & Bon Iver
Exile is from Taylor Swift’s Folklore album. It describes the event of two ex-lovers that run into each other after their relationship had ended.
It is about a misunderstanding in a relationship where the two parties never quite learn how to communicate, eventually leading to the end of the relationship. Unsurprisingly, this song was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at Grammy Awards.
Recommended: 21 Best Songs About Not Wanting To Fall In Love.
2. Me, Myself & I – G-Eazy & Bebe Rexha
“Me, Myself & I ” takes us through the life of a pop star and how fame has changed his life. He feels like nobody understands what he’s going through.
You feel G-Eazy’s struggle as he wants some alone time away from the spotlight, but that’s just the price of fame.
3. All Bad – Justin Bieber
Have you ever had people spread rumors about you? If yes, then this song is precisely for you. Justin talks about how haters keep smearing his name and how they judge him unfairly.
What stands out is that he does this so well without seeming like someone is just trying to justify himself, even though that is precisely what he was trying to do. Sometimes, all we need is someone to hear us out.
4. Lonely – Justin Bieber & Benny Blanco
This piece is my favorite of multiple songs about being misunderstood. Justin is trying to explain the struggles of having the spotlight at an early age.
His mistakes were made with the public eye on him, and everyone judged him. What I like about this song is how you see behind the fame and understand Justin’s struggle because he was just a child still learning to deal with fame.
5. Neighbors – J Cole
American rapper J Cole released the track “Neighbors” off his album “4 Your Eyez Only”. The song describes J Cole’s frustration with African Americans’ racial profiling.
The song begins with J Cole complaining that his neighbors think he sells dope due to his lifestyle. The song is based on his experience renting a North Carolina house.
6. Reflection – Christina Aguilera
The misunderstanding in this piece is not as direct as in other songs about being misunderstood. It talks about someone who hides who they are because they can’t reveal their true identity.
It’s a song from the famous Disney movie Mulan, where the girl pretends to be a boy so that she can join the army. Nonetheless, we should always be ourselves and not pretend, because other people will love us for who we are.
7. Young – Sam Smith
In this song, Sam Smith wants to enjoy life by drinking and having fun but fears that people will misunderstand and judge him.
He ends the song by welcoming people to judge because he knows he hasn’t done anything wrong. Sam Smith’s voice is beautiful and makes you feel like you should have a little fun, especially if you come from a strict background like mine.
8. Just Give Me A Reason – P!nk & Nate Ruess
Songs about being misunderstood can be the remedy you need when you feel your relationship is failing. This song hits you right in the feels, and Pink holds nothing back with her performance.
You can feel that the two are in a relationship and that they’re trying to make it work despite everything. Just Give Me a Reason shows how delicate communication is in a relationship.
Recommended: 21 Songs About Hunger That Will Make You Think.
9. Bad Child – Tones And I
Bad Child is sung from the point of view of a child who was always made to think they are terrible because they were different. The child feels like they were misunderstood and falsely accused.
This is relatable because many people have had to grow up with trauma caused by their parents and struggled to recover after they were on their own.
10. Hello, Goodbye – The Beatles
The next song on our list comes from the worldwide-known English band The Beatles. The song describes a weird relationship where people have opposite thoughts about everything. They use antonyms to put an emphasis on the misunderstandings.
11. Angel – Kate Voegele
The stereotype of girls always having to be sweet and nice is harmful to some of them. This is what Kate expresses in her song Angel. She wants to communicate that she’s not as innocent as people make her out to be, and that’s okay.
12 Buried Alive – Otep
Otep is an American heavy metal band based in Los Angeles. They wrote this song about hating your life and feeling like everyone is out to get you just because you’re different.
The singer feels like nothing is ever going to change and her life will never get better. We have to be understanding and respect our differences.
13. Mariners Apartment Complex – Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey talks about her problematic relationship with her boyfriend. Even though her partner saw her as a tragic, unfaithful figure, here she’s shown trying to convince him of her true nature.
Understanding her is hard as she’s a complicated person, but Lana is a faithful and dependable girl and she encourages her partner to be grateful for their relationship, despite the problems.
14. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood – The Animals
It is thought that Horace Ott wrote was inspired to write this song after he got in a fight with his wife. In the song, he’s apologizing to his partner about what had happened and telling her that he has good intentions. Sometimes despite trying to do our best we can be misunderstood even by our partners.
15. Sing For The Moment – Eminem
Eminem has never been afraid to talk about controversial topics, and this one it’s no different. The song is dedicated to his fans.
Being one of the most famous if not the best rapper of his time, Eminem had a huge fanbase, and that fanbase looked up to him and did literally everything he said.
Here he’s trying to deal with that situation, telling his fans that they are responsible for their own life and they should not copy everything he does/say.
Recommended: 21 Most Famous Songs About Gold Diggers.
16. Give Me One Good Reason – Blink-182
In this song, Blink-182 is describing today’s youth: how they’re easily influenced by media and change themselves in order to fit in with the crowd. They make the point that no matter what the parents do, they won’t be able to understand the new generations.
17. You Don’t Know Me – Armand Van Helden & Duane Harden
If you have trouble feeling misunderstood, this song is for you. Duane Harden was inspired to write this song about the time when he lived in Boston. Back then, people would judge him without knowing anything about him at all and he felt very misunderstood.
18. Welcome To My Life – Simple Plan
Many of us remember Simple Plan and their great songs. Welcome To My Life tells the story of having to fake a smile just so you fit in with the crowd. However, in reality, you’re different from others and nobody will be able to understand you go through.
19. Island Girl – Elton John
Famous English artist Elton John wrote this song about a Jamaican prostitute in New York City. A young man wanted to take her with him, but unfortunately, he didn’t understand that she was trapped in that life. The song tells us about the exploitative nature of the sex industry.
20. I Shot The Sheriff – Bob Marley
The god of reggae, Bob Marley sang this song about being misunderstood. He tells the story of a sheriff who always hated him for no reason, and used the power he had to bring him down.
One day the sheriff went too far and tried to shoot the protagonist down. Bob Marley, in self-defense shot him back, but nobody would believe him. Despite the dark topic, the song is very relaxing.
21. The Middle – Jimmy Eat World
Our last song on the list is by the American rock band, Jimmy Eat World. Jim Adkins got the inspiration to write this song from an email that he received from a fan.
The young fan wrote that she didn’t fit in with the punk crowd at school because she wasn’t “punk enough” for them. Then he wrote this song where he encourages her to do whatever she wants, even though others will not understand or accept her.
Last Words
Many people go through life feeling misunderstood. Whether it is a verbal misunderstanding or being misunderstood for being different, this list of songs about being misunderstood proves you are not alone and can overcome that feeling.
You can embrace your differences and learn that they are the things that make you who you are. There are songs everyone can relate to because almost everyone has to deal with being misunderstood.
