10 Songs Everyone Misunderstood As Kids
5. Third Eye Blind - Semi-Charmed Life
Third Eye Blind's sound was a welcome change of pace in the 90's. When most rock acts of the day were getting by with the more subdued dark soundscapes, these guys gave the alternative scene a shot of energy with sunny sounding tunes about life in San Francisco.
Even though the song sounds infectious, don't let that fool you into thinking the band's lyrics are all about carefree sunshine and roses. Though many 90's kids will still jam along with "Semi-Charmed Life," the band lays out their more nefarious escapades in great detail on this track. In lieu of talking about beach days in California, singer Stephan Jenkins has spoken at length about how the song stemmed from an experience he had with his friends who were addicted to crystal meth.
Speed is even mentioned in the lyrics, but most don't bother listening past the golden guitar riffs. Instead of being inspired by bands like Cheap Trick, the lyric sheet for this song seems to be a Californian companion piece to songs like by more intense acts like the Velvet Underground. So next time you throw this song on a 90's playlist, take a listen behind the "doo doo doos" to hear something a lot more intense.