1. Taylor Swift's 'Bad Blood'
Swift has turned the subtle diss song into an artform.
It seems each song brings out a legion Swift-ology scholars who comb through the lyrics and her personal life to uncover the real meaning/references in her songs. See this long
Washington Post article that lays out the "Katy Perry" case for 'Bad Blood.' Long story short, it has to do with tour backup dancers.
But now Swift is keeping us guessing, telling
GQ this month that:
"I never said anything that would point a finger in the specific direction of one specific person, and I can sleep at night knowing that. I knew the song would be assigned to a person, and the easiest mark was someone who I didn’t want to be labeled with this song."
But, in the interview she also makes it clear that the song is meant to show that a friendship breakup can be just as devastating as a romantic one.
2. Kacey Musgraves 'Old Boys Club'
The country star might have taken her own veiled shot at T-Swift and the previous generation of country acts.
In her song 'Old Boys Club' she has the line:
"Another gear in a big machine doesn't sound fun to me."
It is worth noting that Big Machine is a big country record label that represents T- Swift and other acts like Tim McGraw and Rascal Flatts.
Musgraves has sung to the beat of her own drum with unconventional country hits such as "Follow your Arrow"
She does not reference the line in her behind-the-scenes video of the song, but she has performed with Katy Perry in the past. So is she sticking up for her friend in the 'Bad Blood' feud?
3. Carly Simon's 'You're So Vain'
The holy grail of the "Who is this really about?" song, "Vain" has been one of the most discussed and dissected songs of all time. Over the years Warren Beatty, James Taylor, Mick Jagger and others have been rumored to be the subject.
Simon has made the mystery over the song into a game.
Since it's 1972 release she has mentioned that the name contains the letters A, E, R. In 1980, she said that at least part of the song was referring to her former flame Warren Beatty.
She has sometimes said the subject was actually a composite of three people. However, that has been challenged by a charity auction that she did where she told Dick Ebersol of NBC Sports (who bid $50,000 on the name on the condition he could not reveal it). Afterward, Ebersol seemed to indicate there was only one name.
4. Maroon 5 'Harder to Breathe'
The pop hit that sounds like a typical post-breakup anthem is actually a thinly veiled rant at the band's record label. Singer Adam Levine
told MTV about the song "I wanted to make a record and the label was applying a lot of pressure." He clarified: “It was the 11th hour, and the label wanted more songs." But, he goes on to say he was "happy" that they did because of the result.
5. Kendrick Lamar's 'King Kunta'
The diss song is a storied tradition of the rap genre. Rappers have no problem calling out others directly in their songs (just ask Meek Mill and Drake this fall). But, sometimes it's a little more between the lines. In Lamar's 2015 hit "King Kunta," some say he's calling out rappers such as Kanye, Jay Z, and Drake with references to "the throne" and a verse about stars having others write for them.
From Rap Genius
"I can dig rappin'
But a rapper with a ghost writer? What the f%& happened?
Oh No,
I swore I wouldn't tell
But most of y'all are sharing bars like you got the bottom bunk in a two-man cell."
Lamar expanded on his ghostwriting line in a 2015 interview with MTV
6. Green Day's Good Riddance (time of your life)
Released in 1997 and a "must play" at high school proms and graduation parties ever since, this Green Day song was not designed to be the nostalgia inducing ode it's become.
Singer Billie Joe Armstrong wrote it after a bitter breakup with his girlfriend, who moved away to Ecuador.
Originally composed as a glib, angry, sarcastic kiss goodbye (hence the "Good Riddance" part of the title), the end product has taken on a life of its own.
7. Gwen Stefani's 'Hollaback Girl'
This track of high school-girl-braggadocio is said to be a slam of Courtney Love by the former No Doubt singer. The pair have battled over the years, with Love alluding to an affair she allegedly had with Stefani's former husband Gavin Rossdale, and Stefani throwing jabs over Love's relationship Kurt Cobain. In 2004, Love criticized Stefani in a Seventeen magazine article dismissing her a "cheerleader." In apparent response, Stefani released "Hollaback," singing:
"I heard you were talking s*&#
And you didn't think that I would hear it
People Hear you talking like that, getting everybody fired up
So I'm ready to attack, gonna lead the pack
Gonna get a touchdown, gonna take you out."
All while dressed as a cheerleader in the music video.
8. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts "Bad Reputation"
While this may feel like a general punk teenage rebellion anthem, the song is probably much more literal. Jett reportedly wrote the song in
direct response to the record labels that had refused to work with her after her The Runaways days. She ended up starting her own Blackheart Records because of her "bad reputation."
9. Justin Timberlake's 'Cry Me a River'
About as veiled as mosquito netting over a Times Square neon sign, this song is "reportedly" a reference to JT's breakup with his longtime girlfriend Britney Spears.
Spears talked about Timberlake calling her before the music video release in a 2004 Rolling Stone article. She recalls JT telling her, "You're in a video that's coming out," and saying she could veto it. Spears said she did not see the video before it came out but called it "a desperate attempt, personally, but that was a great way to sell the record. He's a smart guy."
Britney may have gotten her revenge with the
release of "Toxic" and its music video
10. Alannis Morisette's 'You Oughta Know'
Call this one the "You're so Vain" of the mid-'90s. The Morisette hit has been linked to
"Full House" actor Dave Coulier. Coulier and Morisette dated in the early '90s. At times, Coulier has admitted he's the subject (even to Oprah), but other times has denied it as well. Others rumored to be the subject include Matt LeBlanc, who appeared in another Morisette video, and a professional hockey player. Morisette herself has been coy about the identity of "you."
On a random music sidenote: Jane's Addiction's Dave Navarro and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea played on the studio version of the song.
11. Sheryl Crow's 'My Favorite Mistake'
Released in 1998, this song also had many trying to suss out who the subject was. Rumors were that it may have been Eric Clapton or Jakob Dylan. Crow told Billboard magazine, "Oh, there will be just so much speculation, and because of that there's great safety and protection in the fact that people will be guessing so many different people and I'm the only person who will ever really know. " She reportedly later told the press that she did not think her relationship with Clapton was a mistake, seeming to put that name theory to bed.
12. Hall & Oates' 'Rich Girl'
According to an interview with Rolling Stone The '70s hit was actually about a man who was the ex-boyfriend of Daryl Hall's then-girlfriend. However, they changed the sex of the song because "girl" sounded better.
13. Aerosmith's 'Dude Looks like a Lady'
This one is less diss than elaborate inside joke.
One version of the story goes that Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler saw what he thought was a pretty blonde in a bar, but when he approached "her" she turned out to be Motley Crue's Vince Neill. Other versions say were out partying at a drag bar and came up with the hit.

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