Cheating is wrong, but when you hear about shady affairs in song form? Not so much. Have you noticed that a bunch of songs we all used to jam to are about people proudly claiming they stole someone’s partner or that they are trying to keep an affair on the low? Again, so wrong, but it sounds so right! It took us a while to realize that these 10 songs were a little problematic and somewhat trifling. Sorry, we were too busy dancing. *Kanye shrug*
“He’s Mine” by Monkenstef
Definitely a groove-worthy song, but there’s nothing cute about proudly proclaiming that a cheating man is coming home to you at the end of the night. How did we miss lyrics like “Played you like a trick ‘Cuz you let him hit” and “You had him once but it’s me on his mind”?
“You’re The One” by SWV
My jam! And when I first started listening to it, I assumed, by the chorus alone, that it was about finding the love of your life and not about an “undercover romance” with a taken-a** man.
How naive, especially since the first verse has Coko singing, “I know that you’re somebody else’s guy, but these feelings that I have for you I can’t deny.”
“Saving All My Love For You” by Whitney Houston
People used to sing “Saving All My Love For You” like it was “The Greatest Love of All,” not realizing that the song AND the video are about falling head-over-heels for a married man with a family. Whitney’s sweet vocals overshadowed the foolishness quite perfectly, but reportedly, her mother, Cissy, was not a fan of the track.
“You Make Me Wanna” by Usher
This one is basically, in today’s terms, a long a** text message that got leaked out between two people passionately sexting. But damn it if Usher, his dance moves, and his good looks didn’t have you singing the chorus proudly.
“Confessions” by Destiny’s Child
How old was Beyoncé and co. when they were singing this song? I blame Missy. Off of “The Writings On The Wall” album, the title should have given the whole thing away. But when we were passing the CD around during passing periods, we were proudly singing about a dude named Mike picking us up and wrapping his arms around our waists and spending another man’s money–all things that we were definitely not engaging in at the time. Well, at least I wasn’t…
“How’s It Going Down?” by DMX
Most people were DMX-heads back in the day, and “How’s It Goin’ Down?” is a classic for fans. But who really cared about the fact that he was having an affair with a girl who had a crazy boyfriend? Nope, we were just memorizing stuff and spitting it back, specifically the lyrics: “What types of games is being played, how’s it going down? If it’s on till it’s gone, then I gots to know now…”
“As We Lay” by Shirley Murdock
Whether we’re talking about the Shirley Murdock or Kelly Price version, all we heard when that song came on was, “It’s moooooorniiiiiiiing…” But we conveniently let the other lyrics and their meaning slip out of our consciousness as we tried to hit the high notes. But I can’t lie, both women SANG this trifling song about two taken individuals having a one-night stand.
“Get It On Tonite” by Montell Jordan
Scheming on his 2-way pager, Jordan was so bold with his disrespect for his lady that he referred to her as a “chicken” while in conversation with the lady he wanted to hook up with. And it got worse: “I gotta get away/from a love that kills me everyday.” But when I first heard this song, I was just focused on doing my ‘getting jiggy wit it’ dance moves and two-step as opposed to actually paying attention to the lyrics.
“Last Time” by Trey Songz
After the “Gotta Make It” days, but before the “I Invented Sex” era, Trey Songz had us all grooving to “Last Time.” It’s a song about him trying to cease his cheating ways…But first! One last round of raunchy sex before he returns to the woman he really wants to be with.
“Creep” by TLC
What can I say? TLC can do no wrong…even with a song about happily stepping out so that a gal can get hers since her cheating man is out there running wild: “I’ll never leave him down, though I might mess around it’s only ’cause I need some affection.”
“My Little Secret” by Xscape
Listening to “My Little Secret” and Usher’s “Confessions,” it’s clear that Jermaine Dupri sure knows how to write some cheating anthems (clearly he’s been living a little trife). I used to swear this song was about women trying to hide a relationship with someone they felt that people would judge them for dating. But no, the lyrics were very clear, I just wasn’t listening: “Everybody cheats, but you gotta know how, you gotta know when.”
