Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Trending
  • Gamescom 2025 schedule
  • Gamescom
  • Battlefield 6
  • New Games for 2025
Don't miss these
Mario Kart World screenshot featuring Mario and a P Switch
Super Mario Nintendo proves nothing is too niche for Mario Kart World's massive soundtrack with a remix of a drawing tutorial from a late 2000s DSi app
Mixtape protagonists lounge in a sunlit bedroom with purple walls and fairy lights
Adventure Games Nostalgic indie game from publisher Annapurna is a "respite from the current cursed reality" inspired by real-life, dev says: "Ended about as well as you can expect, including a nice scar, and cow s***"
Screenshot from Rhythm Heaven Fever, showing a macho wrestler tense his muscles while the shadows of paparazzi loom in the foreground.
Action Games Alt-pop princess Pinkpantheress snuck sound bites from Nintendo's cult Wii hit Rhythm Heaven Fever into her music ahead of its new Switch game: "It’s the game that got me through my teens"
Mixtape appearing in FGS Live from LA
Games Mixtape sent a sherpa up a mountain to get the rights to use a song, and Grand Theft Auto has "nothing on our toilet paper tech"
Silent Hill 2 Remake in-development screenshot
Silent Hill Silent Hill 2 composer Akira Yamaoka says making the game's soundtrack "felt almost like touching something divine" because he got to design sound for the game's many "smells"
A Minecraft Movie chicken jockey scene
Minecraft Minecraft adds the viral Lava Chicken song from the movie into the game, but to get it you'll need to defeat a foe so rare I've not even seen one in my 16 years of playing
How to enter GTA 5 cheats
Grand Theft Auto "This dude’s gonna single-handedly delay GTA 6 for several years": Bold truth seeker asks if GTA 5 street signs are actually legal, commissions a mod that corrects Rockstar's many mistakes
Mixtape reveal trailer
Adventure Games Nostalgic new Mixtape trailer demonstrates the impossible power of a Life is Strange-like: I now want to attend my high school reunion
The camera angles as Beat hits a hold note in Unbeatable's Steam demo
Adventure Games I thought only needing two buttons would make this Steam Next Fest rhythm demo easier... I couldn't have been more wrong
Screenshot of Kojima Productions' OD (Overdose) showing actor Sophia Lillis' disturbing Unreal Engine 5 screentest
Games Hideo Kojima shares bizarre "I didn't f*** the fridge" song he got off a USB drive from a "multidisciplinary artist" in London, and nobody's sure whether to believe this is viral OD marketing or just Kojima being Kojima
Mass Effect 2 - Garrus
Adventure Games The 25 best video game stories to play right now
Multiple Jans discuss their situation in The Alters
Survival Games My current GOTY contender sold itself to me with an out-of-nowhere musical number, and I can't praise that choice enough
A screenshot of the upcoming PC game, There Are No Ghosts at the Grand.
Adventure Games Fresh from the Xbox Showcase, There Are No Ghosts At The Grand is the supernatural powerwashing musical I didn't know I needed
Final Fantasy 10 HD Remaster
Final Fantasy This Final Fantasy 10 Easter egg is a reference to the JRPG the 2001 installment never became, and it's so obscure that even Square Enix forgot to include it in its remaster
A cropped screenshot from Undertale, showing Frisk and Sans standing in Grillby's in Snowdin.
RPGs 17 years after it was released, I'm tracing Undertale and Deltarune's origins back to Toby Fox's spooky Earthbound mod
  1. Games
  2. Action

7 radio hits that are secretly about games

Features
By Lucas Sullivan published 25 July 2013

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Nice try, record labels

Nice try, record labels

You can't fool us. Every day, millions of ears absorb the sound waves of hit singles, oblivious to the message they're being sent. But when was the last time you actually listened to the lyrics? Ever notice themes that feltfamiliar? News flash. Corporate America, the Illuminati, the games industry--it's all connected. Any time you buy a game, your hard-earned dollars are going into the pockets of the next teen idol. You think pop sensations make their money on music alone? Wake up.

We've read between the lines. We see through the illusion, understand what games these songs are subversively trying to promote. And now, we want to open your eyes to the conspiracy that's happening all around you. Turn on a radio, and any one of the following songs is bound to start playing eventually. Once you piece together the following puzzles, you too will understand just what exactly it is that you're hearing.

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of 9
"Get Lucky" - Daft Punk ft. Pharrell

"Get Lucky" - Daft Punk ft. Pharrell

Hear it for yourself

What they want you to think: Two star-crossed lovers just don't want the night to end. The girl is simply having a good time, partying 'til the sun rises. The boy is hopeful that, with any luck, he'll be able to take this relationship to the next level.

The truth: Is this the description of a carefree date, or the trippy block climber/relationship simulator Catherine? We say the lyrics all point to the latter. Protagonist Vincent spends all his nocturnal hours in the Stray Sheep Bar, wrestling with the prospect of wedding Katherine or wooing Catherine. "We've come too far to give up who we are / So let's raise the bar and our cups to the stars" sounds like the kind of toast Vincent would give after a night of drunken soul-searching. And get lucky he shall--as long as he can overcome a series of deeply disturbing nightmares.

Page 2 of 9
Page 2 of 9
"I Love It" - Icona Pop

"I Love It" - Icona Pop

Hear it for yourself

What they want you to think: These two women are rebels, and they want you to know it. Not ones to be tied down in a relationship, they've taken their devil-may-care attitude to new extremes, recklessly destroying property just for fun. And they love it.

The truth: Rockstar almost had us fooled, until we heard the line "I crashed my car into the bridge / I don't care; I love it." Bingo. No sane individual would be completely apathetic about crashing their motor vehicle into a bridge, let alone watching it burn and enjoying every last second of it. Unless, that is, that car was virtual, and finding a replacement was as simple as carjacking some hapless AI. Clearly, Icona Pop are enjoying a sandbox crime spree in Grand Theft Auto IV, knowing full well that any automotive destruction has no bearing on real life.

Page 3 of 9
Page 3 of 9
"Bubble Butt (Remix)" - Major Lazer ft. Bruno Mars, 2 Chainz, Mystic, & Tyga

"Bubble Butt (Remix)" - Major Lazer ft. Bruno Mars, 2 Chainz, Mystic, & Tyga

Hear it for yourself

What they want you to think: Throughout the ages, rappers have a taken a fondness towards women with exceptionally large butts. This is seemingly just another in a long line of booty worshipping anthems.

The truth: The only way this could be any more obvious is if twin dragons Bub and Bob actually made an appearance in the music video. Taito is no doubt taking aim at a new market for Puzzle Bobble fandom, enlisting the aid of some of today's hottest artists. The popular arcade puzzler offers an endless stream of bubbles, much like the lyrics; the addition of the word "butt" is simply there to throw lesser intellects off the trail. And 2 Chainz speaks the truth: "Drop it low / Put it in the dirt." Mr. Chainz is absolutely right--you will die an early death if you bounce your bubbles too close to the bottom of the screen.

Page 4 of 9
Page 4 of 9
"Safe and Sound" - Capital Cities

"Safe and Sound" - Capital Cities

Hear it for yourself

What they want you to think: No matter what's wrong with the world, this relationship will shield you from harm. With the compatibility between you two, nothing can stop your love.

The truth: This is the ballad of a Missile Command pro in song form. "Even if we're six feet underground / I know that we'll be safe and sound" denotes the bunker from which Capital Cities launches counter-missile interceptors. Because of their adept aim and multitasking skills, all adjacent cities will stay protected under this barrage of enemy attacks. "Even if the sky is falling down / I know that we'll be safe and sound," they say. And you know what? We believe them.

Page 5 of 9
Page 5 of 9
"We Can't Stop" - Miley Cyrus

"We Can't Stop" - Miley Cyrus

Hear it for yourself

What they want you to think: No longer bound by the shackles of the Disney Channel, Miley Cyrus has morphed into a nigh unrecognizable party addict. Dropping ecstasy, twerking, cavorting around with barely any clothes on, and doing lines of cocaine--just another night in the life of this rebellious child star.

The truth: With all the tongue-in-cheek shock tactics on display in the music video, along with the drug-fueled madness suggested by the lyrics, Cyrus seems to be channeling the over-the-top kitsch of Saints Row: The Third. Like the attitude adopted by The Saints gang, Miley insists "Doing whatever we want / This is our house / This is our rules." In all honestly, with how wacked-out everything in the music video is, a clip of someone being beaten to death by a giant purple dildo probably wouldn't feel too out of place.

Page 6 of 9
Page 6 of 9
"Radioactive" - Imagine Dragons

"Radioactive" - Imagine Dragons

Hear it for yourself

What they want you to think: A revolution of change--be it social, musical, environmental, whatever--is afoot, warping the world into an unfamiliar wasteland. Or, as the amusing music video suggests, we're all unaware of an underground fight club that pits stuffed animals against each other for human amusement.

The truth: Guys, next time you want to pay homage to the Fallout series, try not to be so obvious about it. This song is almost a word-for-word description of someone leaving the Vault for the first time, thrust into the nuclear post-apocalypse of 21st century America. Lines like "I'm waking up to ash and dust / I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust / I'm breathing in the chemicals" suggest that perhaps this particular player is succumbing to mutation by way of radiation. With the toxic environment nearly being "Enough to make my systems blow," it seems their arm-mounted Pip-Boy 3000 might be on the fritz.

Page 7 of 9
Page 7 of 9
"Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke

"Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke

Hear it for yourself

What they want you to think: This trio of finely dressed men have identified you as a prime target for sex, and have made it their mission to coerce you into sleeping with them. Even though your appearance suggest that you are, in fact, a good girl, there is no doubt in Thicke, T.I., and Pharrell's minds that you are wild in the bedroom.

The truth: If he wasn't so obviously talking about Nintendogs, Thicke would likely be labeled as the biggest chauvinist in America. How else could he skyrocket to the top of the charts with lyrics like "You the hottest bitch in this place / I feel so lucky" unless he was showing off his prized canine amidst a room of fellow 3DS owners? We struggle to imagine how lines like "Tried to domesticate you / But you're an animal, baby / It's in your nature" could be Thicke's description of a grown woman.

Page 8 of 9
Page 8 of 9
Do you hear what we hear

Do you hear what we hear

Let your imagination run wild, and most any song lyrics can start to paint a gaming-related picture. Got any crackpot--er, irrefutable song-to-game theories of your own? Share them in the comments!

And if you're looking for more musical numbers, check out Top 7 Michael Jackson involvements in gaming and The best uses of pop music in video games.

Page 9 of 9
Page 9 of 9
CATEGORIES
Android iPad iPhone PC Gaming Wii-u Nintendo PlayStation PS4 Xbox Xbox One Platforms Mobile Gaming
PRODUCTS
Grand Theft Auto V Fallout 3 Catherine Bust-A-Move Universe Saints Row: The Third
Lucas Sullivan
Lucas Sullivan
Social Links Navigation

Lucas Sullivan is the former US Managing Editor of GamesRadar+. Lucas spent seven years working for GR, starting as an Associate Editor in 2012 before climbing the ranks. He left us in 2019 to pursue a career path on the other side of the fence, joining 2K Games as a Global Content Manager. Lucas doesn't get to write about games like Borderlands and Mafia anymore, but he does get to help make and market them. 

See more PC Gaming Features
Read more
Mario Kart World screenshot featuring Mario and a P Switch
Nintendo proves nothing is too niche for Mario Kart World's massive soundtrack with a remix of a drawing tutorial from a late 2000s DSi app
Mixtape protagonists lounge in a sunlit bedroom with purple walls and fairy lights
Nostalgic indie game from publisher Annapurna is a "respite from the current cursed reality" inspired by real-life, dev says: "Ended about as well as you can expect, including a nice scar, and cow s***"
Screenshot from Rhythm Heaven Fever, showing a macho wrestler tense his muscles while the shadows of paparazzi loom in the foreground.
Alt-pop princess Pinkpantheress snuck sound bites from Nintendo's cult Wii hit Rhythm Heaven Fever into her music ahead of its new Switch game: "It’s the game that got me through my teens"
Mixtape appearing in FGS Live from LA
Mixtape sent a sherpa up a mountain to get the rights to use a song, and Grand Theft Auto has "nothing on our toilet paper tech"
Silent Hill 2 Remake in-development screenshot
Silent Hill 2 composer Akira Yamaoka says making the game's soundtrack "felt almost like touching something divine" because he got to design sound for the game's many "smells"
A Minecraft Movie chicken jockey scene
Minecraft adds the viral Lava Chicken song from the movie into the game, but to get it you'll need to defeat a foe so rare I've not even seen one in my 16 years of playing
Latest in Action
Hideo Kojima in a screenshot from the Xbox and Bethesda 2022 showcase.
Hideo Kojima will give a "glimpse into future projects" at his "Beyond The Strand" anniversary event for Kojima Productions' 10th birthday this month
Kaser stands in front of a glowing blue background as the imprisoned dragon Lord Arena swirls behind him like a fish - key art from Lost Soul Aside used on the PlayStation store
Lost Soul Aside review: "We (don't) have Final Fantasy Versus 13 at home"
Valor Mortis
Ghostrunner devs abandon parkour for Valor Mortis, a first-person soulslike that might explain why the rest of the genre follows Dark Souls' lead
A screenshot of James Bond in 007 First Light's reveal trailer.
007 First Light is getting its own dedicated PlayStation State of Play this week, with "over 30 minutes of gameplay" including James Bond's "first mission as an MI6 recruit"
Hollow Knight: Silksong
When is Hollow Knight Silksong out? Release date and time
Hollow Knight: Silksong screenshot showing Hornet being attacked by a giant enemy.
Hollow Knight: Silksong price is $20, Team Cherry confirms, laughing in the face of $80 games as it cements one of the most anticipated indies of all time as just $5 more than its predecessor
Latest in Features
Borderlands 4 screenshot shows someone holding a weapon forward towards the camera.
"We tend to commit to the bit": Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford talks Borderlands 4, the evolution of looter-shooters, and $80 game discourse
A mech firing a machine gun in the desert in Menace
Menace is an XCOM-Warhammer hybrid that makes turn-based strategy feel like an immersive sim, and for the first time in my life I'm playing a game that seems made for me
Metal Gear Solid 5 showing Snake and Ocelot looking to the horizon in front of more soldiers
10 years later, Metal Gear Solid 5 remains a masterpiece that was never going to live up to its own hype
Dogtooth
The new Yorgos Lanthimos movie is getting rave first reactions out of Venice Film Festival, but I think it's worth revisiting his breakout feature Dogtooth before Bugonia hits theaters this fall
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Legacy of the Forge DLC showing Henry and two allies standing looking down
I built a home and ran a business in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's next DLC, and the added role-playing guarantees I'll spend another 70 hours in my current game of the year
D&D Player's Handbook laid out on a wooden surface
Will romantasy be the next great crossover for Dungeons & Dragons? Fourth Wing could be the perfect D&D setting, if you ask me
  1. Kaser clad in black and Victor in white clash swords in Lost Soul Aside
    1
    Lost Soul Aside review: "We (don't) have Final Fantasy Versus 13 at home"
  2. 2
    Hell is Us review: "The lack of waypoints and explicit objectives is a double-edged magical sword that pulls me deep into its harsh world"
  3. 3
    Shuten Order review: "The Danganronpa creator's new multi-genre mystery feels like a forgotten DS cult classic I would have been obsessed with"
  4. 4
    The Rogue Prince of Persia review: "I roguelike but don't roguelove this freerunner – there's just not enough to stand out"
  5. 5
    Shinobi: Art of Vengeance review: "So close to being to a pitch-perfect revival of a classic series, but just can't quite line up the killing blow"
  1. Jacob Elordi as the monster in Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein
    1
    Frankenstein review: "A classy, if somewhat safe, adaptation"
  2. 2
    Weapons review: "A twisted fairytale that bests Barbarian"
  3. 3
    The Fantastic Four: First Steps review: "An occasionally thrilling heroic adventure that sits safely within a B-tier MCU range"
  4. 4
    Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU"
  5. 5
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  1. John Cena as Peacemaker holds a gun to the head of a different John Cena as Peacemaker in Peacemaker season 2.
    1
    Peacemaker season 2 review: "Darker and sadder than the first year, but there's still a lot of fun to be had with the 11th Street Kids."
  2. 2
    Wednesday season 2 part 1 review: "Complex and exciting but weighed down by too many subplots"
  3. 3
    Alien: Earth review: "Arguably the franchise's strongest outing since James Cameron's Aliens"
  4. 4
    King of the Hill season 14 review: "Hank Hill himself has evolved into a much more open and accepting person"
  5. 5
    Eyes of Wakanda review: "A creative premise shortchanged by the runtime and Marvel bloat"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...