Have you ever felt confused and turned to music for help? So many of us have — and so many musicians have done the same. As a result, many musicians and songwriters themselves have written about confusion in their own songs!
Below, we’ve listed 20 of our favorite songs about confusion. There are a variety of different genres here, but every song is a great listen if you’re feeling a bit lost.
1. “Dazed and Confused” by Led Zeppelin
“Dazed and Confused” by Led Zeppelin is often touted as one of the greatest songs of all time. Thus, it’s surely one of the best songs ever written about feeling confused!
“Dazed and Confused”, which was released in 1969 on Led Zeppelin, follows a toxic relationship and whether one should stay in it or not. To this day, this song is one of the most popular rock songs!
The history of the song is quite interesting. Jimmy Page’s earlier band The Yardbirds first recorded the song — which itself was a reworking of a song written by Jake Holmes!
2. “Mixed Up Confusion” by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is one of the greatest modern songwriters around. So, it’s not a major surprise to see one of his songs here on this list. If anyone can write about confusion and relate to others, it’s Dylan.
“Mixed Up Confusion” was originally supposed to be on Dylan’s album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, though it didn’t end up making the cut. However, Dylan did release the song as his first single, even though it didn’t make the album!
“Mixed Up Confusion” is, much as the title suggests, a song about a very confused Dylan. Dylan simply sings about how confused he is about life, about women, about everything. The lyrics also state that this confusion arises because “There’s too many people / And they’re all too hard to please”.
3. “Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today)” by The Temptations
The Temptations released “Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today)” in 1970. The song became a huge hit and Billboard even ranked the song as the 24th best song of the year!
This Temptations song itself is often touted as having a “psychedelic soul” style. Interestingly, the song is also often considered a proto-rap song, or a song that was a precursor to modern rap songs!
As for the meaning of the song, the title “Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today)” deftly sums everything up. Throughout the song, The Temptations sing about all the various problems people of the world suffer through and how everybody is confused about it.
Many artists have covered this wonderful song in the years since The Temptations released it in 1970, including Leon Bridges, Tina Turner, and Duran Duran!
4. “Confusion” by New Order
“Confusion” by New Order also deals with confusion about a romantic relationship. The song opens up with the lyrics “Confusion / You just can’t believe me / Confusion / When I show you what you mean to me”.
Throughout the rest of the song, which New Order released in 1983, we learn more about how this relationship has seemingly entered a period of confusion. Even though the narrator has shown his partner how he feels, they don’t trust or believe him.
Confusion in the relationship then grows.
5. “Confusion” by Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra released “Confusion” on their 1979 album Discovery to great success. The song is a great mix of rock, pop, and even a bit of disco!
This song also deals with the feeling of confusion in a romantic relationship. The song discusses how someone can feel confused after the ending of a relationship and how lost and unsure they feel!
6. “Confused” by Lenny Kravitz
As with many of the songs on this list, “Confused” by Lenny Kravitz deals with Kravitz’s confusion in a romantic relationship. Kravitz is confused, as he doesn’t know what to do or who to choose to be with.
The lyrics suggest that Kravitz cannot settle down with one woman (“I just met another woman on the other side of town”).
However, this song also seems to deal with bigger confusion about the world in general. Throughout the song, Kravitz discusses his confusion about what he sees on the news, for example.
7. “I’m Confused” by The Muffs
“I’m Confused” by The Muffs deals with confusion about life in general. Throughout the song, we seemingly learn facts about the narrator and what they like or don’t like.
However, the chorus (a simple, repeated “Yeah, I’m confused”) suggests that there’s more uncertainty to the narrator than one would initially guess. A great pop-punk song from the 1990s!
8. “Where Is My Mind” by The Pixies
And now, for one of the greatest songs about confusion — and really just one of the greatest songs of all time! The Pixies released “Where Is My Mind” on their 1988 album Surfer Rosa.
Many generations continue to love this song, and Rolling Stone has even ranked it as one of the best 500 songs of all time (at #493)!
Literally, the song is about snorkeling and seeing a fish in the water. However, fans have taken a deeper meaning to it and many believe the song to be about feeling confused and losing your mind.
9. “I Can’t Explain” by The Who
The Who’s “I Can’t Explain” — released in 1965 — details one’s confusion and feelings of becoming lost when it comes to love. The chorus’s lyrics state that the narrator “Can’t explain, I think it’s love / Try to explain it to you when I feel blue / But I can’t explain”.
The song was a big hit when it was released, and it continues to be popular today. Covers of the song by Scorpions and David Bowie have also helped keep this song about confusion relevant in pop culture throughout the decades!
10. “Carry On Wayward Son” by Kansas
“Carry On Wayward Son” by Kansas is often considered one of the best songs ever created. While many have different beliefs about what this song means, the band has come out and said it doesn’t actually have any biblical relation to any specific religion.
Instead, the song simply details spiritual alienation. Throughout the song, we learn how lost the narrator feels. However, the chorus reminds the narrator to “Carry on, my wayward son / There’ll be peace when you are done”.
The song also details how those who are wise and say they know all truly don’t (“And if I claim to be a wise man, well / It surely means that I don’t know”). Instead, we are all confused and feel lost in the chaos. But that’s okay!
11. “Communication Breakdown” by Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin released “Communication Breakdown” in 1969. The song became a huge hit and is still admired by so many people and artists today.
Throughout the song, we learn the singer has romantic feelings for a woman. However, “communication breakdown” leads to confusion and keeps the girl from seemingly understanding how he feels. He just can’t seem to tell her how he cares for her!
12. “All Mixed Up” by The Cars
“All Mixed Up” by The Cars, released in 1978, also details how confusion can arise in a romantic relationship. In this situation, it seems that the narrator is the only one confused.
His romantic partner, meanwhile, continues to tell him “to leave it to me”. She knows what she’s doing, but he can never quite understand what their relationship is — or if they have a future.
13. “Once In a Lifetime” by Talking Heads
“Once In a Lifetime” by Talking Heads is definitely one of the best songs about confusion in life! Many people may stop and look around at a specific period of their life and begin to ask the questions asked in this song. They feel confused about how this all happened — and how they got here.
However, unlike many of the songs on this list, Talking Heads actually helps clear up the confusion. Overall, this song shows that we should embrace the passage of time, while also waking up and seizing life for ourselves. That way, we don’t wake up and wonder how we got here!
14. “I Didn’t Understand” by Elliott Smith
1998’s “I Didn’t Understand” by Elliott Smith deals with confusion when it comes to love and romantic relationships. Smith doesn’t know why he feels confused.
His partner tried to talk to him about love and “painted pictures of a Never Never Land”. However, Smith still couldn’t help but feel confused and inevitably waited for her to leave. Thus, he would feel alone again.
15. “Love or Confusion” by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Jimi Hendrix Experience released “Love or Confusion” in 1967. This song also deals with feeling lost and confused in a romantic relationship.
Throughout the song, Hendrix muses on love and whether what he’s feeling is real. Throughout the song, the lyrics explain his confusion: “Is this love, baby? / Or is it just confusion?”
16. “I Can’t Tell You Why” by Eagles
Once again, “I Can’t Tell You Why” by Eagles deals with confusion in a romantic relationship. The lyrics of this song first detail how the narrator wonders why they stay in their relationship, as they always think about leaving.
Throughout this song, first released in 1980, the narrator cannot tell their partner why they do any of this. They also feel confused about it. But, regardless of how they feel about leaving, they always stay!
17. “Show Me What I’m Looking For” by Carolina Liar
Swedish-American band Carolina Liar released their hit song “Show Me What I’m Looking For” in 2008. In 2009, the song became a huge hit on the music charts around the world. Many TV shows, such as Gossip Girl and The Hills, played this song on their show, helping it become a hit.
Throughout the song, the singer talks about how confused he feels. He feels lost, and he’d like someone to show him what he’s looking for.
18. “Totally Confused” by Beck
Throughout the 1993 song “Totally Confused”, Beck sings about how confused he feels by a person. He sings “I’m totally confused by you” repeatedly throughout the song. Once again, this song deals with the confusion one deals with in a romantic relationship!
19. “Cardinal Song” by The National
The alternative band The National released “Cardinal Song” in 2003. Throughout the song, we learn how the singer views his relationships with love and other women. The singer details many thoughts and contradictions, as a result.
Towards the end of the song, we learn how confused the singer is — and why he sang of all these contradictions in the first place. At the end of the song, he sings, “Forgive me girls, I am confused”.
20. “Obsessed” by Mariah Carey
Finally, let’s look at a 2009 classic from Mariah Carey! Throughout “Obsessed”, Carey asks, “Why are you so obsessed with me?” This song differs from many others on this list, as it deals with a man who clearly feels obsessed with Carey — though she wants nothing to do with him.
This man says that they’re having a romantic relationship, which she denies. Carey doesn’t feel impressed with him at all. She states that he feels confused and obsessed with her. In the end, this just leaves her confused and disinterested in him.
Listen to the full playlist on Youtube here.