For many decades, musicians have written songs about hiding or wanting to hide. Below, we’ve ranked the 20 best songs that have to do with hiding.
Sometimes, this may mean physically hiding away. Other times, this may be seen as a more metaphorical situation, such as hiding your heart away.
Keep reading to learn the 20 best songs about hiding to listen to!
1. “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey” by The Beatles
The Beatles released “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey” on their 1968 double album The Beatles, also commonly called The White Album. John Lennon wrote the song, though both Lennon and Paul McCartney are credited.
The meaning behind this rock song can vary depending on what each listener takes away from the music. In the chorus, the band sings, “Take it easy / Everybody’s got something to hide / Except for me and my monkey”.
Lennon could sing about how only he and his monkey or romantic partner (Yoko Ono) have nothing to hide. Some also believe “my monkey” could be a metaphor for psychedelic drugs. Regardless, Lennon is singing that everybody is hiding something… except for him!
2. “Don’t Hide Your Love” by Cher
1972’s “Don’t Hide Your Love” by Cher deals with someone who is hiding from love. Cher, however, doesn’t want them to do that. Instead, she sings the lyrics, “Don’t hide your love / Not if you care for me”.
Therefore, this song deals with hiding your feelings, especially when it comes to love. Cher tries to explain to her romantic partner that they do not need to hide from her. She believes they will work everything out somehow together!
3. “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” by The Beatles
The Beatles released “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” on their 1965 album Help! In this song, John Lennon sings about his emotions toward a woman who has left him. He’s upset about the breakdown of this relationship.
Throughout the song, the lyrics, “You’ve got to hide your love away” are repeated in the chorus. In this way, the song could also be seen as Lennon talking about hiding your pain, especially when it’s involved with romance.
4. “Too Much Love To Hide” by Crosby, Stills & Nash
“Too Much Love To Hide” by Crosby, Stills & Nash tells a story about how sometimes, you cannot hide love. There’s simply “Too Much Love To Hide”.
Throughout this 1982 song, the band sings about a romantic relationship and different situations one may find themselves in. However, the band says that “I believe when I see her eyes / I believe there is too much love to hide”.
This could mean that when the singer looks into her eyes, they know her love is true, as she cannot hide it!
5. “You Can’t Hide From Yourself” by Teddy Pendergrass
Teddy Pendergrass released “You Can’t Hide From Yourself” on his 1977 debut album. As you may have already guessed, this song deals with hiding your true self — and how you really cannot do this.
The lyrics state, “You can’t hide from yourself / Everywhere you go, there you are”. Later in the song, Pendergrass sings that you must learn to love yourself. Learn who you are. You cannot love another unless you know yourself and love yourself.
And no matter where you go, you can never hide from yourself, nor can you run from yourself!
6. “Hiding All Away” by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Nick Cave & The Bad Seed’s 2003 song “Hiding All Away” deals with a woman searching for the narrator. Throughout the song, she searches for the narrator and meets various people. She asks them if they’ve seen who she’s searching for, but they haven’t.
The narrator is hiding from the world. There are many different meanings one could decipher from this song, as a result of its vagueness!
7. “Backstreets” by Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen released “Backstreets” on his 1975 album Born to Run. This song details Springsteen and a friend who used to hide on the “Backstreets” together when they were growing up.
They hid from everything back then — from danger, from others, and from growing up. However, the two eventually had a falling out and ended up going their separate ways. Springsteen regrets this now and looks back fondly to when they both hid together in the “Backstreets”.
8. “Water and Power” by Cold War Kids
Cold War Kids’ 2013 song “Water and Power” discusses hiding towards the end of the song. In the beginning, the song discusses how the world will show what people are made of.
Then, towards the end of the song, the band sings, “What you’re hiding from? You could be fighting, come on!” Therefore, the song discusses how people struggle throughout life and possibly end up hiding in plain sight. The band questions what people are hiding for.
9. “Hide Your Love” by The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones released “Hide Your Love” on their fantastic 1973 album Goats Head Soup. The song, as you may have discovered from the title, deals with someone hiding from love. Mick Jagger sings about this and questions why his romantic partner hides from him.
10. “Somethin’ to Hide” by Journey
There are many meanings listeners can find in Journey’s 1978 song “Somethin’ to Hide”. At the beginning of the song, the band sings about how they are reuniting with someone after not seeing them for a while. However, things aren’t as happy as they can be.
They know that the other is hiding something. The lyrics say, “You’ve got something to hide / That you’re not telling me”.
If you read into this song and believe the band is discussing a romantic relationship, then this could hint that the relationship will soon come to an end now that this secret may come out.
11. “Hide and Seek” by New Edition
New Edition’s classic 1984 song “Hide and Seek” details a romantic relationship with a few issues. In this song, the band sings about searching for their romantic partner. However, they’re struggling to find them, as their love interest is hiding from them.
12. “Seek and Destroy” by Metallica
Metallica’s 1983 song “Seek and Destroy” is often considered one of their best — and most popular — songs of all time. The band sings about how they are seeking those who are hiding. So, once they find these hidden people they will “destroy” them.
13. “Hiding My Heart” by Brandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile released “Hiding My Heart” on her 2007 album The Story. In this song, Carlile discusses her new relationship and how much she loves the person she’s with. However, she knows her past. So, she knows that this relationship cannot end.
In the chorus, she sings the lyrics, “Like everything I’ve ever known you’ll disappear one day / So I’ll spend my whole life hiding my heart away”.
Here, Carlile explains that she knows this person will leave her. As a result of this, she will spend the rest of her life hiding her heart from everyone else.
14. “Nowhere to Run” by Kiss
In 1982’s “Nowhere to Run”, Kiss sings about a romantic relationship that has gone wrong. The band sings that a girl has used them and treated them wrong. However, the singer knows this. He realizes the situation they’re in and knows that the girl will try to run away and hide.
However, there is “Nowhere to Run”.
15. “Hide” by Creed
Creed released “Hide” on their 2001 album Weathered. This rock song follows the singer as he discusses wanting to leave his life behind and get lost. There’s no reason for him to hide any longer.
In this song, the band could be explaining that you shouldn’t hide from your past. However, you also shouldn’t hide from your future! Just relax and try not to hide from anything any longer.
16. “Hide Away” by Daya
Daya’s 2015 song “Hide Away” became a huge hit when it was released and landed on the top music charts. In this pop song, Daya grows annoyed with the men she dates. Instead, she wants to find someone better. As a result, she questions where the good boys go to hide away.
17. “Escape” by Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias released “Escape” as the second single off his 2002 album of the same name. After its release, “Escape” became a hit and ended up high on the music charts in both the US and the UK!
In “Escape”, Iglesias sings to his romantic partner about their relationship. He sings, “You can run, you can hide / But you can’t escape my love”.
Iglesias also explains that, no matter what, he will always love his partner, even if things don’t work out. For example, he explains that he isn’t going to beg her to stay. But even if she leaves, he will love her. As a result of this, she won’t be able to escape or hide from his love.
18. “Demons” by Imagine Dragons
Imagine Dragons first released their hit song “Demons” on their 2012 album Night Visions. The song subsequently became a huge commercial success upon its release!
According to the band, this song is about overcoming your flaws and insecurities, or your “Demons”.
The lyrics say, “I wanna hide the truth, I wanna shelter you / But with the beast inside, there’s nowhere we can hide”. Here, the band explains that they may want to hide their flaws or their past, but there’s nowhere they can accurately hide this from others.
Meanwhile, the chorus reveals, “Don’t get too close; it’s dark inside / It’s where my demons hide, it’s where my demons hide”. Later in the song, the band sings that only with someone’s help (a friend, partner, or their fans) can they overcome these flaws and “demons”.
19. “A Venture” by Yes
Yes’ 1971 song “A Venture” also deals with hiding away. This short song details a story of a peaceful man who tells others not to hide away. Hiding away by yourself is no fun, nor is it any adventure. Instead, go out and live your life and have fun!
20. “End Love” by OK Go
OK Go’s 2010 song “End Love” also details issues in a romantic relationship, as so many of the other songs on this list do. Here, the band sings about the end of a relationship. The singer says, “No one’s gonna find ya / When you’re hiding in the dark”.
This seemingly refers to how his romantic partner will now be alone. He will no longer search for her when she is hiding. Therefore, their relationship is over.