A song can have a catchy title and/or chorus, but its true meaning is only found within its lyrics. If you're planning your wedding, any song about breakups, cheating/infidelity, and being the other woman has no business being part of the reception playlist.

Most people, however, take the song title to be its meaning and don't consider its actual content. Here are 10 songs that sound romantic but should be avoided.

10) Irreplaceable – Beyoncé

Don't mistake this for being about someone who is irreplaceable. On the contrary, this song is about a woman telling her ex-boyfriend to leave after she discovers that he's been cheating on her. The last three lines in the chorus sum it up: "I can have another you by tomorrow / So don't you ever for a second get to thinking / You're irreplaceable". Yikes.

9) Against All Odds – Phil Collins

If you think this is about overcoming the odds to finally get hitched, think again. This tune is about pining for a lover that left and the inability to get over the breakup.

The chorus, "So, take a look at me now / Well, there's just an empty space / And there's nothing left here to remind me / Just the memory of your face" means this should be excluded from the set list.

😎 We Belong Together – Mariah Carey

Wait, how can singing about belonging together be wrong? Well, that's because the song is about wishing you were still together. The chorus goes, "When you left I lost a part of me / It's still so hard to believe / Come back baby please / 'Cause we belong together". It seems more suited to a funeral than a wedding.

7) Someone Like You – Adele

Rather than being about finding someone awesome like your husband/wife, this song is sung from the perspective of a woman who can't move on following a breakup. The song begins with, "I heard that you're settled down / That you found a girl and you're married now", and it really doesn't fit the occasion.

6) Nothing Compares 2 U – Sinéad O'Connor

The title sounds like what you would declare to your spouse. However, from the first two lines, you'll realise that the song is actually about a breakup: "It's been seven hours and 15 days /  Since you took your love away."

And if that's not enough proof, then the first two lines from the second verse should do it. "Since you been gone, I can do whatever I want / I can see whomever I choose." Oof.

5) Every Breath You Take – The Police

If you think this sounds romantic, Google the lyrics and the song's inspiration first. Even Sting himself said in this FT article that the song is "nasty" and "evil" and about "jealousy, surveillance, and ownership."

"… Every breath you take / And every move you make / Every bond you break / Every step you take / I'll be watching you"

Forget this track - unless you both revel in being insecure and spying on each other.

4) I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston

"What? What's wrong with declaring that you'll always love each other?" If this was your first thought, then you haven't heard the rest of the lyrics. The song is about letting someone go because it's what's best for them.

The first verse says as much: "If I should stay / I would only be in your way / So I'll go, but I know / I'll think of you every step of the way".

It doesn't get better with the second verse. "Bittersweet memories / That is all I'm taking with me / So goodbye, please don't cry / We both know I'm not what you, you need /"

3) Me and Mrs Jones – Michael Bublé (first sung by Billie Paul)

It's got a romantic, smooth and jazzy vibe, but this song is about a guy who's probably married and cheating on his spouse with someone named Mrs Jones. He is not Mr Jones.

"Me and Mrs Jones / We got a thing going on / We both know that it's wrong / But it's much too strong to let it go now"

And if that's still not obvious enough, "We gotta be extra careful / That we don't build our hopes up too high / 'Cause she's got her own obligations / And so, so do I".

2) Escape (The Piña Colada Song) – Rupert Holmes

This sounds like a fun party song to sing along to because the title is the name of a cocktail, but the first verse is enough to make anyone think twice about including it.

"I was tired of my lady / We'd been together too long / Like a worn out recording / Of a favourite song"

The song is about a guy who, tired of his spouse, responds to a personal ad that's seeking a partner... only to discover that it was his spouse who placed the ad!

1) Saving All My Love For You – Whitney Houston

Now, what could be so bad about saving all your love for someone? Won't it be great to slow-dance to this tune?

Well, the opening lines, "A few stolen moments is all that we share / You've got your family and they need you there" should change your mind.

As a song sung from the perspective of a man's mistress, it is the most cringe-inducing song to be played at a wedding. Yet it still happens because folks don't pay attention to the lyrics!

Main image: Ospan Ali, Unsplash