Whether you’re making an environmentally-conscious track list for your iPod/morning run or you simply love some good old music trivia, we’ve got four Mother Earth-approved songs for you to ponder. And until today, you probably thought they were about love, or some other singer-songwriter cliche.

“Kashmir” by Led Zepplin
Like many of Zepplin’s “greatest hits,” this one sounds like it’s about sex. But just do a little research, and it’s clear Robert Plant is singing about a striking geographical region – specifically, he was inspired by a drive through the Sahara Desert, though that’s not anywhere near Southern Asia’s Kashmir. (Hence the confusion.)

“Paradise City” by Guns ‘n Roses
Yeah, you thought Paradise City’s green grass was just a metaphor for some booze and drug-infested LA hangout, or, well, something else. Get your head out of the gutter – it’s actually more straightforward than that. Axl Rose was just reminiscing on his childhood days in the Midwest.

“What About Now” by Daughtry
You’d think an American Idol crooner would have more superficial things to sing about, but this song – written by two former Evanescence members – is about Uganda, Africa and the human destruction it’s endured. How serious!

“Idioteque” by Radiohead
You probably got so into the cool percussive beats and meditation-worthy pace of this song that you tuned out the apocalyptic lyrics entirely. But before you fall asleep to this favorite Radiohead track, keep in mind you’re listening to someone’s fears about global warming! Listen closely and you’ll hear “ice age is coming…” eeks.
Do you have any favorite songs about nature? Not sung by John Denver?

Photo by Rossina Bossio Bossa.