Wang Chung and the Question of Intention

I recently received a comment regarding my entry on Wang Chung. The reader said: "Dude, it's an inane, mindless song. They probably just threw in some lines they thought sounded neat or deep." I would like to post my response formally, since (a) the comment raises several important issues, and (b) I'm excited about getting feedback!

In order to judge whether "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" is just an "inane, mindless song," it seems that we at least should—out of fairness—interview Wang Chung in order to ascertain their original intent for the song. Were they just trying to make a catchy tune (and a quick buck)? Or, were they wrestling with deeper, epistemological questions?

If they say that their intention was, indeed, just to write fluff, then we need to deal with a second issue: does their original intent matter? Is the most important question what Wang Chung intended or how the listener responds to—and interprets—the piece? The audience itself can become the object of study (just look at Trekkies or Deadheads).