Mark Arminio
Behind the Lyrics: The Inspirations for 6 Famous Songs
by Mark Arminio - May 18, 2010 - 3:46 PM

You know the songs, but do you know what they’re really about? Here are the stories behind some popular tunes.

1. “Hey Man, Nice Shot”

In the late 1980s, Pennsylvania was embroiled in a bit of an accounting crisis. Employees of the Commonwealth had overpaid millions in FICA taxes and the state legislature began to search for an outside accounting agency to calculate the appropriate refunds. Harrisburg native John Torquato, Jr. eventually won the $4.6 million contract for his Californian-based firm, Computer Technology Associates, through a series of well-placed bribes.

A few months and an investigation by the US Attorney later, the trail led back to Budd Dwyer, State Treasurer, who was indicted for receiving $300,000 in kickbacks to help Torquato secure the business. Dwyer vehemently denied the charges, refused to step down from his post, and even passed on a plea bargain that would have carried a relatively light sentence. In December of 1986, he was found guilty of racketeering, bribery, fraud and conspiracy. After the verdict, he continued to proclaim his innocence and even wrote President Reagan asking for a pardon.

The day before his sentence was handed down, Dwyer called a press conference. After reading a prepared statement, he handed a series of sealed envelopes to staffers, pulled out a .357 Magnum, placed it in his mouth and shot himself on live television. While most of the local and national TV stations debated how much of the suicide to air (some played it in its entirety, others with only the audio), Filter used it as the inspiration for “Hey Man, Nice Shot,” which garnered a fair amount of radio play in 1995.

2. “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?”

Turns out 1986 was an interesting time for musical inspiration. Early that year, newsman Dan Rather was assaulted on the streets of New York by a man who kept yelling “Kenneth, what is the frequency?” as he pummeled the shocked anchorman. At the time, no one could quite explain the attack.

In 1994, R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe wrote “What’s The Frequency Kenneth?,” a song exploring the effects of the media, deliberately written in slightly unintelligible lyrics. The track became a huge hit off R.E.M.’s album Monster. But what happened to the strange man who inspired it?

The assailant was later identified as William Tager. He was arrested nine years after battering Rather when he murdered a stagehand outside The Today Show studios. Tager was a mentally disturbed individual who believed television networks were beaming secret messages into his brain using a specific frequency. Convinced if he found the correct frequency he could stop the incoming transmissions, he jumped Rather.

Dan Rather later appeared with R.E.M. on Letterman to help belt out the song.

Meanwhile, Tager is currently serving a 25-year sentence for manslaughter in Sing Sing.  He is eligible for parole later this year.

3. “Creep”

Thom Yorke was born with a paralyzed left eye and underwent a series of surgeries before the age of six, the last of which left him with a drooping eyelid. Due to his condition, during the majority of his childhood Yorke wore an eyepatch. This series of events left him awkward and shy around members of the opposite sex.

While at school, Yorke and his classmates eventually formed a band called On A Friday, as Friday was the only day of the week they could rehearse. The band continued to rehearse together as they earned university degrees, with Yorke enrolling at Exeter College.

While at Exeter, Yorke began to follow around an attractive female. Not exactly in a binoculars-from-a-tree way, just sort of admiring from a distance. However, the tables were turned one night when this girl he had been psedo-stalking showed up at one of the bands’ shows. Yorke was truly unsettled.

You’ve probably heard his tale, because the song about it became the band’s first major hit. In 1991, On A Friday changed their name to Radiohead and released it under the title “Creep.”

4. “How Could She Do This To Me?”

Often considered to be one of the first concept albums, The Beatles spun out Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967.  Appearing as the sixth song on side one is “She’s Leaving Home,” a track about a young girl who slips away from her comfortable life in the dead of night, leaving her parents stunned and grief-stricken.

Turns out the song had a very real inspiration; 17-year-old Melanie Coe.  Paul McCartney saw the news of her disappearance on the cover of The Daily Mirror, a British tabloid, and wrote the verses (with bandmate John Lennon crafting the chorus).  In the article, Coe’s parents confess they simply couldn’t understand why Melanie would leave.  “She has everything here,” her father said.

Although McCartney took some liberties with the story, Coe later confirmed the majority of the details.  Coe, who was pregnant at the time, was found ten days after her disappearance with her boyfriend (who was not the father of her child) in a nearby town.

Oddly enough, Coe and McCartney had crossed paths before.  Melanie appeared on a show called Ready, Steady Go! in which Paul was a judge.

Coe was crowned the winner of a mime contest.  This was three years before she would inspire McCartney to pen “She’s Leaving Home.”

5. “Fire and Rain”

James Taylor’s beautiful, haunting and personal song “Fire and Rain” is composed in three parts, each with a separate story. Furthermore, the track as a whole is a tumultuous autobiography chronicling Taylor’s struggle with depression, substance abuse and fame.

During his later years in high school, Taylor began to experience clinical depression. He didn’t go to college (though he did later earn a degree), instead checking himself into McLean Hospital, a renowned psychiatric facility in Belmont, Massachusetts.

The first section of “Fire and Rain” describes Taylor coming to grips with the sudden death of a close friend, Suzanne Schnerr (“Suzanne, the plans they made put an end to you”). At the time of her death, Taylor had just signed to The Beatles’ new label, Apple Records, and was working on his first album. However, Taylor didn’t find out about her death until months after she had passed away. His family and friends kept the information from him, worried he would slip back into depression.

Part two describes Taylor’s struggle with alcoholism, drug abuse and depression. After checking himself out of Belmont, Taylor moved to New York to pursue a music career and became addicted to heroin. During this time, he formed a band named The Flying Machine, a short-lived project that was derailed because of his addictions. Broke and depressed, his father eventually flew in to NYC and drove him back to North Carolina, where Taylor entered a drug rehab center.

The final stanza is a retrospective on how far Taylor had traveled. Many people falsely believe the line “Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground” somehow refers to a plane wreck. However, it actually references Taylor’s previous band The Flying Machine and his regret at their demise.

6. “I Don’t Like Mondays”

The Boomtown Rats song “I Don’t Like Mondays” is more than an anthem about struggling through the start of the week. It is a song laced in tragedy.

On January 29th, 1979, 16-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer was staring out of a window inside her San Diego home while holding a semiautomatic .22 caliber rifle her father had given her as a Christmas present. Immediately across the street was Cleveland Elementary School, where children were arriving for the day, waiting for the principal to open the front gates. Inexplicably, Spencer opened fire.

In the aftermath of the attack, eight children and a police officer were injured. Additionally, two people died: Principal Burton Wragg, who had been trying to protect the children, and a custodian, Mike Suchar, who attempted to pull the principal to safety.

Spencer then barricaded herself inside the house for seven hours. During the standoff, she was asked by police why she chose to open fire. She replied: “I don’t like Mondays. This livens up the day. I have to go now. I shot a pig, I think, and I want to shoot more. I’m having too much fun [to surrender].” Eventually, Spencer gave herself up to police and was convicted and sentenced to a California correctional facility, where she currently resides.

Bob Geldof, lead singer of The Boomtown Rats, was working at Georgia State University’s on-campus radio station when the news came in. He used the event as the inspiration for “I Don’t Like Mondays,” which hit #1 in the UK during the summer of 1979.
* * * * * *
Tell us your favorite behind-the-lyrics story in the comments, or let us know if there’s a particular song you’ve always wondered about.

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Comments (62)

  1. Good article. I never knew the story behind “Creep” I just thought it was 90′s angst.

    posted by Heather on 5-18-2010 at 4:01 pm

  2. That’s all really interesting and I’d love to hear more stories behind the music!!

    posted by okiemelissa on 5-18-2010 at 4:15 pm

  3. Great article. I knew the first two stories but not the last. Always wondered about the disjointedness of “Fire and rain”. Now that I know it’s three separate narratives, it means even more.

    More of these , please!

    posted by Zane on 5-18-2010 at 4:15 pm

  4. Spider Robinson’s novel Lady Slings the Booze provides an alternate backstory for “What’s the Frequency Kenneth”, which isn’t plausibly true in any way but makes a nice punchline for the book.

    posted by Matthew E on 5-18-2010 at 4:17 pm

  5. This could be a great semi-regular feature. Anyone have any song suggestions for future installments?

    posted by Jason English on 5-18-2010 at 4:19 pm

  6. Well, I had to go and google the Dwyer video. Sheez. I don’t think I should have.

    posted by Hurricane on 5-18-2010 at 4:28 pm

  7. Same here, Hurricane… not my most brilliant moment.

    Very interesting all around. I don’t have any songs in particular that come to mind, but would love to read more!

    posted by Sara on 5-18-2010 at 4:55 pm

  8. Well, Jason…when I saw the bit about She’s Leaving Home, I thought of all the stories that inspired “A Day in the Life.” Seems many Beatles’ songs were inspired by articles they read in the newspaper. (Yay, newspapers!)

    I’ve always wanted to know the story behind “Louie, Louie.”

    posted by Tracie on 5-18-2010 at 5:00 pm

  9. I agree – let’s make this a regular feature! Very interesting information.

    posted by Tiffany on 5-18-2010 at 5:01 pm

  10. I always wondered about “I Don’t Like Mondays.” I used to hear it every Monday morning on the radio while riding the schoolbus to my freshman year of high school, and always thought the lyrics had to tell a story. Now, 13 years later, I finally know.

    posted by Matt on 5-18-2010 at 5:03 pm

  11. Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water is about a hotel burning down while they were in Switzerland recording the album. “Funky Claude” was a real person–the album’s producer I think–who did save some people from the fire.

    posted by Tim on 5-18-2010 at 5:21 pm

  12. @Jason

    Bohemian Rhapsody would be the ultimate installment. I have a tattoo on my foot that says “Any way the wind blows…” It’s a reoccurring lyric in the song and, unfortunately, I don’t have the faintest idea what the song is really about. (Have only heard theories.)

    posted by Allisa on 5-18-2010 at 5:45 pm

  13. “The Freshman” by The Verve Pipe — after years of denying it, Brian Vander Ark finally admitted that the song was (mostly) autobiographical.

    “Ring of Fire” by Def Leppard (a B-side) — according to their biography “Animal Instinct” this song’s about… ehhh, on second thought you really don’t want to know what this song’s about.

    “Sunday Bloody Sunday” by U2 — the song was written about the 1972 Bogside Massacre in Northern Ireland.

    Of course, you could probably put Don McLean’s “American Pie” in its own article. Even so, McLean has never confirmed the widely-held belief that the song’s about the Buddy Holly plane crash, and refuses to talk about the inspiration behind the song.

    posted by Mark on 5-18-2010 at 6:01 pm

  14. The Dwyer video is hi-larious!

    posted by Nick on 5-18-2010 at 6:07 pm

  15. I read another recent (excellent) blog article on the Dwyer suicide.

    From what I remember, only one station in PA aired the video in its entirety which is why it exists today on youtube. If they had not, there would be no record today. (FWIW, I chose not to watch the video.)

    ALso, an interesting cultural phenomenon was noted: dark jokes were cracked about the incident, but only in the area that showed the video. They compared this to explosion of the space shuttle, which was televised across the nation (and subsequently jokes across the nation.)

    This story does remind me of the days when something aired on television once – and then never, ever again.

    posted by Jo Ann on 5-18-2010 at 6:24 pm

  16. Rich Girl – Hall & Oates… True story… actually written about a rich GUY they knew and hung around with, but for purposes of making it a bit more of a heterosexual tale (Hall’s paraphrased words) they changed it to be about a girl.

    There are a number of great books and websites devoted to this topic… great topic if you love and follow music

    posted by Dave on 5-18-2010 at 6:41 pm

  17. Darn, I always thought Filter’s song was about Kurt Cobain.

    posted by Jane on 5-18-2010 at 6:46 pm

  18. Here’s a little-known story, about the song “Give Peace a Chance”, written by Lennon during his famous “bed-in”. Even though he had finished the song, he wasn’t entirely happy with it and had his (recently “ex-”) songwriting partner McCartney listen to it. Paul’s comment was that it didn’t have a very strong chorus or “hook”, that it should have a line the kids would repeat. What he actually said was “It really needs a repeatable phrase, like a chant, John. Just give the piece a chant!”. The rest, as they say, is history.

    posted by MIke B on 5-18-2010 at 7:04 pm

  19. Bon Jovi’s song “I’ve Got the Girl” was inspired by Jon’s daughter Stephanie.

    posted by glassa on 5-18-2010 at 8:04 pm

  20. I saw the Dwyer vid many years ago while hanging out with older kids who were watching “Faces of Death” which is not any kind of video series that anyone under the age of 18 should watch. Just saying. Still amazing video though, and the entire context… yeesh.

    posted by VitaminD on 5-18-2010 at 11:03 pm

  21. Awesome stuff! I`s love to hear more myself!

    I read once that despite the music video, Soul Asylum`s “Runaway Train” wasn`t really about runaways…?

    Was Pearl Jam`s “Jeremy” based on a true story? Did he kill himself, or his classmates?

    What in the world is up with “Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm” by Crash Test Dummies? Were they just trying to be clever and advant-garde or is there something to that song?

    posted by Christine on 5-18-2010 at 11:05 pm

  22. Love the article. More please!
    I always wondered about Stairway to Heaven.

    posted by lynn on 5-18-2010 at 11:42 pm

  23. A couple of my favorites:
    The La’s “There She Goes” is an ode to heroin. The lead singer, hopelessly addicted, wrote the song about his true love. Funny that years later the goodie goodie band Sixpence None the Richer re-made the song for a romantic comedy, not knowing it’s true meaning.
    Though some people play it at their weddings, U2′s One (one of my favorites), is a bittersweet conversation between a father and his son, who has AIDS.
    Love Mental Floss and this subject. Please do more!

    posted by Mike C on 5-18-2010 at 11:47 pm

  24. I think Bohemian Rhapsody and Stairway to Heaven were both narrative fiction, with no actual true stories behind them. I know Stairway has Tolkien references, and I believe it is far from the only Zeppelin song to have any.

    posted by VitaminD on 5-19-2010 at 12:21 am

  25. I wonder if Patty Griffin’s “Tony” was based on a real story. It’s about a high school guy that was gay, and killed himself. yeah. depressing.

    posted by MamaBug on 5-19-2010 at 12:33 am

  26. Depehce Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence” was based on the book “Le Petite Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, which follows the little prince traveling and exploring different planets because of a rose that he loves and tries to protect. Hence the rose symbol on the album cover of “Violator”.

    posted by paul on 5-19-2010 at 1:30 am

  27. I remember the Dwyer suicide, saw it on TV back in the day. I’ve never forgotten it. I actually knew most of these except for Fire and Rain (though I thought that was about Jim Croce or Harry Chapin) and Creep.

    Great article.

    posted by shirleyfeeney on 5-19-2010 at 2:08 am

  28. What about all of the songs about Liddle Towers?

    Or you could delve into the references in Beastie Boys lyrics or other rap standards.

    posted by Ron on 5-19-2010 at 7:51 am

  29. Jeremy by Pearl Jam. Eddie Vedder wrote the lyrics after reading about a kid named Jeremy Delle who did just as the kid in the video does–bullied, so he shoots himself in front of his class. Eddie based the lyrics off of that story, as well as basing it on his life experiences. He said he didn’t particularly bully this one kid, but didn’t particularly like him or get along with him, so they had little fights and such.

    You can read more about that here, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_(song)

    Definitely one I’d say.

    Another is The Way by Fastball. Tony Scalzo wrote the song after reading a newspaper article about a couple who disappeared. He imagined them running off together and being happy. Unfortunately, it turns out they flipped their car into a ravine and died.

    posted by Sal on 5-19-2010 at 8:13 am

  30. Also, Runaway Train by Soul Asylum was more about heroin addiction. “Tracks” are a common word to describe needle marks that are often up and down a user’s arms. If you look at the lyrics, you can see how it can be interpreted either way. Dave Pirner was, and is, a great artist.

    posted by Sal on 5-19-2010 at 8:17 am

  31. Just thought of Black Balloon by the Goo Goo Dolls. If I remember correctly, Rzeznik wrote the song about a friend’s wife who had drug problems.

    Sorry to spam–just thought of all of these.

    posted by Sal on 5-19-2010 at 8:18 am

  32. Most Nirvana songs have a story behind them.

    Polly by Nirvana was based on a news article about a woman being abducted, raped, and tortured with a blow torch. Kurt based those lyrics on that article.

    Scentless Apprentice was about Patrick Suskind’s novel “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer”. Heart-Shaped Box referenced a small box Courtney Love gave Kurt Cobain during their courtship.

    A lot of the lyrics off of Nevermind referenced Kurt’s failed relationship with Tobi Vail. In Lounge Act, he references the K Records tattoo he got on his arm, “I’ll wear a shield.”

    In Bloom was about his friend Dylan.

    Some thing “All Apologies” was Kurt’s apology to Courtney and his daughter for his drug abuse, as well as worsening Courtney’s own abuse.

    Pennyroyal Tea was based on an old method of abortion, but Kurt also put his own experience with his stomach condition in.

    Serve the Servants had lyrics based on Kurt’s father, his views on the music industry, and the way the media portrayed Love.

    Rape Me was about media, MTV, all things like that.

    Milk It spoke of his rehab experiences, his relationship with Courtney (speaking of parasites), and having Courtney visit in rehab. (Your scent is still here in my place of recovery).

    Even as far back as Bleach, “About A Girl” was written about Kurt’s girlfriend at the time, Tracy Marander. Tracy worked during the night, and she would leave notes for Kurt to wake up to. “I can’t see you every night, for free”.

    Big Cheese was written about the Sub Pop label.

    As you can see, it goes on and on.

    posted by Sal on 5-19-2010 at 8:23 am

  33. Just thought of more songs by Neutral Milk Hotel, as well as Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Not to mention songs by Nick Drake and Elliott Smith. I could write several installments on my own. =P

    posted by Sal on 5-19-2010 at 8:29 am

  34. “Growin’ on Me” by the Darkness is about genital warts. Seriously.

    posted by TBV on 5-19-2010 at 8:42 am

  35. great article. i grew up in PA and remember the Bud Dwyer shooting quite well, including a lot of those tasteless jokes.
    Pearl Jam’s Alive is autobiographical for Vedder who was told about his real father after he died.

    posted by theYerg on 5-19-2010 at 9:03 am

  36. I read somewhere that “Mmmm mmmm mmmm mmmm” by the Crash Test Dummies had actual words, but since they were either disrespectful or obscene they just hummed the words. But in years of looking, I never found anything, so who knows.

    I’d love to find out the meaning behind “Ride Captain Ride”. There’s a ton of theories out there, but the author himself says that it really doesn’t mean anything.

    And “Hotel California” is about addiction.

    “Layla” is about Eric Clapton’s infatuation with his friend George Harrison’s wife.

    posted by Eric on 5-19-2010 at 9:13 am

  37. What about You’re so Vain by Carly Simon? Is that based on a real person? She sounds kind of bitter…

    posted by ab on 5-19-2010 at 9:28 am

  38. I definitely agree that this should be a recurring theme post. I’d love to hear more stories.

    @VitaminD – you’re correct, Zeppelin had more than one song referencing Tolkien. Misty Mountain Hop and Ramble On are two of the more well-known ones.

    posted by Bert on 5-19-2010 at 9:52 am

  39. I’d still like to know the story behind “Puff the Magic Dragon” — a subject most famously explored by Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro in “Meet the Parents”.

    So, what is it? Innocent kiddie ballad with whimsical lyrics, or covert drug song stuffed with sly reefer-references?

    posted by Waldo on 5-19-2010 at 9:59 am

  40. @ab I believe that song was about a real person, but she’s only revealed who it is about to one person who paid a hefty sum for that information and had to sign some papers saying he wouldn’t reveal who it was. Saw something about it on a TV Special on E! that was about the best kept secrets in Hollywood.

    posted by Laura W on 5-19-2010 at 10:04 am

  41. Carly Simon has said that she would never
    reveal the inspiration behind “You’re so Vain” because if she did, no one would have anything to talk to her about. I recommend reading “Is Tiny Dancer Really Elton’s Little John? Music’s most enduring Mysteries, Myths, and Rumors Revealed” by Gavin Edwards.

    posted by Sara in Al on 5-19-2010 at 10:47 am

  42. @ Waldo

    I read an interview with the composer of Puff the Magic Dragon, and he said that while he was in college (seemingly in a melancholy period of his life) the song fell into his head. He stopped by his friend’s house, typed the lyrics on the typewriter, and left. His friend (a musician, but I don’t remember who) took the lyrics and put them with the melody. The composer holds that the song is about the loss of innocence, and any drug-related interpretation is not his message.

    posted by Jonathan on 5-19-2010 at 11:34 am

  43. Hey Jude- written by Paul MCartney to comfort John Lennon’s son Jules after his parents divorce. The lyrics were originally “Hey Jules” but the song had better flow with “Jude.”

    re: Starway to Heaven- Robert Plant was always very much into alternative spiritualism, Wicca and the like and I believe this song and many others was basically a musical expression of his faith, with many of the ideas taken from various spiritual texts he had read.

    @Eric, I heard that Hotel California was actually about the transition from the hippy-flower-child-peace-loving-optimistic ’60s into the drug-fueled political and societal strife of the ’70s… but I could be wrong. The case could be made for it to be about addiction though if you listen closely.

    And I second (third? fourth?) this being a regular feature. Music is so intwined in our lives that it is always interesting to know the storie behind iconic songs.

    posted by BorgQueen on 5-19-2010 at 11:59 am

  44. I’ve always wondered if “Needle and the Damage Done” was about someone Neil Young knew.

    I’ve also heard through the years “Sweet Home Alabama” was as much about Dwayne Allman’s death as it was to get back at Neil Young for his “Southern Man.”

    Any thoughts on either of these?

    posted by Dave J on 5-19-2010 at 12:43 pm

  45. “Heartbreak Hotel” was supposedly inspired by an anonymous suicide note in a Tennessee newspaper.

    posted by Sara in Al on 5-19-2010 at 1:36 pm

  46. I always wondered what possibly could have inspired the lyrics to Phish’s song “Llama”.

    posted by Dinosaur on 5-19-2010 at 1:44 pm

  47. who could forget the iconic story behind Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds?

    posted by Amanda on 5-19-2010 at 1:51 pm

  48. I’m rather fond of the back story behind “silly love songs” by Paul McCartney. Boils down to someone saying that he wrote a lot of silly love songs, and him writing the song in response to that.

    posted by Lemmons998 on 5-20-2010 at 1:36 am

  49. I think “The Needle and the Damage Done” (as well as “Tonight’s the Night”) are about one of the members of Neil’s back-up band, Crazy Horse (can’t remember the name, though), who had a serious heroin problem, and eventually died from an OD.

    posted by Bill on 5-20-2010 at 10:58 am

  50. Would love to see this as a regular article!

    posted by lisaj6112 on 5-20-2010 at 10:00 pm

  51. Great read. There’s more than enough out there to continue this regulary:

    Chicago – 25 or 6 to 4 – Song writing is easy.

    CSN&Y – Ohio – Kent State – one of the great protest songs.

    Steve Wonder – Isn’t She Lovely – Aisha is his new born daughter.

    Pearl Jam – Jeremy – suicide – remember the controversy with the video?

    Dan Fogelberg – Leader of the Band – tribute to his father.

    Keep it up!

    posted by gwdMaine on 5-21-2010 at 12:18 pm

  52. Hope to see this become a series.
    Songs I’d be interested in seeing:
    Tallest Man on Earth – The Wild Hunt
    Ted Leo – Bridges, Squares
    Anything by Beck
    thanks

    posted by teo on 5-21-2010 at 4:33 pm

  53. Lazy Eye by The Silversun Pickups was in part based on singer/guitarist Brian Aubert’s lazy eye. He said he had corrective lenses and surgeries done and when it came time to write a song, he used it as a metaphor.

    posted by Sal on 5-22-2010 at 1:54 pm

  54. Great article. Regarding “Fire & Rain”: According to an article I read a few years ago, Suzanne was actually a friend of Taylor’s friends. He had met her a few times, but they were never close. He liked her a lot, though, and her death was kept from him. The Flying Machine had a minor hit – “Smile a Little Smile For Me (Rose Marie)”.

    posted by Susan on 5-23-2010 at 2:49 am

  55. Like others, I would love to see this become a regular feature!

    Songs I’d like to see featured:
    Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
    Knights in White Satin by The Moody Blues (including the spoken part near the end)
    American Pie by Don McLean (yeah, I know, he won’t reveal anything)
    The Night Chicago Died by Paper Lace (a 70s classic!)

    posted by Tammy King on 5-23-2010 at 8:03 pm

  56. Carly Simon finally came out back in February – the link goes to the article.

    “Ending nearly 40 years of speculation, Carly Simon revealed in an interview that record company executive David Geffen was the inspiration for her 1972 hit single You’re So Vain.”

    posted by St. James on 5-24-2010 at 3:02 pm

  57. Sarah McLachlan’s Possession is pretty disturbing. A lot of people (who apparently don’t pay any attention to lyrics at all) think it’s a really romantic song, or something, when it’s actually about a stalker. In fact, a lot of the lyrics came from letters that a stalker was sending to McLachlan. He sued, but killed himself before the trial.

    posted by KC on 5-24-2010 at 7:29 pm

  58. “She Said, She Said” by The Beatles was written about dropping acid with Peter Fonda in 1965.Fonda mentioned that he knew what it’s like to be dead because he’d accidently shot himself as a child and his heart had stopped several time on the operating table due to blood loss.

    posted by Emperor Norton I on 6-14-2010 at 7:14 pm

  59. I vote for this being a regular feature, as well!

    posted by Sara in Al on 6-15-2010 at 8:58 pm

  60. Hey! For exclusive interviews with Artists telling the stories behind their lyrics, check out this radio program that has been airing internationally for 3 years:

    Marcie Presents Behind The Lyric
    Archives at: http://www.mugasha.com/browse/Behind-The-Lyric

    posted by Sarah on 7-12-2010 at 10:40 pm

  61. “Killing me Softly” was Roberta Flack’s tribute to Don McLean. Nice to hear someone telling a story about the storyteller himself.

    posted by Beckie on 7-21-2010 at 6:45 pm

  62. american pie is about the death of buddy holly the big bopper and richie vallens (planecrash)

    posted by jtwigg on 7-22-2010 at 12:22 am

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