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How Two People Who Never Met Composed the Patriotic Anthem “America the...
By the late 1800s, poet Katharine Lee Bates, an English professor at Wellesley College, wrote the poem “Pikes Peak,” which was later published in the 1895 Fourth of July edition of the church...
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How the Rise and Fall of Elvis Presley Inspired the Song “Blue Moon” by Beck
Before recording Modern Guilt in 2008, Beck suffered a spinal injury. In his video for “E-Pro,” Beck was suspended by wires and floating over computer-generated landscapes, when he injured his back. He...
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The Meaning Behind “Sunflower” by Post Malone and Swae Lee and How It Reached...
Post Malone is enjoying one of those weeks that most musicians can only dream of achieving. This Sunday (February 11), he’ll occupy one of the world’s biggest stages when he performs “America the...
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The Meaning Behind “In My Room” by The Beach Boys and Why It’s a Major...
It was a sign of things to come. The Beach Boys had begun a steady run of top-10 hits with “Surfin’ U.S.A.” and “Surfer Girl.” Songs about the sun and sand were clicking all over the nation. The next...
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The Meaning Behind “Brain Stew” by Green Day and Why It Was Banned After 9/11
Sometimes, a song doesn’t need a chorus because the face-melting, hammer-of-the-gods guitar riff is the hook. Green Day’s “Brain Stew” aims straight for the skull and might be why Billie Joe Armstrong...
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The Meaning Behind Bruce Dickinson’s “Tattooed Millionaire” and the...
When Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson set about to work on his first solo album in 1990, he did not want to create an offshoot of his main band, Iron Maiden. The British icons are certainly known...
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The Meaning Behind “Rich Girl” by Gwen Stefani and the Famous Show Tune It...
Gwen Stefani moved from Southern California’s plaid-clad No Doubt to a high-fashion pop solo career with the help of The Neptunes, Dr. Dre, Andre 3000, New Order, and Linda Perry. Her 2004 debut Love....
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The Meaning Behind “Ain’t Even Done with the Night” by John Cougar And Why He...
We know him today as John Mellencamp, the iconic American singer/songwriter plugged into the pulse of people in the Heartland. But when he put out his first album he was known as Johnny Cougar. His...
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The Meaning Behind “Break on Through (To the Other Side)” by The Doors and...
When they first emerged with their 1967 self-titled album, The Doors quickly made a strong impression. They had only formed two years earlier, but their Elektra Records debut produced a No. 1 hit,...
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The Meaning Behind “Groovin'” by The Young Rascals and How It Was Influenced...
When The Young Rascals released their third album Groovin’ in the summer of 1967 they had already scored two Gold albums that hit the Top 20. They had landed the No. 1 hit “Good Lovin’,” originally...
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The Meaning Behind “Straight to Hell” by The Clash and How It Puts a Light on...
When The Clash released Combat Rock in 1982, they reached their commercial summit. But the other side of the mountain was a steep and steady decline, and the group from London was hurling toward the...
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How Bryan Adams’“Run to You” Unintentionally Became His First Top-10 Hit
Sometimes timing and placement are everything. When Bryan Adams originally wrote “Run to You” for the band Blue Öyster Cult at the behest of his friend, producer Bruce Fairbairn, it was not the first...
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The Meaning of “Purple Haze” by the Jimi Hendrix Experience You May Not Have...
“Purple Haze” by the JImi Hendrix Experience is rightfully viewed as one of the great guitar songs of the rock era. There may not be a more recognizable riff than the one Hendrix plays in the intro of...
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The Rightful Suspicions Behind Toby Keith’s 1994 Hit “Wish I Didn’t Know Now”
I never ask you where you’re goin’ / I never ask you where you’ve been, sings Toby Keith in “Wish I Didn’t Know.” The mid-tempo ballad is told from the perspective of a man who learns the suspicions he...
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Behind the Meaning of the Forlorn Classic Country Song “Worried Man Blues”
There’s an old saying: It takes one to know one. Well, what if there was a song built around that idea? And what if that song was a classic country number, a folk tune performed by the greats, from...
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Behind the Song “All Day and All of the Night” by The Kinks and Why Their...
Every time I hear the opening of “All Day and All of the Night” by The Kinks, I am blown away by the first hit of the snare drum. Dave Davies’ power-chord guitar intro rips through like a sledgehammer...
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The Meaning Behind “Downtown Train” by Rod Stewart
Few pop/rock hitmakers have proven as resilient as Rod Stewart. Stewart has always shown a knack for recording the right song at the right time within the right genre. Like all artists, he endured some...
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The Meaning Behind “Paradise” by John Prine
Has there ever been a debut album with as many classic songs on it as the self-titled 1971 bow by singer-songwriter John Prine? Just look at the lineup: “Sam Stone,” “Hello in There,” “Angel from...
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The Meaning Behind “The Promised Land” by Bruce Springsteen
If you’re looking for a go-to guy for rock anthems, Bruce Springsteen should be one of the first ones you seek. He’s always possessed a knack for wide-screen evocations of the human spirit in all its...
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The Meaning Behind “Follow You Follow Me” by Genesis
Many classic rock bands that enjoyed long, successful careers evolved with the changing tastes of the public and their own varying circumstances. Genesis serves as a wonderful example of this...
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