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The Spooky Meaning Behind “Night Boat” by Duran Duran
When their self-titled debut album arrived back in 1981, Duran Duran delivered a dazzling pop-rock confection combining rock guitars, synth-pop and disco sounds, and a touch of punk. They fashioned a...
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The Meaning Behind “Boom Clap” by Charli XCX and Why She’s a Different Kind...
When Charli XCX released her first album True Romance in 2013, its commercial success didn’t reflect the enthusiasm of her diehard fans and approving critics. But rather than chase trends or charts,...
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The Story Behind “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” by The Animals and the...
Songwriter Horace Ott began writing “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” after an argument with his wife, Gloria Caldwell. He then took it to the songwriting team of Bennie Benjamin and Sol Marcus. BMI and...
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The Story Behind John Lennon’s Cosmic 1973 Hit “Mind Games”
A limited-edition vinyl EP featuring John Lennon’s 1973 hit “Mind Games” and three other tracks will be released as part of the 2024 Record Store Day celebration on Saturday, April 20. The EP will...
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The Inappropriate Meaning Behind “Brown Sugar” by The Rolling Stones
Some songs age better than others. The bad boys of rock ‘n’ roll singing about sex and drugs wasn’t very far out of character in 1971. However, bringing in slavery, rape, and abuse somehow didn’t stop...
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Under a Microscope: The Story Behind “Wildest Dreams” by Taylor Swift
When Taylor Swift was recording her 2014 album 1989, her personal life attracted heavy media attention. “America’s Sweetheart” was under a microscope when she was involved with singer Harry Styles...
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The Meaning Behind “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)” by Billy Joel and Why He Had...
Most of the great musical artists in the rock era can point to a moment where they hit a towering peak, both creatively and commercially. For Billy Joel, that would have to be his album The Stranger,...
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The Meaning Behind “No Surprises” by Radiohead and Why the Band Have to Play...
Radiohead assured themselves a place in music legend with the release of their 1997 album OK Computer. The rock genre, which had stagnated around that time, received a jolt from the album’s ambition...
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The Meaning Behind “All I Want” by Kodaline and Why It’s Officially Reached...
The Irish alternative rock band Kodaline released their debut album, In a Perfect World, in 2013. The album’s fourth single, “All I Want,” quietly reached the Top 15 on the Irish Singles Chart....
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The Change-of-Heart Story Behind “She Thinks I Still Care” by George Jones
In 1959, George Jones hit No. 1 on the Billboard Country chart for the first time with “White Lightning.” A string of singles followed but failed to match the success. Then, in 1962, “She Thinks I...
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A “Finger-Wagging Scold”: The Meaning Behind “Pop Life” by Prince
Most of us have probably been guilty of only paying attention to a song’s hook. Sometimes, it captures the essence of a song’s meaning. Other times, the hook gives us the completely wrong impression of...
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The Meaning Behind “Reach Out I’ll Be There” by the Four Tops and How Levi...
Motown delivered many of the most unforgettable singles of the ’60s. You have to put “Reach Out I’ll Be There” right up there with any of them. It’s the signature song of the Four Tops, the vocal group...
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The Meaning Behind “Dream a Little Dream of Me” by The Mamas & The Papas and...
The American standard “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” follows a string of early 20th-century love songs putting words to an emotion many can’t easily express. The Mamas & The Papas’ version is the...
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The Meaning Behind “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys and the Tragic Event...
Alicia Keys signed to Columbia Records as a teenager, but the relationship soured when she refused to become someone she wasn’t. A piano prodigy raised on Chopin and Beethoven, Keys wanted to write and...
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Behind the Meaning of Carrie Underwood’s Revenge Anthem, “Two Black Cadillacs”
Carrie Underwood is no stranger to a revenge anthem. She has her fair share of songs that see her throw a few punches, swing a bat, or fire up some other method of vengeful destruction. Among that pack...
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The First-Person Meaning Behind “Too Good at Goodbyes” by Sam Smith
After falling in love with someone who didn’t feel the same, Sam Smith wrote their debut album In the Lonely Hour. They documented despairing heartache in the colossal hits “Stay with Me” and “I’m Not...
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The Meaning Behind “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran and Why He Thought Someone...
Ed Sheeran is one of Britain’s biggest-selling male pop stars, and he’s sold out stadiums as an aw-shucks everyman writing peppy acoustic guitar songs with Disney wisdom. “Shape of You” defines...
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The Meaning Behind the 1985 Duet “Separate Lives” by Phil Collins and Marilyn...
If you lived through the ‘80s, you know that listening to the radio meant that you were never too far from a heart-rending, male-female duet. You can probably rattle some of the songs off the top of...
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The Meaning Behind the Muscular 1987 Version of “I Could Never Take the Place...
The finest album of Prince’s career? That’s admittedly a tough call, but we’re going with Sign o’ the Times, his 1987 double-disc set that displayed his incredible variety. That variety came to the...
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7 Duets Featuring Judas Priest’s Rob Halford You Need to Hear
Known as the Metal God, Rob Halford is revered for his intense screaming, robust singing, and deeply emotive style. That is still evident on Judas Priest’s epic new album Invincible Shield. In recent...
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