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Behind Pink Floyd’s “Great Gig in the Sky” and Why the Vocalist Was Sure It...
Pink Floyd’s “Great Gig in the Sky” has become a defining moment of the band’s magnum opus, ‘Dark Side of the Moon.’ With its wordlessly anguished vocals and iconic piano intro, the song closes out the...
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The Mount Rushmore of Outlaw Country: The Story Behind “Highwayman” by The...
Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson could be considered the Mount Rushmore of the Outlaw Country movement. All four admired each other’s work. Cash shared an apartment...
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The Meaning Behind “Back to Black” by Amy Winehouse and the Painful Breakup...
Amy Winehouse’s legacy is often overshadowed by her addiction and public turmoil. Following her death at 27, people focused on the tragedy of her life. Her breakthrough album, Back to Black, made...
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The Lie that Led to a Hit Song: The Story Behind “Valleri” by The Monkees
A song written against the clock, recorded twice, and featuring a session guitarist who was clearly not a member of the band—this was The Monkees‘ last song to benefit from the massive exposure of a...
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The Meaning Behind the Elegiac Hymn “Work Song” by Hozier
When Hozier’s haunting single “Take Me to Church” went viral in 2013, the then-unknown Irish singer/songwriter attracted the frenzied attention of record labels worldwide. Columbia Records released his...
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The Meaning Behind “Disco 2000” by Pulp and the Real-Life Friend and Pioneer...
Jarvis Cocker and his band Pulp were the art, literary (and elder) outsiders who created youth anthems for everyday people during a ’90s Britpop craze they also despised. But Cocker is no stranger to...
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The Dream States that Inspired “Silent Lucidity” by Queensrÿche
When Queensrÿche set about recording Empire, the 1990 follow-up to their breakthrough concept album Operation: Mindcrime, they cast a wider net in terms of the types of songs they wanted to write and...
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The Meaning Behind “Abacab” by Genesis and How They Came Up with the Strange...
It’s always tricky when a band known for a particular niche of music tries to branch out, potentially alienating diehard fans in an effort to court new ones. Genesis experienced that on their 1981...
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The Generational Love Story in Dan + Shay’s “From The Ground Up”
“Both Shay’s and my grandparents were each married for over 65 years,” Dan Smyers of Dan + Shay said of “From The Ground Up.” “With all the divorces and stuff that goes on in media these days, that’s...
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The Meaning Behind “If Anyone Falls” by Stevie Nicks and the “Real Rock and...
Stevie Nicks‘ solo career hit full swing with her massive 1983 album The Wild Heart, as she further established herself outside the work she did with Fleetwood Mac. It seemed like it was one big single...
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The Meaning Behind “You May Be Right” by Billy Joel and that Breaking Glass...
Like all great artists before and since, Billy Joel always seemed to inherently know when to pivot. One of those pivot points was the 1980 album Glass Houses, which found him rocking much harder than...
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The Stomach Turning Backstory to Townes Van Zandt’s “Fraternity Blues”
Most singer-songwriters spend their entire career seeking out a truth worth writing about. For Townes Van Zandt, that truth seeped right out of his drug-laced veins and into his prolific musical...
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The Gang Epidemic that Inspired “Empire” by Queensrÿche
After releasing and touring behind the passionately performed, sociopolitical concept album Operation: Mindcrime, a 1988 release widely regarded as a classic, Seattle progressive metal unit Queensrÿche...
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Politics and Psilocybin Mushrooms: The Story Behind The Beatles’“Come Together”
The first, whispered “Shoot me,” followed by Paul McCartney’s iconic bass line, makes the Beatles’ 1969 hit “Come Together” undeniably recognizable within seconds. However, the song’s compositional...
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Behind the Meaning of Kelsea Ballerini’s “How Do I Do This?”
Kelsea Ballerini’s Rolling Up the Welcome Mat sees her explore the downfall of a marriage, find a way to pick herself back up again, and trek on to new beginnings. Each of the tracks acts as one...
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The Non-Conformist Meaning Behind “The Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats
We can dance if we want to, insisted Men Without Hats on their iconic single “The Safety Dance,” which was released in 1982 and became a worldwide hit the following year. It’s one of the most...
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Brian Johnson’s Favorite Bon Scott-Era AC/DC Song: “I Wish We Did It”
“Back in Black.” “You Shook Me All Night Long.” “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You).” “Thunderstruck.” Brian Johnson‘s catalog of songs with AC/DC since joining the band in 1980, following the...
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Three Stages of Life: The Meaning Behind “We Will Rock You” by Queen
Almost half a century ago, Queen recorded their iconic anthem, “We Will Rock You,” forever changing live sporting events. The song is a rallying cry, and while many are familiar with its stomp,...
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George Harrison Hated This Neil Young Song and His Guitar Playing: “It’s Good...
On October 16, 1992, Bobfest, a tribute concert held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, commemorated the 30th anniversary of Bob Dylan‘s career as a recording artist. That night, George...
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How The Beatles’ “Michelle” Went From Boozy French Party Song To Smash Hit
If there was a better way to impress girls at house parties than dressing in all black, sitting in a corner with a guitar, and singing fake French, teenage Paul McCartney didn’t know it. This...
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