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The Message About Success that Drives Cake’s “The Distance”
When John McCrea begins Cake’s signature hit “The Distance” by speaking the opening line, Reluctantly crouched at the starting line, one can’t help but pay attention to the story that follows. The tale...
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The Trespassing, Photo-Robbing Fan That Inspired The Beatles’ “She Came in...
When most people get their houses broken into, they file a police report. When it happens to Paul McCartney, he writes a song. Indeed, the meaning of The Beatles’ “She Came In Through the Bathroom...
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The Englishman Who Helped Ace Frehley Get His “New York Groove” and First...
“A lot of people think I wrote ‘New York Groove,'” said founding KISS guitarist Ace Frehley in 2016. “It’s not a myth that I’ve perpetuated, but that’s the way it is. I wish I would’ve written the...
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Behind the Meaning of Carly Pearce’s “my place”
Carly Pearce has shared a plethora of breakup anthems over the years. Her latest release in that pursuit is “my place.” This tender ballad is a heart-wrenching tale of lost love and hurting yourself by...
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How Colt Ford Helped Jason Aldean Land a Country-Rap Hit With “Dirt Road Anthem”
After leaving his professional golf career behind and venturing into country music, Georgia-born Colt Ford soon had co-writing credits with the alt-rockers Lit, along with Brantley Gilbert, Jamey...
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J. Cole Hits Back at Kendrick Lamar with Surprise New “7 Minute Drill”:...
When Kendrick Lamar attacked Drake and J. Cole during his guest verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s track “Like That,” the music world lit up with the possibility of an old-school rap beef. How would...
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The Song that Was Abandoned for 5 Years: The Story Behind “Surf’s Up” by The...
The Beach Boys were in a precarious position as the rest of the world seemed to have moved on without them. The striped shirts and surfboard image seemed irrelevant when music was moving away from...
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“We Know This Is a Hit Song”: The Story Behind “Bus Stop” by The Hollies
Graham Gouldman wrote a batch of hits at the core of the British invasion. The Yardbirds, Herman’s Hermits, and The Hollies all recorded the Manchester teenager’s songs. By day, he worked at a menswear...
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The Simon & Garfunkel Song That Still Makes Paul Simon Cringe and How He...
On Simon & Garfunkel‘s third album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, there’s a song that Paul Simon still loathes. “As it’s coming up, I’m thinking, ‘Here it comes, here it comes,” said Simon...
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The Story Behind “Tumbling Dice” by The Rolling Stones and How Mick Jagger’s...
In 1970, The Rolling Stones embodied the rock star lifestyle. Sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll were a way of life for the British quintet. However, their business affairs were a mess. Their manager put...
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“The Whole Thing Came Out in One Gulp”: The Story Behind “Nowhere Man” by The...
“She Loves You,” “All My Loving,” “Love Me Do,” “P.S. I Love You,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “And I Love Her.” Are you noticing a theme here? The Beatles began their career singing about love and...
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The Meaning Behind “Like That” by Future, Metro Boomin, and Kendrick Lamar...
This week, “Like That” by Future, Metro Boomin, and Kendrick Lamar reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Future and Metro Boomin have five tracks from their new album We Don’t Trust You in the...
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The Weighty Meaning Behind The Wallflowers’“One Headlight” and Its Many...
The refrain from The Wallflowers’ biggest hit isn’t just memorable for being hooky. We can drive it home / With one headlight creates an image that just about anyone who has ever been in a car can...
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“A Blessin’ and a Lesson”: The Story Behind “Tutti Frutti” by Little Richard
Little Richard was a walking contradiction. Because of his religious upbringing, he couldn’t fully embrace rock ‘n’ roll, yet he gave us some of the most exciting recordings the world has ever heard....
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The Meaning Behind “Blow Away” by George Harrison and How It Helped...
It’s fair to say the two high points of George Harrison‘s solo career were All Things Must Pass, his first post-Beatles solo release, and Cloud Nine, his incredible 1987 comeback. But he delivered a...
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The Meaning Behind “Bennie and the Jets” by Elton John and Its Sci-Fi Origins
“Bennie and the Jets” holds a place of pride as one of Elton John‘s most beloved songs. It’s also probably one of his most confusing in terms of the lyrics. That is, if you even hear the lyrics...
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The Meaning Behind “Bright Lights” by Gary Clark Jr. and Why It Portends the...
Gary Clark Jr. could have had a fine career performing American roots music to diehard fans. He could have filled casino halls and summer festivals rehashing the kind of blues licks that make the...
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‘Keep That Red Dirt on Those Boots’—The Meaning Behind Jason Aldean’s 2023...
Jason Aldean‘s 2023 album Highway Desperado may have been his most controversial yet, with the single “Try That in a Small Town.” The song, which went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart,...
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The Meaning Behind “Slit Skirts” by Pete Townshend and the Complex Emotional...
Many famous artists and bands who rose up through the ranks in the musical heyday of the ’60s found the early ’80s to be a rough era. The Who battled through that time with their typical resilience,...
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The Meaning Behind “Superstar” by The Carpenters and How They Tweaked It to...
“Superstar” somehow epitomized the output of The Carpenters and deviated from it all at once. On the one hand, it’s a song that’s so gentle that it wouldn’t break an egg, putting it in line with their...
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