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The Meaning Behind “Grease” by Frankie Valli and How Barry Gibb Brought Disco...
Grease is the word, Frankie Valli sang in 1978, and that was an incredibly accurate assessment. The movie of the same name emerged from its Broadway origins to become a sensation that same year. And...
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The Hells Angel and Ex-Wife Who May Have Inspired the Song Willie Nelson...
When late director Sydney Pollack asked Willie Nelson to contribute a song about life on the road for the 1980 musical drama Honeysuckle Rose, he quickly scribbled some lyrics on an airplane sickness...
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Behind the Meaning of Taylor Swift’s “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)”
Taylor Swift has several songs about making the bad guys good. She often sings about using her “Girl-Next-Door” reputation to hold down fast men–making them palatable for a while. Her latest pursuit in...
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How a Fairy Tale Inspired Tori Amos’ Impactful First Hit “Silent All These...
Not many music fans knew about Tori Amos when she released Little Earthquakes and its U.S. lead single “Silent All These Years” in 1992. That anonymity was the very thing that helped to spark Amos to...
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The Meaning Behind Pearl Jam’s “Waiting for Stevie” and How a Music Legend’s...
Pearl Jam’s “Waiting for Stevie” began while singer Eddie Vedder waited for a music legend to arrive for a recording session. It’s the kind of anthem Pearl Jam used to write regularly. Think Yield’s...
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The Meaning Behind “Glory of Love” by Peter Cetera and Why It Was so...
The ’80s were prime time for stirring power ballads tied into major motion pictures. Peter Cetera‘s “Glory of Love” certainly scratched that itch in a major way. It soared to the top of the pop charts...
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The Meaning Behind “She’s a Beauty” by The Tubes and the Real-Life Peep Show...
You could argue that cult bands are cult bands, and hit bands are hit bands, and never the twain shall meet. But The Tubes proved that you can indeed make the leap from “adored by few” to “loved by...
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The Meaning Behind “Everything I Own” by Bread and David Gates’ Touching...
No songwriter/performer in the early ‘70s combined melodic ease with sensitive, heart-tugging lyrics like David Gates of Bread. One of his peak efforts came with the 1972 smash single “Everything I...
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Behind the Meaning of Megan Moroney’s Heart Breaking “28th of June”
Anniversaries can be hard when you’re mourning a loss. In Megan Moroney‘s “28th of June,” she mourns the loss of a relationship. Today would’ve been a day that we’d celebrate / And now it’s just...
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The Meaning Behind “You Can Do Magic” by America and the Songwriter-for-Hire...
Many bands left behind by the music scene struggle to ever again find their earlier footing. Give credit then to America for how they came back from a commercial slump and bucked the prevailing trends...
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The Frank Sinatra ‘Playboy’ Interview That Inspired Kris Kristofferson’s 1970...
“I’m for anything that gets you through the night,” said Frank Sinatra in a 1963 interview with Playboy, “be it prayer, tranquilizers or a bottle of Jack Daniel’s.” In the interview, Sinatra goes on to...
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The Story Behind “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” by Bob Dylan and Why...
After Bob Dylan’s self-titled debut album failed to sell, John Hammond, who had signed the singer to Columbia Records, faced criticism from his peers. As people referred to Dylan as “Hammond’s Folly,”...
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Behind the Meaning of Dua Lipa’s “Maria”
Not everyone wants to think about their partner’s last relationship, but not Dua Lipa. The Radical Optimism singer says as much in her recently released song, “Maria.” Maria, I know you’re gone / But I...
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Rosanna Arquette, a High School Sweetheart, and the Women Who May Have...
When Toto was working on their fourth album Toto IV, keyboardist David Paich was reflecting on an old high school sweetheart and some other past girlfriends. At the time, bandmate Steve Porcaro was...
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The Meaning Behind “Piggies” by The Beatles and the Social Commentary George...
George Harrison brought the sounds of India to The Beatles on songs like “Love You To” and “Within You Without You.” But that wasn’t his only lane. On “Piggies” off the White Album, he used a...
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The Anti-Nostalgia Message Behind Sleater-Kinney’s “Entertain”
Sleater-Kinney is known for their ability to deliver biting commentary, and few of their songs deliver a harder punch than “Entertain” does. The anger in Carrie Brownstein’s vocal delivery is palpable,...
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The Meaning Behind “So. Central Rain” by R.E.M. and How a Real-Life Weather...
On April 9, 1984, R.E.M. released Reckoning. The album’s first single, “So. Central Rain,” is a darker version of the Athens, Georgia, band’s jangly rock and roll. Though it’s now a classic song, it’s...
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The Story Behind “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley and the...
Elvis Presley’s movies were sometimes laughable but always profitable. Hollywood cashed in on the massive success of the singer by casting him in a film and changing the title to coincide with his...
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“Great Songs Write Themselves”: The Story Behind “Happy” by The Rolling Stones
In 1967 and 1968, during a break in touring, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards began exploring open tunings. Drawing inspiration from early blues artists, Richards particularly liked the open G...
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Fending off the Invaders: The Story Behind “Fun, Fun, Fun” by The Beach Boys
As the calendar flipped from 1963 to 1964, The Beach Boys were on top of the world. They were riding the wave of three consecutive Top 10 hits and a Christmas album that would become a classic. On...
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