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The 1960s Cartoon That Inspired the AC/DC Classic “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
In 1949, Looney Tunes animator and puppeteer Bob Clampett created the puppet show Time for Beany, which ran on television through 1955. Clampett later revived the characters as an animated cartoon,...
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Behind the Meaning of Stevie Nicks and Don Henley’s Classic Duet “Leather and...
If you’ve ever stepped foot in a karaoke bar, odds are you know “Leather and Lace” well. This classic (and often replicated) duet between Stevie Nicks and Don Henley is the perfect marriage between a...
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So…Does Chris Martin WANT to Be in a Tumultuous Relationship? The Meaning...
Before Chris Martin utters his first words in Coldplay’s hit single “Clocks,” it feels like there’s something of monumental importance about to happen. In the song’s intro, we are greeted by Martin’s...
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The Crossdressing Thief Behind the Syd Barrett-Penned Pink Floyd Debut...
Several months before releasing their debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Pink Floyd released their first single on March 10, 1967. Written by frontman Syd Barrett, “Arnold Layne,” which was...
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It Was Written for a Disco Diva Before the Boss Kept It for Himself: The...
Bruce Springsteen churned out so many hits from his 1984 mega-smash album Born in the U.S.A. that it wouldn’t have been surprising if one or more of those songs found themselves getting a bit lost in...
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The Story Behind the Debut Single Willie Nelson Wrote When He Was 12
When Willie Nelson was 12 he played in a local polka band in Abbott, Texas, and wrote what would become one of his first two singles, “The Storm Has Just Begun.” His woeful ballad was a story of...
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Behind the Meaning of the Song that Reinvented Elvis Presley’s Career, “If I...
Before 1968, Elvis Presley was most known for his era-defining, yet blithe hits. The iconic rocker rarely explored weighty topics, like politics. When he made his big comeback in ’68 with a now-famed...
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Robert Plant Is in Too Deep While Alison Krauss Just Soars Above It All: The...
Great songs have a way of coming to the surface, even if it takes a bit of time for them to get there. “Killing the Blues” took about 30 years to find its way to the limelight. It traveled all the way...
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He Ignored the Controversy to Make His Most Impactful (and Successful) Music:...
Graceland began as jam sessions in South Africa. The Johannesburg recordings changed how Paul Simon wrote songs, with new chord variations and the Bagithi Khumalo bass lines shaping vocal melodies in...
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It Wasn’t Written for Pop-Metal, But for a Rock ‘n’ Soul Goddess: The Meaning...
Whitesnake were certainly no strangers to the ballad format by the time they became superstars in 1987. But “Is This Love” represented something different for them. It was a ballad that had much more...
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The Story Behind Jake Owen’s First No. 1 That Was Almost Never Recorded,...
Jake Owen was nearly finished recording his third album when a song written by Dylan Altman, Terry Sawchuk, and Eric Paslay circled back around. The song Owen added, “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” became...
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Behind the Meaning of Megan Moroney’s “I’m Not Pretty”
Megan Moroney first launched to fame with her sports-centric track “Tennessee Orange.” She followed up that success with an equally enticing track, “I’m Not Pretty.” In this track, Moroney plays the...
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The Meaning Behind Pink Floyd’s “Brain Damage,” Roger Waters’ Commentary on...
The Dark Side of the Moon is one of the best-selling and most highly-regarded albums in rock history. It also represents a crucial turning point in the evolution of Pink Floyd. While Roger Waters had...
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The Wild Story of a Wounded Troubadour’s Travelogue: The Meaning Behind...
It’s not unusual for the sensational details of a brief life to occasionally overshadow the accomplishments of the person who lived it. Yet it’s safe to say that just about everyone who has ever played...
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The Perhaps Not-Quite-So-Innocent True Meaning Behind “Stop! In the Name of...
Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, and Mary Wilson landed their first No. 1 in 1964 with “Where Did Our Love Go.” Three girls from the Brewster-Douglass housing project in Detroit became Motown’s most...
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From Hurtin’ on the Bottle to Ditching Both the Hurt and the Bottle: The...
While Margo Price’s first single, “Hurtin’ (On the Bottle),” may not have been intentionally autobiographical, it detailed a way in which—at that stage of her life—she would deal with pain. Price used...
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The Endearing Meaning Behind Cody Johnson’s “The Painter”
Cody Johnson evokes the spirit of classic country artists. On top of his crooning vocals that seem plucked straight out of the ’90s, Johnson’s songs are rife with narrative and expert songwriting. One...
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The Story Behind Jay-Z’s Favorite Dave Matthews Band Song “Crush”
Right off the success of their 1994 debut Under the Table and Dreaming and follow-up Crash in 1996, Dave Matthews Band (DMB) returned to the studio with producer Steve Lillywhite to work on their third...
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The Meaning Behind “Peace of Mind” by Boston, the First Classic Rock Song...
Boston’s self-titled debut album was a constant presence on radio in the mid-to-late ‘70s, with every single one of its eight tracks garnering airplay on album-oriented rock stations. Boston was a...
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The Meaning Behind “Le Freak” by Chic: So Much Dancing Inspired by So Much...
Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers met in 1970, working as New York City session musicians. They were part of an R&B group named after the city, with a hit record called “I’m Doing Fine Now.”...
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