I just discovered, while perusing a list of songs written about or inspired by New York City, that George Gershwin wrote “Rhapsody in Blue” after hearing the “steely rhythms” and rattle-ty bang" of a NYC locomotive. He says he heard the music in the “very heart” of the noise of that train journey and, by the time he arrived in Boston, the piece had more or less solidified in his mind.
Now, admittedly, this is an odd inspiration but it got me thinking about other famous ones. “Sweet Caroline,” reportedly, was inspired by JFK’s then-eleven-year-old daughter, while that underrated Bonnie Raitt tune “I Can’t Make You Love Me” originated when a countrified defendant, after shooting up his ex-lovers car, was asked by a judge if he learned anything from his trial, responded “you can’t make a woman love you if she don’t.”
What I’m soliciting are other interesting song inspirations from our knowledgeable store of music geeks.
Oh, and a caveat: I’ve been absent from the Dope for quite some time and, admittedly, a similar post may have been made, maybe even by me, some time ago. That said, I couldn’t find it and I figure this is a nearly inexhaustible category, so why not take it for a spin?
What’s up Birdmonster? Good to see you back around.
The song Bertha by the Grateful Dead was written to the rhythm of a large floor fan that would walk itself around the bands office when turned up too high.
“Savoy Truffle,” a Beatles song written by George, was inspired by a box of fancy chocolates (or more specifically, the card in the box that alerted the consumer as to what was in each chocolate). “But you’ll have to have them all pulled out before the Savoy Truffle” meant your teeth would rot and a dentist would have to take them out.
We all came out to Montreux (in Switzerland)
On the Lake Geneva shoreline
To make records with a mobile (the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio)
We didnt have much time
I’m sorry to have butchered your post with all of the links, WoodenTaco. Unfortunately, because of copyright concerns, we ask that you post just a few lyrics and link to the rest. When you get a moment, please take a gander at our forum rules.
While the lyrics of many songs about historic events tell stories that are only loosely based on the truth, Gordon Lightfoot’s Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is a notable exception. The Canadian singer-songwriter was inspired by a Newsweek story about the sinking of “that good ship and crew”, and the first few lines are essentially a rephrasing of the opening sentence of the article in question.
I always liked Sting’s story about the inspiration for the song King of Pain.
He and his wife were on vacation in Jamaica (IIRC) and she squinted up and saw a sunspot and told him “There’s a little black spot on the sun today.” He responded very metaphysically “That’s my soul up there.” She snorted and said “That’s you, always the king of pain.”
You know, RikWriter I was just reading a Sting on MSNBC piece about his inspiration and found him so insufferably pompous I had to abandon ship. Your story squares nicely with his general tone throughout the piece.
According to Barry Gibb, “Jive Talking” was inspired by the sound of the car they were in crossing a bridge on the way to the studio.
The Boomtown Rats’s “I Don’t Like Mondays” came from a girl who started shooting her classmates in school. When asked why, she said, “I don’t like Mondays.”
“Layla” was inspired by Patti Harrison, George’s wife. Eric Clapton fell for her and they eventually married.
“Killing Me Softly With His Song” was inspired by a performance by Don McLean.
The girl was 16 and shooting at the elementary school across from her house, so they weren’t her classmates. No children died, although two school employees were killed.