# Songs inspired by true events **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 25, 2004, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060 "2004-10-25T16:07:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/1 "2004-10-25T16:07:43Z")
Always looking to create a new and bizarre playlist, I wonder - what songs do you know of were inspired by true events. Of course, I should say I mean events that are mostly public; we don’t need to list all the songs that were inspired by bad breakups. 😉 I thought about this as I read the terrifying story behind the song **[I Don’t Like Mondays](http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/mondays.asp)** by the **Boomtown Rats**. That song always sounded pretty creepy, but I never knew what it was about (note: I’ve never actually heard the original, only the cover by **Tori Amos** ). I know **[Tears in Heaven](http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/tears.htm)** fits here too as it was inspired by the accidental death of **Eric Clapton’s** son. What other notable songs were inspired by real life? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Sayid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@Jack\_Sayid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Sayid)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/2 "2004-10-25T16:16:02Z")
**Gordon Lightfoot** ’s - _The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald_ and **U2** ’s - _Sunday Bloody Sunday_ come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/3 "2004-10-25T16:20:59Z")
Peter Gabriel Family Snapshot about the Kennedy Assassination. Wasn’t Smoke on the Water about a real club getting burnt down? Iron Maiden’s Alexander The Great does quite a long history of Alexander’s life. Abba’s Rasputin 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/4 "2004-10-25T16:21:38Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > Wasn’t Smoke on the Water about a real club getting burnt down? Yup. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/5 "2004-10-25T16:23:38Z")
**Smoke on the Water**. The venue/studio burned down. Purple weren’t playing there at the time Zappa was as, indeed, the song says. Not a major event I s’pose, but they didn’t invent it. And School of Rock notwithstanding - the riff is played in forths dammit, not barre chords :mad: Lennon’s bit of **A Day in the Life** was about a real chap who died in a car crash. Isn’t there some gawdawful pre-disco BeeGees song about a pit disaster or summit? ---
**Author:** ![marky33](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@marky33](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marky33)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/6 "2004-10-25T16:26:50Z")
Battle of the beanfield - The Levellers Enola Gay - OMD (A bomb plane) Spirit of the Falklands - New Model Army Gary Gilmore’s eyes - The Adverts (Gilmore was executed in the US) Who killed Liddle Towers - Angelic Upstarts Among probably many, many others ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/7 "2004-10-25T16:30:32Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > Abba’s Rasputin 😉 **(Ra Ra) Rasputin** was by **Boney M** ::hangs head in shame:: **Abba** ’s Waterloo? Tho’ it’s not actually _about_ the battle . . . as such . . . at all. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/8 "2004-10-25T16:32:34Z")
\*\* For What It’s Worth \*\* is about a bar closing that was mistaken for a riot by police officers. ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/9 "2004-10-25T16:37:17Z")
> [@Jack Sayid](#): > > **Gordon Lightfoot** ’s - _The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald_ Is Gordon Lightfoot’s version better than the horrendous cover the **Dandy Warhols** did? If anyone else doesn’t know the story behind this song (like I didn’t), here’s a concise explanation: [http://www.corfid.com/gl/wreck.htm](http://www.corfid.com/gl/wreck.htm) ---
**Author:** ![kung\_fu\_lola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f4b2a3/32.png) [@kung\_fu\_lola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kung_fu_lola)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/10 "2004-10-25T16:41:39Z")
The tragically hip do this _all the fricking time_. Obvious examples are _Fifty-Mission Cap_ and _38 Years Old_. ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/11 "2004-10-25T16:42:04Z")
> [@Governor Quinn](#): > > \*\* For What It’s Worth \*\* is about a bar closing that was mistaken for a riot by police officers. I never knew that was about a specific event. Know any details? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/12 "2004-10-25T16:42:05Z")
> [@Small Clanger](#): > > Isn’t there some gawdawful pre-disco BeeGees song about a pit disaster or summit? That would be the toe-tapping **New York Mining Disaster 1941** Damn, **Governor Quinn** got here before I could with the story of **For What It’s Worth** Crosby Stills Nash and Young did come back with **Ohio** (inspired by the Kent state shootings) and **Chicago** (about the trial of the Chicago 7), which had a little more gravitas behind them. Johnny Cash recorded **Ira Hayes** as a tribute to the Native American who helped plant the flag during the battle of Iwo Jima, and later died a penniles alcoholic. And as noted in a thread a few weeks ago, **The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald** sounds entirely different if you sing it to the tune of **Stairway to Heaven** ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Sayid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@Jack\_Sayid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Sayid)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/13 "2004-10-25T16:43:22Z")
> [@Slacker](#): > > Is Gordon Lightfoot’s version better than the horrendous cover the **Dandy Warhols** did? Hell yeah! **Lightfoot** ’s is _the_ definitive version. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/14 "2004-10-25T16:44:47Z")
I think a fella named Don Mc-something did a song that might fit. ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/15 "2004-10-25T17:20:51Z")
> [@Troy McClure SF](#): > > I think a fella named Don Mc-something did a song that might fit. Rings a bell. 😉 [What is Don McLean’s song “American Pie” all about?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_398b.html) [The Altamont Disaster](http://www.echoes.com/rememberaday/altamont.html) ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/16 "2004-10-25T18:25:47Z")
Man, I wasn’t fast enough to get here first with… **… Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald … Ohio … Chicago** Oh well. Here’s another one though – Harry Chapin’s **30,000 Pounds of Bananas** is based on an actual 1965 truck wreck in Scranton, Pennsylvania. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/17 "2004-10-25T18:35:11Z")
**"Hey Man Nice Shot" - Filter** Inspired by the on-air suicide of a Pennsylvania politician. **"Pride (In the Name of Love" - U2** MLK assassination. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/18 "2004-10-25T18:44:07Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > Peter Gabriel Family Snapshot about the Kennedy Assassination. I wasn’t aware that “Family Snapshot” was about a specific historic event. However, the same album contains the song “Biko” about the murder of Steven Biko. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/19 "2004-10-25T18:54:33Z")
_Woodstock_ by Joni Mitchell. _Solid Air_ by John Martyn was inspired by the suicide of Nick Drake. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/20 "2004-10-25T18:57:19Z")
**Hurricane** by Bob Dylan. **The Star Spangled Banner** by Francis Scott Key. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060.md?page=2)