# 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:** 15\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/81 "2004-10-26T12:33:52Z")
> [@Slacker](#): > > How long does one wait before recording a song about a disaster/tragedy anyway? Are there any 9/11 songs yet? It was mentioned in an earlier post–_Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning?_ by Alan Jackson. I much preferred the first recording of this song, which was done in the emotion of the moment, rather than his rerecording, which lacked the raw feeling of the first. The second had more of a “polished” feel, while the first was obviously done when the tragedy was new and the pain was fresh. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/82 "2004-10-26T13:38:20Z")
Speaking of tragedy songs, I have a great old 78 rpm gospel record called **“The Burning of the Winecoff”** about the 1946 Winecoff Hotel fire in Atlanta. (The deadliest hotel fire in US history. 119 killed.) _Those faces in the windows I seem them in my dreams I always will remember Those agonizing screams_ (Despite those lyrics, the tempo of the song is upbeat. Jarringly so.) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/83 "2004-10-26T14:19:25Z")
I remember owning an LP by Donovan Leitch that had a great song called “Remember the Alamo” on it. It had a blue cover, was live, and I think was called “Donovan P. Leitch.” Tom Paxton is a folksinger who has written several songs about current events, including one based on Ron Kovic’s book “Born on the 4th of July.” In my wheelchair for life, my mechanical wife I’m suppose to be cheerful and stoic. I’m the old tried-and-true, Yankee Doodle to you. Clean cut, _paralyzed_ and heroic. I was born on the 4th of July, no one more loyal than I. When my country said so I was ready to go And I wish I’d been left there to die. ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/84 "2004-10-26T19:58:24Z")
“When The Levee Breaks” by Led Zeppelin ( who took the song from a blues singer named “Kansas” McCoy --at least I think that’s what his name was) was based on a real incident–the Mississippi flooded in 1927 and broke its levees, killing people who were unfortunate enough to be in the way. ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/85 "2004-10-26T20:11:54Z")
Thanks for mentioning ‘Vincent’, **Tentacle Monster**. Beautiful song. There’s **Bangladesh** by George Harrison. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/86 "2004-10-26T20:46:34Z")
Would _The Ballad of the Green Berets_ fit the category? Not inspirde by any particular training class of GBs AFAIK but it could fit… ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/87 "2004-10-26T21:11:35Z")
[“The Train Carrying Jimmie Rodgers Home”](http://www.nsknet.or.jp/~motoya/BG/T/The_train_carrying_Jimmie_Rodgers_home.html) (performed by various artists-- not sure who wrote it) is a heart-wrenching ballad inspired by the death (from tuberculosis) of country music pioneer Jimmie Rodgers (“The Singing Brakeman”). ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/88 "2004-10-26T21:12:08Z")
> [@Slacker](#): > > How long does one wait before recording a song about a disaster/tragedy anyway? Are there any 9/11 songs yet? And of course there’s \*\*The Angry American \*\* by Toby Keith. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/89 "2004-10-26T23:35:51Z")
Bye Bye Badman by The Stone Roses is about the French student riots. ---
**Author:** ![threeorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@threeorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threeorange)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/90 "2004-10-28T09:48:39Z")
I don’t have a cite, but isn’t “The Way” by Fastball about a real married couple who abandoned their children? ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/91 "2004-10-28T14:39:55Z")
“Bullet” by The Misfits, about the Kennedy assassination. “Angel of Death” by Slayer, about Josef Mengele. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/92 "2004-10-28T15:26:39Z")
Ricky Nelson’s “Garden Party” was inspired by his appearance at the Rock Revival concert at Madison Square Garden in 1971. ---
**Author:** ![Darkhold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@Darkhold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkhold)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/93 "2004-10-28T17:41:09Z")
> [@](#): > > I don’t have a cite, but isn’t “The Way” by Fastball about a real married couple who abandoned their children? Errr not quite. It’s about and elderly couple that driving to a family reunion and never showed up. There was a series of articles about them that inspired the song the band picturing them just going out and having fun like they did when they were younger. Turned out the couple was confused (Alzheimer’s disease) and drove into a cayon and died. ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/94 "2004-10-28T23:49:44Z")
Wasn’t Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” inspired by actual events? ---
**Author:** ![look\_ninjas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@look\_ninjas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/look_ninjas)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060/95 "2004-10-29T02:05:08Z")
“Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six” by the Pogues was based on real events (IIRC, the Birmingham Six were later exonerated and released from prison). And **Otto** , you might be interested in “I Fought the Law” by the Dead Kennedys, which is also about the Harvey Milk case. > [@](#): > > The law don’t mean shit if you’ve got the right friends, > That’s how this country’s run. > Twinkies are the best friends I ever had. > I fought the law, and I won. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-inspired-by-true-events/271060.md?page=4)