12 Amazing Stories behind Some of the Famous Rock Songs
March 17, 2014Have you ever wondered what was the inspiration to some of the famous and loved rock songs you listen to? Here are 12 amazing stories you just wouldn't believe behind some famous and loved rock songs...
#1: "Ticket to Ride" by The Beatles refers to prostitute health cards
When The Beatles sang about "riding" in their 1965 "Ticket to Ride" song, they certainly didn't sang about trains. According to John Lennon, the ticket in the song actually refers to health cards which are carried by Hamburg prostitutes, cards that indicate clean health and absence of sexually transmissive diseases.
#2: "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix was inspired by stalking waitress who kidnapped a café customer
Most people assume that "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix is actually a song about LSD and you can understand why they're wrong, but in-fact Hendrix was inspired by a newspaper article about a waitress who was obsessed with one of the regular customers in the café where she was working. The waitress decided to mix some LSD with the man's coffee, led him to her apartment and there she held him for days in captivity. In the song, Hendrix focused on the poor man and used the music to tell the story from the perspective of this unfortunate man.
#3: "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" by Pink Floyd is dedicated to Syd Barrett and his insanity
This masterpiece is probably the best song by Pink Floyd and for obvious reasons. You can't stop in the middle of the tune when you start it, it captures you in its tenderness and it just makes you fly away in your mind to peaceful places. But, the song is actually about insanity and former band member Syd Barrett who went mad years before this song was written. The interesting story behind this music, is that at the same day the track was being laid down at Abbey Road studios, Barrett appeared out of the blue with Pink Floyd band member not even recognizing him at first. Barrett deteriorated in every possible sense and seeing him that day made a real impact on the band members. Barrett's drug abuse stories are well known with one particularly famous and true – he would mix drug with hair gel, pour it on his hair prior to performing on stage and in this way the heat from the spotlights would melt the substance directly into his brain.
#4: "Chelsea Hotel No. 2" by Leonard Cohen is about getting a blowjob from Janis Joplin
Leonard Cohen's 1974 song is talking about his romantic encounter with the late Janis Joplin. The song's lyrics "Giving me head on the unmade bed/while the limousines wait in the street" give no room for imagination and they are perfectly clear. Leonard Cohen gets a little bit harsh at the end of the song when he's saying "I don't mean to suggest that I love you the best/I can't keep track of each fallen robin/I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel/That's all, I don't even think of you that often." I just hope they had a good time back then, so they'll have something to remember.
#5: "I Shot the Sheriff" by Bob Marely is a rant against birth control pills
Marley's former girlfriend, Esther Anderson revealed that the song "I Shot the Sheriff" was actually inspired by birth control pills as a cry-out against contraception. Anderson was using birth control pills when she was together with Marley as a prescription from her doctor, but he considered such medicaments sacrilege and he condemned the doctor for "killing his seed before it grows." You can hear it in the song with lyrics "Every time I plant a seed/he said kill it before it grow."
#6: "Jump" by Van Halen is actually David Lee Roth cheering a man to jump off a building
One of rock's most famous tunes is about cheering a man to jump from a building, as Van Halen vocalist stated that the inspiration for the song came to him when he was watching news on the TV, showing a group of people trying to convince a man not to jump off a building, but Van Halen thought otherwise I guess, because in Roth's opinion, that person should have done the opposite and jump.
#7: "Rocket Queen" by Guns N' Roses features footage of Axl Rose having sex in the recording room with the girlfriend of Steven Adler
Guns N' Roses' drummer, Steven Adler, was fooling around a bit back in the days, making his own girlfriend (Adriana Smith) bang the band's front man, Axl Rose. It seems Adler's girlfriend got more than she asked for and the two had sex in the recording room with a sound engineer recording everything. Check the song after 2:38 minutes and you'll be able to hear Adler's girlfriend loud and clear…
#8: "Creep" by Radiohead is about Thom Yorke stalking a girl around campus
The front man of Radiohead, Thom Yorke, studied at Exeter University and at that time he had his eye on a certain girl which was very good looking, yet he never dared to approach her. Yorke was always socially awkward all the way back from his childhood days, he decided to follow her around and admire her from distance. Creepy indeed.
#9: "A Tout Le Monde" by Megadeth is based on a conversation Dave Mustaine had with his mother in a dream
The classic Megadeth song is often misunderstood for being a suicide song, but as a matter of fact this classic ballad was inspired by a dream Mustaine had, where he had a conversation with his late mother. He says the song is about him talking to his mother again after she came back from heaven.
#10: "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica was written by James Hetfield while he was talking on the phone with his girlfriend
One of the most known and loved songs by Metallica was written spontaneously by James Hetfield while talking on the phone with his girlfriend. This power ballad was dedicated to Hetfield's girlfriend where he expressed the bond the two shared while he was out on the road and on tours.
#11: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana was inspired by Cobain's ex-girlfriend friend's outrage which involved perfume and graffiti
Before Kurt Cobain became involved with Courtney Love, he had a relationship with drummer of Bikini Kill, Tobi Vail, and she later on broke up with him. Vail used to wear a deodorant called "Teen Spirit" and the singer of Vail's band, Kathleen Hanna, used to say she always has Cobain's scent on her. The same Hanna ended up one day in Cobain's apartment and smashed different stuff in the room. After that, she took a marker and wrote all over his bedroom wall and later on she passed out with the marker in her hand. I guess Cobain felt blessed for that incident, as 6 months later he called Hanna and asked her if he could use some of her wall scribbles as lyrics to a song, and that's how "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was inspired.
#12: "I Could Have Lied" by Red Hot Chili Peppers is about singer Anthony Kiedis having sex with Sinead O'Connor
Over the years, Anthony Kiedis of Red Hot Chili Peppers was involved with a lot of women including some very famous like super model Heidi Klum, actress Demi Moore and even pop queen Madonna. Yet, the song "I Could Have Lied" by the band is about none other than Sinead O'Connor who denied the entire story behind this song. O'Connor claimed that she had never had a relationship with Kiedis, they only hung out a few times in the past and that she didn't give a shit about the song. I guess we'll never truly know who's telling the truth and who's lying, but at least we got a great song to listen to.
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