Songs of true stories that happened to the songwriter(s)

Love Shack, B-52’s

The inspiration for this song came from a

cabin around Athens, GA with a tin roof

(in the lyrics) where the band conceived

“Rock Lobster”It was located off the

Atlanta Highway (in the lyrics) Kate 

Pierson lived there in the ‘70’s and it

burned down in 2004. I often wonder 

what else was conceived in this cabin

besides a song lol

"Semi-True Story" - Jimmy Buffet and Mac McAnally

The words aren't exactly the whole story (thus "semi"). But it is an interesting story.

In 1974, Jimmy had just finished recording "God's Own Drunk" and went to a hotel bar with Sammy Creason (drummer) to celebrate. A lot of tequila later, he and Sammy went to find the car. He had a hard time finding it so stood on a Cadillac to have a better view. That cad happened to belong to Buford Pusser. After telling Jimmy to stay there he was under arrest, Jimmy said he could kiss something. Buford followed them to their car and gave them both a beating. They didn't get arrested, but were lucky to be alive. Pusser died in a car accident later that year.

In another of his songs "Presents To Send You", Jimmy wrote a paragraph about this event also.

Ballroom Blitz - Sweet

Inspired by a gig at the Grand Hall in Kilmarnock, Scotland where they were run off the stage by the audience.

Just A Song Before I Go  -  CSN

In his autobiography, Graham Nash said his driver (and drug dealer!) made him a bet that he couldn’t write a song in the fifteen minutes it would take them to get to the airport. Nash immediately came up with this one!

"How Long?" - by Ace  written by Paul Carrack. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo_GMMLULXw 

Most people thought it was about a guy with a cheating lover.  .But it was about the band's bass player was sneaking around playing with a few other bands (shopping I guess). So they felt cheated when they found out. Cheating though still. 😊

Jeremy - Pearl Jam

Written by Eddie Vedder after reading a newspaper article about Jeremy Wade Delle who committed suicide at school.  It reminded him of a Jr. High classmate who brought a gun to school and shot up a classroom.

Homeward Bound  -  S & G

Paul Simon wrote this when he lived in England. He was literally sitting at the train station waiting for the train back home to Brighton when he wrote it. But on a deeper level he was longing for home back in America.

I'm not in love - 10cc

Songwriter Eric Stewart says,
"I met this gorgeous girl called Gloria at Halifax town hall. I was 18. She was 16. Three years later, we got married. A few years after that, Gloria told me: 'You don't say 'I love you' much anymore.' I told her that, if I said it all the time, it would sound glib. But I started wondering how I could say it without using those actual words. So 'I'm not in love' became a rhetorical conversation with myself – and then a song."

"John Lennon's Guitar" - Barclay James Harvest

- Written by the band's guitarist/vocalist John Lees - When they were recording "Galadriel" in 1971, he got to play the Gibson Epiphone Casino that was played by Lennon that was used in the Beatles last performance in 1969. This is the story of that experience (written for an 1990 ablum) and in the song he says the Beatles broke up right after that performance. Great solo. (The band was founded in 1966).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oODvluIPKyI 

@BeatleloverKT  --- You should enjoy the above. But I think you will get a kick out of this:

"Titles" -  Barclay James Harvest

- Written by the band's guitarist/vocalist John Lees - The song is made up entirely of Beatles song titles.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRS10BeQOz0 

Dealin' with the Devil-Eddy Raven..

A well written and honest story of his own battle with inner demons and his victory over them with the help of his wonderful wife..