How the Song Came to Be
The Scene: How the Song Came to Be

‘Dueling Banjos’ From ‘Deliverance’: An Unlikely Hit

The song, featured prominently in the 1972 thriller, was used without the permission of its composer. There’s actually only one banjo used.

Read More
The Scene: How the Song Came to Be

Brian Wilson & the Beach Boys’ ‘Don’t Worry Baby’: Instant Inspiration

There’s no more representative piece of work to play for a visiting alien as testament to Wilson’s gifts than “Don’t Worry Baby.”

Read More
The Scene: How the Song Came to Be

The Beatles’ ‘I Saw Her Standing There’: Way Beyond Compare

The song is an endless (and endlessly relatable) story, but also a finite one in that it takes place in less than three minutes.

Read More
The Scene: How the Song Came to Be

‘It’s the Real Thing’: When a Coca-Cola Ad Inspired 2 Hit Singles

In 1971, the creative director for the beverage’s ad agency wrote down the words “I’d like to buy the world a Coke.” His vision for a new campaign took off

Read More
The Scene: How the Song Came to Be

Once Upon a Time: Mark Lindsay on the Raiders’ ‘Good Thing’

The group’s lead vocalist talks about writing the hit single with producer Terry Melcher, the wild story of the Los Angeles home they lived in and the Tarantino movie.

Read More
The Scene: How the Song Came to Be

John Fogerty Talks About Writing ‘Proud Mary’

50 years after he began writing one of his most-beloved tracks, the musician shared how the song came to be

Read More
The Scene: How the Song Came to Be

Gerry Rafferty, ‘Baker Street,’ and That Sax Solo!

The smash hit was written while its author was hanging out in a flat in London, trying to escape from frustrating legal proceedings.

Read More
The Scene: How the Song Came to Be

Zager & Evans’ ‘In the Year 2525’: The Gloomiest #1?

It was, to be sure, one of the bleakest songs ever to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. And then Zager and Evans never charted again.

Read More
The Scene: How the Song Came to Be

‘Billy Jack’: One Tin Soldier Rides Away

The movie, directed, written and starring Tom Laughlin, had a long journey on its way to the screen. Its memorable song was recorded – and charted – multiple times

Read More
The Scene: How the Song Came to Be

The Mamas & the Papas’ ‘Creeque Alley’: Behind the Song

The lyrics are stocked with names and places, some of which may have been (and still are) unfamiliar to fans of the group. We break it down

Read More