How the Song Came to Be
‘Love Me Do’: The Beatles’ 1st Single Was the Sound of Identity
We don’t talk about it as one of the great debut singles, but perhaps that’s because it transcends the normal categories.
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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
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‘Dirty Water,’ The Standells’ Garage Rock Classic
Since Opening Day in 1998, moments after the final out is recorded in a Boston Red Sox win at Fenway Park, the loudspeakers blare the 1966 hit single, the only one, in fact, from the band.
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How Dr. Hook Got on the ‘Cover of the Rolling Stone’
A band records a song about its burning desire to make it to the cover of the leading music magazine. We’ve got the backstory. Do you know who wrote it?
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The Jaggerz’ ‘The Rapper’: You Know What He’s After
“The song was something that I wrote watching people in nightclubs. You’d see these dudes go over and start rapping to chicks,” said the band’s Donnie Iris.
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The Ides of March and the Story of ‘Vehicle’
They took their band name from a Shakespeare classic, their biggest hit from a real-life incident, and they drove their way up the charts in the year 1970.
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Harry Chapin Inspiration for ‘Taxi’
‘Cat’s in the Cradle’ may have been his biggest hit, but this one resonated with listeners, perhaps due to its real-life connection.
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The Important Half: John Lennon, ‘Julia’ and Singing to Reach
The song, inspired by his late mother, “is brave, because in the delivery we hear a singer willing to be transported.”
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Pete Townshend’s ‘Teenage Wasteland’
For years, he worked on an ambitious project called Lifehouse. It was intended to be another rock opera and a logical follow-up to Tommy. This song evolved into “Baba O’Riley.”
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‘Dancing in the Moonlight’—The Circuitous Path of the One and Only King Harvest Hit
Everybody was “Dancing in the Moonlight” in the early ’70s, but who was the band that recorded this catchy one-hit wonder? We decided to find out.
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