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

Sonny & Cher: ‘The Beat Goes On’ (& On & On)…

A breakdown of the way things used to be vs. the inevitable winds of change, it gave them their third major hit. But some things, it seemed, never changed

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The Scene: How the Song Came to Be

Harry Chapin Inspiration for ‘Taxi’

‘Cat’s in the Cradle’ may have been Harry Chapin’s biggest hit, but ‘Taxi’ resonated with listeners, perhaps due to its real-life connection.

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The Scene: How the Song Came to Be

Medley Mania of 1981-82: ‘Stars on 45,’ The Beatles & More

A Dutch novelty act released a single that was a medley of songs, backed by a disco beat. The worldwide #1 hit spawned other singles from actual superstars

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The Scene: How the Song Came to Be

Queen’s Homage to Space Exploration, “’39”

The band’s guitarist, Brian May, can do many things well, one of which is to write songs. This one, about time travel, presaged his PhD in astrophysics

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The Scene: How the Song Came to Be

Desmond Dekker’s ‘Israelites’—Admit It, You Don’t Know the Lyrics

Even as it found its way to the top 10 in the U.S. and several other countries, many listeners had no idea what this proto-reggae song was about.

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The Scene: How the Song Came to Be

‘Yellow Submarine’ Before It Was ‘Yellow Submarine’— A Naked Submersible, Sung By John Lennon

Most fans had no idea that these early compositional demos of the song existed. Now that we do, we can never think of it the same way again.

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The Scene: How the Song Came to Be

Al Kooper on Recording “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” With the Stones

“Mick wore a gorilla coat and Keith a hat with a long feather. Everyone sat around and they passed out acoustic guitars.”–Kooper

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The Scene: How the Song Came to Be

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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The Scene: How the Song Came to Be

The Rolling Stones’ ‘Out of Time’: The Backstory

It started out as a throwaway track stuck on a contractual-obligation album, became a hit cover for someone else, and now the Stones are playing it live.

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The Scene: How the Song Came to Be

‘Wichita Lineman’ Book: Exclusive Excerpt

The Jimmy Webb favorite, as sung by Glen Campbell, is the subject of a new book by author Dylan Jones, who has written books on David Bowie and Jim Morrison

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