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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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Strawberry Alarm Clock’s Psychedelic ‘Incense & Peppermints’
Trivia note: The singer on one of the biggest and most memorable hits of 1967 was not even a band member. Check out the whole back story here.
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Joni Mitchell’s ‘Woodstock’: Behind the Song
The composer of one of the greatest countercultural anthems never made it to the festival that served as the song’s subject.
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10cc “I’m Not in Love”: Well, My High School Self Was, Actually
Best Classic Bands’ founder tells how the hit song always brings him back to the spring of his senior year, and how five decades later he got its co-writer, Graham Gouldman, to tell him how it came to be.
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Mark Lindsay, Hal Blaine and the Raiders’ #1 Hit, ‘Indian Reservation’
Our interview with the star about the legendary drummer who made magic happen at the recording session and the single’s unusual path to success.
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Creedence: ‘Green River’—Admit It, You Don’t Know the Lyrics
John Fogerty’s lyrics have a creative imagery and he has a unique way of pronouncing them. You’ve sung along dozens of times but do you know the words?
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