Songs that are based on real people or events

[J. van Deijck]

What are examples you know?

[KVA1983]

Scorpions - Wind of Change from recollection is about the fall of the Berlin wall. 

 

Gary Moore - Out in the Fields is about the troubles in Northern Ireland. 

 

[ElloryJaye]

Well, the first title that popped into my head was Gordon Lightfoot's The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

[J. van Deijck]

My first thought was this one:

 

 

It's apparently about Kristen Gilbert, an American nurse who has killed several people by inducing cardiac arrest in them, using lethal doses of adrenaline in their IV treatments. She was even nicknamed "The Angel of Death".

 

Then there's this one, about the real experience of their singer who forgot his wife's birthday:

 

 

And this one from the same band, about the incident, which took place on 30th January 1972 in Derry, Northern Ireland:

 

 

 

A,nd then this one, based on the singer's feelings when his parents were getting divorced:

 

 

[Tanwen]

I like sea shanties, this always gives me a lump in my throat:
https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=ellan+vannin+the+spinners&mid=DA438CCCD26BF528989DDA438CCCD26BF528989D&FORM=VIRE

 

Edited February 26 by Tanwen

[Kelly]

1 hour ago, ElloryJaye said:

Well, the first title that popped into my head was Gordon Lightfoot's The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

I came here to post just that. ^

[KVA1983]

58 minutes ago, J. van Deijck said:

And this one from the same band, about the incident, which took place on 30th January 1972 in Derry, Northern Ireland:

Completely forgot about U2, yet till this day there is still major issues surrounding Derry/Londonderry. Even in how the name is said can be troublesome, Londonderry was used originally. This is a city so divided that it is not even possible to mention its name without choosing sides. 

[DemonicEnby]

Nightwish The Kinslayer, based on the Columbine shootings 

[bare_trees]

This is about Cyndi's abusive father, who she witnessed beating her mother from a very young age.

 

This is  retelling of the singer's experience meeting a small child and her mother at a bus stop and witnessing her mother being very verbally abusive toward the child, which lead Neko to recall how similar it was to her own upbringing.

[J. van Deijck]

3 hours ago, KVA1983 said:

Completely forgot about U2, yet till this day there is still major issues surrounding Derry/Londonderry. Even in how the name is said can be troublesome, Londonderry was used originally. This is a city so divided that it is not even possible to mention its name without choosing sides. 

Today I learned although it's pretty sad.

[J. van Deijck]

This one, CW morbid content:

 

 

It's based on the story of a German cannibal Armin Meiwes and his victim. 

[daveb]

3 hours ago, Kelly said:

4 hours ago, ElloryJaye said:

Well, the first title that popped into my head was Gordon Lightfoot's The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

I came here to post just that. ^

I had the same thought.  

[KVA1983]

16 minutes ago, J. van Deijck said:

Today I learned although it's pretty sad.

I live two hours from there but even in spite of those issues it's an amazing city. 

[fuzzipueo]

Weeping, by Bright Blue about Apartheid in South Africa (later covered by the South African group Qkumba Zoo):

 

========

American Pie by Don McLean is about the history of the late 50s and 60s - the line "the day that I die" is in reference to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens & the Big Bopper who were killed in a plain crash in 1959. There are references to other events and people happening at the time in the song.

 

[dumpyfrog]

 

about robert capa and gerda taro !

[fuzzipueo]

Vincent (Starry Starry Night) - Don McLean

 

[fuzzipueo]

Fernando - ABBA - the Mexican Revolution

 

Einstein on the Beach - Counting Crows - nuclear bomb

 

Forever Young - Alphaville - a view of what it was like to live in the 80s with the threat of nuclear war hanging over our heads.

 

[J. van Deijck]

1 hour ago, dumpyfrog said:

 

about robert capa and gerda taro !

It says "video unavailable"

[J. van Deijck]

This one is about terrorists, specifically suicide bombers.

 

 

[dumpyfrog]

3 hours ago, J. van Deijck said:

It says "video unavailable"

that’s weird, it works for me :[

[daveb]

5 hours ago, dumpyfrog said:

8 hours ago, J. van Deijck said:

It says "video unavailable"

that’s weird, it works for me :[

Could be restricted in some countries. I see that often with music videos people post in the "what are you listening" thread, too.

[Autumn ace]

11 hours ago, fuzzipueo said:

Weeping, by Bright Blue about Apartheid in South Africa (later covered by the South African group Qkumba Zoo):

 

========

American Pie by Don McLean is about the history of the late 50s and 60s - the line "the day that I die" is in reference to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens & the Big Bopper who were killed in a plain crash in 1959. There are references to other events and people happening at the time in the song.

 

American pie was my first thought. I actually did an extra credit looking at each lyric, and there was a lot. College students killed during a protest, the death of many iconic musical artists, even cultural details from the time like dances.

[Autumn ace]

Viva la vida is inspired by the French Revolution. 
 

Butchered tongues is about the Wexford Rebellion of 1798 and a loss of Irish language due to the British trying to take it away.  

[J. van Deijck]

This one, about the singer's parents:

 

And this one, from the same band. It's about the drugs, but actually mocking them.

 

Also this one, about organised religion.

 

 

[J. van Deijck]

This one is speculated to be about the singer's ex-girlfriend who invited him to her wedding and at that moment he still had some feelings for her.

 

 

[Piotrek]

The first song I'd like to mention is one which I think should be of interest to AVENites, especially in connection with its video, namely "We Are the Others" by Delain, inspired by and directly referencing the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Sophie_Lancaster

 

 

On a lighter note, how about a whole catalogue of real life events, listed at break-neck speed. I'm talking of course about "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Bily Joel

 

 

I have many more to suggest, but I'll leave it at it... for now.

[fuzzipueo]

We Didn't Start the Fire (Historically Accurate Almanac) - Billy Joel - this video is full of references to historical events and people through the 1940s-early 90s. The kid dancing with Michael Jackson is Alfonso Ribeiro who currently hosts AFV (America's Funniest Home Videos) and plays the character Carlton Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

 

 

[J. van Deijck]

3 hours ago, Piotrek said:

"We Are the Others"

I remember reading about this case. Horrible what a human being can do to another human being at least there's a song out of it.

[PaleMoth]

This is about the actress Jayne Mansfield.

"Broken Flag" is dedicated in memory of Barbara Frietchie, a 90 year old woman from Frederick, Maryland, who, in 1862, waved the Union flag on its broken staff in the face of the enemy.

 

PJ Harvey's a good one for this topic. This is one of 3 songs on Let England Shake about the battle of Gallipoli. This was a particularly brutal battle that took place in a ballsed up attempt at taking Constantinople in 1915 and almost wiped out the entirety of the Australian and New Zealand army. 

This is about the English civil war in the 1600s

This is about dadaist and surrealist painter Max Ernst.

[OptimisticPessimist]

Skylines and Turnstiles by My Chemical Romance is about 9/11. Gerard Way was working for Cartoon Network at the time and was in New York. He suffered from PTSD and turned to music with Skylines and Turnstiles being one of the first songs he wrote.