MUSIC HISTORY

Mozart Wrote Dirty Songs, Too

People love to complain about today’s music. All the lyrics are too bland, repetitive, and racy. So thank goodness we have a canon of treasured composers to fall back on! You know, guys like Mozart. He wrote songs with substance.

33 Fascinating Stories Behind Famous Songs

In this week's episode of mental_floss on YouTube, The Gregory Brothers stop by to share a little music history.

The Original "Mahna Mahna"

The Beatles performing on stage in 1963.

21 Fab Facts About The Beatles

John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr are remembered for their instrumental roles in launching the British invasion and bringing the aesthetic of rock and roll to new frontiers with everything from electronic effects to sitars.

"Calypso"

"Say It Ain't So, Joe"

"The Late Great Johnny Ace"

"Song of Bernadette"

One of the great overlooked albums of the 1980s, Famous Blue Raincoat by Jennifer Warnes features the singer covering the songs of Leonard Cohen. Warnes even ended up co-writing one of the album's tracks, based on the life of a modern-day Catholic saint.

"Black Friday"

With songs about everything from flashy drug czars to downtrodden jazz musicians, Steely Dan have always cast their lyrical net far from the usual romantic fare of pop music. On one of the standout tracks from their 1975 album Katy Lied, they dug back to

How Dan Rather and a Homicidal Time Traveler Inspired R.E.M.'s "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?"

It makes sense that R.E.M., a band whose lyrics are often cryptic, would find inspiration for a song in the mysterious circumstances surrounding a physical attack on newsman Dan Rather.

"Ruby's Shoes"

When singer-songwriter Lori McKenna’s son was in second grade, he did a book report on Ruby Bridges, the African-American elementary school student who famously crossed the desegregation lines in 1960. To help her son, McKenna came up with a song about Ru

"Shipbuilding" by Elvis Costello

Stuck for suitable words to his tune, Clive Langer played it for his friend Elvis Costello. Within a few days, Costello had written a poetic and emotional lyric about the Falklands War.

"Heroes" by David Bowie

Music History #16: "Nothing Has Been Proved"

“Nothing Has Been Proved” Written by Neil Tennant & Chris Lowe (1989) Performed by Dusty Springfield The

Music History #15: "Enola Gay"

“Enola Gay” Written by Andy McCluskey (1980) Performed by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (better known as OMD) The

Music History #14: "Marie Provost"

“Marie Provost” Written by Nick Lowe (1978) Performed by Nick Lowe The

Music History #13: "Midnight Rambler"

“Midnight Rambler” Written by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards (1969) Performed by The Rolling Stones The

Music History #12: "Vagabond Ways"

“Vagabond Ways” Written by Marianne Faithfull and David Courts (1999) Performed by Marianne Faithfull The

Music History #11: "The Ballad of Ira Hayes"

“The Ballad of Ira Hayes” Written by Pete La Farge (1963) Performed by Johnny Cash The Music Folk singer and songwriter Peter La Farge packed a lot into his thirty-four years on Earth. The son of a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist was a Korean War vet, a

Music History #10: "Biko"

“Biko” Written and performed by Peter Gabriel

Music History #9: "Watergate Blues"

“Watergate Blues” Written and performed by Tom T. Hall (1973) The Music Back in the early days of country music, songs were often like newspaper articles, written and sung to spread the news of some topical event. In 1973, country storyteller-songwriter

Music History #8: "New York Mining Disaster 1941"

“New York Mining Disaster 1941 (Have You Seen My Wife, Mr. Jones)” Written by Barry and Robin Gibb (1967) Performed by Bee

Music History #7: "Hurricane"

“Hurricane” Written by Bob Dylan and Jacques Levy (1975) Performed by Bob

Music History #6: "American Pie"

"American Pie” Written and performed by Don

PREV NEXT