10 Songs Inspired By Real Events
Linkin Park's rage against the machine...
Songs are always an open canvas for artists. Regardless of what kind of stuff they are going through in their lives, writing lyrics gives an artist the opportunity to let their imagination run wild and bear their soul on a record. Then again, it doesn't hurt when you're pulling from a real life experience.
Though pop music has not run short of songs that mean nothing, these songs are real life accounts from artists on what they have seen or read about first hand. These songs range from being straight recounts of old battles to stuff so shocking that it's almost puzzling that it actually happened at all. Some of these stories may seem too good (or bad) to be true, but once you do a little deeper digging, you see the real meaning behind these songs.
As opposed to being very introspective in your writing and combing through your own psyche, these tracks are the closest thing to reporting that pop music ever became. Even if you have these songs playing on loop, you might not realize that you're getting a history lesson from every branch of the music spectrum. Let the tracks play and the lesson begin.
10. Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival
In the late 60's, Creedence Clearwater Revival seemed to be the epitome of freewheeling living in the backwoods of the American South. From singles like "Proud Mary" to the barnburner "Keep On Chooglin," every single song felt like some of the most organic rock and roll ever conceived. The good times ended up rolling for so long that many forget how much "Fortunate Son" hits close to home.
Over time, this song has become the calling card for any movie taking place in the Vietnam War, but the real message is anything but patriotic. When originally conceiving the song, John Fogerty had just been discharged from the army and was getting more uncomfortable with how many soldiers were being forced into combat. Using music as his own form of resistance, "Fortunate Son" was a rally against the so-called patriotic sort who would speak with passion about the war but send other common people to fight for their cause instead.
From that one idea, the song is full of contradicting statements, with these fortunate sons helping themselves to whatever the world has to offer regardless of how much pain they're causing in other people's lives. So next time you watch Forrest Gump and hear this song blasting, just remember how much venom Fogerty really had for the powers that be.