10 Songs Written About Other Musicians
Lyrical Sparring Sessions.
When you sit down to write a song, inspiration can come from all different kinds of places. No matter what kind of problem you might be facing with writer's block, most artists try to dig deep down into themselves to write something that acts as either an extension of themselves or an outward look at the world around them. Other times though, artists might have a specific target when writing their lyrics.
Instead of just writing the generic love song or pump up anthem, most of these songs were actually written in response to their fellow musicians. Then again, centering in on a certain person can be a bit of a double-edged sword. Though there's no denying the people who these songs were written about, it's not always in the most loving way. Some of the time, artists use their music as an excuse to take jabs at some of their favorite acts, either for being too insipid for their own good or just friendly mocking on their part.
On the other side of things, these can also be seen as an homage to the greats of old, as these songwriters pay tribute to those who shaped them into the songwriters they are today. As opposed to just giving a face to their lyrics, each of these songs understood the power (and stupidity) that comes with living amongst rock and roll legends.
10. Don't Tell Me What Love Can Do - Van Halen
There wasn't too many rock stars who weren't afflicted by the death of Kurt Cobain. Along with bringing an end to the entire grunge movement, the whole rock scene going forward seemed to have a gigantic grey shroud going over it for the next few years. As opposed to coming from their alternative brethren, the first real outreach ended up coming from an unlikely source: hair metal.
Though it's kind of hard to consider Van Halen really hair metal at this stage, the Sammy Hagar fronted version of the group really had a song that could tug on your heartstrings with Don't Tell Me What Love Can Do. While many suspected this was about the inner band tension or something going on with Hagar himself, Sammy had said that this was actually written in response to hearing that Cobain had killed himself.
Instead of just writing your standard love song or rock anthem, Hagar ended up writing a song designed to help people dealing with mental health issues and the other stresses of life, emphasizing that things will get better if you roll with the punches. Though this remains a lowlight in VH's career, it at least shows the respect that you don't see all that often amid the rock and roll sparring sessions. Then again, when it comes to raw talent, real tends to recognize real.