10 Songs Written About Other Musicians

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.