Well-Known Songs That Were Inspired By News Articles

Well-Known Songs That Were Inspired By News Articles
By [http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Doug_Poe/1952596]Doug Poe

Songs these days rarely make the headlines, even when they hit the very top of the charts. For example, you might have to dig deep into the newspaper to find the title of even the current number one single, “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber.

Conversely, many classic songs owe their very creations to headlines of newspaper articles, including one from an album by The Beatles that is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this summer. Much more recently Will Butler of Arcade Fire once spent a week writing songs based on headlines from The Guardian, citing Bob Dylan as his inspiration for the idea.

It was Dylan himself who once made the comment that some of his songs were based on headlines, compositions that probably helped him earn the honor of receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature last year. One of those songs is listed below, as well as six by other artists who were inspired by newspaper articles.

A Day In the Life by The Beatles

John Lennon read the newspaper account detailing the fatal accident that claimed the life of a well-known 25 year old, and the co-leader of the Fab Four soon had the song that would close out the legendary Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album.

The Ballad of Alferd Packer by Phil Ochs

Enclosed with the lyrics inside the case holding The Broadside Tapes CD is a copy of the actual news article that led the folk singer to write this song about a mountain guide who resorts to cannibalism after being stranded in a blizzard.

The Legend of Andrew McCrew by Don McLean

The Homeless Brother album features a snippet of the article that led McLean to tell the world about a legless hobo who, after being preserved until someone claimed his corpse, is picked up by a traveling carnival and labeled as the Mummy Man.

Rockin’ the Paradise by Styx

Since the band was born in the Windy City, it makes sense that they would see the article in The Chicago Star about the demolition of the historic Paradise Theater.

Grow Old With Me In Colorado by Tom Paxton

Governor Dick Lamb’s criticism of the expense of life-support machines in the Rocky Mountain State gave rise to this 1984 satire from the veteran folk singer.

Cologne by Ben Folds

The piano-playing alternative rocker composed this tune from Way To Normal after the newspaper story of the female astronaut who drove across the country to assault the lover of her ex-boyfriend.

The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll by Bob Dylan

This song came about after Dylan read the news story about the murder of an African-American bar maid in 1963, the same year the track would appear on The Times a They Are A-Changin’ album.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Well-Known-Songs-That-Were-Inspired-By-News-Articles&id=9720537] Well-Known Songs That Were Inspired By News Articles