Pick a Day

Music History Events: Song Inspirations

November 12, 1966 Teens on Los Angeles' Sunset Strip protesting a recent curfew are beaten by police, inspiring Stephen Stills to write the Buffalo Springfield hit "For What It's Worth."

June 17, 1966 Paul McCartney buys the farm in Kintyre, Scotland, that inspires his 1977 megahit ballad "Mull Of Kintyre."

July 15, 1958 John Lennon's mother, Julia, is killed when she's hit by a car driven by an off-duty police officer. Lennon, 17 at the time, later writes the songs "Julia" and "Mother" about her.

April 20, 1949 Phil Spector's father commits suicide when Phil is just 9 years old. The title of the song "To Know Him Is To Love Him," which Phil Spector wrote for the Teddy Bears, comes from the inscription on his father's headstone.

July 29, 1946 Jazz great Charlie Parker falls asleep while smoking and sets his hotel bed on fire. He is arrested after wandering through the hotel lobby wearing nothing but socks. The incident leads to a stay at the Camarillo State Hospital (a mental institution), which inspires his song "Relaxin' at Camarillo."

April 28, 1940 Glenn Miller records "Pennsylvania 6-5000," the title taken from the phone number of the Pennsylvania Hotel in New York City.

April 26, 1913 13-year-old Mary Phagan is found murdered in the basement of a pencil factory in Atlanta, Georgia. Her death inspires the song "Little Mary Phagan."

September 13, 1814 Francis Scott Key is inspired to write "The Star Spangled Banner" during the British attack of Fort McHenry on September 13, 1814, and the courageous defense made by American force.

May 8, 1810 Sir Walter Scott publishes the poem "The Lady of the Lake," which later provides the title for the song "Hail to the Chief."

November 19, 2018 Snoop Dogg gets a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. In his speech, he thanks himself, inspiring the title track to his next album, I Wanna Thank Me.

July 28, 2016 Marianne Ihlen, the subject of Leonard Cohen's song "So Long, Marianne," dies at 81. Before her death, Cohen sent her a letter that read, in part, "Know that I am so close behind you that if you stretch out your hand, I think you can reach mine." Cohen joins her in death on November 7.

May 26, 2016 Gucci Mane gets out of jail after serving three years on gun charges. He goes home and records vocals for "1st Day Out tha Feds," which is released the next day.

February 24, 2014 Robin Thicke and Paula Patton announce their separation after nine years of marriage. A few months later, Thicke releases his album Paula, where he pours his heart out over the split.

October 12, 2013 Pharrell Williams marries the model Helen Lasichanh. She inspires several tracks on his 2014 album, G I R L, including the song "It Girl."

October 14, 2010 Alicia Keys gives birth to a baby boy named Egypt, and is inspired to write the song "Speechless." The father is her producer husband Swizz Beatz.

November 6, 2009 The Lee Daniels film Precious, starring Gabourey Sidibe as an abused teen, debuts in the US. It features supporting roles by Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz (the movie inspires his song "Push"), and the soundtrack spawns the single "I Can See In Color" by Mary J. Blige.

July 25, 2009 World War I veteran Harry Patch, subject of the Radiohead song "Harry Patch (In Memory Of)," dies at age 111.

July 25, 2009 Red's Recovery Room shuts its doors for good. Luckily, the beloved roadhouse has already been immortalized in Tom Waits' song "Filipino Box Spring Hog."

April 17, 2009 Brad Paisley and his wife, Kimberly Williams, welcome their second child, Jasper. His song "Today" is about this event.

August 9, 2008 In an interview with the Calgary Herald, Full House actor Dave Coulier claims he's the subject of his ex-girlfriend Alanis Morissette's hit 1995 song "You Oughta Know." Morissette won't confirm or deny the mystery man's identity, but tells Entertainment Weekly: "Fifty-five people can take credit for that song, and I'm always curious about why they're doing it. But Dave is the most public about it."

August 8, 2007 Amy Winehouse overdoses on a mixture of alcohol, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine after a London pub crawl. Her hospitalization causes the cancellation of her first US tour. The singer refused her record company's request to enter rehab for alcohol abuse, inspiring her hit record "Rehab." She does eventually end up in a clinic, but never gets sober for good.

May 19, 2007 At Porter Wagoner's 50th anniversary celebration at the Grand Ole Opry, Dolly Parton sings "I Will Always Love You" to Wagoner, whom she wrote the song about in 1974.

December 22, 2006 The producer Swizz Beatz and his wife, the singer Mashonda Tifrere, have their first child, Kasseem Dean Jr. In 2016, Kasseem's stepmother Alicia Keys writes a song for him called "Blended Family (What You Do For Love)."

August 9, 2003 Daron Malakian of System Of A Down plays in the annual Hollywood Stars Night celebrity baseball game at Dodger Stadium. Vexed by his teammates, he writes "Old School Hollywood," which appears on their next album, Mezmerize. One actor gets a specific mention: "Tony Danza cuts in line."

April 10, 1998 The romantic drama City of Angels premieres in theaters, starring Nicolas Cage as an angel who gives up eternal life to be with a mortal woman (Meg Ryan). The soundtrack features Alanis Morissette's "Uninvited" and the Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris." Both songs were written specifically for the film.

August 22, 1997 Twelve-year-old Georgia Lee Moses is found dead in South Petaluma, California. Tom Waits hears her story and is inspired to write "Georgia Lee," the thirteenth track on Mule Variations.

June 28, 1997 Lela Howard (83) and her husband Raymond (88) drive to a festival 10 miles away in Temple, Texas, but don't return. Fastball frontman Tony Scalzo writes the song "The Way" after reading about it. Days after completing the song, the couple is found dead about 200 miles from the festival.

September 28, 1994 Uwe Vandrei, an obsessed fan of Sarah McLachlan who inspired her song "Possession," commits suicide in Ottawa. Vandrei had sued McLachlan for songwriting credit on the track, but the case had yet to reach trial.

September 17, 1994 Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots marries his first wife, Janina Castaneda. The STP song "Sour Girl" is about her.

May 10, 1994 Serial killer John Gacy, the subject of songs by Sufjan Stevens and Jane's Addiction, is executed for the murders of 33 young men and boys.