Inspiration and influences show up in many forms of art, especially in music. Song writers and composers tend to write music based on their learning and experiences.
There are countless numbers of popular songs in history, and many of them actually have dark secrets behind them. Below is a list of some of the dark influences behind the popular songs.
"The Star-Spangled Banner" by Jimi Hendrix
Legendary songwriter Hendrix took the Woodstock stage in the 60’s to perform his rendition of the US National Anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner”, to a huge crowd of hippies and youngsters. His rendition is actually a reference to the horrors of war. Hendrix has great guitar skills and playing instrumental on that rendition hides the reality of the message. The explosion and dropping of the song can be compared to flying rockets, in which he also added the machine gun noises and screams.
"I Wish It Would Rain” by The Temptations
This song was written by lyricist Roger Penzabene, which was sung by the popular 60’s ballad group The Temptations. The song was about a broken-hearted man betrayed by his wife. Penzabene wrote the song not long after he discovered his wife had been unfaithful, in which 10 days after the single was released, Penzabene committed suicide.
"Do You Hear What I Hear?" by Noel Regney and Gloria Shayne
Most people recognize this as an old song about Christmas. Many renditions have been made for many years. However, it was actually a song written as a plea to stop the Cuban missile crisis. It was a song to plea for peace. The composers wrote the song after being inspired watching babies in strollers at the streets of New York City.
“Highway to Hell” By AC/DC
Many people and religious organizations associated the song to Satanism; however, it has actually nothing to do with devil worshiping. It was in fact about the life of a rock band always on the road. Guitarist Angus Young said in an interview “When there are five of you sleeping in a van, and the singer’s dirty sock is two inches away from your nose, that’s pretty close to hell.”
"I Love LA" by Randy Newman
It is a well-known sporting events anthem for scoring goals or winning teams. It has been around for more than thirty years. People might think of this song about how LA is a great place to be. Well, not really. “I Love LA” was intended to be sarcasm about the city’s contradiction to society. The streets mentioned in the song ranges from the richest to the poorest neighbourhood in LA.
So, when searching for songs to listen to, you might want to listen again and find what they really mean.