Songs about real events?

Question

I'm after songs about real events or people.
any help would be greatly appreciated.
thanks :-)

Answer 1

Norweigen Wood--by LENNON & mccartney---an affair John had while he was married to Cyn
A Winter's Tale--by QUEEN--Freddie wrote about what he saw outside his window in Montreaux (last song he wrote)
Barcelona--by Freddie Mercury and Mike Moran--written for the 1992 Olympics
Don't Try Suicide--By Freddie Mercury--written for a friend who was contemplating suicide
Death On Two Legs--by Freddie Mercury--written about a manager QUEEN had that ripped them off
Delilah--by Freddie Mercury--about Freddie's favorite cat
Love Of My Life--by Freddie Mercury--about his girlfriend Mary
Life Is Real--by Freddie Mercury--about the death of John Lennon
Mr. Bad Guy--by Freddie Mercury--written about himself
No One But You--by Brian May--written about Freddie after he died
Khaghoggi's Ship--by QUEEN--written about a party on a friend's ship
Jesus--by Freddie Mercury--about...well...Jesus
Soul Brother--by QUEEN--a song about Brian May
The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke--by Freddie Mercury--a song about a painting by Dadd
You're My Best Friend--by John Deacon--a song about his wife
Living On My Own--by Freddie Mercury--a song about his decision to move into Garden Lodge after living in Munich
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds--LENNON & mccartney--about a painting Julian did when he was little
Lovely Rita--lennon & MCCARTNEY--a song about a metermaid (one of a very few songs McCartney wrote avbout something real)
Happiness is a Warm Gun--LENNON & mccartney--about Lennon's addiction to heroin
Something--by George Harrison--about Patti Boyd Harrison
Cold Turkey--by John Lennon--about getting off heroin
Empty Garden--by Elton John--about the death of Lennon
Many Years Ago--by George Harrison--about Lennon's death

Answer 2

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald- Gordon Lightfoot
In the Name of Love (Pride) -U2
Hey Jude- started as Hey Jules by Paul McCartney to cheer up young Julian Lennon
Layla- Derek and the Dominoes, Clapton was inspired by Patty Harrison, George's wife, Clapton had an affair with her
Almost anything by Johnny Cash
Smoke on the Water-Deep Purple, listen and hear what happened, a fire at Montreaux, while they were there for a music fest
The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down- The Band and Joan Biaz did a great version as well...civil war era hardship

Edit : Hey Sheblowshotandcold.....Is Fat Bottom Girls about real people too? I know it is! LOL

Answer 3

Jeremy - Pearl Jam - This was about a boy who killed himself in front of his classmates.
The Ballad Of John & Yoko - Chronicles the marriage between John Lennon & Yoko Ono.
19 - Paul Hardcastle - Talks about the Vietnam War and the title refers to the average age of the soldiers who served over there.
Indian Reservation - Paul Revere & The Raiders - It's about how Cherokee Indians were mistreated by white men.
Hurricane - Bob Dylan - About the boxer Reuben "Hurricane" Carter and how he was framed for a murder he didn't commit.
Vincent - Don McLean - About the artist Vincent Van Gogh.
PT 109 - Johnny Horton - This was the boat future president John F. Kennedy was serving on when it was sunk by enemy torpedoes.
Tie A Yellow Ribbon (Round The Ole Oak Tree) - Tony Orlando & Dawn - This is based on the story of a prisoner returning home and is supposedly a true event.
For What It's Worth - The Buffalo Springfield - About the clashes young people were having with the police on on the Sunset Strip.

Answer 4

Gordon Lightfoot's 1976 ballad "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" is a well done song that honored the famous supertanker ship and its crew of 29 men---all of whom died when the ship sank during a terrible November Great Lakes storm.

Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire", skirts around pop cultural events between the 1950s to the 1980s.

The Beatles "Elenor Rigby" is a solem homage to a real British young bride who was stood up on her wedding day. The band, "Kansas" made a really good and powerful redo of this rock classic.

FYI : Lynyrd Skynyrd's "The Ballad of Curtis Loew" is NOT one of a real person of influence on Ronnie Van Zant, the band's lead singer.

Neil Young's "Ohio" is one of those politcal protest ballads recounting how during the Nixon Presidency, U.S. military and local police lethal force was authorized to kill innocent UNARMED college students at Kent State, during an anti-Vietnam War protest.

Answer 5

Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" is a song about events from 1949 to 1989. It was used in schools to help students understand the time line of the cold war. Great song as well.

"JFK blown away, what else do I have to say!"

He has been quoted as saying that it is a hard song to sing live due to it's list like nature.

Answer 6

Ohio-Neil Young

deaths of 4 people at Kent State University

Answer 7

The Clash's White Riot. It was about an actual riot a few members were involved in. It was the Jamaicans living in London against the bobbies at one of there annual festivals.

Answer 8

London Calling-The Clash(its about WW2)

Red Hot Moon-Rancid(about matt Freemans sister who died)

Hey There Delila-Plain White T's(the song explains itself)

Steven-Senses Fail(about a boy they knew named Steven who died)

The Innocent-Good Charlotte,Goldfiner&Mest-about 9/11

Answer 9

songs about real events:

the civil war:

elton john - my father's gun

about 9/11:

green day - wake me up when september ends

toby keith - courtesy of the red, white and blue

Alan jackson - where were you

bruce springsteen - the rising

Songs about African poverty:

Michael jackson - man in the mirror

michael jackson - we are the world

green day - working class hero

*the song is a remake, but they recorded it for Darfur

kanye west - diamonds from Sierra Leone

Answer 10

Billy Joels we didn't start the fire.
Elton john Good bye norma Jean
Do they Know it's Christmas time about the famine in Africa
American Pie

what's going on my Marvin Gay about social justice