Friday night is songs with true stories behind them night.

[Rezillo]

Alice's Restaurant.

Full story here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice's_Restaurant

 

[vernon]

Stu[/quote]

A bit obvious but - hey it's Friday night innit!

For the benefit of those who don't know the story:

The lyrics of the song tell a true story: on 4 December 1971 Deep Purple had set up camp in Montreux, Switzerland to record an album using a mobile recording studio (rented from the Rolling Stones and known as the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio—referred to as the "Rolling truck Stones thing" and "the mobile" in the song lyrics) at the entertainment complex that was part of the Montreux Casino (referred to as "the gambling house" in the song lyric). On the eve of the recording session a Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention concert was held in the casino's theatre. In the middle of Don Preston's synthesizer solo on "King Kong", the place suddenly caught fire when somebody in the audience fired a flare gun into the rattan covered ceiling, as mentioned in the "some stupid with a flare gun" line.[7][8] The resulting fire destroyed the entire casino complex, along with all the Mothers' equipment. The "smoke on the water" that became the title of the song (credited to bass guitarist Roger Glover, who related how the title occurred to him when he suddenly woke from a dream a few days later) referred to the smoke from the fire spreading over Lake Geneva from the burning casino as the members of Deep Purple watched the fire from their hotel. The "Funky Claude" running in and out is referring to Claude Nobs, the director of the Montreux Jazz Festival who helped some of the audience escape the fire.

 

[colly]

Al Stewart...Roads to Moscow


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_ZG6tRGMYk



Maybe not a 'true story' as such but certainly based on true events, the German invasion of Russia in 1941.
It tells the story of one soldiers experience retreating and fighting the German army back towards Moscow and then back again all the way to Berlin.

 

[ufkacbln]

To me, one of the most evocative "protest songs"

For the uninitiated, the 'strange fruit" refers to the bodies of young negroes which were being lynched and mutilated.

There are more "illustrated" videos on YouTube, bt I think that this s one of those songs that is best letting the imagination be fuelled by the words and raw emotion.

 

[Marshmallow_Fluff]

Pedro Navaja by Rubén Blades* is -surprisingly enough- about the life of .. Pedro Navaja! (*for the ones not familiar with the man, he is a major salsa, afro-cuban and latin jazz songwriter and singer)

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Have a look at the second posting. Someone beat you to it.

By the way future thread posters, please post the story behind the song too.

He won't be able to see it, he's ignoring me.

Anyway, here's one of my favourites, Ohio by CSNY - about the day that the US National Guard shot into a crowd of student protesters at Kent State University in Ohio.

 

[germanicdogman]

Nantucket Sleighride is Dedicated to Owen Coffin who was cabin boy aboard the whaler Essex, which was destroyed by a sperm whale in 1819. Owen ended up in the lifeboat with Captain Pollard, his uncle. Two other lifeboats also put out. During the next 3 - 4 months, the lifeboats separated. One was never seen again, but some of those on the remaining two boats were eventually rescued.
During those long months at sea (and on desert islands), many of the men died. The remainder eventually had to resort to cannibalism to survive. After the dead of natural causes were consumed, the men determined to draw lots to see who would sacrifice his life for the others. Owen Coffin ``won'' the lottery. The Captain tried to take Owen's place, but the youth insisted on his ``right''. The executioner was also drawn by lot. That ``winner'', another young man named Charles Ramsdell, also tried vainly to swap places with Owen. Again he refused. Owen's body kept the others alive for ten days (Captain Pollard refused to eat his nephew). Another man died, and his body kept Pollard and Ramsdell alive a few more days until they were rescued.

 

[ufkacbln]

Slightly OT, but if you can, read Nathaniel Pilbrick's "In the heart of the sea" about the sinking of the Essex. One of the most moving parts for me was the difficult issue of drawing lots for Quakers who were forbidden to gamble

 

[Marshmallow_Fluff]

Tell me the true story behind this song then



I bet that you can not do it.

A bad trip on ... EPO?

 

[Noodley]

This clip even tells you the story before the song starts:


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co-wHEtnSDE

I'll offer a "virtual" pint to anyone who can get the audax link...

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Steve Earle
'Justice in Ontario'



The story; http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=19646

 

[Beebo]

Maybe not a 'true story' as such but certainly based on true events, the German invasion of Russia in 1941.
It tells the story of one soldiers experience retreating and fighting the German army back towards Moscow and then back again all the way to Berlin.

Very similar sentiment in this song by the waterboys, once the war was over the red army were sent to the gulag for being too westernised!!!

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMzZCLrlj0k

 

[Firestorm]

Half a life away - stiff little fingers

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=uiVqiYAKZ70&desktop_uri=/watch?v=uiVqiYAKZ70&gl=GB

The story of Pop Bickham the longest serving lifer in the USA
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moreese_Bickham

 

[Intelligenthamster]

I Don't Like Mondays by the Boomtown Rats was about a true case of a schoolgirl going postal because she did not like going back to school on a Monday.

Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel was inspired by a newspaper article about a man whose relationship had failed and he killed himself in an hotel.

Enola Gay by OMD... speaks for itself.

 

[vernon]

Enola Gay by OMD... speaks for itself.

She outed herself?