Songs that depict a real life event

[AppleDumpling]

Abraham, Martin, and John - Dion

 

[tonga]

Into the Fire - Bruce Springsteen

 

[AppleDumpling]

Scarecrow - Melissa Etheridge
(About the murder of Matthew Shepard)

Showers of your crimson blood
Seep into a nation calling up a flood
Of narrow minds who legislate
Thinly veiled intolerance
Bigotry and hate

But they tortured and burned you
They beat you and they tied you
They left you cold and breathing
For love they crucified you
I can't forget hard as I try
This silhouette against the sky

Scarecrow crying
Waiting to die, wondering why
Scarecrow trying
Angels will hold carry your soul away

This was our brother
This was our son
This shepherd young and mild
This unassuming one
We all gasp, this can't happen here
We're all much too civilized
Where can these monsters hide?

But they are knocking on our front door
They're rocking in our cradles
They're preaching in our churches
And eating at our tables

I search my soul
My heart and in my mind
To try and find forgiveness
This is someone’s child
With pain unreconciled
Filled up with father's hate
Mother's neglect
I can forgive but I will not forget

Scarecrow crying
Waiting to die, wondering why
Scarecrow trying
Rising above all in the name of love

 

[AustinTink]

 

[superme80]

Me and the Sky from Come From Away

 

[starvenger]

The Hip had quite a few:
- "Wheat Kings" (David Milgaard)

- "Fifty Mission Cap" (Bill Barilko)

- "Nautical Disaster" (The Bismarck)

And Rush, "The Spirit of Radio" (the change of FM radio from free form to commercial formats)
RIP Neil Peart.

(Also features a riff of The Stones' "Paint it Black")

 

[Tallis]

Rich Girl was about Patty Hearst

No, it wasn't. Actually, it wasn't about a girl at all. It was about a guy but "rich girl" sounded better than "rich boy."

 

[Tallis]

Bob Dylan - Hurricane

 

[wenrob]

Peace Pipe by Cry of Love. (Off the album Brother. One of the best albums ever made IMO)

 

[2goofycampers]

Smoke on the water by Deep Purple.

 

[Heather07438]

RIP Neil Peart.

RIP. Wow I missed that news somehow. And was just telling my 17yo about Neil Peart last week without knowing he passed.

Yep, Smoke on the Water is about a real event

In the air tonight... is not. Well, not about possibly witnessing a real murder by drowning like we were all lead to believe in the 80s.

 

[Dan Murphy]

We Didn't Start the Fire--Billy Joel

 

[L&Lfan]

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down by Joan Baez

 

[kiddo76]

 

[littlejimmy]

paradise by the dashboard light. every teenage boy has this struggle.

 

[starvenger]

RIP. Wow I missed that news somehow. And was just telling my 17yo about Neil Peart last week without knowing he passed.

One of the best things you'll see on Youtube are reaction videos to Rush. Seems to be some universal love at first listen.

 

[Boardwalk Jedi]

The Rising by Springsteen

 

[Eeyore daily]

She’s leaving home
A day in the life

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

9/11 attacks: Blue Man Group-Exhibit 13

 

[Gary M]

"Three Stars"-Tommy Dee