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36 Facts About Your Favorite Music to Sing From the Rooftops

November 16, 2023

Someone took it upon themselves to conduct a year-long study to find the world’s catchiest song. And that’s just great, because we were totally about to embark on that journey. Now we have a full year of time on our hands to hunt for other music-related facts! For instance, the original name of The Goo Goo Dolls was just plain horrifying. You’ll see!

36

ANGIE WAS THE NAME OF THE WOMAN WHO CAUGHT MICK JAGGER AND DAVID BOWIE IN BED TOGETHER. Angela Bowie was David's wife at the time, and she says she walked in on the pair naked in bed together when she returned from a trip. I think they were composing 'Angie, she quipped. Bowie and Jagger deny the story. CRACKED.COM http://articles.latimes.com/1990-05-04/entertainment/ca-450 1_angela-bowie — Source

35

American Woman

THE GUESS WHO WROTE AMERICAN WOMAN ON THE SPOT AT A DIVE BAR. Guitarist Randy Bachman broke a guitar string during their set, and after he'd restrung it he was at the piano tuning his guitar. The audience started responding to the tuning sounds, so the band worked them into a song, right then and there. CRACKED.COM music.cbc.ca/#/blogs/2013/2/Randy-Bachman-takes-us-behind-the-writing-of-American-Woman — Source

34

DEPECHE MODE IS NAMED AFTER A FRENCH MAGAZINE. The name literally means Fashion Update. CRACKED.COM http://www.eightyeightynine.com/music/depeche-mode.html — Source

33

THE BEASTIE BOYS' FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT WAS A JOKE. They wrote it as a gag song, making fun of annoying rock anthems. When the song was published, they released a video that was meant to be a parody. The irony was lost on fans and it was a big hit. CRACKED.COM http://www.npr.org/2011/05/06/136019762/the-fresh-air-interview-the-beastie-boys — Source

32

DURAN DURAN NAMED ITSELF AFTER THE VILLAIN IN CHEESY SCIFI FLICK BARBARELLA. The villain was actually named Durand Durand. Also in Barbarella: Jane Fonda, pictured above in the Orgasmatron. CRACKED.COM http://www.bandnameexplained.com/2013/07/duran-duran-band-name-meaning.html — Source

31

HELTER SKELTER IS THE BEATLES' ATTEMPT TO OUT-WHO THE WHO. Paul McCartney wrote it after hearing The Who's eardrum-shattering style, and figuring he could do better. CRACKED.COM wwww.thecurrent.org/feature/2013/07/16/today-in-music-history-the-beatles-record-helter-skelter — Source

30

Led Zeppelin

DRUMMER KEITH MOON, WHEN INVITED TO PLAY FOR A NEW BAND, THOUGHT THE IDEA WOULD GO OVER LIKE A LEAD ZEPPELIN. They changed the spelling because they didn't want people to use the wrong pronunciation of lead. CRACKED.COM http://www.classicbands.com/names.html — Source

29

NICKELBACK IS NAMED AFTER CHANGE FOR COFFEE. UNION INTERNATIONAL GLUTINO MONTICH.RU STATES FLUE CANTS ORANGE Lead singer Chad Kroeger was having trouble coming up with a name, so he approached his brother, who worked at a Starbucks. Coffee was $1.95, which meant every customer who paid two bucks got a nickel back. CRACKED.COM http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/nickelback — Source

28

PUDDLE OF MUDD's REHEARSAL SPACE WAS TURNED INTO A LITERAL PUDDLE OF MUD. The band wound up naming itself after the flood that soaked the entire first floor of their rehearsal space, which was located next to the Missouri River. CRACKED.COM http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Puddle_of_Mudd.aspx — Source

27

THE SONG PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH DRUGS. Co-writer Peter Yarrow says that it's about losing one's childhood innocence. Не said the song is actually banned in Hong Kong because of its supposed drug references. What kind of a mean- spirited SOB would write a children's song with a covert drug message? CRACKED.COM http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/puff.asp — Source

26

Stevie Nicks wrote Landslide when she was 27. The song is about growing older, even though the songwriter wasn't even 30. Nicks explains, You can feel really old at 27. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

25

The Church of England co-owns Beyoncé's Single Ladies The church has invested in Hipgnosis, a company that owns the rights to thousands of songs. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

24

Terrible weather hit the UK, New Zealand, and Romania when Umbrella topped their charts This became known as the Rihanna curse. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

23

Mozart

In 2016, Mozart outsold Beyonce, Adele, and Drake in CDs Universal released a 200-disc box set for the 225th anniversary of Mozart's death, meaning that each purchase counted for 200 disc sales. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

22

Spice Girls

Spice Girls' Wannabe is the catchiest pop song A year-long study done in 2014 showed that people recognized the song in an average of 2.3 seconds, compared to 5 seconds for other hit songs. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

21

Eminem

Busta Rhymes shattered a windshield when he first heard Eminem PARENTAL ADVISORY EXPLICIT CONTENT Busta Rhymes was on a tour bus when he first listened the Slim Shady LP and was so moved that he smashed his head against the bus' windshield. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

20

Nicki Minaj worked at multiple Red Lobsters before she was famous She was fired from multiple locations. She once followed a customer who hadn't tipped and taken her pen out to their car. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

19

The British navy used Britney Spears' songs to scare off Somali pirates The navy chose Spears' hit songs Oops! ...I Did It Again and ...Baby One More Time to ward off the pirates because of the pirates' dislike of western culture. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

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18

Joan Jett

CRACKED.COM A girl can do what she wants to do And that's what I'm gonna do Joan Jett's BAD REPUTATION isn't simply an anthem for outcasts. It's about sexism in rock 'n' roll. Jett had been rejected by 23 record labels - according to her, due to her reputation as a former member of an all-female band. — Source

17

CRACKED.COM Paul McCartney wrote HEY JUDE to comfort John Lennon's son, Julian. You have found her, now go and get her Lennon thought it was about him. Paul meant, It sucks your parents split up, just hang on in there, buddy. John took it to mean, Good job hooking up with Yoko Ono, bro. — Source

16

MOTHER AND CHILD REUNION was Paul Simon's first solo hit. And it's based on a Chinese food menu. Simon was browsing a menu for a Chinese restaurant when he first came across the song's title-it was the name for an egg-and-chicken dish. CRACKED.COM — Source

15

CRACKED.COM The Village People's MACHO MAN was intended to be serious. The French songwriters had no intention at all to be funny. The group took the high camp route when they realized the material couldn't possibly be taken seriously. — Source

14

CRACKED.COM What does SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT mean, exactly? Not even Kurt Cobain was too clear on that. Nirvana's frontman took the song's title from a joke by singer Kathleen Hanna, unaware that Teen Spirit was a deodorant. Не thought the phrase was some revolutionary slogan. — Source

13

CRACKED.COM So you think The Grateful Dead's CASEY JONES is for getting high? It's pretty much against it. Driving that train High on bocaine It's clearly an anti-coke song, Jerry Garcia said in an interview. The words aren't light, good-time words. — Source

12

It's just another manic Monday I wish it was Sunday The Bangles' MANIC MONDAY was written by Prince. The band's first hit was credited to one Christopher - which was a pseudonym for none other than himself. CRACKED.COM — Source

11

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART is clearly about love. Once upon a time there was light in my life But now there's only love in the dark Love between vampires. Jim Steinman wrote the song for a musical based on Nosferatu. The word forever is meant to be taken literally. CRACKED COM — Source

10

9

SUMMER OF '69 WASN'T ABOUT THE YEAR. IT WAS ABOUT THE SEX. 1969 - NOOK 3 BS 22 1 GNG Goka 27 24 10 FED 14/21 7 28 26 29 30 31 25 Bryan Adams confirmed in an interview that it was about 69 the sex, not '69 the year. Adams was 9 years old in 1969, so if it had been about his memories of that year, the song would actually have been creepier. CRACKED.COM http://www.pacities.org/sunsetstrip/show/6235/Review/Article45.html — Source

8

Axl Rose

THE RIFF FROM SWEET CHILD O' MINE IS A GUITAR EXERCISE. When Axl Rose heard Slash's string-skipping exercise, he insisted it be spun into a song, using a poem he'd written to his girlfriend as the lyrics. When it came time to record it, their producer asked for a dramatic breakdown for the middle. Rose's Where do we go now? was literal-he didn't know where to go with the lyrics. CRACKED.COM http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=628 — Source

7

TOAD THE WET SPROCKET TOOK ITS NAME FROM A MONTY PYTHON SKETCH. In the bit, which appeared on an album, Eric Idle was making fun of rock bands with ridiculous names. Не had no idea one of the names had been chosen by an actual band until he heard them on the radio. CRACKED.COM http://youtu.be/DR22krUkBc — Source

6

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND TOOK ITS NAME FROM THE TITLE OF AN S&M BOOK FOUND ON THE SIDEWALK. AB THE VELVET - UNDERGROUND Here . - incredible book Kall short and PTACK - Ben documentary - The social corruption don - the must for - thinking and BY MICHAEL LEIGH INTRODUCTION . LOUIS BERS M.D. The Velvet Underground, by OF Michael Leigh, was found by one of the band members. It was all about the secret bondage-y sexual scene in the early 1960s. CRACKED.COM http://www.classicbands.com/names.hml — Source

5

STEVEN TYLER WROTE THE SONG WALK THIS WAY WHEN НЕ HEARD MARTY FELDMAN USE THE PHRASE IN YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. Not unironically, it was Run-DMC's cover of the song that brought Aerosmith back from the dead in the 1980s. CRACKED.COM 9109 97 — Source

4

WHO ARE You IS ABOUT CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS. Who? 013 NHOB K who? Specifically, it's about Pete Townshend hashing out royalties for The Who's American sales. After 14 hours of negotiations, the execs handed Townshend a check, and he went on the bender described in the song. CRACKED.COM Geoffrey Giuliano, 1996. Behind Blue Eyes: The Life of Pete Townshend. — Source

3

THE Goo Goo DOLLS WERE ORIGINALLY CALLED SEX MAGGOT. Their manager balked at the name, so they picked the name Goo Goo Dolls when they spotted an ad for a doll with a moveable, rubber head in True Detective magazine. CRACKED.COM http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/The_Goo_Goo_Dolls.aspx — Source

2

STEELY DAN was a jazz-rock duo from the late 1970s. GIANT, They were named STEAM-POWERED after a DILDO from the book Naked Lunch, by William S. Burroughs. CRACKED.COM http://www.steelydan.com/faq.html — Source

1

Aerosmith

DUDE LOOKS LIKE A LADY IS ABOUT VINCE NEIL, FROM MÖTLEY CRÜE. According to Steven Tyler, the boys from Aerosmith spotted Neil from the back, in a bar, and assumed he was a woman. When he turned around, they realized their mistake and started riffing with the phrase, dude looks like a lady. CRACKED.COM http://wwwchuffingtonpost.com/sue-kerr/aerosmith-dude-looks-like-a-lady_b_3848538.html — Source

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