Thought you knew it all about the best of rock’n’roll, pop and even reggae? Perhaps not. Some of the world’s greatest songs have some pretty interesting secrets behind them.
Here’s 5 facts you didn’t know about some of your favourite songs!
1: One of the most poignant rock songs ever written was named after girl’s deodorant!
The name sprung after Kathleen Hanna, friend of Kurt Cobain and then singer of Bikini Kill, sprayed ‘Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit’ onto his wall as a joke. It’s incredibly hard to believe that the lyrical genius that is Kurt Cobain took the title for one of Nirvana’s biggest hits ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ from a female deodorant brand, but alas, it is true!
2: 90’s cult classic ‘You Oughta Know’ by Alanis Morissette features Flea on bass.
We wonder if we’ll be able to spot some of that fiery feminine flair when Flea joins the rest of Red Hot Chili Peppers to headline Reading and Leeds Festival this summer. Talk about a way to spice up a set!
3: ‘I Shot The Sheriff’ was inspired by arguments between Bob Marley and his girlfriend over the matter of birth control.
According to his girlfriend of the time, Mr Marley wanted her to have his child and believed methods of birth control to be blasphemous and completely ungodly. Mr Marley put pen to paper and reflected his anger towards the doctor who prescribed her onto the pill in the role of the ‘Sheriff‘.
“Sheriff John Brown always hated me,
For what, I don’t know.
Every time I plant a seed,
He said kill it before it grow.”
4: Otis Redding was originally the voice of ‘Respect’
Aretha Franklin’s pitch perfect ‘R-E-S-P-E-C-T’ is arguably what makes this track what it is, letting loose her fire and femininity to make her mark. However, it wasn’t always like this. Otis Redding originally wrote and recorded the track in 1965, but the hit single did not come to light until adapted by R&B singer Aretha Franklin in 1967. But hey, thank God things turned out the way they did; otherwise what would be the anthem for sassy independent women everywhere?
5: ‘Hey Jude’ wasn’t always as well-loved as it is today.
In 1968, during the recording of one of The Beatles‘ most poignant tracks, the 36-piece accompanying orchestra were asked to join in as backing vocalists in return for double pay. The musicians were asked to clap their hands and contribute on the ‘Na-na-na-na, Hey Jude!’ To which one individual reportedly stormed out declaring, ‘I’m not going to clap my hands and sing Paul McCartney’s bloody song!’
Ouch.
