It's probably no surprise that throughout music history, some of the world's most popular
songs have been inspired by real-life people.
From vain celebrities to messy breakups, these stories will give new meaning to your favorite
tunes.
Ever since it was released in 1972, millions
of people have wondered who Carly Simon was singing about in her chart-topping song, "You're
So Vain."
Over the decades, many famous Hollywood men were linked to the song, ranging from Warren
Beatty to Mick Jagger to Kris Kristofferson.
Finally, in November 2015, Simon put the rumors to rest when she told People magazine that,
yes, the song was about Beatty.
Well, not the whole song….
"But the second verse is about him and I think he knows and he's reflected upon the idea
in various interviews that he's done."
Simon went on to add that "he thinks the whole thing is about him…"
For decades, it's been accepted that Alanis
Morissette's hit song "You Oughta Know" was about her ex-boyfriend, Full House star Dave
Coulier.
Along the way, even Coulier seemed to imply the rumors were true in various interviews.
In recent years, however, Coulier pretty much denied the song was about him.
In a 2014 interview with BuzzFeed, he said, "First of all, the guy in that song is a real
a-hole, so I don't want to be that guy.
Secondly, I asked Alanis [...] and she said, 'Well, you know it could be a bunch of people.
But you can say whatever you want.'"
"No, I purposefully don't tell anyone because that's not what the song is written for."
Coulier added that he previously admitted the song was about him because the press'
constant speculation had finally worn him down.
He said, "It's just become this silly urban legend
that I just have to laugh at."
So maybe it is Coulier... but keep swinging away at those guesses just in case it's someone
else.
Many great artists famously had muses.
For Doug Fieger, the lead singer of The Knack, it was teenager Sharona Alperin, who served
as the inspiration for his band's biggest single, "My Sharona."
"Almost all the songs on the first and second albums are about Sharona."
Alperin, who had a boyfriend at the time, told NPR she first heard the song while driving,
before she and Fieger actually hooked up.
"It really dawned on me when I was in the car that I'd just heard a song with my name
in it and I couldn't believe it."
"Well, finally everyone was able to pronounce my name."
Alperin ultimately became famous for the song after appearing on the single's cover art,
which she said inspired fashion movements among The Knack's fans.
Still, she said not everyone knew Sharona was actually a name, admitting,
"I think in Japan, they might have thought it was the male organ — that's what I heard."
Taylor Swift has written numerous songs about
people who have allegedly wronged her in the past, including, but not limited to, Kanye
West, John Mayer, and Katy Perry.
But one song that continues to generate speculation is her chart-topping smash, "I Knew You Were
Trouble," which many believe is about her ex-boyfriend, One Direction singer Harry Styles.
Swift sort of confirmed the rumors in a 2013 interview with UK's Sunday Times Magazine,
who asked if it was hard for her to sing the song at the Brit Awards that year.
Her response was, "Well, it's not hard to access that emotion
when the person the song is directed at is standing by the side of the stage watching."
Dolly Parton's "Jolene," about one woman begging
another not to take her man "just because you can," is one of the most painful songs
ever written.
Part of the reason it's so heartbreaking?
It's actually based on a true story.
"Back when I was writing the songs like Jolene I was young I was experiencing all these feelings
for the first time."
Speaking to The Daily Mail in 2014, Parton revealed that the real Jolene was a bank teller
with whom her husband flirted back in the day.
She said, "He just loved going to the bank because she
paid him so much attention.
It was kinda like a running joke between us — when I was saying: "Hell, you're spending
a lot of time at the bank.
I don't believe we've got that kind of money.'"
However, Parton kept the teller's true identity a secret, and explained that the name Jolene
actually came from an eight-year-old fan who once asked for her autograph.
The exact inspiration behind Neil Diamond's
"Sweet Caroline" is a little vague.
According to the Boston Globe, Diamond revealed in 2007 that he wrote the song about John
F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy's young daughter, Caroline Kennedy, after seeing a photo of
her in a magazine.
Claiming to be a young, broke songwriter at the time, he said,
"It was such an innocent, wonderful picture, I immediately felt there was a song in there."
Strangely enough, Diamond later told the Today show in 2014 that the story about Kennedy
was only half-true.
"It's actually about my former wife Marsha but I couldn't get "Marsha" into the three
syllable name that I needed."
Considering Caroline Kennedy was just 12 when "Sweet Caroline" came out, it's probably in
his best interest to stick with the "wife" story.
Still, that song is hard to resist.
"Sweet caroline."
"BAH BAH BAH"
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