Personally, I love finding out hidden meanings, sources, and inspirations behind famous songs from back in the day. Some backstories end up being quite surprising and unexpected. When it comes to the following three classic rock and pop songs, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they were written about real places that exist, or at least used to exist. Let’s dive into a bit of music history, shall we?
The Love Shack from “Love Shack” by The B-52s
Few new wave dance songs from the 1980s are as delightfully fun as “Love Shack” by The B-52s. And, believe it or not, that titular Love Shack is not a euphemism for something else. It’s actually a real place. The OG Love Shack once existed in Athens, Georgia, and it was a club called the Hawaiian Ha-Le. According to Kate Pierson, the establishment was similar to a juke joint and hosted quite a few excellent shows, tin roof and all.
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Pierson also rented an old cabin in Athens that is believed to be a secondary inspiration behind the song, and also was the spot where the band wrote “Rock Lobster” a decade earlier. That inspirational cabin has since burned down.
The Ivar Theatre from “Emotional Weather Report” by Tom Waits
On more than one occasion, Tom Waits has waxed poetic about places that don’t really exist outside of his very creative mind. That’s not the case for the song “Emotional Weather Report”, which was written about the very real Ivar Theatre. That theatre was once a real-life burlesque club in Hollywood that Waits allegedly visited on occasion.
Fun fact: Waits mentions Nalopeon Pizza in that song as well. That place was also very real, and Waits even worked at the establishment for a bit.
The Memory Motel from “Memory Hotel” by The Rolling Stones
The words “Memory Motel” seem like they’d be some sort of metaphor. In reality, the Memory Hotel actually exists, and it’s still around today. That particular motel mentioned in this Rolling Stones classic from the 70s stands in Montauk, Long Island. It’s assumed that Mick Jagger and the rest of the band stayed there on occasion, leading to one of the most famous rock songs written about real places.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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