Many classic rock songwriters have used fictional characters in their songs to tell a story. Unlike biographical tracks, inventing a character allows the writer to explore experiences beyond their own. And sometimes, the invented protagonist offers a layer of protection and anonymity when the subject feels too personal.
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Meanwhile, as rock music became more experimental, artists like The Beatles, The Who, Pink Floyd, and David Bowie explored larger concepts and prioritized LPs over singles. But let’s begin with three of the most famous characters in classic rock songs.
“Ziggy Stardust”
This one might just be one of the most famous fictional characters used in classic rock songs.
Few have shape-shifted in music more successfully than David Bowie. However, the irony remains that his primary intention for inventing the facades that made him famous was to defy categorization, leaving room for his own identity. In “Ziggy Stardust”, Bowie created a messianic rock star. He borrowed the aesthetic from Kabuki drama, mime gestures, and the art rock of The Velvet Underground. Then his audience filled in the rest.
In a 1977 interview with CBC News in Canada, Bowie said others contributed more aspects to Ziggy Stardust than he’d written into the character. Depending on interpretation, the iconic alien rock star likely holds different meanings for different listeners. The complexity makes him suitably human.
“Eleanor Rigby”
Paul McCartney based “Eleanor Rigby” on an elderly woman he used to visit in Liverpool. He noticed she lived on her own, and he occasionally dropped by to chat, sometimes helping out with chores. She shared stories in her kitchen, and McCartney said these tales influenced his songwriting.
Meanwhile, the orchestration on the Revolver track feels urgent. There’s an immediacy to it. It might be the chapters of a long life moving frantically as time appears to speed up in old age. She might have been lonely. But little did “Eleanor” know she’d achieve immortality after the kid who kept her company became a Beatle.
“Johnny B. Goode”
Many characters, even the autobiographical ones, are based on several people, with embellishments to add intrigue. Chuck Berry’s rock star origin story was inspired by his pianist, Johnnie Johnson. But Berry transformed the rags-to-riches tale into a fictional account about himself.
Berry’s signature lick in “Johnny B. Goode” originated in Louis Jordan’s “Ain’t That Just Like A Woman”, highlighting how much music, like fiction, borrows from what came before it. Still, the swagger and energy of “Johnny B. Goode” did more than detail the rise of one rock star. It launched countless others, from The Rolling Stones to Sex Pistols. He wasn’t the only kid with a guitar and a dream.
Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage
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