Songs often feel real to use because they are inspired by real experiences. Here are some iconic 80s songs that were inspired by real people and real relationships.
“Faithfully” by Journey
Jonathan Cain of Journey wrote this one about his marriage and the strain the touring put on his relationship.
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As he told Songfacts, this one came to him pretty quickly.
“…I’d never had a song come to me so quickly that it was anointed, supernatural. Literally, in 30 minutes I had written that song. I had the napkin in my pocket and I put it on the piano. I had a big grand piano there by the orchestra…”
He continued, “I played through it and I thought, ‘Man, this is good.’”
“Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” by Starship
Co-writer Albert Hammond’s relationship inspired this song. He had been living with his girlfriend, whom he had been dating for about seven years, for quite some time. His divorce from his wife at the time had not yet been finalized.
“What I said to Diane was, ‘It’s almost like they’ve stopped me from marrying this woman for seven years, and they haven’t succeeded,’” he explained in an interview. “‘They’re not gonna stop me doing it.’”
“Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses
This song was written by the members of Guns N’ Roses about Erin Everly, the daughter of Don Everly. Axl Rose, the lead singer, and Everly dated for four years and got married. They eventually got their marriage annulled in 1991.
“I know she’s proud of the song. I mean even to this day, I’m sure she’s proud of it,” Canter, a friend of guitarist Slash, explained in an interview. “That song will always be attached to her and she’s in the video! She was in love with Axl and Axl was in love with her and they were a good couple. I’m sure every now and then they had fights or whatever and you know things like that happen in every relationship maybe and (theirs) was a little bit heavier, but when they weren’t fighting, they were a great couple.”
Photo by: Paul Natkin/Getty Images
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