What’s it like to have a song that was written about you become a hit? Most of us will never know. But we know their names and have sung along to the lyrics about them—sometimes without ever realizing they were real people! These chart-topping songs have been sung all over the world, but they were inspired by an average everyday citizen who just so happened to encounter a future music hitmaker.
Videos by American Songwriter
1. “Jolene” — Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” certainly has gone down in history. Even decades after its release, it’s still as well-known as it was in 1973. The song is a heartfelt plea from the narrator to a woman her husband loves, begging her to leave him alone. It was indeed inspired by a real person, though the true story isn’t nearly so dramatic. Parton says that in the 1960s, a bank teller flirted with her husband, Carl Dean. It became a running joke between the couple that Dean enjoyed going to the bank just a little too much. Realistically, however, they’ve been happily married since 1966; the real “Jolene” never posed any real threat to their marriage.
2. “Hey There Delilah” — Plain White T’s
“Hey There Delilah” became a huge hit when it was released in 2006, but it was based on a real woman named Delilah. Plain White T’s frontman Tom Higgenson was head over heels for a friend, Delilah DiCrescenzo; when they met in 2002, he asked her out and she turned him down. They remained friends and eventually Higgenson said that he had written a song about her. DiCrescenzo was flattered but said she was also unnerved by the popularity of “Hey There Delilah,” especially since it was about a completely one-sided infatuation. Nevertheless, she did appear as Higgenson’s guest at the 2008 Grammys, where “Hey There Delilah” had been nominated for 2008 Song of the Year.
3. “Stacy’s Mom” — Fountains of Wayne
“Stacy’s Mom” is the horny teenage boy song to top them all. The 2003 track by Fountains of Wayne is written from the perspective of a boy dating a girl named Stacy, while secretly having the hots for her attractive mother. Fountains bassist Adam Schlesinger was inspired by a childhood friend who had been attracted not to his mother, but his grandmother.
“One of my best friends, when we were maybe 11 or 12, came to me and announced that he thought my grandmother was hot,” Schlesinger told MTV. “And I said, ‘Hey, you’re stepping over the line,’ but at that point in life, I wouldn’t put it past anyone.”
[RELATED: Behind the Meaning of “Stacy’s Mom” by Fountains of Wayne]
4. “Billie Jean” — Michael Jackson
Being a celebrity has a weird side to it, as Michael Jackson found out. As he transitioned from kid wonder to MTV superstar, Jackson had to deal with obsessed fans. More than one of them claimed that he was the father of their children. The pop singer later said he was familiar with these claims from the time he’d been touring with his older brothers as part of The Jacksons. But in 1981, one woman hounded him so much that he became deeply disturbed. She wrote him many letters begging to be with him, and eventually threatened violence. The woman was able to receive psychiatric care, but Jackson was shaken by the experience, which he channeled into “Billie Jean.”
5. “Come on Eileen” — Dexys Midnight Runners
“Come on Eileen” made Dexys Midnight Runners one of the biggest one-hit wonders of the 1980s. Frontman Kevin Rowland wrote the song about a teenage relationship he had had, particularly how the teenage hormones were at war with his Catholic upbringing. Later he said that “Eileen” was a combination of several experiences and relationships he had had growing up in an Irish community in the U.K.
“I was reminded of being a teenager, surrounded by Irish Catholic girls you couldn’t touch, but at the same time with these overpowering feelings of lust which you’re not supposed to have,” he told The Guardian.
Photo by Jamie McCarthy/WireImage
