Musical muses have inspired countless artists since music first came to be. They have always been there, and they always will be. In the realm of classic rock and 20th-century folk, though, there have been quite a few noteworthy muses who inspired the greatest musicians of the century. Let’s take a look; two of these artists were actually inspired by each other.
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Edie Sedgwick Inspired Bob Dylan
This entry’s a bit on the speculative side, but it’s worth mentioning nonetheless. “Like A Rolling Stone” might just be Bob Dylan’s most well-known song of her career. Many music historians and fans alike believe that this song was written about the socialite, Andy Warhol muse, and famous trust fund baby Edie Sedgwick.
Dylan has never confirmed this, but the lyrics tell a very obvious story. The lyrics about ancestry, spiritual descent, and counterculture could all be traced back to Sedgwick and those like her, if you look hard enough.
Joni Mitchell Inspired Graham Nash
Joni Mitchell was the inspiration behind the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song “Our House”. It’s a sweet little ode from Graham Nash about domestic joy and the still comfort that comes with it. He even confirmed this in an interview with NPR.
“What happened is that Joni and I [were] on Ventura Boulevard in the Valley,” said Nash. “There’s a very famous deli called Art’s Deli. And we’d been to breakfast there. We’re going to get into Joan’s car, and we pass an antique store. And we’re looking in the window, and she saw a very beautiful vase that she wanted to buy. I persuaded her to buy this vase. It wasn’t very expensive, and we took it home. And we got to the house in Laurel Canyon, I said, ‘You know what? I’ll light a fire. Why don’t you put some flowers in that vase that you just bought?’ […] An hour later, ‘Our House’ was born out of an incredibly ordinary moment that many, many people have experienced.”
Graham Nash Inspired Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell was also inspired by Graham Nash in her own music. “A Case Of You” is one of her most endearing songs, and Nash apparently knew after their breakup that at least a couple of songs on Blue were about him. The most obvious track that is probably written about this entry on our list of musical muses is “A Case Of You”. This song is about Mitchell’s fear of domesticity, feeling that marriage would mean she’d be locked up forever.
Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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