3 Famous Pop Songs That You Didn’t Know Were Autobiographical

A lot of pop songs through the years have reached high on the charts and become legendary, only for fans to find out years later that they are actually autobiographical. The following three songs definitely fit that bill.

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“Help!” by The Beatles (John Lennon) (1965)

Diehard Beatles fans likely know the true backstory behind this 1965 pop hit. But casual fans might not know that John Lennon wrote “Help!” as a genuine cry for help. Lennon said in the years that followed that “Help!” was among his favorite Beatles compositions because of how honest he was in it about his emotional struggles from being thrust into fame.

“The whole Beatles thing was just beyond comprehension,” said Lennon in his famous Playboy interview from 1980. “I was subconsciously crying out for help.”

“Sara” by Fleetwood Mac (1979)

More folk rock than pop, “Sara” by Fleetwood Mac was technically a pop hit. It peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. And, apparently, this Stevie Nicks-penned tune was written about a real person that Nicks knew in real life. “Sara” was written as a poem, not a song, and references her friend, Sara Recor. The titular “Sara” would go on to marry Nicks’ bandmate and former fling, Mick Fleetwood. Nicks’ ex-partner, Don Henley (best known for his work in Eagles), once claimed that the song was written about their unborn child. Nicks is on record saying she would name her first daughter Sara. However, Nicks later clarified that “had I married Don and had that baby, and had she been a girl, I would have named her Sara… It’s accurate, but not the entirety of it.”

“Me And A Gun” by Tori Amos (1991)

This a cappella pop heartbreaker on our list of autobiographical songs is, sadly, based on Tori Amos’ real-life experience of sexual assault. “Me And A Gun” comes from her legendary debut album, Little Earthquakes. It was written about an attack in Los Angeles when she was 21 years old, following a performance at a bar. The song is also, in part, about Amos’ struggle with survivor’s guilt.

“I’ll never talk about it at this level again, but let me ask you,” said Amos of the attack and “Me And A Gun”. “Why have I survived that kind of night, when other women didn’t? […] I really do feel as though I was psychologically mutilated that night and that now I’m trying to put the pieces back together again. Through love, not hatred. And through my music.”

The song has since become an anthem for sexual assault survivors.

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