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Behind The Song

We here at American Songwriter are obsessed with uncovering the meaning behind our favorite songs. Below, you’ll find deep dives into big hits, deep cuts, and everything in between.

Latest stories

James Brown performing

“We Weren’t Strong Enough”: How a James Brown Hit Got Its Signature Feel Because the Band Was So Tired

The 1973 Song Stevie Nicks Wrote About Lindsey Buckingham Being a “Difficult Artist” To Work With

Bruce Springsteen Was Just 24 Years Old When He Wrote His First Big Hit

Bruce Springsteen Was Just 24 Years Old When He Wrote His First Big Hit in 1975

The Kinks posing together

“People Are Becoming Weirder”: The Kinks’ Dave Davies Pushes Back on Controversy Surrounding This 1970 Classic

Peter Schilling, German synthpop musician, singing into a microphone during a live concert performance at the Montreux Rock Festival, in Montreux, Switzerland, May 1984. (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns/Getty Images)

David Bowie’s Most Famous Character Made an Unlikely Comeback in This 80s Synth-Pop Hit

More stories

  • Lynyrd Skynyrd in the mid-70s

    4 Comments

    Lynyrd Skynyrd Called This 1974 Hit Their Version of The Allman Brothers’ “Ramblin’ Man”

    May 9, 2026, 5:00 pm

  • Paul Simon Says Writing This Song Was One of the Most “Shocking Moments” of His Career

    Paul Simon Says Writing This Song Was One of the Most “Shocking Moments” of His Career

    May 9, 2026, 2:00 pm

  • Louis Armstrong’s Record Label Tried To Stop What Became His Biggest Hit

    Louis Armstrong’s Record Label Tried To Stop What Became His Biggest Hit in 1967

  • UNSPECIFIED - JANUARY 01: Photo of LOBO (Photo by Gems/Redferns)

    How a Canine’s Timely Appearance Led to Lobo’s First Hit in 1971

    May 9, 2026, 8:00 am

  • BIG SUR - SEPTEMBER 15: Crosby, Stills and Nash and Young (L-R David Crosby, Graham Nash and Stephen Stills) perform onstage at the Big Sur Folk Festival held at the Esalen Institue on September, 15 1969 in Big Sur, California. (Photo by Robert Altman/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

    Crosby, Stills & Nash’s First Hit Single From 1969 Was Initially Overlooked by Another Band

    May 9, 2026, 7:00 am

  • Bruce Springsteen in 1984

    This 1984 Bruce Springsteen Hit Drops a Not-So-Subtle Reference to the Man Whose Property He Tried Breaking Into

    May 8, 2026, 12:30 pm

  • Remember When Alabama Scored Their First No. 1 Hit?

    Remember When Alabama Scored Their First No. 1 Hit Back in 1980?

    May 8, 2026, 12:00 pm

  • Men At Work sitting together

    The 1981 Pop Rock Hit That Resulted in a Lawsuit Over a Children’s Song Nearly 30 Years After It Was Released

    May 7, 2026, 10:50 am

  • . Remember When James Taylor Scored His First No. 1 Hit, With a Song He Did Not Write?

    1 Comment

    Remember When James Taylor Scored His First No. 1 Hit With a Song He Did Not Write in 1971?

  • A “Profound Religious Experience” Led to This Massive Kristofferson Hit

    A “Profound Religious Experience” Led to This Massive Kris Kristofferson Hit

    May 6, 2026, 6:30 pm

  • Most People Don’t Know That Chubby Checker’s Biggest Hit Is Actually a Cover Song

    Most People Don’t Know That Chubby Checker’s Biggest Hit From 1960 Was Actually a Cover Song

    May 6, 2026, 6:00 pm

  • Portrait of English Pop musicians Curt Smith (left) and Roland Orzabal, of the group Tears For Fears, Los Angeles, California, 1985. (Photo by John Kisch Archive/Getty Images)

    Why the Alternate Title of This Tears for Fears Hit From 1985 Makes Total Sense

    May 6, 2026, 5:30 pm

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    • Subscribe to Newsletter
      • Sign up for The Daily Co-Write
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  • Latest News
  • Contests
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      • Enter Song Contest
      • Song Contest Winners
      • Rules and Deadlines
      • Meet the Judges
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      • Enter Lyric Contest
      • Dream Day on Music Row
      • Lyric Contest Winners
      • 2026 Lyric Contest Judges
      • Rules and Deadlines
    • Road Ready Talent Contest
      • Enter Road Ready
      • Road Ready Winners
      • The Public’s Pick
      • Road Ready Rules and Deadlines
    • Hip Hop Contest
      • Enter The Beat4Beat Contest
    • Contest Promotions
      • Promotion Winners
  • Song Contest
  • Community
    • Subscribe to Magazine
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    • Foundations Songwriting Course
    • Apply To Songwriting Camps
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    • Manage My Subscription/Membership
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