SONGFACTS: Songs That Inspired Movies (Part 1)

Songs That Inspired Movies (Part 1)

1.ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by THE BEATLES

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

John Lennon wrote this song after having an argument with his wife Cynthia. He said, "I was lying next to me first wife in bed, and I was irritated. She must have been going on and on about something and she'd gone to sleep and I kept hearing these words over and over, flowing like an endless stream. I went downstairs and it turned into sort of a cosmic song rather than an irritated song... it drove me out of bed. I didn't want to write it, but I was slightly irritable and I went downstairs and I couldn't get to sleep until I'd put it on paper."

Reviews: Marjorie Prime (2017)

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2.ALICE'S RESTAURANT MASSACREE by ARLO GUTHRIE

Running 18 minutes and 34 seconds, this song is based on a true story that happened on Thanksgiving Day, 1965. Arlo was 18, and along with his friend Rick Robbins, drove to Stockbridge, Massachusetts to have Thanksgiving dinner with Alice and Ray Brock. Alice and Ray lived in a church - the former Trinity Church on Division Street in Stockbridge - and were used to inviting people into their home. Arlo and Rick had been traveling together, Arlo working his way up in folk singing and Rick tagging along. A number of people, Arlo and Rick included, were considered members of the family, so they were not guests in the usual sense. 

3.ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU by MARIAH CAREY

All I Want for Christmas Is You

This Motown-flavored song has a simple message: Mariah Carey is not concerned about all the paraphernalia of Christmas - she just wants to be with her man.

4.BEER FOR MY HORSES by TOBY KEITH AND WILLIE NELSON

Yet another #1 Country hit for Toby Keith and Scotty Emerick, this song packed another surprise with the addition of Willie Nelson to the voice track, which was all Toby's idea, Scotty says. "After we got finished writing it, he said, 'Man, you know who'd be perfect to do a duet with? Willie Nelson.' I said, 'Man, don't even say that, that'd be way too cool.' And then Toby got it done. It happened really easy, too." It was the first time Toby and Willie had done a duet together, and Scotty tells this story about their first meeting: "We got on his bus and played him 'Beer For My Horses.' That's the first time we ever met him. And we told him we had an idea, we had a song we wanted to do a duet with him. So we just met him on his bus and hung out all night, and played him songs. And he's so nice, he said, 'Sure.' Then it just all fell into place. They recorded it, and it's great. I wrote 'I'll Never Smoke Weed With Willie Again' after that first experience, too."

5.BOOGIE NIGHTS by HEATWAVE

This was written by Heatwave's keyboardist Rod Temperton; it was the first song he ever wrote on his own. The song got the attention of producer Quincy Jones, who brought Temperton in to write songs for Michael Jackson. It was a very fruitful collaboration, as Temperton wrote three of Jackson's biggest hits: "Off The Wall," "Rock With You" and "Thriller." Other Temperton-written hits that Jones produced include "Give Me The Night" by George Benson and "Baby, Come To Me" by James Ingram.

6.BOYZ-N-THE HOOD by N.W.A

This song is about the ghetto life in Compton, California, where N.W.A is from. It's describing a day in the life of a gangsta as rapped by Eazy-E.

SONGFACTS: See You Again - Furious 7

7.BREATH OF HEAVEN (MARY'S SONG) by AMY GRANT

This Christmas song tells the nativity story from Mary's perspective. It portrays the mother of Jesus as a frightened young girl, attempting to deal with the circumstances of giving birth to the Holy Father's Son. Despite her human doubts, Mary's faith in the goodness and mercy of God remain and help her deal with the unique situation she finds herself in.

8.COAT OF MANY COLORS by DOLLY PARTON

COAT OF MANY COLORS

Recorded in April 1971 and running to three minutes four seconds, this is another of Parton's hit songs, and the personal favorite of her own compositions. From the title one would be inclined to think it had a Biblical or religious connection; although it does, it is actually autobiographical.

9.FOOLS RUSH IN (WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD) by RICK NELSON

This popular song about throwing caution to the wind for the sake of love was written by Johnny Mercer and Rube Bloom in 1940. It was widely covered throughout the next three decades, with soul singer Brook Benton taking it to #24 on the pop chart in 1960. But Nelson landed the highest hit at #12 with his rockabilly-inspired version, with the help of longtime guitarist James Burton.

10.FROSTY THE SNOWMAN by GENE AUTRY

GENE AUTRY

"Frosty" was written by Steve Edward Nelson and Walter "Jack" Rollins. The duo also wrote the song "Peter Cottontail," which is a combination of two characters, Peter Rabbit and Cottontail from Beatrix Potter's children's story Peter Rabbit.

The original recording of "Frosty The Snowman" by Gene Autry was his seasonal follow-up to his successful recording of "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" in 1949. This time he peaked at #7 in December 1950.

To be continued....

>>> Part 2  &  Part 3

(Source: songfacts)