#4M: You Talkin' About Me?

Welcome back for Monday’s Music Moves Me (aka #4M)



We’re under the direction of our co-host/conductor for this month - Driller!
Today’s theme is “Free Choice”. And that means we can post about anything we want. I tossed a few ideas around in my head trying to figure out what to share with you this week.  I had one particular idea in mind, but I could only come up with 2 songs on my own - and my friend Google let me down when I tried to come up with more material for that idea. So that one goes on the back burner for now :)

The good news is that while trying to work out the other idea, today’s theme came to me. Songs that are about other people. And lucky for me, there are quite a few to choose from! Lucky for you - I’ve narrowed my selection to just 10 :)

1. ‘You’re So Vain’ - Carly Simon - Starting off with an obvious. For many years, Carly Simon was evasive about who the song is really about - possibles were Mick Jagger, Warren Beatty, James Taylor, and Cat Stevens.  I believe the final verdict is that the song is about Warren Beatty.
2. ‘Cry Me A River’ - Justin Timberlake - In the late 1990’s, early 2000’s Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears were inseparable. Many people thought for sure the former Mouseketeers would get married. Instead, they had a pretty ugly split. Justin went solo (no pun intended) about that time, and this was his song about Britney.
3. ‘I’ll Stick Around’ - Foo Fighters - The surviving members of Nirvana were constantly battling over royalties and song rights with Courtney Love; an indication of this is the exhaustive repetition of the phrase "I don't owe you anything" in the song's chorus. It should be noted that Dave Grohl and Courtney Love have since ‘kissed and made up’, so to speak.
4. ‘Dude Looks Like A Lady’ - Aerosmith - The story goes that Steven Tyler and Joe Perry were hitting the bars in their pre-sobriety days. During their night out, Tyler spotted a beautiful woman and, even though she was facing away from him, fell instantly in love. He was getting all set to lay his charm on her when she turned around and... she wasn't a she at all, but famously pretty Motley Crue lead singer Vince Neil.
5. ‘Hollaback Girl’ - Gwen Stefani - When Gwen was starting her solo career, Courtney Love made this comment "Being famous is just like being in high school. But I'm not interested in being the cheerleader. I'm not interested in being Gwen Stefani. She's the cheerleader, and I'm out in the smoker shed." This song is Gwen’s response.
6. ‘Suite: Judy Blue Eyes’ - Crosby, Stills & Nash - is about Stephen Stills' former girlfriend, singer/songwriter Judy Collins.  The lyrics consist of his thoughts about her and their imminent breakup. Collins is known for her piercing blue eyes.
7. ‘Sweet Caroline’ - Neil Diamond - Neil Diamond didn't reveal the inspiration for the song until some 42 years after its release. He said that he'd seen a picture of Caroline riding a horse on the cover of Life magazine some years earlier. In fact, it was the September 7, 1962 issue, which meant that this PG-13 tune ("hands... touchin' hands... reachin' out... touching me... touchin' you") was inspired by a four-year-old girl. Umm, that's creepy. (and most likely why he waited so long to reveal his inspiration)
8. ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ - Paul McCartney - Paul McCartney was struggling with the breakup of the Beatles. He wrote this song for his wife, Linda, who supported and encouraged him to continue with a solo career.
9. ‘In Your Eyes’ - Peter Gabriel - written about Rosanna Arquette. Peter and Rosanna were living together at the time.
10. ‘Rosanna’ - Toto - also about Rosanna Arquette. Rosanna was dating keyboardist Steve Porcaro.

Hey, you know what?!?

It’s not too early to start thinking about the big #RocktoberMusicFest Blog Hop, hosted by yours truly. Keep your eyes peeled for more information coming soon!

Today’s post is part of the Monday’s Music Moves Me blog hop, hosted by X-Mas Dolly, and co-hosted by JAmerican Spice, Stacy Uncorked, Curious as a Cathy. , and Ramblin with AM. Be sure to stop by the hosts and visit the other participants.  If you have a MUSIC* post, feel free to join in the fun! *sorry non-music posts are not permitted in this bloghop.