Hey Everyone! I am trying to post more often, and not neglect this blog too much. School has been crazy! Hope everyone had a nice Valentine's day, I am so glad I have a four day weekend this week because of President's Day on Monday! Anyway this is a post about the women who inspired some the greatest: love songs, breakup songs, playful songs, and unrequited love songs.
P.S. Believe me I know there are a lot more muses, but I kind of had to edit the list down a bit. It took a lot of time to do the song lyrics and bios for each girl. But I might do another installment of this post soon, as well as the post about 70s hair.
Mia Farrow: Beware of Young Girls written by Dory Previn
Dory was married to Andre Previn, who began a love affair in 1968 with Mia Farrow. Mia was 24, , nineteen years younger than Dory and fifteen years younger than her husband. Dory left Andre in 1969, when she discovered Mia was pregnant. Andre and Mia married soon after, raising a family of six natural and adopted children. They divorced in 1979.
Beware of young girls who come to the door
Wistful and pale, of twenty and four
Delivering daisies with delicate hands
Chrissie Shrimpton: Under My Thumb written by Mick Jagger/Keith Richards
Chrissie was the wild younger sister of supermodel Jean Shrimpton. She became the subject (or target) of many Stones hits during and after their stormy 3 year relationship ended. The song "19th Nervous Breakdown" commemorates the couple’s first acid trip together. Chrissie did not handle the acid well triggering a fit of paranoia. The song "Under My Thumb" is misogynistic tune which implies that Jagger has finally tamed the wild confident girl into “the sweetest pet in the world”. The couple broke up in late 1966, and Mick immediately began a relationship with Marianne Faithfull. Three days after their ending fight Chrissie took an overdose of sleeping pills; medics saved her life and pumped her stomach. Jagger got the hospital bill and refused to pay it. He had all her possessions boxed, and sent to her. The final blow came two weeks later, when the song “Lets Spend the Night Together” became a transatlantic hit. It had been written after Jagger’s first night with Marianne.
Under my thumb
The girl who once had me down
Under my thumb
The girl who once pushed me around
The difference in the clothes she wears
Down to me, the change has come,
She's under my thumb
Ain't it the truth babe?
Marianne Faithfull: Carrie Anne by The Hollies
Marianne Faithfull went on tour to promote her hit single "As Tears Go By", in the typical mid-sixties promotional tour featuring a variety of acts, including the Hollies. In May 1967, the Hollies released "Carrie Anne", one of their best known singles, written by Clarke, Nash, and guitarist Tony Hicks. In 1995, Graham Nash revealed the identity of Carrie Anne. He said he had written the song for Marianne Faithfull but was "too shy" to use her real name.
Hey, Carrie Anne, what's your game now, can anybody play
Hey, Carrie Anne, what's your game now, can anybody play
You were always something special to me
Quite independent, never caring
Sara Dylan: Sara written by Bob Dylan
Sara Lownds first met Bob Dylan at ( his manager) Albert Grossman's wedding in 1964, Sara was friends with Grossman's bride Sally. Bob and Sara became seriously involved around late 1964. On November 22, 1965, Bob and Sara were married (though Sara was pregnant at the time, the marriage was not seen as a mere wedding of convience). It was a very private ceremony, taking place on the lawn of a judge in Long Island; not even Bob's parents knew. Bob and Sara moved up to a home in Woodstock, New York. For a while, their life in Woodstock seemed idyllic. But, by the early 70s, their relationship was breaking down. Dylan spent months on the road and his infidelities put a strain on the marriage. Sara Dylan inspired several of Bob Dylan's songs, but the two most memorable are "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" (from Blonde on Blonde), and "Sara" (from 1976's Desire), in which he called her "radiant jewel, mystical wife". The song "Sara" was a final attempt to reconcile with Sara and save their marriage after their estrangement around 1975:
Sara, Sara
It's all so clear, I could never forget
Sara, Sara
Loving you is the one thing I'll never regret.
I can still hear the sounds of those Methodist bells
I'd taken the cure and had just gotten through
Staying up for day in the Chelsea Hotel
Writing "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" for you.
Jane Asher: I'm Looking Through You written by Paul McCartney
This song has to do with Paul's disintegrating relationship with Jane Asher. When asked about the song in 1980, John Lennon simply said, “Paul. He must have had an argument with Jane Asher.”
Apparently, John’s recollections were correct, as Paul explains: “As is one’s wont in relationships, you will from time to time argue or not see eye to eye on things, and a couple of the songs around this period were that kind of thing. This one I remember particularly as me being disillusioned over her commitment.” Paul assumed that Jane’s real intent was to be away from him, saying: “She went down to the Bristol Old Vic quite a lot around this time. Suffice it to say that this (song) was probably related to that romantic episode and I was seeing through her façade. And realizing that it wasn’t quite all that it seemed. I would write it out in a song and then I’ve got rid of the emotion. I don’t hold grudges so that gets rid of that little bit of emotional baggage. I remember specifically this one being about that, getting rid of some emotional baggage."
I'm looking through you
Where did you go?
I thought I knew you
What did I know?
You don't look different
But you have changed
I'm looking through you
You're not the same
Linda Keith: Ruby Tuesday written by Keith Richards
Written by Keith Richards after his romance with the model Linda Keith ended.
"Ruby Tuesday" was Keith`s swansong to Linda Keith. "It was probably written about Linda Keith not being there," Keith told MOJO magazine in 2003. "I dunno, she had pissed off somewhere. It was very mournful, very, very Ruby Tuesday, and it was a Tuesday."
Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday
Who could hang a name on you
When you change with ev'ry new day
Still I'm gonna miss you
Don't question why she needs to be so free
She'll tell you it's the only way to be
She just can't be chained to a life where nothing's gained
And nothing's lost, at such a cost
Pattie Boyd: Something written by George Harrison; Layla written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon
Everyone knows this story, Pattie says that she first heard "Something" when George played it for her in the Kitchen of the couple's home in Esher. The song "Layla" is about Clapton's obssession with his best friend's wife becoming rock's most famous love-triangle.
Somewhere in her smile she knows
That I don't need no other lover
Something in her style that shows me
I don't want to leave her now
You know I believe and how
Layla, you got me on my knees
Layla, I'm begging darlin' please
Layla, darling won't you ease my worried mind?
Pamela Courson: Twentieth Century Fox written by Jim Morrison
Jim's 'cosmic mate' who was both fashionable and lean.
Well, she's fashionably lean
And she's fashionably late
She'll never rank a scene
She'll never break a date
But she's no drag
Just watch the way she walks
She's a twentieth century fox
She's a twentieth century fox
No tears, no fears
No ruined years, no clocks
She's a twentieth century fox, oh yeah
Hermione Farthingale: Life on Mars written by David Bowie
The lyrics are a collection of images of alienation and confusion. The 'girl with the mousy hair' was Hermoine, a girl from an affluent home and was the stereotypical English Rose: attractive, willowy, and self-possessed. She became Bowie's first serious girlfriend. Former Bowie guitarist remembers her being " a nice lass, but a bit posh...I was always very careful not to swear in front of her."
It's a god-awful small affair
To the girl with the mousy hair
But her mummy is yelling "No"
And her daddy has told her to go
But her friend is nowhere to be seen
Now she walks through her sunken dream
To the seat with the clearest view
And she's hooked to the silver screen
Michele Overman: Going to California by Led Zeppelin
Although "Going to California" was not directly written for her, Robert Plant says that she was a 'major influence' for the song. Michele says He told her that She was the "epitome of that era for him, and represented the whole 60's hippie love thing."
Made up my mind to make a new start,
Going To California with an aching in my heart.
Someone told me there's a girl out there
with love in her eyes and flowers in her hair.
Jenny Boyd: Jennifer Juniper written by Donovan
In autumn 1967, Jenny posed with Donovan, at Bodiam Castle in East Sussex for a photoshoot for his A Gift from a Flower to a Garden album cover. Captivated by Jenny's charms, he wrote "Jennifer Juniper" for her. He says "I had a crush on Jenny so she got a song."
Jennifer Juniper, hair of golden flax.
Jennifer Juniper longs for what she lacks.
Do you like her ? Yes, I do, Sir.
Would you love her ? Yes, I would, Sir
Catherine James: Miss. James written by John Mayall
Catherine inspired two songs from John Mayall, "Miss. James" and "Nothing Like the First Time", featured on his Blues From Laurel Canyon album. She met him at the Shrine Auditorium, she was only 18 and he was 16 years older. Nothing ever really developed between the two, Catherine said "I think we liked each other but he was a little old for me."
I read about her in a magazine
The writer painted her in colors of a queen
Other people said bad things instead
So I was curious to check out what I read
But asking around she couldn't be found
Strange, elusive Miss James!
Linda McCartney: Maybe I'm Amazed written by Paul McCartney
Paul penned the song "Maybe I'm Amazed" for Linda in 1970. The song relates how Linda helped him through the protracted and messy process of the Beatles' breakup, with all its personal and financial complications. Paul later stated: " every love song I write is for Linda."
Maybe I'm amazed at the way you're with me all the time
Maybe I'm afraid of the way I leave you
Maybe I'm amazed at the way you help me sing my song
Right me when I'm wrong
Maybe I’m amazed at the way I really need you
Joni Mitchell: Our House written by Graham Nash
By the mid-sixties the music scene lived in Laurel Canyon. Joni Mitchell's house on Lookout Mountain Road was the hub for a "close-knit circle of folk-rock musicians" would gather and play music well into the night.Graham Nash quit the Hollies, joined Crosby and Stills, and moved in with Joni Mitchell. They were considered a golden couple among their peers. It was a very productive time. Joni was working on her next album Clouds, and Graham was penning songs for Crosby, Stills, and Nash's classic album Deja Vu. One of the songs that Nash wrote was "Our House". Nash later said "the house reminded me of that house [the enchanted cottage]; once you walked in through that front door, everything disappeared."
Come to me now (come to me now)
and rest your head
for just five minutes
everything is done
Such a cozy room (such a cozy room)
the windows are illuminated
by the evening sunshine through them
fiery gems for you, only for you
(chorus)
Our house, is a
very very very fine house
With two cats in the yard
life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy 'cause of you
Prudence Farrow: Dear Prudence by The Beatles
Prudence Farrow joined her sister Mia in 1968, for a two-month Transcendental Meditation course in Rishikesh, India. The Beatles were among her fellow "classmates" at the ashram. Apparently, Prudence did not follow the Maharishi's warning about the dangers of overdoing the meditation practices. She spent long hours each day meditating alone in her room. The song "Dear Prudence" was written by John Lennon and his fellow Beatles in India, and it's lyrics aimed to get Prudence out of her room. John said: "She'd been locked in for 3 weeks and wouldn't come out, trying to reach God quicker than anybody else. That was the composition in Maharishi's camp: who was going to get cosmic first."
Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play?
Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day
The sun is up, the sky is blue
It's beautiful and so are you
Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play?
Dear Prudence, open up your eyes
Dear Prudence, see the sunny skies
The wind is low the birds will sing
That you are part of everything
Dear Prudence, won't you open up your eyes?
Edie Sedgwick: Femme Fetale written by Lou Reed
Lou Reed recalls "Andy said I should write a song about Edie Sedgwick, I said 'like what?' and he said 'Oh, don't you think she's a femme fetale Lou?' So I wrote Femme Fatale."
Here she comes, you better watch your step
She's going to break your heart in two, it's true
It's not hard to realize Just look into her false colored eyes
She builds you up to just put you down, what a clown
'Cause everybody knows
(She's a femme fetale)
The things she does to please
(She's a femme fetale)
She's just a little tease
Janis Joplin: Chelsea Hotel No. 2 written by Leonard Cohen
Cohen admitted that he wrote the song "Chelsea Hotel No. 2" about the brief affair he had with Janis Joplin. However, since her death he has come to regret linking her to the song saying it was: "the sole indiscretion in my professional life." The two met in an elevator at the Chelsea, and Joplin expressed disapointment that it wasn't Kris Kristofferson, but still spent the night together in room 104.
You told me again you preferred handsome men
But for me you would make an exception
Emily Young: See Emily Play written by Syd Barrett, performed by Pink Floyd
Fifteen-year-old Emily Young had various nicknames given to her by her friends, such as "Far Out Em" and "The Psychedelic Schoolgirl". She attended the trendy Holland Park School, near Pink Floyd's new residency at All Saints Hall, just off Ladbroke Grove in West London. After a gig at All Saints, Emily and some friends went back to one of the Floyd managers' houses nearby and shared a joint with Barrett and the band. She must have left an impression, because Syd changed the lyrics to a song he'd had written for the Games for May concert at the Festival Hall, to what became known as "See Emily Play". The song was released as the band's next single, reaching #5 on the charts. Syd playfully told a journalist that he'd "seen Emily dancing naked in a wood, when he'd slept under the stars after a gig up North."
You'll lose your mind and play
Free games for may
See Emily play
Put on a gown that touches the ground, ah ooh
Float on a river forever and ever, Emily
There is no other day
Let's try it another way
You'll lose your mind and play
Free games for may
See Emily play
Maxine Feibelman: Tiny Dancer written by Bernie Taupin; performed by Elton John
Elton John's longtime lyricist and songwriting partner Bernie Taupin wrote "Tiny Dancer" about Feibelman in 1970, after she joined him and John on tour in the role of a seamstress. Maxine was a trained dancer and she spent most of the shows dancing through uptempo numbers on the side of the stage. The lyrics tell of Taupin's feelings for her, predicting his marriage to his first wife:
Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band
Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man
Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand
And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand
Angela Bowie: The Prettiest Star written by David Bowie
In 1969, David Bowie met 19 year old Angela Barnett backstage after one of his performances at the Roundhouse. It wasn't until a few months later that their relationship began in earnest. Angela became a crucial figure in David's life, providing both moral support and behind-the-scenes promotion for his career. She was openly bisexual, and they had an open relationship, where they would acknowledge each other's freedom to sleep with different partners. They married in March 1970.
To sing a song of when I loved
The Prettiest Star
One day though it might
as well be someday
You and I will rise up all the way
All because of what you are
The Prettiest Star
Judy Collins: Suite: Judy Blue Eyes by Crosby, Stills, & Nash
Stephen Stills penned this song about his love for his longtime girlfriend, folk singer Judy Collins, and the differences that were driving them apart.
Stills said: "It started out as a long narrative poem about my relationship with Judy Collins. It poured out of me over many months and filled several notebooks. I had a hell of a time getting the music to fit. I was left with all these pieces of song and I said, 'Let's sing them together and call it a suite,' because they were all about the same thing and they led up to the same point."
I am yours, you are mine
you are what you are
And you make it hard
Something inside is telling me that
I've got your secret
Are you still listening?
Fear is the lock
and laughter the key to your heart
and I love you
Cindy Breakspeare: Turn Your Lights Down Low written by Bob Marley
Marley had a string of exramarital affairs despite being being married since '66. However there was one lady who touched Marley more than most: Cindy Breakspeare aka Miss Jamaica. They began their relationship shortly before she won the title of Miss World in 1976. She was only the third Jamiacan to do so. She recalled the first time she heard the the song he wrote for her. "He would sit on the steps out the back of my apartment there with a guitar and just sing. I remember hearing "Turn Your Lights Down Low" just like that." After the bith of the birth of their son Damien in 1978, the couple began to drift apart. They remained friends, until his untimely death in 1981.
Say, I want to give you some good, good lovin' (good, good lovin'):
Turn your lights down low;
Never try to resist, oh no!
Oh, let my love come tumbling in -
Into our life again,
Sayin': ooh, I love ya!
Erin Everly: Sweet Child o' Mine written by Axl Rose; performed by Guns N' Roses
Erin Everly met Axl Rose in Hollywood, where his band was beginining to make a name for themselves on the local music scene. Everly attended a live show in 1986, and immediately caught Rose's eye. The pair soon embarked on a passionate and tumultous relationship, that would result in one of the most successful songs of the decade. Rose said, "It's the first positive love song I've ever written, but I never had anyone to write anything about before, I guess."
Whoa, oh, oh, sweet child o' mine
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, sweet love of mine
She's got eyes of the bluest skies
As if they thought of rain
I'd hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain
(images scanned by me from: The Girl in the Song: The True Stories Behind 50 Rock Classics, Ossie Clark Diaries, Getty: Decades of Fashion, Lets Spend the Night Together, and Mademoiselle Age Tendre Magazine, Linda McCartney: the picture of Judy Collins)
