Bruce Springsteen, Heath Ledger Win Golden Globes; Mickey Rourke Thanks Axl Rose

Bruce Springsteen beat out Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus and Peter Gabriel to take home a Golden Globe last night, winning Best Original Song for "The Wrestler," from the Darren Aronofsky film of the same name. The Globe nod was Springsteen's second: He also won in 1994 for Philadelphia's "Streets of Philadelphia." With the victory, the Jersey legend is now the favorite to take home his second Original Song Oscar at this year's Academy Awards, having also won for "Philadelphia" (he was nominated but lost in 1996 for "Dead Man Walking"). In his acceptance speech, Springsteen thanked actor Mickey Rourke for calling him and getting him involved in the film.

Later in the evening, it was Rourke who was called to the podium after winning Best Performance by an Actor in a Drama for The Wrestler. In what was the most rock & roll moment of the night, Rourke thanked Guns n' Roses' Axl Rose for allowing the low-budget film to use "Sweet Child O' Mine" for almost nothing. Rose has often credited Rourke as being someone on his small list of friends. Equally awesome: Rourke also thanked his dogs.

In the night's only other musical moment, Indian composer A.R. Rahman was given the Best Original Score award for his propulsive Slumdog Millionaire score. And in what the most touching moment of the evening, Heath Ledger was posthumously awarded Best Supporting Actor for his performance as the Joker in Peter Travers' pick The Dark Knight. Director Christopher Nolan accepted the award on Ledger's behalf, telling the star-filled crowd, "All of us who worked with Heath on The Dark Knight accept with an awful mixture of sadness but incredible pride. For any of us lucky enough to work with him, he will be eternally missed, but he will never be forgotten." Ledger is the favorite to win the same award at this year's Oscars. The Academy Awards nominations will be announced January 22nd, the one-year anniversary of Ledger's death. For the full list of Golden Globes nominees and winners, click here.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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