Live at Rolling Stone: David Garrett

David Garrett is a classically-trained violinist with rock & roll as his inspiration. On his new disc, Rock Symphonies, the German-born musician offers deft, imaginative takes on rock classics like Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Guns n' Roses' "November Rain," Metallica's "Master of Puppets" and Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir." Garrett recently dropped by Rolling Stone to perform a couple tunes -- including a killer version of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" and "Master of Puppets" -- and opened up about why classical music can appeal to rock fans. Check out video of the performance above.

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Song Stories

“The A Team”

Ed Sheeran | 2011

This debut track from the then-20-year-old British singer-songwriter has a dark story behind it. Sheeran says he culls songwriting inspiration from "viewing other people's situations," which, for the heroine in "The A Team," involves drug addiction and prostitution that began as a teen. Sheeran paints the woman's trials with haunting imagery such as "But lately her face seems/Slowly sinking, wasting/Crumbling like pastries." "I did a gig at a homeless shelter, [and the song] is about one of the women there. It's her story," he said.

More Song Stories entries »

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