.

Song Stories

“All Star”

Smash Mouth | 1999

Smash Mouth guitarist Greg Camp was thinking about basketball when he wrote this motivating pep song, but as soon as it was recorded, singer Steve Harwell thought about possible licensing opportunities. "We were going, 'Gatorade, football, baseball, basketball — this song's going to be everywhere.'" And soon the song was everywhere: in movies, commercials and sports arenas. While some thought bands like Led Zeppelin were selling out by having their songs in commercials around this time, Harwell never had second thoughts about the concept. "I got into this to entertain, and, of course, make a living from it, and to be able to have our music heard in whatever way."

prev
Song Stories Main Next

blog comments powered by Disqus

Song Stories

“Everyday People”

Sly and the Family Stone | 1968

"Everyday People" managed to trailblaze in two different ways -- it was one of the first pop hits to deal with the subject of racial harmony, and it utilized Larry Graham's "slap" technique on the bass guitar, which would soon be copied by countless other bassists. Graham once said about his pulsating style, "I'd never done that before … that's where the freedom of creativity came in for the band, that we'd be allowed to do that." In 1978, the song's line "Different strokes for different folks" would be borrowed for the title of the hit television show Diff'rent Strokes.

More Song Stories entries »