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Song Stories

“Happy Pills”

Norah Jones | 2012

Norah Jones wrote this song with tunesmith Brian Burton (a.k.a. Danger Mouse) for her 2012 album Little Broken Hearts, but the two writers actually began working on the record in 2009. The song, Jones explained, is a perfect fit for the honest tone of the entire project. "It sounds happy," she told Rolling Stone, "but the lyrics are evil and f---ed up, which grounded it a little." Jones admitted she was partially inspired by a painful breakup to help her finish the album.

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“The Death of You and Me”
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds | 2011
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“A Nickel and a Nail”
O.V. Wright | 1971

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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.

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