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Song Stories

“My Sharona”

The Knack | 1979

It turns out that "My Sharona," one of the most iconic power pop tunes of its era and a Number One hit for the L.A.-based Knack, was inspired by the group's frontman, Doug Fieger, becoming smitten by a younger woman, who would eventually become his fiancée (alas, they never actually wed). As Fieger explained, "Sharona was 17. I was 25 when I wrote the song. But the song was written from the perspective of a 14-year-old boy. It's just an honest song about a 14-year-old boy."

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“Candy-O”
The Cars | 1979
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“All My Life”
Evan Dando | 2003

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Song Stories

“1999”

Prince | 1982

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.

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