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Song Stories

“Nasty”

Janet Jackson | 1986

Janet Jackson penned this tune as a response to men who were behaving badly. "The danger hit home when a couple of guys started stalking me on the street. They were emotionally abusive," she told Rolling Stone. "I took a stand. I backed them down. That's how songs like 'Nasty' and 'What Have You Done for Me Lately' were born, out of a sense of self-defense." The song's video was choreographed by Jackson's good friend Paula Abdul, who also appears in the clip.

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“Irresistible Force”
Jane's Addiction | 2011
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“I'm Yours”
Jason Mraz | 2008

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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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