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Song Stories

“Rooster”

Alice in Chains | 1992

For civilians, it's hard to fathom the horrific events that soldiers experience in war. And on"Rooster," Alice in Chains tackle a subject that hit home for guitarist Jerry Cantrell, as his father is a Vietnam War veteran. "It was the start of the healing process between my dad and I from all that damage that Vietnam caused," Cantrell explained. "This was all my perception of his experiences out there." The beginning of the "Rooster" video would feature Cantrell's father briefly talking about his war experiences.

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Song Stories

“I'm Yours”

Jason Mraz | 2008

Jason Mraz re-emerged after his disappointing second album with this lead single, a Jack Johnson-esque ditty about giving yourself fully to someone else. The success of the reggae-tinged song (it earned two Grammy nods and a spot on the Billboard singles chart for well over a year) was something the folk-pop singer never predicted when he wrote it in 15 minutes at home. "I played a happy-hippie chord progression that would probably work without 50 different Bob Marley songs," he told Rolling Stone. "I thought, 'It's too novelty. This is a nursery rhyme,'" concluding that "you can never guess what's gonna be a hit."

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