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Song Stories

“Shaky Town”

Jackson Browne | 1977

Running on Empty was a different sort of live album: Although all the tracks were laid down on tour, not all of them were recorded on concert stages. This song, written by touring guitarist Danny Kortchmar, was cut in a motel room -- specifically, Room 124 of the Holiday Inn in Edwardsville, Illinois. "We were just trying to get away with it," Browne admitted. "We knew we could do it with the violin and acoustic guitar, but we also put the drums in the room, and Danny and I actually sang in the shower. I just love the way that sounds."

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“Werewolves of London”
Warren Zevon | 1976
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“Will the Wolf Survive?”
Los Lobos | 1984

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Song Stories

“He Will Break Your Heart”

Jerry Butler | 1960

A lightly swinging Latin-influenced, almost cha-cha groove and close harmonies decorated Jerry Butler's early soul hit "He Will Break Your Heart," delivering a stately warning that his rival would never love his girl like he did. The melody came to Butler as he was driving on the highway from Atlantic City, New Jersey, to Philadelphia with Curtis Mayfield, and as Butler told Rolling Stone, "I just sang the melody and Curtis put the chords to it." The song's premise, Butler added, "was something that I'd lived ...The lyric was an experience rather than a revelation. Whereas music is usually a revelation."

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