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Song Stories

“Tears in Heaven”

Eric Clapton | 1991

On March 20th, 1991, four-year old Conor Clapton died in a fall from an apartment window in New York. His father wrote the heartrending “Tears in Heaven” and “The Circus Left Town” for his son. “They’re sweet little songs, almost like folk songs, and I feel the need to have people hear them,” Eric Clapton told Rolling Stone. “Tears” made its debut on the soundtrack of the 1991 film Rush, for which Clapton also wrote and performed on the film score. A stripped-down version of the song anchored his 1992 MTV Unplugged set.

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Song Stories

“Time to Pretend”

MGMT | 2008

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”

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