Six brilliant songs inspired by the lives of famous actors
There are several reasons musicians would even bother to write a song at all. Many of the best pieces have been penned from a first-person perspective and explored the author’s personal experiences. Other musical efforts are politically charged and aim to unite listeners in a common cause.
Yet sometimes inspiration works in mysterious ways, and musicians who are wrapped up in the world of pop culture sometimes turn to films and TV for inspiration for writing new material. Perhaps this arises from sitting around at home trying to write – but really watching television – when suddenly something clicks, and an idea is born.
There have been several brilliant songs written as inspired by famous actors. Sometimes, the songs themselves and their lyrics have little to do with the actor they are named after. For example, the Gorillaz track ‘Bill Murray’ was only called thus because Jamie Hewlett had been reading a magazine article about the legendary actor whilst listening to the unnamed demo.
Yet sometimes, songs are conceived because of the fascinating nature of the life and times of actors themselves, so we’re going to run through a quick list of some of the best songs inspired by famous film and TV stars. Here we go.
Six songs inspired by famous actors:
‘Mr. Rogers’ – Korn
This track arrived on the nu-metal pioneers’ second studio album Life Is Peachy. Much of Korn’s work and specifically ‘Mr. Rogers’ would examine dark themes such as depraved sexuality and childhood abuse.
Jonathan Davis said that the song is in reference to Fred Rogers, a host of a PBS kids’ TV show. However, Davis explained that the show did not prepare him for the horrors of reality that awaited him and that its air of twee kindness was a stark contrast to the abuse that he would later experience.
‘Wesley’s Theory’ – Kendrick Lamar
The opener of To Pimp A Butterfly is highly racially motivated. The track’s title is in reference to the actor Wesley Snipes, who served a three-year jail sentence between 2010 and 2013 for failing to properly declare his taxes.
In the track, Lamar aims at the American government, which wants to make an example of successful African-American celebrities like Snipes. Kendrick once said, “You mean to tell me the moment I become successful, and I get this money – and I don’t know how to manage my money – that you’re gonna throw me back in jail for taxes?”
‘Joan Crawford’ – Blue Oyster Cult
Joan Crawford was a highly successful actress in the 1920s and 1930s. When she died in 1977, her adopted daughter Christina published a book called Mommie Dearest, in which she claimed that Crawford had abused her.
Blue Oyster Cult‘s track envisages an apocalypse in which the dead rise from the ground. Towards the end of the track, a ghoulish voice whispers “Christina”, which suggests that Joan Crawford has returned from the dead to take revenge on her adopted daughter for publishing the book.
‘James Dean’ – Eagles
Many of the Eagles’ tracks would touch on the subjects of dead American heroes and the consequences of a reckless lifestyle, say ‘Life In The Fast Lane’ or ‘Good Day In Hell’.
Another of those tracks is ‘James Dean‘, named after the legendary Rebel Without A Cause actor, who died in a car accident when he crashed his Porsche Spyder 550 in 1995. Dean embodied the spirit of “live fast, die young”, and the Eagles dedicated their track to him.
‘Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle’ – Nirvana
Frances Farmer was a famous 1930s and 1940s actress who had a reputation for being somewhat difficult to deal with on set. After Farmer was arrested for drunk driving, she violated her parole by driving to Mexico and was subsequently placed in a mental institution.
Some have argued that Kurt Cobain is drawing comparisons between Farmer and himself in this In Utero track. Farmer had battled against her film studio, and Cobain was in a tussle with his record label as they demanded that he make more pop-orientated music in the same vein as Nevermind.
‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’ – Bauhaus
The first single from the gothic post-punks featured imagery of staging the funeral of Bela Lugosi, the actor who had played Dracula in the titular 1931 film. Bass player David J wrote the lyrics after watching a series of vampire movies.
J said of the track, “I came up with that first line, ‘White on white, translucent, black capes back on the rack.’ And it was like, ‘Oh, this is interesting.’ It’s so descriptive – it is about the vampire. It’s also about the actor – it’s about retiring from the part, but then he sort of plays with the idea. A vampire can never retire from being a vampire, because that’s for eternity.”
