When Music and Lyrics Are an Ode
There are many unlikely places from where songwriters get the inspiration for their music and lyrics. Usually, unless the artist talks about it, listeners don’t get to know about the As It Was Lyrics inspiration for the lyrics and music that they make, but there are times when the sources of inspiration of the music and lyrics can be easily deciphered just by looking at the words and the story line of the lyrics of the song. Beyond the lyrics, there are certain times when the songs inspiration is probably proclaimed for the whole world to see. This usually happens when the artists title their songs after names.
There are countless examples of songs titled after names. Usually, the names aren’t actual names of people, but they usually reflect how the music and lyrics of the same came about. Michael Jackson’s insanely famous Billie Jean, for example, talks about an experience of Michael, about a woman claiming that her child was Jackson’s and the lyrics make an obvious reference to a number of real life occurrences. Hence, even though Billie Jean isn’t named after a real person, the lyrics reflect what the source of inspiration to write the song was. Of course, the composition and the relation of the title and the lyrics in this type of songs do not always work the same way.
There are a number of songs, for example, where the title of the song is also the persona the singer is referencing to. A good instance of this is Adrienne by The Calling. The speaker (or the singer) is clearly speaking directly to the titular female Adrienne in the lyrics of this song. As a matter of fact, the name Adrienne came up in the lyrics on more than a few occasions (the chorus of the lyrics: Adrienne I thought I knew you / Once again you used me used me / Adrienne I should have left you / Long before you used me used me up).