- 1 year ago
Behind every great song is a story, but some are more heartbreaking than others. Join us as we explore iconic 90s tracks born from real tragedy. From Eric Clapton's devastating personal loss to Nirvana's chilling social commentary, these songs transformed pain into powerful art. Which song's backstory hits you the hardest?
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00:00I don't belong here in heaven.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:08And today, we're looking at 1090 songs that came from real life pain.
00:13Probably wants a cracker.
00:17Think I should get off the first.
00:23100% Sonic Youth.
00:25This rock song might not be Sonic Youth's most popular, but alternative rock fans definitely vibed with it.
00:40At first listen, it sounds cool and grungy, but it's actually a morning song.
00:45Sonic Youth wrote it as a tribute to their close friend Joe Cole, who was killed in an armed robbery in 1991.
00:55The attackers were reportedly angry Cole and his friends had little cash on them, and the encounter ended in Cole's death.
01:08To this day, his murder remains unsolved.
01:11So while the video shows punky energy in skateboarding clips, it's really their raw, gritty way of grieving.
01:20That's very Sonic Youth, right?
01:21What's the Frequency, Kenneth?
01:28R.E.M.
01:29Can you really say you're a true R.E.M. fan if you've never jammed to the song, or even used the slang a few times?
01:37What's the Frequency, Kenneth?
01:39This show brings a train of hope.
01:42This energetic track might seem like it's just about generational disconnect and identity crisis, but A Darker Story lies in its title.
01:51It comes from a 1986 incident in which CBS News anchor Dan Rather was attacked on the street by a man who kept repeating a variation on the title phrase.
02:01No one knew what it meant then, but years later, the attacker was identified as William Taggart, a delusional man who thought television signals were being beamed into his brain.
02:17He was eventually identified some years after murdering a stagehand on the Today Show.
02:23Kind of changes the vibe, doesn't it?
02:31Get Your Gun, Marilyn Manson.
02:34For some rock bands, it isn't about making music, it's about making a statement.
02:39That's exactly what Marilyn Manson did in 1994 with the gothic, Get Your Gun.
02:44You may have danced to it, but what you may not know is that it's about the real-life murder of Dr. David Gunn.
02:56This OB-GYN was killed by an anti-abortion extremist in one of the first major acts of violence against abortion doctors in the U.S.
03:07As for lead singer Manson, he saw the brutal irony in taking a life all in the name of being pro-life.
03:20So the band channeled their rage in calling out that hypocrisy.
03:24Sure, the song's provocative, but it showed they weren't afraid to confront ugly truths.
03:29Get your gun, get your gun, get your gun.
03:37Jesus to a Child, George Michael
03:40When you listen to George Michael's Jesus to a Child, there's a gentle ache in every note that makes it clear it's a sad love song.
03:49I'm blessed, I know you have unsent.
03:56The story behind it makes it even more heartbreaking.
04:00Michael wrote it during one of the most painful periods of his life.
04:04He had lost his first love, Anselmo Felipa, to AIDS, just months into their relationship.
04:09When you be in love, when you know it holds such bliss.
04:18For a year and a half, he couldn't bring himself to write any song, until he poured out his grief into this beautiful tribute, completing the lyrics in just one hour.
04:28At the time, Michael wasn't out publicly, so the words don't spell out the nature of their relationship.
04:35Still, the pain and loss are unmistakable in every line.
04:40Hold the love, I still miss.
04:44The Way.
04:45Fastball.
04:46Listening to a song is one thing, but digging into its lyrics and backstory can make it hit differently.
04:52But where were they going without ever knowing the way?
04:58Fastball's The Way is a perfect example.
05:01This catchy 90s anthem was inspired by the true story of Layla and Raymond Howard.
05:06This elderly couple went missing in 1997.
05:09They both had serious health issues, but that didn't stop them from heading to a festival all alone.
05:15When you want to see the road that they walk on, it's way it'll go.
05:20And it's always summer, they'll never get cold.
05:24But they never made it there.
05:26Weeks later, their car was found at the bottom of a ravine.
05:30Hundreds of miles, off course.
05:33A truly heartbreaking way to die.
05:35Fastball's Tony Scalzo turned this sad tale into the poetic and haunting song, The Way.
05:41A bittersweet homage, indeed.
05:43They wanted the highway to hand me a bill today.
05:49Zombie.
05:50The Cranberries.
05:52There's no denying that Zombie is one of the most powerful anti-war songs from the 1990s.
05:58But what inspired Dolores O'Riordan to pour out her heart in those touching lyrics?
06:03The violence caused such silence.
06:07It traces back to a heartbreaking event that shook Britain and Ireland.
06:11In 1993, a bomb planted by the IRA exploded on the streets of Warrington, killing two young children.
06:19Horrified by the senseless violence and death of the innocents, Dolores poured that anger into Zombie.
06:26In your head, in your head, Zombie.
06:32You can hear it in her voice.
06:34That cry for peace.
06:36That visceral call to those perpetrating the violence.
06:40Dolores may be dead, but this timeless song will always hold relevance.
06:45As long as war exists.
06:47In your head, in your head, they are dying.
06:51These are the days of our lives.
06:55Queen.
06:56This Queen classic is heartbreak in musical form, especially for Freddie Mercury fans.
07:02Sometimes I get to feel it.
07:05I was back in the old days.
07:08Long ago.
07:09Anyone who loves the band knows the tragic story behind it.
07:12This song was written by Queen's drummer Roger Taylor when Mercury was gravely ill with AIDS.
07:18Having known Mercury since his youth, Roger probably used the song to reflect and make peace with the inevitable.
07:31Even with his declining health, the legendary Mercury gave his all in this music video, which marked his final appearance on camera.
07:39At the very end, he looks directly into the lens and says, I still love you.
07:46That moment is enough to shatter the hearts of anyone who loves this man.
07:51Polly.
07:52Nirvana.
07:53It's easy to start nodding when listening to Polly by Nirvana, but once you learn the chilling backstory, the mood changes.
08:00It was inspired by the 1987 abduction of a teenaged girl in Tacoma, Washington.
08:12She was taken while returning from a rock show and subjected to a horrifying ordeal.
08:17Her kidnapper was Gerald Friend, a sadistic criminal who had served a sentence for committing a similar crime in 1960.
08:24This brave 14-year-old girl managed to escape and friend was eventually caught and convicted.
08:39Appalled by this act, Kurt Cobain wrote the song from the perspective of the abductor.
08:44So it might sound all melodic, but it's actually a very disturbing song that's intended to raise awareness.
09:00Jeremy.
09:02Pearl Jam.
09:03Here's another example of a song that goes beyond just being a song.
09:07Jeremy by Pearl Jam is a haunting narrative about the dark corners of youth, isolation, and tragedy.
09:20It draws from two stories.
09:22One is the real-life story of Jeremy Dell, who shot himself in front of his classmates in 1991.
09:29Eddie Vedder read about it in a newspaper.
09:32It hit so hard, he turned it into a song.
09:34Jeremy spoke in a big glass of death.
09:43The second comes from Vedder's own memory of a student in high school who shot up a school property.
09:49No wonder the music video was so controversial, so much that it was heavily censored by MTV.
09:56But when you really listen to Jeremy, it's more like a raw plea for empathy.
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10:25Tears in Heaven
10:28How do you deal with immense grief?
10:33For someone like Eric Clapton, the answer might be turning pain into music.
10:42Tears in Heaven may be a masterpiece, but it's also one of the most personal and heartbreaking songs ever written.
10:49In 1991, Clapton's four-year-old son tragically died after falling from the 53rd floor of a New York apartment building.
11:05The pain was unimaginable, and Clapton withdrew from the world for some time.
11:10When he finally returned, this heartfelt song was created.
11:14What began as a father's way of honoring his son's memory, became a top-charting hit, and went on to win three major Grammy Awards.
11:22Its enduring legacy continues to resonate, even today.
11:26Cause I know I don't belong here in Heaven
11:34Which tragic backstory struck you the most?
11:39Let us know in the comments section.
11:41You can see the shadows wandering on somewhere
11:45Won't make it home, but they really don't care
11:49What you will need their risk, and your time is turning pain into music and on the right hand.
11:54Liner's voice is a key to the Shops
11:56You can see that your father's face is a key to the opposite.
11:57What you've been asking for can't be a great deal.
11:59I know I know how I learned anything before my father's face is posting my father's face, but I really liked it.
12:03What you were saying is that you were able to do with my father's face after seeing the father's face, and I never believed it.
12:07Because I walked out well before my father's face, it would have been painful to call your father's face.
12:10You can possibly see that the father's face after hearing I'm trying to talk to him as a father's face.
12:14At first time, I think it's been nice.
12:16You can see it all the better.
12:17I know that you can see that you can see your father's face before...
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