Artists will draw inspiration from their real-life experiences; that’s just a fact. Occasionally, of course, they’re going to have something to say about their careers. Here are three songs from the 80s that are actually about the music industry.
“I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” by Daryl Hall & John Oates
At first listen, this song sounds like it’s about a relationship where one person is giving a lot more than the other. However, as Daryl Hall revealed, this song is about the music industry as well.
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“Most people think the song is about a relationship and it is,” Hall admitted in an interview with The Guardian. “But one with the music industry. I felt very manipulated at the time, by management and the record business. Like a pawn. ‘I can’t go for that – no can do.’ That was something I said a lot.”
“Don’t Mean Nothing” by Richard Marx
Marx actually released this song as his first single, which sings about how hard it can be to trust what people say when you work in entertainment. That’s quite the statement if you ask me. In an interview with SongFacts, here’s what Marx had to say about the song:
“I got a lot of people saying, ‘Dude, you’re 22. How can you be so cynical?’ I think cynicism and gratitude can co-exist,” he shared. “And I was very grateful. I moved to L.A. when I was 18, and I definitely spent a lot of time sitting around doing nothing, trying to get something going and nothing was happening. I got rejected by every label multiple times, and I got a lot of doors slammed in my face and more than my share of rejection and all that stuff…”
He continued, talking about what life was like when he finally did get signed. “…Guys at record companies telling me, ‘You’re signed, don’t worry about it,’ and then they won’t call you back, and all kinds of stuff that you count on. Right down to people that sent me notes stamped ‘Hobby’ on my demo tape…”
“This Note’s For You” by Neil Young
Young famously wrote this one about the stars back in the 80s who were getting an extra check by doing commercials for big corporations. This song was so controversial that MTV refused to air the satirical music video Young made for it. Eventually, though, he did get the Video of the Year award at the MTV Video Music Awards. In this song, he sings: “Ain’t singin’ for Pepsi / Ain’t singin’ for Coke / I don’t sing for nobody / Makes me look like a joke / This note’s for you.”
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