We here at American Songwriter are obsessed with uncovering the meaning behind our favorite songs. Below, you’ll find deep dives into big hits, deep cuts, and everything in between.
UNITED KINGDOM : Caption reads: 'John on tambourine. Beatle recording sessions, mainspring of success, are strictly private'. John Lennon (1940-1980) formed the Beatles in 1960 with Paul McCartney (1942-), George Harrison (1943-2001) and Ringo Starr (1940-) in Liverpool, England. They went on to become the most successful pop group of all time and finally split in 1970. In 1965 Lennon, along with the other Beatles, was awarded the MBE although Lennon later returned his as a protest about British involvement in the Vietnam War. Lennon was murdered on 8 December 1980 in New York by Mark Chapman. (Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)
HEMPSTEAD, NY – FEBRUARY 26: Bob Dylan plays a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar as he performs on stage at the Island Garden on February 26, 1966 in Hempstead, New York. (Photo by Alice Ochs/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
circa 1975: Profile of American country singer Johnny Cash (1932 – 2003), wearing a tuxedo, playing an acoustic guitar, in a promotional still for the 11th annual Country Music Association Awards which Cash hosted at the Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)
Wally Palmer, Mike Skill, Jimmy Marino and Richard Cole of the The Romantics at the Metro Center in Rockford, Illinois, March 26,1984. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 31: Singer Lionel Richie performs onstage during the Fool in Love Festival at Hollywood Park Grounds on August 31, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
CIRCA 1966: Pete Townshend, Keith Moon, Roger Daltrey and John Entwistle of the rock and roll band "The Who" pose for a portrait in circa 1966. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
