Music is the universal language that speaks to us all, transcending borders and boundaries. We all have our favorite songs that evoke memories and emotions, but how much do we really know about them? In this article, we’ve compiled 30 interesting and surprising facts about some of the world’s most iconic songs. From the stories behind their creation to the hidden meanings in their lyrics, get ready to rock and roll with some fascinating insights into the music that moves us all.
1-10 Fun Facts About Songs
1. Eminem was so convinced he wouldn’t win an Oscar for “Lose Yourself” that he skipped the awards ceremony and fell asleep watching cartoons with his daughter instead.
2. Eminem is not only a rap god, but also a Guinness World Record holder! His hit single “Rap God” contains a staggering 1560 words in just over 6 minutes, and averages 4.28 words per second. That’s some serious verbal acrobatics.
3. Beethoven, one of the greatest composers of all time, continued to compose music even after he became completely deaf.
4. The reason why Top 40 radio stations feature 40 songs is that standard jukeboxes held 40 records at that time.
5. The Bloodhound Gang’s “The Ten Coolest Things About New Jersey” is quite possibly the most epic musical troll. The “song” is just ten seconds of silence, leaving listeners to contemplate the subtle nuances and hidden meanings of… nothingness.
6. In the 1630s, there was a secret composition performed only in the Sistine Chapel. The Vatican kept it hidden for 150 years until a 14-year-old Mozart listened to it twice, transcribed it from memory, and produced the first unauthorized copy of the song. Mozart: music thief, or genius prodigy? You be the judge.
7. Paul McCartney once dreamed the melody to “Yesterday” and woke up thinking he had subconsciously plagiarized the song. To be safe, he played the demo to other bands to make sure it wasn’t already out there.
8. The famous composer Mozart wrote his first piece of music when he was only five years old.
9. Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” is one of the few songs of his that doesn’t feature profanity, all thanks to Stevie Wonder. To use a sample of Wonder’s “Pastime Paradise,” Coolio had to keep it clean.
10. Madonna tricked music pirates by leaking a fake version of her album, with every song being a loop of her saying, “What the f*ck do you think you’re doing?” However, a hacker posted the real songs on her website for everyone to download.
11-20 Interesting Facts About Songs
11. Michael Jackson didn’t play any instruments, but he composed songs using his voice, which was so pitch-perfect that studio musicians could match chords to his singing.
12. AC/DC was sued in 1981 by a couple who claimed that their telephone number was in the song “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,” resulting in hundreds of prank calls.
13. When it comes to warfare, music can be a powerful weapon. AC/DC music was played continuously for 48 hours at General Noriega’s compound in Panama by the U.S. military, resulting in the dictator’s surrender.
14. Seth Putnam wrote a song about how being in a coma was stupid, and soon after went into a coma himself. After he woke up, he said, “It was just as f*cking stupid as I wrote about in my song.”
15. Ed Sheeran allowed his childhood friend, Amy Wadge, to co-write “Thinking Out Loud” with him when she couldn’t afford to pay her mortgage. The song has been streamed more than half a billion times on Spotify alone and went three times platinum in the UK.
16. Bruce Springsteen’s classic “Born to Run” almost became the official song of New Jersey until legislators listened to the lyrics and realized the song was about wanting to leave the state.
17. Warner Music collected over $2 million in royalties in 2008 for public usage of the “Happy Birthday” song, which was in copyright limbo for years.
18. People who falsely claimed the copyright on “Happy Birthday to You” made $2 million a year for decades until a court ruled the song to be in the public domain in 2016.
19. The song “Happy Birthday” is the most frequently sung song in the English language.
20. The reason people often prefer the original version of a song is not that it’s better, but because it’s the one they heard first.
21-30 Surprising Facts About Songs
21. Listening to music can affect your heartbeat, which changes and mimics the music you’re listening to.
22. The Guinness World Record for the longest concert by multiple artists was set in 2011 in Canada, where over 300 musicians played for over 16 days.
23. The longest song in history is “The Rise and Fall of Bossanova” by PC III, which is over 13 hours long.
24. Did you know that Elvis Presley didn’t write any of his songs? That’s right, the King of Rock n’ Roll was too busy shaking his hips to bother with songwriting!
Read More: 20 Mind-Blowing Facts about Elvis Presley That You Must Know
25. Here’s a little holiday trivia for you: Jingle Bells, that festive tune we all love to sing, was written for Thanksgiving! Talk about a musical mix-up!
26. To ward off Somali pirates, the British Navy turns to none other than Britney Spears! That’s right, the pop princess’ tunes are so scary that they’ll make even the bravest pirate walk the plank!
27. “Under Pressure” is a classic collaboration between David Bowie and Queen, but did you know they wrote it during a 24-hour wine and cocaine marathon? No wonder that song rocks so hard!
28. Music, painting, poetry, literature, and architecture were all included in the modern Olympic Games from 1912 to 1948. However, they were eventually discontinued as the Olympics focused more on athletic competitions.
Read More: 30 Mind-Blowing Facts About Olympics That Will Inspire You
29. When it comes to music, the sky’s the limit – literally! Astronaut Chris Hadfield recorded the first-ever album of songs entirely in space in 2015. Now that’s what we call out-of-this-world talent!
30. What’s the catchiest song in the United Kingdom, you ask? According to a study, it’s the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” – it only takes 2.29 seconds for listeners to recognize that iconic chorus! Now that’s what we call girl power!
Bonus Fact: John Lennon wrote “I Am The Walrus” after receiving a letter from a student informing him that his teacher had the class analyze The Beatles’ lyrics. Lennon purposely wrote confusing and meaningless lyrics to baffle anyone attempting to dissect the song’s meaning.
That’s it for this post guys, I hope you had fun while reading 30 Amazing Songs Facts.
Have A Great Day :>
