Being in a band can be stressful work. Sometimes this can lead to vicious disputes between bandmates or untimely departures from the band, and because these are musicians we're talking about, songs are inevitably written about these tensions. These seven songs were written about estranged or long lost bandmates.
1. Sebadoh - "The Freed Pig" (1991)
Though the earliest Sebadoh recordings date back to when Lou Barlow was a member of Dinosaur Jr., the band's third album Sebadoh III was the first that Barlow recorded after he had been ejected from Dinosaur Jr., and he sounded furious. The album's fuzzy opening track "The Freed Pig" is Barlow's sarcastically self-deprecating attack on his ex-bandmate J. Mascis.
2. Paul McCartney - "Too Many People" (1971)
John Lennon may have grown sick and tired of the Beatles by 1969, but Paul McCartney never wanted the band to break up. "Too Many People," the opening track to McCartney's album Ram, expressed his frustration with his estranged bandmate, singing in the chorus, "You took your lucky break and broke it in two," which McCartney admitted was about Lennon, as well as "Too many people preaching practices".
3. John Lennon - "How Do You Sleep?" (1971)
In response to McCartney's attacks on "Too Many People," John Lennon wrote the brutal "How Do You Sleep?" for his album Imagine. Lines such as "a pretty face may last a year or two/but pretty soon they'll see what you can do/the sound you make is muzak to my ears" are pretty vicious coming from the guy who wrote "All You Need is Love".
4. Morrissey - "Angel, Angel, Down We Go Together" (1988)
Morrissey is a famously vindictive person, but his split with his Smiths songwriting partner Johnny Marr in 1987 seemed to inspire more sadness than spite. The brief ballad "Angel, Angel, Down We Go Together" from Morrissey's debut solo album Viva Hate is a desperate call to Marr, pleading him to not take his own life after he's been "used" and "broken." The closing refrain, "I love you more than life," is likely the most sincere declaration of love in all of Morrissey's lyrics.
5. Lauryn Hill - "Ex-Factor" (1998)
When New Jersey hip-hop trio The Fugees broke up in 1997, Wyclef Jean claimed it was in large part due to the strained relationship between him and Lauryn Hill, with whom he was romantically involved for a time. This seems to be confirmed by the lyrics in Lauryn Hill's second solo single "Ex-Factor," which many have interpreted as being about Wyclef Jean.
6. New Order - "Elegia" (1985)
Though it's an instrumental track, New Order's "Elegia" from 1985's Low-Life was written as an elegy for Ian Curtis, the lead vocalist and lyricist for Joy Division, who committed suicide in 1980 at age 23. After Curtis' suicide, the remaining members of Joy Division joined keyboardist Gillian Gilbert to form New Order.
7. Pink Floyd - "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"/ "Wish You Were Here" (1975)
Pink Floyd's 1975 album Wish You Were Here contains just four songs, two of which, "Have a Cigar" and "Welcome to the Machine," are about the music business. The remaining two songs, "Wish You Were Here" and the nine-part epic "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," are about former Pink Floyd singer/guitarist Syd Barrett, who was forced to leave the band in 1968 due to his deteriorating mental state. During the recording on "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," Barrett made an unexpected visit to the studio, though his physical appearance had changed so drastically that nobody recognized him at first.
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