Songs only a rock star could write

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You know,songs that could only be written or performed by people who are used to playing big arenas and stadiums and entertaining groupies and are therefore a little bit difficult to relate to for most listeners.Examples,please.

― Damian, Sunday, 23 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Most Kiss songs. In particular though, "Room Service" ("a hotel all alone is not a rock n' roll star's dream") and "Ladies in Waiting".

― Oliver, Sunday, 23 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The entire The Wall album. Every individual song didn't seem to be that directly related to rock stardom, but it was made pretty clear in that (incredibly pretentious) movie that the whole thing was supposed to be about the tortured psyche of Pink-the-boring- unresponsive-fascist-dictator-rock-star.

― Dan I., Sunday, 23 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Jackson Browne, Running on Empty--the whole album, particularly "The Road" and "Rosie." Also, Grand Funk Railroad, "We're an American Band," and Backstreet Boys, "Larger Than Life" (though they didn't write it themselves, but whatever). Great category, btw.

― M. Matos, Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Guns'n'Roses, "Pretty Tied Up". Deserves the Golden Plaster Cast for the line "Time went by, it became a joke".

― dave q, Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

If you can include Larger Than Life,then surely Lucky by Britney Spears has to be in there too.The Wall was always going to be a prime candidate.Radiohead's How To Disappear Completely (that line about strobe lights and blown speakers does it) and Sick Again by Led Zeppelin could also be nominees.

― Damian, Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Grateful Dead, "Truckin'". Although it's not supposed to SOUND like it's written by rock stars, which makes it even more apparent. I mean, how many truck-drivin' meth-eatin' shitkickers talk like Robert Hunter?

― dave q, Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

We found the right location
Got a lot of pretty lights
The sound and amplification listen
Hey if you need a fix if you want a high
Stickells see to that
With Electra and EMI
We'll show you where it's at

Queen, "Let Me Entertain You". I like how there's a really loud guitar note after "Listen!", and I also wonder how their road manager felt about having his alleged activities exposed to the whole world. Must've been great doing border crossings after that, nice one Freddy

― dave q, Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You are in a hotel
And in your room alone
Lying there, but not knowing where you're s'posed to be
Be thinking of B-3's and Leslies going round
And you know there are people
That are going to be
Goin' to see what they say you are

This Kierkegaardian scream of despair at the impossibility of having your artistry understood by the cruel world is courtesy Chicago, "Flight 602"

― dave q, Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

George Michael's "Freedom 90". I love that song! Though the lyrics are unbelievably pompous and self-pitying. Very much in a Roger Waters mode, decrying the emptiness of fame and wealth, from a guy who has been there. I like the line: I was every hungry schoolgirl's pride and joy
and I guess it was enough for me

Er, okay, George. Whatever you say.

― Mark, Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Every Def Leppard Song.

especially "love bites."

― Gage-o, Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"Turn the Page" by Bob Seger, "Rock is my Life (& this is my song)" by Bachman Turner Overdrive...man i love those type of songs.

― duane, Tuesday, 25 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

If the question were focused on songs only rappers could write,there'd be a lot more modern examples.Nazareth's Shanghai'd In Shanghai ("got a gig in Arizona/Second billing to the Rolling Stones") and John Lennon's I Found Out are a few more rock ones.There are surely more in the Lennon catalogue like this,seeing as he had trouble writing about anything other than himself.

― Damian, Tuesday, 25 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Nobody's mentioned Aerosmith! "Make It", "Sweet Emotion", "No More No More" ("ain't seen the daylight since I stated this band" - yes, THE immortal line seen here first!), "Lick and a Promise", "No Surprize" ("Where the fuck's my royalties"), and my favorite, "Combination", in which the singer can't keep his "St Laurent" trousers up because he's "so fuckin' gaunt".

― dave q, Tuesday, 25 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

What? No 'Super Trouper'? It's that line about Glasgow which truly conveys the loneliness of the Arena Performer.

― Snotty Moore, Tuesday, 25 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Let's not forget Bon Jovi's "Wanted: Dead or Alive." Mr. Jovi has seen a million faces, and boasts of having rocked them all. The Sambora harmonies are just icing on the cake. Really, really excellent icing.

― John Darnielle, Tuesday, 25 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

And of course Pet Shop Boys' "Yesterday, When I Was Mad"; about post-show double- edged grovelling:

Darling, you were wonderful, you really were quite good!
I enjoyed it, though of course no-one understood
A word of what was going on, they didn't have a clue,
They couldn't understand your sense of humour like I do...

― OleM, Wednesday, 26 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"Hot-Blooded" by Loverboy or Foreigner or whoever it was, that's kind of a pervy one... Any song that asks "what are you doing after the show." "What's Your Name" by Skynrd... "Do You Love Me?" by Kiss. "Seventeen" by Rick James.

― Andy, Wednesday, 26 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

For rockstar on rockstar love, I'd pick the Runaways "Heartbeat": "Backstage lied about my age/I didn't care that you were older/I sing lead and so do you/get together what will we do?" followed by "radio played, you couldn't stay/you'd miss your plane in the morning rain/here I am in the limousine/once again the lonely queen." Poor Cherie.

― Arthur, Wednesday, 26 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

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