Sourced and sung.
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Hotel California
Felder demoed it on a four-track in Malibu, and his Les Paul duels Walsh's Telecaster through the outro.
Born in the USA
Take four, April 1982, a Yamaha synth from Roy Bittan, and the most misheard chorus in American rock.
God Save the Queen
Written as "No Future," banned by the BBC, and stuck at number two amid loud suspicion of chart rigging.
You Can't Always Get What You Want
A choral intro from the London Bach Choir, Al Kooper on French horn, and producer Jimmy Miller on drums.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Harrison opened a book at random, saw "gently weeps", and Clapton came in uncredited to play the solo.
Won't Get Fooled Again
Eight and a half minutes, a Lowrey organ run through a VCS3, and Daltrey's scream tearing into the final verse.
Mrs. Robinson
Simon had it as Mrs. Roosevelt with nonsense syllables for a verse, and it won Record of the Year.
Heart of Glass
A demo kicked around since the mid-seventies, rebuilt on a Roland drum machine that appalled their punk friends.
Bitter Sweet Symphony
Built on an Andrew Oldham Orchestra recording of a Stones song; Jagger and Richards returned the credit in 2019.
Fast Car
Stevie Wonder's gear failed at the Mandela tribute, Chapman went on with a guitar, and the record went top ten.
Black Hole Sun
A Leslie speaker gives the guitars their swirl, and Cornell built the title from a misheard news broadcast.
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Sessions collapsed in Kingston, so the band regrouped at a French chateau and Taupin traded Oz for a Lincolnshire farm.
Fairytale of New York
Two years in the making, with MacColl finally singing the woman's part, and it still stalled at number two.
What's Love Got To Do With It
Cliff Richard turned it down, Bucks Fizz shelved it, and Turner at forty-four took it to number one.
Both Sides Now
Mitchell was reading Henderson the Rain King on a plane, looked out at the clouds, and started writing immediately.
Piano Man
A lounge gig, a fake name, Bill Martin, and every regular at the Executive Room written into a verse.
I Used to Love H.E.R.
No I.D. looped George Benson, Common told hip hop's story as one woman, and Ice Cube took it personally.
Have You Ever Seen the Rain?
Fogerty said the rain falling on a sunny day was Creedence breaking up around him; the record aches accordingly.
America
No rhyme scheme anywhere, just Simon reworking a 1964 road trip with Kathy Chitty until the emptiness lands mid-verse.