15 Muses Who Inspired Your Favorite Top 10 Hits

8. Caroline Kennedy

“Sweet Caroline” has become a mandatory hit to be played at all weddings or parties. Neil Diamond revealed that the song was inspired by a 1962 photo of Caroline Kennedy riding her pony. He apparently revealed this almost four decades after he recorded the song! Fans of the song will be happy to know that Diamond actually got the chance to meet his muse in 2007 when he performed “Sweet Caroline” for her 50th birthday.

9. Princess Diana

The song “Candle in the Wind” (1997) was originally written for Marilyn Monroe but was soon modified to pay tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales, after she tragically died in a car accident in 1997. Elton John played the revised version of the song at Diana’s funeral and it has become the biggest-selling single ever, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

10. Edie Sedgwick

Sedgwick inspired the 1965 hit “Like a Rolling Stone”. Bob Dylan recalls Sedgwick positively, saying, “She was a great girl. An exciting girl, very enthusiastic.” Many believed that Sedgwick was also “Miss Lonely”, a character invented within the song, although Dylan never confirmed this. It reached No. 2 on the charts.

11. Courtney Love

Kurt Cobain had explained that “Heart-Shaped Box” released in 1993 was about children with cancer. However, the lyrics refer to a rather rocky romance while Cancer is also Courtney Love’s astrological sign, implying that Cobain could have been using metaphors to describe his relationship with Love. Apparently, Courtney Love also gifted Cobain an actual heart-shaped box with a doll’s head inside it. To each their own.

12. Peggy Sue Gerron

This 1957 hit called “Peggy Sue” was actually originally called “Cindy Lou”. It was renamed when the Crickets drummer, Jerry Allison, broke up with Peggy Sue and the song became a message to her. Peggy Sue did end up marrying Jerry, but they ended up getting a divorce.

13. Christie Brinkley

Billy Joel originally wrote the song “Uptown Girl” for his then on-and-off girlfriend Elle McPherson. He soon began dating Christie Brinkley and changed the lyrics. The single ended up reaching No. 3. Brinkley appeared in the “Uptown Girl” music video and they were both married for 9 years.

14. Sharona Alperin

The Knack’s, Doug Fieger, described meeting Sharona Alperin as, “like getting hit in the head with a baseball bat.” How romantic? “My Sharona” allegedly only took 15 minutes to write and it became a No. 1 hit. The two apparently, sadly, broke up but stayed good friends up until his death in 2010.

15. Yoko Ono

John Lennon, husband to Yoko Ono, wrote the song “Woman” for his wife and women in general. The song was released as a single one month after Lennon’s death and it quickly reached No. 2 status.

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