(#7) The Battle of New Orleans
- Johnny Cash
What It’s About: The Battle of New Orleans was fought in January 1815 - two weeks after the War of 1812 had officially come to an end. Johnny Horton's "The Battle of New Orleans" tells the story of the conflict, a decisive a battle that resulted in outmatched US soldiers soundly defeating their British counterparts.
What It Gets Right: The ragtag group of American forces at New Orleans in 1814 were equipped with whatever weapons they could find, including the "squirrel guns" referenced by Horton. As British troops approached, soldiers led by future president Andrew Jackson "stood beside our cotton bales," an accurate description of the fortifications built around New Orleans.
Where It Falls Short: At the time of the Battle of New Orleans, Andrew Jackson was a major general, not “Colonel Jackson," as indicated in the song. Jackson was a major general in the Tennessee militia as early as 1802, and received a commission as major general in the US Army until 1814, largely due to his successes during the War of 1812.
(#1) Buffalo Soldier
- Bob Marley & The Wailers
What It’s About: "Buffalo Soldier" tells the story of African-American cavalry and infantrymen who fought for the United States during the late 19th century. Largely tasked with securing the expanding American West, Buffalo Soldiers fought against Native Americans during the American-Indian Wars until the 1890s and in the Caribbean as part of the Spanish-American War in 1898.
What It Gets Right: Bob Marley and the Wailers correctly describe the Buffalo Soldiers as "taken from Africa, brought to America," with many of the men having formerly been slaves.
Where It Falls Short: "Buffalo Soldier" accurately depicts the circumstances and activities of its namesake group. Just as the song indicates, Buffalo Soldiers did fight in conflicts like the Battle of San Juan Hill. The poignant lyrics point out how Buffalo Soldiers went from "Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival" in servitude only to take up arms "in the war for America."
(#5) Smoke on the Water
- Deep Purple, Flashback!, Joe Satriani
What It’s About: The fire that broke out at the Montreux Casino in Switzerland on December 4, 1971, resulted from an incident during a Deep Purple concert. As Deep Purple played their song "King Kong," a concert-goer purportedly fired a flare gun, setting a nearby wooden roof on fire. The fire was devastating for the casino, although there were only minor injuries reported.
What It Gets Right: As witnesses to the entire event, Deep Purple got the details right when they wrote "Smoke on the Water." The casino, called the "gambling house," did burn down as "Funky Claude was running in and out pulling kids out the ground." The Claude in question was Claude Nobs, co-founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival, who helped rescue some people in the fire. As the band looked out across Lake Geneva, they very literally saw smoke on the water.
Where It Falls Short: Widely believed to have been started by a flare gun - a fact included in the song - there was some dispute over the cause of the fire. Concert-goer Peter Schneider asserts that the fire actually started by a "boy throwing lighted matches in the air, and one of them got stuck on the very low ceiling... So the fire started right above where the boy was sitting on the low-lying ceiling beams."
(#4) April 29, 1992
- Sublime
What It’s About: Written in response to the 1992 Los Angeles riots, "April 29, 1992 (Miami)" tells the story of the chaos, violence, and anger that gripped the city in the aftermath of the Rodney King beating.
After engaging in a high-speed chase with police in Los Angeles, King was dragged out of his car and accosted by four police officers in 1991. The incident was caught on video and contributed to charges being brought against the officers - Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno, and Stacey Koon - involved. All four were acquitted on April 29, 1992, however, sparking outrage and triggering the riots.
What It Gets Right: Sublime captured the intensity and extent of the riots, even using samples of real LAPD radio chatter in "April 29, 1992 (Miami)." Written from the perspective of a rioter in Anaheim, California - the song even includes the address of a convenience store that was looted in the city - the lyrics reference other cities where violence broke out, including locations in Florida, Texas, and Nevada.
Where It Falls Short: While the title of the song gets the date the riots broke out right, the lyrics themselves contain a mistake. In the first verse, the date mentioned is April 26, 1992.
(#9) The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
- The Band
What It’s About: Written from the viewpoint of Confederate soldier Virgil Caine, "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" describes the final days of the Civil War. Listeners hear about the struggles of early 1865 leading up to the fall of Richmond, Virginia, in spring of that year.
What It Gets Right: "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" places Caine along the "Danville Train," a fundamental supply line to the Confederacy during the Civil War until Union General George Stoneman and his cavalry raided and destroyed large sections of its tracks.
Where It Falls Short: Even though the song's narrator, Caine, returns home to Tennessee after the war, the line “Back with my wife in Tennessee... There goes Robert E. Lee," offers no historical truth. Lee moved to Virginia with his family and took a job as president of Washington College, with no indication that he ever visited Tennessee.
(#2) American Witch
- Rob Zombie
What It’s About: Aptly named, "American Witch" tells the story of the Salem witch trials. The trials began in 1692 and lasted until the following year, with roughly 200 individuals accused of witchcraft during the proceedings.
What It Gets Right: The lyrics of Rob Zombie's "American Witch" incorporate details derived from firsthand accounts of events leading up to the trials. Bridget Bishop, one of the 20 individuals executed during the trials, was associated with a mysterious, evil creature - "the body of it looked like a monkey, only the feet were like a cock's feet with claws" - imagery echoed in the first verse of the song.
Throughout the song, Zombie cries out about “20 innocents” for whom "we pray for... bow down [to]... hang high... [and] accused," a proper reference to the 20 people who perished during the trials.
Where It Falls Short: All facts are apparently accurate, complete with a description of the accused witches' final moments, standing "Alone on the hill and ready to die." The hill in question is Gallows Hill, the site where Bishop and 18 additional convicted witches were hanged.
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Music often reflects real life, and the source of art is life. The music artist is good at expressing their personal opinions in songs and discussing the details of the events section by section. There’s something particularly satisfying about a song that tells a story. A number of songs are about real people and cataclysmic moments in history. Music is closely related to many important moments.
Do you know any songs related to history? The random tool has generated 13 items, including some songs about historical events that are surprisingly accurate. Welcome to check this interesting collection of songs and leave a message.
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