Artists of all kinds take their inspiration from different areas of life. Edvard Munch’s famous 1893 painting The Scream was inspired by the events that took place during a walk the painter took one evening. He saw clouds turning blood red as the sunset over a fjord and he claims to have “felt a scream from nature” that inspired him to create the painting.
Meanwhile, director Tobe Hooper was inspired to create the horror movie The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (19XX) after a particularly chaotic holiday shopping trip. He described the lightbulb moment as when he was standing in a department store thinking “I can’t wait to get out of this store”. As he did that, he claims to have looked down and seen a rack of chainsaws, and the rest is history.
Music, too, can be inspired by all sorts of different mundane and extraordinary events. Including these unusual sources.
Garth Brooks — Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House
Garth Brooks is a legendary country music singer who has become a household name by mixing elements of country music into the more mainstream rock and pop genres.
One of these tracks is Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House. Released in 1990, it was actually originally released in 1987 by Dennis Robbins as a B-side to another single, but it is Brooks who made it famous.
The song contains many traditional elements of country music, including a set of string instruments (including a fiddle), an upbeat tempo, and lyrics about relationships.
The title and the lyrics use poker hands as a metaphor for the different stages of the singer’s relationship with his partner. By saying “two of a kind” (usually called “one pair”), he is referring to his relationship with his partner, suggesting that they are well-suited for each other. He then goes on to say that they are “working on a full house”, using one of the highest-ranked combinations possible in poker as a metaphor for the life they intend to build together.
Mr Blobby — Mr Blobby
In the UK, the “Christmas No. 1” is a coveted accolade in the music industry. It is the song that tops the UK’s Official Top 40 chart in the week closest to Christmas. For decades, there has been a huge battle among artists to decide a winner.
The top spot lost some of its prestige in the 2000s and 2010s after Simon Cowell’s talent shows Pop Idol and X-Factor helped to churn out winner after winner.
However, in 1993, the annual battle for Christmas No. 1 was still a big deal and that year it was won by a pink bulbous creature that had originally been created as a joke.
Mr Blobby was a feature in a TV show by Noel Edmonds where this fictional TV character would be used to prank celebrities.
However, Mr Blobby was a huge hit with the British viewers and he soon began to appear more frequently on Edmonds’ programme. Inspired by this popularity, Mr Blobby sang a song named in his honour. Although it was released a full month before Christmas, the track soon reached No. 1 in the chart, beating Meat Loaf’s I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).
The Beatles — Taxman
The Beatles are one of the most successful bands in the history of music and are often credited with helping to invent modern pop groups.
The band from Liverpool have many famous tracks that were inspired by weird and wonderful objects and events, including Yellow Submarine, Here Comes the Sun, and Strawberry Fields Forever. However, one of the most interesting tracks is Taxman.
The song was written as a commentary of the high rates of tax that they were forced to pay under the fiscal regime in place in the UK at the time. The rate fluctuated a lot over the years, but the highest rate of income tax set by the British government had reached as much as 99%.
The song included lines like “there’s one for you, nineteen for me”, a clear reference to taxation.
Tax wasn’t the only source of inspiration for the song though. The band also repeatedly sang the word “taxman” in the style of the popular Batman theme song.