Famous Songs Written for Real People

Maybe you're like me and have heard a song on the radio and thought, 'That had to be written for someone'. This article started with trying to find out if there was a real person behind Dan Fogelberg's hit Same Old Lang Syne and ended up taking me in a whole new direction. I found songs written about people I never thought of before. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Same Old Lang Syne - Dan Fogelberg

This was the song that started this article, and in the back of my mind as I listened to the song every year on the radio I thought it had to be about someone. It was too romantic and detailed not to be. After doing a little searching online I came across a single article published about a week after Fogelberg's death in December 2007 that revealed the real identity of Fogelberg's 'old lover' he ran into at the grocery store on Christmas Eve.

Her name was Jill Anderson, now Gruelich, who was Dan's on again/off again girlfriend when the two were living in Peoria, Illinois. They both graduated together and continued dating briefly while in college. But when she went on to become a teacher and he moved to Colorado to pursue his music career they drifted apart. That would have been the end of it if Jill wasn't sent out by her mother to find Egg Nog and Dan wasn't looking for Whipping Cream on Christmas Eve in 1975 when both were visiting family in Peoria.

Jill agrees the entire song is accurate except her eye's are green and her husband at the time was a PE teacher, not an architect. Jill doesn't like to discuss the songs most poignant line, 'She'd like to say she loved the man, but she didn't like to lie' for personal reasons, but she said her brief encounter with Dan that night is a memory she will always cherish.

Hey There Delilah - Plain White T's

In 2003 Plain White T's lead singer Tom Higgenson fell hard for a Columbia University steeplechase runner named Delilah DiCrescenzo who was introduced to him my mutual friends. After professing his love for her Delilah didn't exactly return the sentiments because she had a boyfriend at the time and wanted to remain friends instead.

But Higgenson was undeterred and swore to DiCrescenzo he would write a song about her one day. Delilah all but forgot about the promise as she graduated from college and moved back to Chicago and went on with her life. She also remained mostly anonymous after Plain White T's came out with the song and started playing it at clubs and concerts where it quickly became their signature song among fans.

Since the song became a mainstream mega hit in 2008 Delilah has embraced her new found fame and even accompanied Plain White T's to the Grammy's when they were nominated for Song of the Year. Delilah now hopes the song will draw attention to steeplechase running and hopes to one day compete in the Olympics.

Sara - Fleetwood Mac

In 1980 Fleetwood Mac was riding high on the success of their Rumours album and had the hard task of coming up with an album that could compare to it in the eyes of fans and critics. Tusk was released in 1980 and immediately it was critically reviewed for it's experimental music mostly written by Lindsey Buckingham. But Stevie Nicks had an idea for a song she named after her best friend and co-writer Sara Recor. The breathy song became one of the bands, and Stevie Nicks, most endearing and famous songs.

Sara Recor was one of Stevie's best friends and a singer and model who occasionally traveled with Fleetwood Mac's inner circle while they were touring. After helping Stevie write the song that would make her name famous Nicks' boyfriend at the time Mick Fleetwood left Nicks for Recor. Nicks never blamed Recor for taking her boyfriend and even attended Recor and Fleetwood's wedding a few years later.

Many people, including Don Henley, have claimed over the years the song is actually about them and Nicks' relationships with them. Stevie has always maintained the song was about her friendship with Sara and it is another long running rumor the line, "When you build your house, call me" was Stevie telling Sara their friendship would stand the test of time no matter what.

Home - Michael Bublé

In 2005 Michael Bublé released his album It's Time with Feeling Good supporting the album as its first single. The single was met with little success and the album started to suffer, that was until Bublé released as his second single a simple love song he co-wrote called Home. The song immediately shot up the charts and brought the album out of nowhere to the top spots on the music charts all over the world.

People everywhere immediately thought the song had to be about someone. In reality the song was written for his then fiancee Debbie Timuss who he would write simple notes to on hotel stationary while he was on tour in Europe. He planned to save all the notes to give to her when he returned to British Columbia, Canada and never intended to make a song out of them. He became lonely without Timuss and while he was in Italy his manager encouraged him to write a song about how he felt about not being with her.

Bublé's record company thought the original song came off as very anti Europe which is not what they wanted to project to his European fans. After some re-writing Bublé completed the song that would go on to earn him numerous Juno Awards and Grammy Awards. Sadly, a year after Bublé released his most popular song he and Timuss broke off their engagement. They both remain friends and Timuss has said she is proud to tell people Home was written for her.