These are Fret Zealot’s top five new lessons of 2023!
We unveiled lots of brand new song lessons this year – from AC/DC to ZZ Top. Here are the five most popular song lessons we released in 2023.
“Purple Rain” is the title track for Prince’s 1984 album and film of the same name – but it was originally intended to be a collaboration with former Fleetwood Mac frontwoman Stevie Nicks. Nicks said Prince sent her a ten-minute instrumental version of the song and requested that she write the lyrics. Nicks declined, saying it was too much for her. Prince brought the song to his band instead, and by the next day, had “Purple Rain” as we know it arranged.
Radiohead’s debut single “Creep” – and one of their most successful songs – wasn’t supposed to be released at all. The band recorded the song at the request of their producers and released it as a single in 1992. It didn’t become a hit until it was re-released in 1993.
Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver
Songwriting team Taffy Nivert and Bill Danoff were driving through Maryland when the inspiration for “Country Roads, Take Me Home” struck. They were originally going to sell the song to Johnny Cash, but John Denver “flipped” when he heard that news, and had to have the song for himself. The song is one of West Virginia’s four official state anthems. It was selected to go in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress in 2023.
The creepy bell featured at the start of this 1980 track is an actual 2,000 lbs. bronze bell. It was recorded using a mobile studio inside of the bell’s foundry in England.
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