If you listen to the live version of this classic on the 20th anniversary re-release of her landmark album, 1988's Lead Me On, Grant tells the audience that the song is about growing up in America in the '60s. Knowing this fact, if you look at the lyrics you can understand what she is metaphorically talking about in these lyrics:
One had vision, one came bringing its doom One saw napalm, one heard the man in the moon We were children of promise, we were heirs to their dreams
She is referring to the idealism of the early '60's, and then all the assassinations of JFK, RFK, and Dr. King (see "Abraham, Martin and John") as well as man walking on the moon, Vietnam, etc.
3. Joni Mitchell, "Woodstock"
Though Joni didn't appear at Woodstock per se due to her manager thinking it was more important for her to appear on The Dick Cavett Show , she penned this song after realizing that she missed out on playing this historical festival. Mitchell sings:
By the time when we got to Woodstock We were half a million strong And everywhere you looked, there was a song and a celebration Everybody was singin' and dancin' and sharin' and havin' fun
2. Sublime, "April, 29, 1992 (Miami)"
April 29, 1992 was a historic day for one big reason: The Los Angeles riots. Before that, there were accusations of police brutality against the LAPD in regards to how they handled suspects -- more specifically people in low-income areas such as South Central Los Angeles. One suspect in particular was at the center of the controversy: Rodney King, a parolee who had previously been released from prison.
On March, 2, 1991, King (who died last month) led LAPD cops on a high-speed pursuit because he was under the influence of alcohol. Police pulled him over and then repeatedly tazed and beat him to a bloody pulp, while the cops were being taped by a bystander named George Holliday. Among his injuries, King suffered broken facial bones and a broken ankle. All four cops were then tried but found not guilty of use of excessive force.
When the verdict was announced more than a year later, all hell broke loose in South Central. People started looting and burned buildings down, causing millions of dollars in damages. Sublime's song is told from an alleged participant's point of view.
