To have a song written about you is undoubtedly the ultimate compliment. To have your energy and personality inspire someone, you become a part of the creative process. And in being the inspiration, you become immortalised in song. As a listener, this story is then given to us. It is always somewhat mysterious, and there is a curiosity in what makes people write the music they do. We see many iconic pop songs that have their own muses and inspirations. The nature of pop culture sparks our intrigue in these songs and the truth behind their creation.

In terms of musical inspiration, Pattie Boyd is an undisputed winning figure. Across two marriages, George Harrison and Eric Clapton were both moved to write songs about the successful model. Not only were these songs both dedicated to Boyd, they were both massive hits and are now a part of musical history. George Harrison’s ‘Something’ was released in 1969 when he was married to Boyd. It is a beautiful song, and it is unimaginable to imagine a gesture quite as romantic as making ‘Something’ for you. Yet their marriage ended, and in 1977, Eric Clapton’s ‘Wonderful Tonight’ was next written for Boyd. Both songs show how music can provide a perfect freeze frame of a moment in life, keeping a certain point frozen in memory. Plus, being the inspiration for both these great artists undoubtedly makes Pattie Boyd an iconic figure in music herself.

Being a ‘muse’ of some kind to an artist seems like an appealing career path. Looking at Edie Sedgwick to Andy Warhol for example, there seems to be a lot of lounging around and being beautiful – which is definitely appealing. But muses are not just to inspire general creativity; they often inspire music based upon their own lives. Billy Joel’s ‘She’s Always a Woman’ paints the picture of a ruthless and slightly terrifying female figure. It is inspired by Joel’s wife, Elizabeth Weber Small, who was also managing his career at that point. It’s a great song to have written about you, marvelling at your formidable nature. He warns of how she will “carelessly cut you and laugh while you’re bleeding”, but it’s still a love song, something that makes it a sincere song of dedication.

Obviously there are musical dedications that take a more aggressive approach. Carly Simon’s 1972, ‘You’re So Vain’ is an example of this. Simon has always left a cloud of ambiguity surrounding the inspiration for the song, and it is effectively the musical example of an indirect tweet. Here we see the fun behind a personal story inspiring a song. Simon’s own experiences are opened up: you are invited to relate to it and reminisce to yourself about that guy you dated who wouldn’t stop staring at his own reflection. So it is inclusive storytelling, and a satisfying one for the artist. There is something undoubtedly pleasing about writing a song about someone’s narcissism, and they ‘probably think the song is about them’.

Evidently, when you become the inspiration for a song, you should hope that you haven’t done anything too controversial. They rarely directly name or shame their inspirations, but provide just enough clues to keep the listener guessing. The interest in those behind the lyrics shows how celebrity culture develops our interest to uncover hidden relationships and drama. These songs are often endearing and simple. Their ambiguity is what makes it both intriguing and endearingly relatable to the listener. These songs of dedication can be both and romantic and critical. Regardless if you are being praised or condemned, it is definitely a rather unique claim to fame.