Rock Songs Based on Real Tragedies

I think of the song  “Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster the People and how much I enjoy that song, despite the fact that is has a very dark meaning behind it. But every song tells a story, and some are based on true stories, like the ones on this list of rock songs inspired by real life tragedies.

1.  “Tears in Heaven”,  Eric Clapton . . . It was written about the death of his 4-year-old son who fell out of a window.
2.  “Looking for an Answer”,  Linkin Park . . . Mike Shinoda wrote this about the passing of Chester Bennington and the band debuted it at Chester’s tribute show.
3.  “Jeremy”,  Pearl Jam . . . Inspired by the death of a high school student named Jeremy who shot himself in front of his class in 1991.
4.  “Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners”,  Foo Fighters . . . Dave Grohl wrote this for the two miners who were trapped underground for two weeks in Australia.  He had heard that one of them asked for an iPod loaded with their music to be sent down to them, so he sent a personal message and offered tickets and beers on him.
5.  “War Pigs”,  Black Sabbath . . . An anti-war song in response to the fear that British men would have to enlist to fight in the Vietnam War.
6.  “Adam’s Song”,  Blink-182 . . . Mark Hoppus was inspired by a suicide note he read in a magazine.
7.  “P.L.U.C.K.”,  System of a Down . . .  It stands for Politcally Lying Unholy Cowardly Killers.  It’s dedicated to the lives that were lost in the Armenian Genocide of World War 1, which is estimated to be over one million
8.  “Skylines and Turnstiles”,  My Chemical Romance . . . Gerard Way witnessed the tragedy of 9/11 and was inspired to not only co-write the song, but also start the band.
9.  “Empire of the Clouds”,  Iron Maiden . . . It’s inspired by a British airship that crashed during its first journey in 1930.
10.  “Manhattan Project”,  Rush . . . It’s based on the World War 2 project that created the first atomic bombs that would eventually be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Did you know the stories behind these songs?