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Organic Songs
Songs are funny old things - and they can end up being very different animals to that which their masters had intended - some indulge in these notable ditties.
 Free - 'All Right Now'
 In the two years leading up to their 1970 hit 'All Right Now', Free had taken their act on a gruelling tour of the country, blissfully unaware that an imminent and wholly necessary 10-minute burst of songwriting was to propel them into the Top 10. Durham was the unwelcoming venue, and the crowd's lacklustre reaction spurred bandmembers Andy Fraser and Paul Kossoff to furiously cobble together the upbeat 'All Right Now', in a matter of minutes. Whether it was musical genius, or fear of lynching - 'All Right Now' is a true ten-minute wonder.
  Guns N Roses - "Sweet Child O Mine"
Arguably the most successful song for the mullet-meisters of '80s rock, 'Sweet Child O Mine was part ballad - part emergency services siren, and it comes as no real surprise that Slash's riff was intended as a joke. The top-hatted guitarist said: "I was only kidding. But for some reason Ax & Izz liked it and it turned into a song. And for the longest time I hated it, ‘cause it really was a joke to me." Who'd a thunk it, a major hit emerges from that boy Slash, taking the piss.
  Nirvana - 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'
The origins of this song's title are well documented, but when Cobain first played the song's main riff to bandmates Noveselic and Grohl, they thought he was kidding. He said: "Teen Spirit was such a cliched riff. It was so close to 'Louie Louie'. When I came up with the guitar part Krist looked at me and said: 'That is so ridiculous.' I made the band play it for an hour and a half." Well, it was the making of the band, so we're sure that Boston and the Kingsman will forgive them for it.
  The Beatles - Anything written by Ringo Starr
It's amazing that Ringo wrote any songs for the Beatles, considering John, George and Paul's reactions to his efforts. "I had a very hard time trying to present my songs to Lennon and McCARTNEY. It's a bit off-putting when three guys are lying on the floor hysterically laughing as I'm trying to play my song." Picture the consequences had he given up... no 'Octopusses's Garden', and no 'Maggy May'. Hmm...
  Smiths - 'Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others'
The path taken by songwriting duo Marr and Morrissey was often a rocky one, and this song is a good example of how two Mancs pulling in different directions could produce some truly superb records. Marr however, wasn't a fan of Morrissey's tinkerings, and in the midst of a full-on whinge, once complained: "I wrote this almost sublime, roaming, guitar-led piece of music once, and the next thing I knew it was called 'Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others'." Spare us the Marr attacks, Johnny, in what other songs will we experience such lines as "As Antony said to Cleopatra, as he opened a crate of ale"? Cased closed.
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