Jackson Browne.

Five Enduring Songs Span Generations

Across five profiles, the stories behind enduring songs reveal how personal upheaval and real-life episodes fuel iconic music: Dancing in the Moonlight grew from a violent St. Croix assault that inspired Sherman Kelly to write a hopeful anthem; Wasted Days and Wasted Nights emerged after Freddy Fender’s legal troubles delayed its release; These Days, Browne’s youthful ballad, has endured as a powerful reflection on youth and regret; Moonlight Feels Right became Starbuck’s breakthrough with its distinctive marimba-driven sound; and Alice’s Restaurant Massacred was born from Guthrie’s Thanksgiving littering arrest, a satire that shaped his anti-war-era classic.