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Any songwriter can rattle off a few tracks about love and all of its complexities, but only these true artists know the deepest-felt emotion in the human experience: that feeling when you just want a snack and you want it as soon as possible.
1. “I’ll Make Love To You” (Boyz II Men)
This hit song was ubiquitous in the mid-’90s and came to fruition after the group decided to lay down a track that perfectly encapsulated their feelings about taco bars.
2. “In Your Eyes” (Peter Gabriel)
This 1986 Peter Gabriel hit burst into the public consciousness in the Cameron Crowe film Say Anything…; however, Gabriel later confirmed that the song was about the time when, famished, he saw the reflection of a Pizza Hut in the eyes of an ex-girlfriend.
3. “Tuesday’s Gone” (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
It’s easy to think “Tuesday’s Gone” is about a girl who got away. However, it was penned by the band after discovering that Gator Dave’s Roadhouse ended the Tuesday night all-you-can-eat chili special while they were away on tour.
4. “Happy Birthday To You” (Patty Smith Hill, Mildred Hill)
Patty Smith Hill knew what she liked, and what she liked best was dessert. Best known for composing the now-ubiquitous song “Happy Birthday To You” with her sister Mildred, Hill explained the songwriting process in her diary: “I wanted to write a piece that would let us eat the cake as quickly as possible. We would repeat “Happy Birthday” four times, once including the birthday girl or boy’s name to ensure that their inflated egos were fully satisfied. The melody and lyrics had to be so simple that no one could make a mistake that would delay the cake even further.”
5. “Come Pick Me Up” (Ryan Adams)
“Come Pick Me Up” might sound like a song about embittered lovers, but like the rest of the tracks on his debut solo album, “Heartbreaker,” the song is actually about Chinese takeout.
6. “I Will Always Love You” (Whitney Houston)
This 1992 Whitney Houston cover of Dolly Parton’s hit was recorded for The Bodyguard, a film in which Kevin Costner portrays a former Secret Service agent haunted by the fact that he was off-duty and therefore unable to save a hungry president from having his honey-baked ham hit the ground.
