Songfacts

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This article is about the free distribution of song information

Songfacts is a website devoted to song information compiled by music enthusiasts, radio professionals and songwriters, who are often interviewed to determine the stories behind their songs.

Songfacts was founded by Carl Wiser, a radio disc jockey in Hartford, Connecticut. He compiled a database of song information to help prepare his radio show, then put the database online as Songfacts in August, 1999. At first, it was mostly disc jockeys using and contributing to the site, but in 2002 Songfacts was chosen as a Yahoo! Pick and subsequent press coverage expanded the reach considerably.

The "Songfacts" can be anything of interest regarding the song, including lyric interpretations, notable cover versions, production notes or information about the songwriter. For example, the Songfacts for "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" explain that Rupert Holmes wrote the original lyric as "Do you like Humphrey Bogart?" before changing it to "Do you like Piña Coladas?" The Songfacts also mention how the drum track is a loop repeated about 60 times, and that Rupert Holmes wanted a different song released as a single. Other interesting Songfacts include how the song popularized the Piña Colada, how it was the last US #1 pop hit of the '70s and the first of the '80s, and Holmes' accomplishments since writing the song, which include writing Broadway plays, a television series, and songs for other artists, including Barbra Streisand and Britney Spears.

Registered users may add lyrics, leave comments about songs and send in song information for review. The songs can be searched by title, artist and release date, and are also put into categories, so if you are viewing "Can't Buy Me Love" by The Beatles, there will be links to other songs that start with the chorus and other songs that are also the names of movies.

Songfacts has a community-based forum, where many DJ's and students have had music-related questions answered by the members and where various music topics are discussed.

In the August 2004 issue of Men's Journal, Songfacts is listed as one of the 100 Best Websites For Guys. "Songfacts.com: Trivia, rumors, legends, and correct lyrics of rock songs. A must if you like to bore people in bars." USA Weekend has praised it as "a virtual Behind the Music."

The main page features Songwords of the Day, a list of the 10 most-viewed songs of the day, a weekly song feature as well as a monthly selection of hand-picked albums reviewed by the forum members.