20 Popular Songs You Probably Didn't Know Were Written About Other Celebrities

When we're feeling down, we love to imagine ourselves as the characters in our favorite songs. And while most of the time we think of them as just some made-up characters that only exist in said songs, turns out that sometimes they're based on real people - people you've probably seen on TV or in magazines countless times. I'm talking about celebrities, of course. Just take Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl" - did you know the song was inspired by Scarlett Johansson? Or that there are numerous songs indirectly criticizing George W. Bush? And don't even get me started on Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box". Check out a list of popular songs that were inspired by celebrities in the gallery - I'm pretty sure some of them will leave you surprised! h/t: Buzzfeed

#1 It Turns Out, Lily Allen's "F**k You" Was Written About The Former Us President George W. Bush

Image source: georgewbush

#2 Phil Collins's Song "You’ll Be In My Heart," Which He Wrote For The Movie Tarzan, Was Actually Meant For His Daughter Lily Collins And He Referred To Her Throughout The Track

Image source: lilyjcollins

#3 Singer John Legend Wrote And Dedicated The Track "All Of Me" To Wife Chrissy Teigen

Image source: chrissyteigen

#4 Christina Aguilera Wrote "Can't Hold Us Down" As A Response To Eminem's Negative Comments About Her

Image source:  xtina

#5 Bon Iver's Song "Perth" Was A Tribute To Heath Ledger After He Died In 2008. Heath, Who Was Born In Perth, Australia, Was The Best Friend Of Lead Singer Justin Vernon

Image source: Howie Berlin

#6 Coldplay's Lead Singer Chris Martin Wrote "Fix You" For His Wife At The Time, Gwyneth Paltrow, After Her Father Died

Image source:  Evan Agostini

#7 Katy Perry Said That Her Single "I Kissed A Girl" Was Inspired By Scarlett Johansson

Image source: scarlett.johensson

#8 Pink And The Indigo Girls Wrote A Song Called "Dear Mr. President" Which Was A Message To George W. Bush While He Was In Office. The Song Criticised His Position On Homelessness, Lgbtq Rights, And The Iraq War

Image source: pink

#9 Not Many Know That Nirvana's Legendary Song "Heart-Shaped Box" Is About Courtney Love And... Her Vagina

Image source: courtneylove

#10 While Katy Perry Was Dating The Lead Singer From Gym Class Heroes Named Travie Mccoy, He Wrote Her The Famous "Cupid’s Chokehold"

Image source:  Fueled By Ramen

#11 Justin Timberlake Wrote "Cry Me A River" After Breaking Up With Britney Spears

Image source:  Denise Truscello

#12 "Ms. Jackson" By Outkast Was An Apology To Erykah Badu And Her Mother After Badu And Andre 3000 Broke Up

Image source: erykahbadu

#13 "Something" By The Beatles, "Layla" By Derek And The Dominoes, And "Wonderful Tonight" By Eric Clapton Were Written About Model Pattie Boyd

Image source: Nationaal Archief, Den Haag, Rijksfotoarchief: Fotocollectie Algemeen Nederlands Fotopersbureau

#14 "Colors" By Halsey Was About Her Ex-Boyfriend Matty Healy, The Lead Singer Of The 1975

Image source: the1975

#15 Ed Sheeran Wrote "Don't" After Ellie Goulding Cheated On Him With Niall From One Direction

Image source: elliegoulding

#16 A Verse In Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" Is About Warren Beatty

Image source: warrenbeatty

#17 Fans Believe That Taylor Swift Wrote "I Knew You Were Trouble" With Her Ex-Boyfriend Harry Styles In Mind

Image source: taylorswift

#18 After Jay-Z And Alicia Keys Released "Empire State Of Mind," Katy Perry Wrote "California Gurls" Because She Wanted There To Be A Song To Represent California

Image source: aliciakeys

#19 "Killing Me Softly" By Norman Gimbel Was Inspired By A Young Singer Named Lori Lieberman Who Had Seen Don Mclean Perform And Told Gimbel That It Was An Intensely Moving Experience. So In Essence, It's About Don Mclean

Image source:  Egghead06

#20 The Weeknd Was Going Through A Painful Breakup With Selena Gomez When He Wrote "Call Out My Name"

Image source: theweeknd