History Main / REALITYSUBTEXT

** ''ComicBook/JSATheGoldenAge'', an {{Elseworld}}s story, focuses on a GrandFinale for the Golden Age heroes and has one young hero arriving to try and help out in the middle of the fracas - ComicBook/CaptainComet. Captain Comet, in real life, was the ''only'' superhero DC created during the post-war era. The story ends with the narrator proclaiming that, though the Golden Age has gone, a new age, [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks one of sterling silver]], is coming.

* According to the introduction to the Fleischer/Aparo ''ComicBook/TheSpectre'' trade, the only reason the Spectre was revived as a character at all was that then-DC editor Joe Orlando was mugged and the thief got away. This left him longing for a superhero who punished the wicked after every legal recourse has failed. A little research into UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks later, he found some early Spectre stories that were just up that alley, and voila.

* The premise of the 2017 ''ComicBook/{{Youngblood|2017}}'' relaunch is a new team being formed as a RedeemingReplacement for the original team, which has long since disbanded and is publicly reviled for being overly violent and arrogant and putting themselves above the law. Likewise, the 2017 relaunch itself is an attempt to revive and update for the [[UsefulNotes/TheModernAgeOfComicBooks modern age]] the ''Youngblood'' franchise itself, which has fallen a long way since its heyday in [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks the early 90s]] and is now largely remembered as an example of [[TooBleakStoppedCaring everything]] [[NinetiesAntiHero wrong]] with that period of comics.

* ''Jinsei Owata no Daibouken II'' (the sequel to the game that inspired ''VideoGame/IWannaBeTheGuy'') was released in 2020, the last full year before UsefulNotes/AdobeFlash's discontinuation. The plot is about Owata's last adventure before the world ends, mirroring the fate of many Flash games and animations when Flash finally goes offline.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'', Megatron's first line is "Decepticons! I have returned!", drawing attention to Creator/FrankWelker assuming the role in a TF series for the first time since [[Franchise/TransformersGeneration1 the original '80s animated series]]. Welker did voice the character in video games based on [[Film/{{Transformers}} the Michael Bay movies]] before ''Prime'' premiered, but that's not quite the same - especially since he auditioned for the movie itself, but didn't get the part. Previously getting turned down to voice the character that he himself originated adds to the subtext quite nicely.

** His earlier storyline with the team captured by Anansi was also a commentary on ExecutiveMeddling. Anansi rewrites reality and causes a bunch of ForWantOfANail moments that result in a radically different Justice League, mirroring the way [=Dwayne=] felt his own storylines were being twisted and taken away from him.

* The time gap between the release of the original ''VideoGame/KidIcarus'' game in Europe and North America and the release of its sequel for the Platform/Nintendo3DS, ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'', is a whopping 25 years, month up month down. This is referenced in the plot of the sequel, which takes place 25 years after the events of the original. The ''very first thing'' Pit says as the game begins is "sorry to keep you waiting!" and it's directed at the audience as much as it is to Palutena.

* The time gap between the release of the original ''VideoGame/KidIcarus'' game in Europe and North America and the release of its sequel for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'', is a whopping 25 years, month up month down. This is referenced in the plot of the sequel, which takes place 25 years after the events of the original. The ''very first thing'' Pit says as the game begins is "sorry to keep you waiting!" and it's directed at the audience as much as it is to Palutena.

* Given it's a series personifying the UsefulNotes/ConsoleWars, it's unsurprising the ''VideoGame/{{Neptunia}}'' series is loaded with this.

** Again PlayedForDrama in ''VideoGame/MegadimensionNeptuniaVII'', where [[spoiler:the BigBad is the failed UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast. Despite her best efforts to run Planeptune, her powers were far too immense to control (referencing how the actual Dreamcast was too costly to produce due to being far ahead of its time), leading her to seal herself in order to prevent any more chaos. However, years of isolation twisted her feelings into resentment, turning her into [[KnightOfCerebus the most dangerous villain in the franchise to date]].]]

** Actually gets PlayedForDrama in the backstory to ''VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptuniaVictory'', where [[spoiler:the world of 80s Gamindustri is still picking up the pieces after the nation of [[Creator/{{Atari}} Tari]] was [[UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983 so horrifically mismanaged it collapsed]], sending the [[CrapsackWorld entire world to hell]] until [[Creator/{{Nintendo}} Lowee]] was founded and established some order again]].

** ''Broken Gate'' has a rather upsetting case of this that the author rather candidly reveals in a note at the end of the final chapter, where she mentions [[spoiler:and her relatives (a family of nine, the which included an older brother) once lived together in her home, where, after some time of living stably and accommodating, it turned into something of an abusive situation, which took a ''terrible'' toll on her mental health (to the point where she implies that she's contemplated suicide). Eventually, she got him out of her home but she had to resort to using a restraining order.]] She goes onto mention how she didn't want to resort to that and wishes things could have been different and how she based the story and characters off of her own experiences.

* ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueInternational'': Since ExecutiveMeddling kept basically all of the big heroes off-limits but Andrew Helfer was still told he had to make a Justice League, they had to be comprised almost entirely of C-listers (minus Batman, who Denny O'Neil allowed Helfer to use [[ThrowTheDogABone out of pity]]). They decided to lean in to how mismatched all the characters were, and Batman and Martian Manhunter, the only two founding leaguers remaining, were pretty much constantly pissed off at all the other characters for being unprofessional.

* The story in ''Anime/GraveOfTheFireflies'' was based closely on the experiences of the writer, Nosaka Akiyuki, in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. In RealLife, Nosaka [[spoiler:watched his little sister die of starvation]] the same way the main character of the movie did. That the said main character [[spoiler:[[TakeThatMe later starves to death on the floor of JNR Sannomiya Station]] in [[HowWeGotHere the opening of the film]]]] should tell you a bit about how he still feels about that.

* While filming his ''WebVideo/AngryVideoGameNerd'' episode about the UsefulNotes/Atari5200, Creator/JamesRolfe had considerable trouble getting the console to work and was even tricked into buying an incompatible controller online that [[VeryFalseAdvertising falsely claimed it was for the 5200]] when attempting to replace the console's regular controllers that ''also'' didn't work. This became the plot of the episode, where he never once actually ''plays a game'' and instead spends his whole time fighting with getting the thing set up, as it was not only damned funny in its own right but also a very clear illustration of how poor the console was.

** Although Iroh appeared in the first four episodes of season 3, he never utters a word. The production based reason is that the creators wanted to give viewers time to adjust to a new voice actor. In-universe, he is silent out of despair over Zuko's betrayal, therefore refuses to talk to Zuko when he visits.

** ComicBook/MarvelTheLostGeneration'' takes a different tack by explaining that, while there were superheroes during this period, [[CoverUp no one remembers them anymore]].
** ''ComicBook/JSATheGoldenAge'', an {{Elseworld}}s story, focuses on a GrandFinale for the Golden Age heroes and has one young hero arriving to try and help out in the middle of fracas - ComicBook/CaptainComet. Captain Comet, in real life, was the ''only'' superhero DC created during this time. The story ends with the narrator proclaiming that, though the Golden Age has gone, a new age, [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks one of sterling silver]], is coming.

** Launchpad tells [[spoiler:Drake Mallard to become Darkwing Duck for real "For Jim [Starling]", the in-universe actor for Darkwing, who was also voiced by Darkwing's original voice (and a case of TheDanza), Creator/JimCummings]].

** In the first show, the Phantom fell in love with Christine when he heard her sing, made her the star of an existing opera, then wrote an opera for her to star in. But as Christine realizes he's a [[spoiler: murderer and stalker, she leaves him for the Viscount Raoul de Chagny.]] Lloyd Webber met Brightman when she auditioned for Cats and was cast in the role of Jemima. He wrote a successful classical song for her, Pie Jesu, and specifically wrote the part of Christine for her (keeping the character design close to her style, added dance moves in Hannibal so that she could show off her footwork, and the cadenzas in the title song and Think of Me for her vocal range). He left her for another woman after six years of their marriage, and as [[spoiler: Christine clearly still loves the Phantom but cannot stay with him, which the Phantom also acknowledges, the feeling is supposedly identical between Brightman and Lloyd Webber.]]

** In a more dramatic example, the climax of WebVideo/ToBoldlyFlee had [[spoiler: Doug sadly watch the Critic make a HeroicSacrifice to save the world]]. He later confirmed that the movie was made to be the Critic's FullyAbsorbedFinale. (though the show ended up UnCancelled)

** And the ''WebVideo/DemoReel''[=/=]''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic'' episode ''The Review Must Go On'' is this, as Doug is tormented by the star of the latter show, [[spoiler: who is revealed to ''be'' the star of the former.]].

[[folder:Music]]
* Music/WarrenZevon's final album ''The Wind'' carried a much more depressing tone than his previous albums, as Zevon was dying of lung cancer and the album was meant to be his {{swan song}}.
* Most of Music/{{Queen|Band}}'s later songs are about the futility of life and the inevitability of death. At the time Music/FreddieMercury was dying of AIDS.
* In 1991, most of Music/RebaMcEntire's road band was killed in a plane crash. The next album she released, titled ''For My Broken Heart'', was a collection of heartbreaking songs. [=McEntire=] explicitly stated that the project was intended to help her and her team through their grief.
* The most famous UrExample for a generation may be Music/AlanisMorissette's biggest hit, "You Oughta Know" from ''Music/JaggedLittlePill'', based on a former bad relationship of the Canadian singer. It's still debated who that guy was, with pro hockey players and ''Full House's'' Dave Coulier being the most popular choices.
* From the same generation comes Music/EricClapton's song "Tears in Heaven". It was written in the immediate aftermath of his young son's death, and the song quickly became far more famous as his personal response to that tragedy than for ostensibly being a soundtrack song for the movie ''Rush''.
* Similarly, the song "All My Love" from Music/LedZeppelin's album ''Music/InThroughTheOutDoor'', was about front-man Robert Plant's son's sudden death from a stomach infection.
* Much of Music/{{Rush}}'s 2002 album ''Vapor Trails'' deals with overcoming tragedy. This is based on two events: First, the deaths of lyricist Neil Peart's wife and daughter within a year of each other, shortly after the release of their previous album, ''Test For Echo'' (particularly "Ghost Rider"). Second, the 9/11 attacks the previous year (most blatantly "Peaceable Kingdom").
* Music/DavidBowie's 1993 song "Jump They Say" was inspired by the suicide of his schizophrenic half-brother Terry in 1985.
** His late-1970s works saw Bowie in the throes of cocaine addiction and divorce. ''Music/ScaryMonstersAndSuperCreeps'' depicted Bowie recovering from the addiction.
** In late 2014, Bowie was diagnosed with liver cancer. ''[[Music/BlackstarAlbum ★]]'', recorded early the following year, was composed as a way for Bowie to reflect on this information and the very real possibility that the disease would kill him. [[YouCantFightFate It did]]: his cancer was declared terminal in November, and he passed away on January 10, 2016, two days after both ''★''[='s=] release and his 69th birthday.
* Music/GreenDay's "Wake Me Up When September Ends" from ''Music/AmericanIdiot'' is about Billie Joe Armstrong's father's death from cancer when Billie was 10. The funeral was at the beginning of September, and when he came home from it with his mum, Billie locked himself in his bedroom, telling his mum to wake him up when the month ended.
* Music/HarryChapin's song "Cat's in the Cradle" was based on a poem his wife wrote and was inspired by not being present at his son's birth.
* Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Cinderella", about a father reflecting on how quickly his daughter is growing up and that he needs to be there for her even when he's busy, was originally inspired by his young daughters trying to get his attention by putting on Cinderella costumes and dancing while he was rushing through their bedtime routine so that he could get to the studio and work. The song--which features lyrics like "Soon the clock will strike midnight and she'll be gone"--took on a tragic meaning later when one of his daughters that inspired the song, Maria Sue, was killed when her older brother accidentally ran over her in the driveway of their home. Although Chapman originally decided to never sing the song live again, he later decided to use the song to reflect his hope that he'd see his daughter again in Heaven, changing the final line from "she'll be gone" to "I know the dance will go on."
* In-Universe example: in the film ''Film/AMightyWind'', Mitch Cohen's solo work after the breakup of the group Mitch & Mickey mimic his growing depression and mental instability, featuring such albums as "Cry for Help" (cover: Mitch in a padded room restrained by a straightjacket) and "Calling it Quits" (cover: Mitch waist-deep in a grave holding a shovel, with a tombstone behind him reading "RIP Mitch Cohen"). Like almost everything else in the movie, this is played for laughs.
* Teen Pop example: Music/MileyCyrus wrote the songs on her ''Breakout'' album following her breakup with her first serious boyfriend, Creator/NickJonas. Several of the songs refer to the breakup.
** In turn, Music/TheJonasBrothers album ''Lines, Vines And Trying Times'' might contain songs written from Nick's standpoint about that same breakup.
** Miley's 2013 NewSoundAlbum ''Bangerz'' was recorded at the age of 20-going-on-21 following a transitional period in her life. She had stayed in Detroit filming ''LOL'', then shot ''Film/SoUndercover'' in Philadelphia, where according to WordOfGod Miley had for the first time in her life truly grown up, away from her family, her comfort zone in Toluca Lake, California, and her Disney bubble. She had gotten her first tattoo away from the supervision of her mother, went clubbing, gotten to walk around freely in the streets of Philadelphia without paparazzi, enjoying life, and she had gotten a pixie haircut. She left her manager and record label, decided after the limited releases and subsequent flops of those films to concentrate almost exclusively on music and worked on developing a new sound and mature lyrical/musical approach to the album, working with producers Mike Will Made It and Pharrell Williams. She had worked so intensely on the record, apparently her most personal record, that her longtime relationship to fiance Liam Hemsworth deteriorated. They called off their engagement not long before the album came out. The album's lyrics reflect these changes; in keeping with her new image and HotterAndSexier approach, the album was released [[DarkerAndEdgier with an Explicit Lyrics sticker]] for the first time in her career.
* Music/EltonJohn and his lyricist partner Bernie Taupin were on a career high in 1976. Albums were debuting at #1, and Elton was perhaps the top solo artist of TheSeventies. Personally, though, Elton and Bernie were both burned out from the rock lifestyle and superstardom. Elton broke up with his boyfriend, manager John Reid, while Bernie's first marriage was collapsing. Elton and Bernie had taken to drugs and alcohol, and Elton would soon reveal himself as a bisexual (in 1988, he would come clean as gay) to ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, leading to a backlash in Middle America. Elton's mental health was eroding as well, leading to depression and failed suicide attempts. This would be the context of Elton's 1976 double album ''Blue Moves'', an album filled with dark, introspective, despairing songs about failed relationships and dark character studies, with bits of bitter irony scattered around. Oddly enough, it would later be cited as one of Elton's favorite albums that he made.
** ''The One'' and songs like "Runaway Train", "Simple Life" and the title track, and subsequent songs like "Weight Of The World", "Dark Diamond", "The Bridge" and "My Elusive Drug" reflect on Elton's rehabilitation in 1990.
* 1978 saw ProgressiveRock band {{Music/Genesis|Band}} score their first hit, an (at the time) [[BlackSheepHit uncharacteristically romantic]] pop ballad called "Follow You Follow Me". They embarked on their longest, most successful tour yet, with a new audience thanks to FYFM's popularity. Music/PhilCollins returned to an empty home, his wife having left him (she had an affair with the house painter, then left for her native Canada) and taken the kids and dogs with her. Phil and the band took a hiatus for Phil to (unsuccessfully) repair the relationship. He channeled his grief and frustration into his first solo album, ''Face Value''. the songs he contributed to Genesis' ''Duke'' album, and some of Phil's ''Hello, I Must Be Going'' album. "Against All Odds", in fact, was written around the same time.
** Collins later channeled the grief of his second marriage collapsing in songs on his ''But Seriously...'' and ''Both Sides'' albums. "Dance Into The Light" and ''Testify'', more "up" albums lyrically and musically, celebrate his romance to Orianne Cevey, who would be his third wife (they'd sadly divorce as well).
* Earlier, ''former'' Genesis frontman Music/PeterGabriel felt stifled. The band wanted to lean more towards top 40 material, whereas he wanted to continue experimenting with ProgressiveRock. This was as the band was starting to reach mainstream success, and Gabriel's personal life (troubled marriage, sick daughter) meant that giving up his creative ambitions looked like a sensible option. He rejected the "sensible option" and started his solo career with the triumphant "Solsbury Hill," about his decision to take that risk and leave.
** His 1992 album ''Us'' was written while Gabriel was divorcing his first wife Jill, going through a breakup with actress girlfriend Rosanna Arquette, and estranged from his daughter Anna. The resulting album lyrically deals with dysfunction and miscommunication in relationships.
** ''Up'' deals with mortality and death, a reflection of the death of his father and that of a mutual friend.
* Music/AlanJackson's "I'll Go On Loving You" (self-explanatory) was released around the time that he and longtime wife Denise were going through some rough times, and actually spent some time apart from each other to cool down.
* Music/DemiLovato recorded their hit, "Skyscraper", during the time period when their then-unknown depression, eating disorder and self-harm issues were at their peak, and their bulimia was damaging their voice. [[WordOfGod They claim]] the raw, emotional vocal take used was Demi singing from the heart as a kind of cry for help. A more technically polished take was apparently attempted post-rehab, but they preferred the more raw and emotional performance from the year before.
* The nostalgic, fun-loving album ''An Innocent Man'' was recorded in 1983 during Music/BillyJoel's courtship to supermodel Christie Brinkley, who would be Billy's second wife. The bitter, self-reflective ''River Of Dreams'' was recorded in 1994 following his legal battle with his ex-brother-in-law (to his first wife) turned financial manager, and while Joel was breaking up with Brinkley.
* Music/AfroCeltSoundSystem's song "Release" is sung [[DeadPersonConversation from the perspective of someone dead]], encouraging the living to not "argue amongst yourselves / because of the loss of me", and to "be happy for me". These lyrics were written in the aftermath of keyboardist Jo Bruce's sudden death--the rest of the band had to put their upcoming album on hiatus as they mourned. Sinead O'Connor penned the lyrics, and it was the inspiration the band needed to come to terms with Bruce's death.
* Music/PinkFloyd's ''Music/TheWall'' was actually Roger Waters' way of dealing with the realization that he was becoming a cold and destructive person, like Pink, the eponymous character of the album, and a way for him to reverse course on that. There are numerous other references to Pink Floyd's internal issues throughout the album as well, such as Pink saying that he has "a grand piano to prop up my mortal remains" being a reference to Richard Wright's cocaine addiction.
** Waters wrote ''Music/TheWall'', ''The Pros And Cons Of Hitchhiking'' and parts of ''Music/TheFinalCut'' (mostly songs left off of ''Music/TheWall'') in the same 1978-79 period, during his CreatorBreakdown. The songs are lyrically and musically similar to each other and share similar themes of adultery, divorce, alienation, personal reflection, paranoia, fear, war, lack of communication and aging.
** Music/TheDarkSideOfTheMoon was written while Waters was 29, and fearing time pass him by while he felt disappointed that he hadn't really had a real breakthrough success with Pink Floyd in the years following Syd Barrett's departure. Much of the album deals with mortality and the meaning of life. The follow-up, ''Music/WishYouWereHere1975'', was built around the pressures of the music industry, the band's disjointing and lack of focus when under pressure to record DSOTM and watching the positive and negative effects of their amazing success affect the band.
** David Gilmour wrote ''Music/TheDivisionBell'' after a period dealing with cocaine addiction and overeating, adultery, legal issues, a painful divorce from his first wife, an initially sometimes-rocky relationship with his current wife, troublesome relations between himself and his Pink Floyd band members, a period of writers block and his estrangement from Roger Waters. The album deals with breakdowns in communication and the struggles he faced during that time.
** The themes of lack of communication between band members and their wives are equally explored on albums like ''Obscured By Clouds'' and ''Atom Heart Mother'', notably "Stay", "If" and "Summer '68". All four band members' first marriages would break up by the end of TheEighties and would contribute to the [[CreatorBreakdown Creator Breakdowns]] of each member (Gilmour, Wright, and Mason would be affected vias strong cases of WritersBlock, which would lead indirectly to their estrangement from Roger Waters).
* Music/JohnLennon, with Music/TheBeatles and as a solo artist, often wrote songs based on his personal life, sometimes as events were happening to him. Most famously, his ''Mind Games'' and ''Walls And Bridges'' albums (1973 and 1974 respectively) were written as John and Yoko separated and as John moved to Los Angeles to go through a painful two-year alcoholic binge he later referred to as his "lost weekend". ''Double Fantasy'' (1980) and ''Milk And Honey'' (recorded in 1980; posthumously released in 1984) saw John five years later, having reunited with Yoko, moved back to New York City, cleaned up, taken control of his life and living away from the music industry for five years to raise their son Sean and become a house-husband.
* Lennon's ex-writing partner [[Music/PaulMcCartney Paul [=McCartney=]]] wrote the 1972 song "Dear Friend" as a peace offering to Lennon during the pair's very public feuding, and the 1982 song "Here Today" as a posthumous tribute to John. "Put It There" was a tribute to Paul's then recently deceased father.
** Paul's ''Driving Rain'' album was written while he was in the glow of love to second wife Heather Mills. ''Chaos And Creation In The Backyard'', in retrospect, may have reflected the pair's strained relationship, which would end in a bitter divorce.
** Music/{{Wings}} guitarist Jimmy [=McCulloch=] struggled with drug and alcohol dependency, and his two Wings [[StepUpToTheMicrophone compositions]], "Medicine Jar" from ''Venus And Mars", and "Wino Junko" from ''Wings At The Speed Of Sound", seem to reflect on his struggles. He died in 1979 of morphine and alcohol poisoning, two years after leaving Wings and a short stint in TheSmallFaces.
* Music/TheKinks' "Two Sisters" is about a young woman who is married with children - she starts off being jealous of the more glamorous life led by her single, freewheeling sister, then realizes she's better off because her children are important to her. Ray Davies actually meant the song to be a {{Gender Flip}}ped portrayal of the relationship at the time to his band-mate and brother Dave Davies: He was married with children, while Dave was single and more free to live the rock star lifestyle.
* Music/{{Metallica}}'s ''St. Anger'' was born out of struggling with diminishing relationships between the band members, alcoholism and never getting over Cliff Burton's death. This is all painfully documented in the {{rockumentary}} ''Some Kind Of Monster''.
* Music/TaylorSwift's romantic relationships and personal life are often reflected upon in her songs, sometimes to the point of humorists joking that she must start and end romances to provide subject matter for her music.
** Much like the Creator/HideakiAnno example right in the anime folder, this may overlap with CreatorBreakdown when it doesn't end well.
* Due to the sometimes foul mood Ian Anderson went through recording Music/JethroTull's ''Minstrel In The Gallery'' album, at a time when Ian was going through a divorce from his first wife, and he felt his band splintering and not playing as well together or concentrating on the music as well as they could have been (much of the album was acoustic/acoustical as a result), and he was busy writing the music in tax exile in Monte Carlo while watching "grotesque" tourists lounge around on the beach, the album had an even more cynical, darker (and self-reflective) air to it than usual. [[CreatorBacklash Ian would in later years see it as well-recorded but humorless, and would cite it as one of his less favorite albums as a result]], [[MagnumOpusDissonance in spite of it being a fan favorite to this day]].
** ''Benefit'' saw Ian coping with success, the pressures of being seen as a countercultural hero, mistaken as a drug user/hippie for his madcap performing image and long hair, and his alienation at not really relating to many aspects of the counterculture who idolized him, such as recreational drug taking. He also saw conformity in how the counterculture conducted themselves, and in interviews expressed his distaste for the "seas of blue denim" flocking to his concerts[[note]]One anecdote made by Ian in an interview taken around this time claimed that had Jesus been alive today, he and Ian would be turning over the racks of blue denim at all of the clothing stores in town[[/note]]. He'd explore this further in ''Thick As A Brick''.)
** Ian [[WordOfGod also suggested]] the reasons for ''A Passion Play'' being written so complexly and with so little chances for the listener to breathe, is because Ian was fed up with drunken audience members whistling and screaming for "Aqualung" or "Locomotive Breath" during the soft acoustic passages during Tull's performances of ''Thick As A Brick'', a decision that in hindsight, [[CreatorBacklash Ian regrets]], and felt helped lead the album to be a hard listen (even for Ian) and so critically panned.
* Tragically, the pained [[BreakupSong breakup songs]] written by Creator/{{Motown}} staff writer Rodger Penzabene, including TheTemptations' hits "I Wish It Would Rain", "You're My Everything" and "I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)" and the Music/GladysKnight[=/=]Music/MarvinGaye duet "The End Of Our Road" were inspired by the songwriter's RealLife heartbreak over his wife's adultery, and the couple's subsequent divorce. According to Website/TheOtherWiki, Penzabene would [[DrivenToSuicide commit suicide]] on New Year's Eve 1967, one week after "I Wish It Would Rain"'s release.
* Much of the music and lyrics written by Music/ElvisCostello, at least [[WordOfGod judging by the liner notes of the 1990s remasters of his albums]], seemed to be written by Costello as he gradually took on the same SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll lifestyle (mainly pills, alcohol and one-night-stands) he promised himself he'd never get involved in. ''Armed Forces'' and ''Get Happy!!'' in particular are filled with songs of regret, anger, and heartbreak. His lifestyle, and the [[WeusedToBeFriends dissolution of his friendship]] with Attractions bassist Bruce Thomas, also seemed to accelerate the end of his first marriage, which would inform latter-period albums like ''Goodbye Cruel World'' and ''Music/BloodAndChocolate''.
* "You Try Somebody Else (We'll Be Back Together Again)" was one of the last songs written by B.G. De Sylva, Lew Brown and Ray Henderson before De Sylva left the songwriting team. De Sylva did go on to write songs with other collaborators (as did Brown and Henderson after they broke up a few years later) but never reunited with Brown or Henderson, and ultimately gave up songwriting to become a movie producer.
* Dennis [=DeYoung=] of Music/{{Styx}}, similarly to RogerWaters, felt disenchanted and disappointed in his lack of success in the music industry, and had seriously considered quitting music to be a professional teacher in 1976; thankfully, his wife talked him out of it. Much of his music on ''The Grand Illusion'', ''Pieces Of Eight'', ''Cornerstone'' and ''Paradise Theatre'' are filled with songs of hope and affirmation. He [[WordOfGod claims]] he wrote the songs about himself to raise up his own hopes to and convince himself to never give up, and that it was a bonus that it touched so many other listeners similarly. Likewise, a lot of ''Killroy Was Here'' came about because conspiracy theory about alleged Satanic lyrics in their music and the attempts by said MoralGuardians to try and ban rock albums.
* The [[IAmTheBand sole member]] of Grottomatic was so frustrated with the [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Brony]] culture that he wrote the song [[http://grottomatic.bandcamp.com/track/the-bronies-have-landed “The Bronies Have Landed,”]] portraying the whole Brony concept as [[SeriousBusiness a serious problem.]] By the time he had finished recording the song, he had learned to love it, and he soon wrote a followup called [[http://grottomatic.bandcamp.com/track/girly-cartoon-about-ponies “Girly Cartoon About Ponies,”]] which praises the show.
* Music/{{The Rolling Stones|Band}} were on the verge of breaking up due to differences between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards by 1986's ''Music/DirtyWork'', a fact reflected in the conflictive/bitter lyrical content of the album's lyrics/song titles. By 1989's ''Music/SteelWheels'', they had patched things up (quite possibly reflected in the album's lead single, "Mixed Emotions").
* Lisa Loeb's song "I Do" was written to sound like a breakup song, but it is also a TakeThat to the record label agents who claimed they didn't hear a single on the album ''Firecracker''.
* Creator/GeorgeMichael wrote the song "Freedom '90" expressly to commemorate the end of his contract with Sony Records. His music video for the song included, among other things, him [[KillItWithFire burning his iconic leather jacket]] which he had worn in videos and promotional artwork for Wham.
* A particularly notable example would be the song "Save the Last Dance For Me". Its composer, Doc Pumus, suffered from polio and was inspired to write the song after watching his wife dance with other people at their wedding.
* At the time Music/DollyParton wrote "I Will Always Love You", she was on Porter Waggoner's syndicated TV show. She wanted to leave the show to foster her budding solo career but wanted him to know that she appreciated all he did for her, and her thoughts resulted in the song. After she played it for him, he decided to release her from her contract as long as she had "Love You" recorded. It would go on to become a huge country hit and the rest is history.
* "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" is a hymn about someone in deep despair begging God to comfort them and give them strength. Thomas A. Dorsey [[http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/precious.asp wrote it]] after his wife Nettie [[DeathByChildbirth died giving birth to their son]], who also died two days later.
* The Headstones album ''The Oracle of Hi-Fi'' has a number of songs that reference rehabilitation, addiction, and mistakes. This album was recorded after lead singer Creator/HughDillon got treatment for drug addiction. Incidentally, it is pretty apparent during the title track of their previous album, ''Nickels For Your Nightmares'', that this album was recorded before his rehabilitation.
* Lesley Gore's 1972 album, ''Someplace Else Now'', was written entirely by Gore and her writing partner Ellen Weston after a five year absence from the music business, during which Lesley had graduated college, come to terms with her sexuality, found herself becoming less and less in favor in the music industry after her Mercury Records contract expired and opportunities dried up, took on non-musical jobs for a while before deciding to move to California and make a return to the music industry, and refashioned herself as a singer-songwriter in the mold of the then-trendsetting Music/CaroleKing and Music/LauraNyro as outside writers failed to present her with challenging material to record. The album is much more introspective, ambitious, and darker-themed than any Lesley album before (or maybe since).
* "I Was Born (A Unicorn)" by The Unicorns has a call-and-response bridge, presented as a musical argument between members Nicholas Thorburn and Alden Penner: This includes exchanges like "We're never gonna stop / I think I wanna stop!" and "I write the songs / '''I''' write the songs / You say I'm doing it wrong / You '''are''' doing it wrong!". Though it's played for laughs in the song, the band would break up a year later, citing CreativeDifferences and other tensions between Nicholas and Aiden.
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* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManAcrossTheSpiderVerse'': During the climactic brawl in Nueva York, Migel furiously rants to Miles that he's "not supposed to be Spider-Man" [[spoiler:because the spider that bit him came from a different universe, meaning said universe was robbed of its own Spider-Man]]. According to WordOfGod, this is a subtle reference to the racist backlash toward the character of Miles Morales for [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks "replacing" the true owner of the mantle]]. This makes Miles' ShutUpKirk moment all the more awesome, as it reinforces the series' CentralTheme that "anyone can wear the mask".

** David Gilmour wrote ''The Division Bell'' after a period dealing with cocaine addiction and overeating, adultery, legal issues, a painful divorce from his first wife, an initially sometimes-rocky relationship with his current wife, troublesome relations between himself and his Pink Floyd band members, a period of writers block and his estrangement from Roger Waters. The album deals with breakdowns in communication and the struggles he faced during that time.

** Around the time the episode aired, Creator/JimCummings, who voiced the original WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck and voices the in-universe actor, Jim Starling, was involved in a nasty custody battle with his ex-wife, who levied accusations of rape and animal abuse against him.[[note]]The charges were later dropped, though the judge in the custody battle issued restraining orders against both Cummings and his ex-wife and chastised the both of them for putting themselves above their kids.[[/note]] Thus, this gives [[spoiler:an unexpected perspective on Launchpad's loss of respect for Starling after Starling snaps]].

* "I Was Born (A Unicorn)" by The Unicorns has a call-and-response bridge, presented as a musical argument between members Nicholas Thorburn and Alden Penner: This includes exchanges like "We're never gonna stop / I think I wanna stop!" and "I write the songs / ''I'' write the songs / You say I'm doing it wrong / You ''are'' doing it wrong!". Though it's played for laughs in the song, the band would break up a year later, citing CreativeDifferences and other tensions between Nicholas and Aiden.

* Creator/PeterDavid has expressed displeasure over the fact that Creator/{{Christopher Priest|Comics}} killed off Ned Leeds in the ''Spider-Man vs. ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'' one-shot without consulting him, as David had planned on revealing that Leeds was the Hobgoblin. In the tie-in issue of ''Amazing Spider-Man'' that dealt with the aftermath of Ned's death, ComicBook/TheKingpin angrily tells the Foreigner (the man who arranged Ned's murder) that he should have consulted him first, and that [[TakeThat such a rash move displayed a complete and utter lack of respect]].

** At one point, Creator/MikeWieringo was drawing a story for Marvel involving the New Fantastic Four (I.E. [[ComicBook/SpiderMan Spidey]], ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}, ComicBook/GhostRider and ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk in his Joe Fixit persona), which had the original FF die instead of simply being incapacitated, forcing the New FF to pick up their torch permanently. Tragically, though, [[DiedDuringProduction Mike suffered from a sudden heart attack in the middle of drawing the book]], having finished seven pages. His friends and coworkers then collaborated with the Hero Initiative to finish the book while receiving VERY little pay (sometimes as little as a dollar per page), and released the complete story as a tribute to him. In other words: A good man died, and his friends banded together to continue his legacy... by writing a story where [[LifeImitatesArt the exact same thing was happening]]. Naturally, there was a bit of crossover:

* ''[[ComicBook/SpiderMan Amazing Spider-Man]]'' #416 (October 1996) included a story by Tom [=DeFalco=] where the Daily Bugle is facing financial problems and has to lay off much of its personnel. Meaning that established supporting characters such as Kate Cushing were PutOnABus, with their fates in doubt. Peter Parker himself, who had only recently returned to New York City with the promise of a permanent staff position, was among those fired and faced an unstable future. The story reportedly served as a way for [=DeFalco=] to work "through his feelings" concerning the ongoing financial difficulties of Creator/MarvelComics and a series of Marvel staff layoffs. Some were staffers which [=DeFalco=] himself had hired for Marvel, and he felt partly responsible for the company letting them go like this. Per "The Life of Reilly": "In his Daily Bugle scenes, Tom D. worked in a lot of in-jokes and references to what was going on at Marvel, all of which probably went over the heads of people on the outside, but were glaring obvious to anyone who was working (or had been working) at the company."

* In the final issue of ''[[ComicBook/BatmanGrantMorrison Batman, Inc]]'''s second volume, Talia al Ghul goes on a villainous rant to Batman about how little his whole crusade to keep Gotham safe actually matters, and declaring that he's wasting his life on pointless nonsense. This was after Creator/GrantMorrison, who wrote that issue, had spent years doing an extensive reworking of Batman and his mythos to make for a more worldly and complex vision of the character... only to see the ''ComicBook/New52'' undo a lot of the run's impact and reset as many things as possible back to square one. For instance, one of Morrison's main ideas was to make Dick Grayson the next Batman, hoping the change would stick for at least a decade--instead, despite Dick's time in the cowl being widely acclaimed and selling very well, he was reverted back to being Nightwing again. Hence, Talia's frustration at Batman's shortsightedness is essentially Morrison's own frustration shining through.

* When [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] (the ''[[Creator/DCComics other]]'' Captain Marvel, that is) and Superman see each other, they usually end up throwing punches, much more often than is typical for LetsYouAndHimFight. This is largely a nod to their very first battle ''in court''. DC Comics sued Fawcett over Captain Marvel being too similar to the Man of Steel, and eventually got the book canceled. Comic writers have since explored this situation decades later by having the two of them fight one another in the panels.

* ''Franchise/TheFlash'': The out-of-universe FandomRivalry between the [[LegacyCharacter second and third]] Flash, Barry Allen and ComicBook/WallyWest, and the ExecutiveMeddling from fans of the former who had began RunningTheAsylum, has repeatedly influenced stories in the comics.