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Why do people join a rock band? What makes a dude lock himself up in his bedroom for hours learning how to play guitar? The dream of being on the cover of Rolling Stone or Spin? The chance to play in front of millions of screaming fans? No. It's not the glory. It's the girls. Dudes join bands to meet girls. Period.
 
And once you've found your band, the next step is to make sure you've got at least one song that EVERYONE wants to hear. That's where the muse comes in. Rock muses are ground zero for some of the best rock songs in history. Every great songwriter has had someone who's driven him crazy with love, lust, or anger. So crazy that he's written a song about it. Sometimes, it's the best one he's ever written. Other times it's the ONLY one he's written (or at least the only one that matters).
 
Rock muses are different than groupies (although it's a thin line). Unlike a groupie, who may not last beyond the after-show party, rock muses stick around for a while — more often than not sealing the deal with marriage and kids. Some muses turn out to be Medusas (that's you, Courtney Love), who suck their victims dry. But more often than not, they are like most women: underappreciated, underpaid, and smarter than the rock stars who wrote songs about them. Plus, they're sexier.
 
Here are the five most influential muses in rock. They’re inspiration to pick up your own guitar and play. 

YOKO ONO
Love her or hate her, she is hands-down the most famous muse of all time. John Lennon devoted most of his post-Beatles output to describing his love of all things Ono. Our favorite Ono ode? "Oh Yoko," of course.

 
MARIANNE FAITHFULL
Faithfull spent the late '60s hanging (and sleeping) with the Rolling Stones. She famously quipped that "my first move was to get a Rolling Stone as a boyfriend. I slept with three and decided the lead singer was the best bet." Our favorite Faithfull-inspired tune? "You Can't Always Get What You Want."

PATTIE BOYD
Former model Pattie Boyd had serious muse mojo. She married George Harrison in 1966 and then married Eric Clapton, who obsessed over her for years. Harrison claimed (then later denied) that his seminal "Something" was inspired by her. Clapton gave her three songs: "Wonderful Tonight," "Layla," and "Bell Bottom Blues."

 
CHRISTIE BRINKLEY
Christie has had bad luck with husbands, and Billy Joel was no exception. But unlike her other three husbands, Joel is the only one who gave her a hit song, "Uptown Girl."

 
GWYNETH PALTROW
She's the best of the 21st century muses, and she and husband Chris Martin of Coldplay are the Brangelina of rock. Time will tell how many songs she inspires. She's got one already: "Moses," which was written about the power she holds over Martin. It’s also the name of their son.

 

See these and other famous musical inspirations in our Rock Muses FlipBook.

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