The Aberfan disaster was a catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip in the Welsh village of Aberfan, near Merthyr Tydfil, on Friday 21 October 1966. 144 people died in the Aberfan disaster: 116 of them were school children. About half of the children at Pantglas Junior School, and five of their teachers, were killed.

It was caused by a build-up of water in the accumulated rock and shale, which suddenly started to slide downhill in the form of slurry.

Saying Mount Kilimanjaro “rises like Olympus” isn’t exactly hyperbole: It’s the tallest mountain in Tanzania, the tallest mountain in Africa and the tallest free-standing mountain in the world at 5,895 metres or 19,341 feet above sea level.

Note that here Toto makes the giant conceptual leap of comparing a mountain to..another mountain. Way to go, guys

Possibly Toto is comparing Kilimanjaro to Olympus the home of the 12 Greek gods and goddesses in Greek mythology. Supposedly ancient Greeks believed Mount Olympus touched the sky. Way to go, critic.

Even though the chorus sounds peppy, Casablancas is crestfallen. As shown in the first verse, the idea of settling down is synonymous with giving up his dreams.

Julian Casablancas begs his wife to understand, essentially asking her, “Don’t you understand that I’m not ready to settle down just yet?” He asks her for a better plan, even though there probably isn’t one.

This song is about the struggles that come with growing up and settling down. The Strokes' frontman Julian Casablancas is up and out the door before his wife is awake. Perhaps he’s heading to the studio making music or just hanging out with his buds.

Either way, Casablancas doesn’t feel like his action’s are “right.” Perhaps he should wake up and have breakfast with his wife like normal married couples do. But as he says, it “isn’t hard” for him to fall into his old, irresponsible habits.

The Mersey is a renowned river in Liverpool, England, the same city in which the Beatles began their career. So it’s fitting that “Ferry Cross the Mersey” was produced by George (ahem, Sir George) Martin, who was responsible for almost all of the records recorded by The Beatles.

You can still catch the Mersey ferry and cross the river today. It sails from Birkenhead into Liverpool.

Petty refers to the “vampires” walking Ventura Boulevard, the famous east–west thoroughfare on San Fernando Valley, as the rejects of Hollywood. He believes that the street is haunted by the ghosts of a million faded celebrities, stars who rose too quickly and burned out too soon.

Montego Bay is a popular tourist destination featuring duty free shopping, a cruise line terminal and gorgeous beaches. The city is backed by quaint low mountains. “Montego Bay” is the story of American singer/songwriter Bobby Bloom traveling to the namesake Jamaican city.

American drivers, remember that in Jamaica, you drive on the left side of the road!

“The Guns of Brixton” pre-dates the riots that took place in the 1980s in Brixton but the lyrics depict the feelings of discontent that were building due to heavy-handedness of the police that led to the riots, the recession and other problems at that time. Paul Simonon was originally doubtful about the song’s lyrics, which discuss an individual’s paranoid outlook on life, but was encouraged to continue working on it by Strummer

The opening of George C. Tilyou’s Steeplechase Park in 1897 marked the beginning of Coney Island’s era as “the Nation’s Playground” and the rise of the modern-day amusement park. Sadly, despite the park’s popularity with New Yorkers, many factors after the end of World War II would eventually lead to its closure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqOjuykQ0qs