Thank you for solving a few mysteries for me, Mental Floss. The Real People and Events Mentioned in 11 Hit Songs
Thanks to this, The Weight finally makes a little more sense.
Although the mention of Nazareth in the opening line has led many listeners to believe the song has Biblical allusions, the town being referred to is actually Nazareth, Pennsylvania, home of the Martin Guitar Factory. Crazy Chester was the town eccentric, who would come into Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Saturday nights when Band member Levon Helm was a teen wearing twin cap guns on a holster and assured everyone that things were safe because he was “on the job.” Young Anna Lee was Anna Lee Williams, a childhood friend of Helm’s from Turkey Scratch, Arkansas, who later still home cooked Southern staples such as cornbread and fried green tomatoes whenever Helm came to visit.
There’s some other good stuff here too, like the answer to the burning question what in hell kind of name is Mony Mony for a person? I remember learning the answer to that years ago on Rock & Roll Jeopardy, which I’m still sad isn’t on anymore. I miss schooling my friends at it whenever they’d try to take me on.