It took John Fogerty just 20 minutes to write "Fortunate Son" for Creedence Clearwater Revival's Willy And The Poorboys album..
"Take Me Home Country Roads" is set in West Virginia, but John Denver had never been there when he recorded the song. The country roads represent a sense of belonging.
Elvis Costello says "Everyday I Write The Book" is a knockoff of Nick Lowe's "When I Write the Book."
"Cleveland Rocks" was written by an Englishman. Ian Hunter wrote the song after touring America in the late '70s and finding that Cleveland was by far the most receptive city to his brand of Glam Rock.
George Harrison's 1971 song "Bangla Desh" was the first major charity single. It was part of a concert held to bring relief to the people of Bangladesh, who were fighting for independence and suffering from a famine.
The James Blunt song "You're Beautiful" is not romantic: it's a about a creepy subway encounter with an ex.
Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.
The Winger frontman reveals the Led Zeppelin song he cribbed for "Seventeen," and explains how his passion for orchestra music informs his songwriting.
One of the most popular classical vocalists in the land is lining up a trip to space, which is the inspiration for many of her songs.
Before he was the champ, Ali released an album called I Am The Greatest!, but his musical influence is best heard in the songs he inspired.
Chris Stein of Blondie shares photos and stories from his book about the New York City punk scene.