The James Blunt song "You're Beautiful" is not romantic: it's a about a creepy subway encounter with an ex.
When Petula Clark reached #1 in the US with "Downtown" in 1965, she became the first female singer from England to hit #1 in the US during the Rock Era (after 1955).
"Girl Crush" by Little Big Town came from the hashtag #girlcrush, which its co-writer, Lori McKenna, spotted on Instagram.
Icona Pop considers "I Love It" a kiss-off to their boyfriends: "we just wanted to get the song out and get the pigs to hear it," Jawo said.
The Doobie Brothers' swampy #1 hit "Black Water" is about the Mississippi River, evoking the rafting adventures Mark Twain and Huckleberry Finn.
"Jessie's Girl" was the #1 song in America when MTV went on the air. They put it in hot rotation right away, making the song even more popular.
The Celtic music maker Loreena McKennitt on finding musical inspiration, the "New Age" label, and working on the movie Tinker Bell.
MTV, a popular TV theme song and Madonna all show up in this '80s music quiz.
Genesis' key-man re-examines his solo career and the early days of music video.
Keyboard great David Sancious talks about his work with Sting, Seal, Springsteen, Clapton and Aretha, and explains what quantum physics has to do with making music.
For songwriters, Johnny represents the American man. He has been angry, cool, magic, a rebel and, of course, marching home.
Tom talks about the evolution of Cinderella's songs through their first three albums, and how he writes as a solo artist.