Rod Stewart wrote "Maggie May" about the woman who deflowered him when he was 16.
Mike Nesmith wrote Linda Ronstadt's first hit, "Different Drum," before he joined The Monkees. He played an intentionally bad version of it on the show.
"Paper Planes" was inspired by M.I.A.'s hassles trying to get a visa to enter America.
"Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who is about a revolution, but it doesn't have a happy ending, since in the end the new regime becomes just like the old one. Pete Townshend thought that whoever was in power was destined to become corrupt.
The first single to simultaneously top the UK and US charts was The Everly Brothers' "Cathy's Clown" in May 1960.
When "When I Think of You" hit #1, Janet and Michael Jackson became the first siblings with chart topping solo hits in the United States.
The Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist in the early '90s, Gilby talks about the band's implosion and the side projects it spawned.
Pool balls, magpies and thorns without roses - how well do you know your Tom Waits lyrics?
How a goofy detective movie, a disenchanted director and an unlikely songwriter led to one of the biggest hits in pop history.
The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.
A popular contemporary folk singer, Williams still remembers the sticky note that changed her life in college.
