"Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers was inspired by the Jack Lemmon movie Days of Wine and Roses.
George Michael was 17 and on a bus to his job at the cinema when he came up with the idea for "Careless Whisper" and the lyrics, "Something in your eyes calls to mind a silver screen."
The phrase "Hasta la vista, baby" was popularized in the 1987 Jody Watley song "Looking For A New Love," 4 years before Arnold Schwarzenegger said it in the movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
David Bowie's "Heroes" was about his producer Tony Visconti and his girlfriend, but Bowie didn't admit this until the '00s, since Visconti was married at the time.
Sarah McLachlan's "Possession" contains passages from letters a stalker sent her. He sued her for $250,000 and committed suicide before the trial.
If you have a whole day to kill, you can check out the full version of Pharrell Williams' "Happy" music clip, which was the world's first ever 24-hour music video.
Michelob commercials generated hits for Eric Clapton, Genesis and Steve Winwood in the '80s, even as some of these rockers were fighting alcoholism.
Holly Knight talks about some of the hit songs she wrote, including "The Warrior," "Never" and "The Best," and explains some songwriting philosophy, including how to think of a bridge.
From the lake in "Roundabout" to Sister Bluebird in "Starship Trooper," Jon Anderson talks about how nature and spirituality play into his lyrics for Yes.
How a goofy detective movie, a disenchanted director and an unlikely songwriter led to one of the biggest hits in pop history.
10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces
On the "schizoid element" of his lyrics, and a famous line from "Everything Zen."