
Katy Perry co-wrote Iggy Azalea's hit single "Black Widow." Perry was originally going to sing on the track, but she couldn't fit it into her schedule, so Rita Ora provided the sung vocals instead.

Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The U.S.A." was inspired by the book (later a movie) Born On The Fourth Of July by Ron Kovic, a Vietnam veteran who protested the war when he returned home.

The comedian Steve Martin had a hit in 1978 with "King Tut." The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, who Martin would open for on tour, were his backing band on the song.

In Beastie Boys' "Paul Revere," the title refers to the name of a horse. They took it from a song in the musical Guys And Dolls where a character sings, "I got the horse right here, the name is Paul Revere."
The guys who wrote "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" had never been to a baseball game but knew it was a good song topic.

"Doo Wop (That Thing)" by Lauryn Hill was the only US #1 hit of the '90s entirely written, produced and performed by a female singer.
Just how much did these monsters of rock dabble in the occult?
The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.
Test your metal - Priest, Maiden, and Beavis and Butt-head show up in this one.
The top chant artist in the Western world, Krishna Das talks about how these Hindu mantras compare to Christian worship songs.
Kiss is the subject of many outlandish rumors - some of which happen to be true. See if you can spot the fakes.
On the "schizoid element" of his lyrics, and a famous line from "Everything Zen."