Will.I.am, literally dreamt up "I Gotta Feelin'." Said the Black Eyed Pea: "Have you ever had a dream where there's a melody in your dream? I'll wake up out of my sleep and record that! 'I Gotta Feelin' was one of those songs."
Elton John didn't win a Grammy until 1986, when he got one for singing on "That's What Friends Are For."
Before recording "Boom Clap" herself, Charli XCX offered the song to Hilary Duff. However, the singer's people turned down the tune declaring it wasn't "cool enough for Hilary."
"All I Wanna Do" by Sheryl Crow started with the first line from an obscure poem called "Fun" that read, "All I wanna do is have some fun."
The video for "Informer" by Snow that ran on MTV was subtitled so viewers could understand what he was saying.
"Burning Down The House" by Talking Heads was inspired by chant band members heard at a P-Funk show where the crowd yelled, "burn down the house... burn down the house."
The lead singer of Everclear, Art is also their primary songwriter.
Laura Nyro talks about her complex, emotionally rich songwriting and how she supports women's culture through her art.
With $50 and a glue stick, Bruce Pavitt created Sub Pop, a fanzine-turned-label that gave the world Nirvana and grunge. He explains how motivated individuals can shift culture.
Soul music legend Bill Withers on how life experience and the company you keep leads to classic songs like "Lean On Me."
Kevin Godley talks about directing classic videos for The Police, U2 and Duran Duran, and discusses song and videos he made with 10cc and Godley & Creme.
The original voice of Snap! this story is filled with angry drag queens, video impersonators and Chaka Khan.