Jimmy Webb was inspired to write The 5th Dimension song "Up-Up and Away" after seeing a hot-air balloon his friend flew on promotions for the Southern California radio station KMEN.
Katmandu, the capital of Nepal, was the archetype for faraway mysticism when Bob Seger wrote a song about it in 1975.
"The Long and Winding Road" was the last of The Beatles' 20 #1 hits in America. Written by Paul McCartney, he said it's a sad song about "the door you never quite reach."
Janet Jackson's "Rhythm Nation" was inspired by the tribes that came together at New York dance clubs.
Ronnie Van Zant wrote the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic "Gimme Three Steps" after making the mistake of dancing with a girl whose boyfriend was in the bar and probably had a gun. He asked for a 3-step head start.
AC/DC's "For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)" is titled after a phrase Roman gladiators said heading into battle: "We who are about to die salute you."
Roger reveals the songwriting formula Clive Davis told him, and if "Eight Miles High" is really about drugs.
The Kiss rocker covers a lot of ground in this interview, including why there are no Kiss collaborations, and why the Rock Hall has "become a sham."
Who writes a song about a name they found in a phone book? That's just one of the everyday things these guys find to sing about. Anything in their field of vision or general scope of knowledge is fair game. If you cross paths with them, so are you.
A founding member of the band War, Harold gives a first-person account of one of the most important periods in music history.
Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.
