Before launching his career as a singer, Bruno Mars was a writer/producer. He and his co-writers pitched "Just The Way You Are" to Cee-Lo Green; when he turned it down, Bruno recorded it himself and released it in 2010 as his first single as a lead artist.
The electronic instruments in George Clinton's "Atomic Dog" represent the coming computer age, balanced by the instinctual dog who barks and pants throughout the song.
David Bowie was in a mystical state when he wrote "The Man Who Sold The World," which he said happened during his "15 minutes of Buddhism."
"Babylon," in David Gray's song, refers to London, which was once known as the "modern-day Babylon."
"Girl Crush" by Little Big Town came from the hashtag #girlcrush, which its co-writer, Lori McKenna, spotted on Instagram.
The riff for The Sex Pistols' "Pretty Vacant" was pinched from a very unpunk song, the ABBA ballad "S.O.S."
Eddie (played by Johnny Depp in the video) found fame fleeting, but Chuck Berry's made-up musician fared better.
Charlotte was established in the LA punk scene when a freaky girl named Belinda approached her wearing a garbage bag.
Wilder's hit "Break My Stride" had an unlikely inspiration: a famous record mogul who rejected it.
Michelob commercials generated hits for Eric Clapton, Genesis and Steve Winwood in the '80s, even as some of these rockers were fighting alcoholism.
Doubt led to drive for Francis, who still isn't sure why one of Status Quo's biggest hits is so beloved.
The stories behind "Whole Of The Moon" and "Red Army Blues," and why rock music has "outlived its era of innovation."