Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova starred in the movie Once, which featured their song "Falling Slowly." Bob Dylan liked the song and movie so much he gave them an opening slot on his tour.
Al Gore chose an inspiring but obscure campaign song when he ran for president in 2000: "Let The Day Begin" by The Call.
"Walking on a Thin Line" by Huey Lewis and the News is about an American soldier who is trained as a sniper in the Vietnam War. It was written for a documentary on the war.
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is an English version of a Zulu hunting song from the 1930s.
Before she was famous, Lady Gaga was a staff songwriter, and wrote the song "Quicksand," which Britney Spears recorded in 2008.
Don't play "I Will Always Love You" at your wedding - Dolly Parton wrote it about leaving someone behind to strike out on her own.
Call us crazy, but we like it when an artist comes around who doesn't mesh with the status quo.
The man who created Yacht Rock with "Sailing" wrote one of his biggest hits while on acid.
The longtime Eagle talks about soaring back to his solo career, and what he learned about songwriting in the group.
David Gray explains the significance of the word "Babylon," and talks about how songs are a form of active imagination, with lyrics that reveal what's inside us.
Songs where something goes horribly wrong (literally or metaphorically), and help is needed right away.
Genesis' key-man re-examines his solo career and the early days of music video.