Bob Marley's "I Shot The Sheriff" deals with police brutality in the Trenchtown section of Jamaica, where he grew up. He felt that police assumed young men in the area were all criminals.
When "Turn On The Radio" topped the January 1, 2011 Country chart, Reba McEntire became the first female solo act to have a #1 hit on that tally in four straight decades.
"One Way Or Another" is based on a stalker who creeped out Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry.
Neil Diamond wrote "I'm A Believer" early in his career. It was a hit for The Monkees and revived by Smash Mouth in 2001 for the movie Shrek, helping make Diamond cool again.
The song "Knock On Wood" was confusing to UK listeners because the saying there is "Touch Wood."
"Sail" by Awolnation was the first hit to mention ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) in the chorus ("Blame it on my ADD"). Lead singer Aaron Bruno put that line in because his parents and teachers often told him he had that condition, which explained his poor grades.
Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.
Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.
Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Mila Kunis and John Malkovich are just a few of the film stars who have moonlighted in music videos.
Tom stopped performing Thompson Twins songs in 1987, in part because of their personal nature: "Hold Me Now" came after an argument with his bandmate/girlfriend Alannah Currie.
The Jayhawks' song "Big Star" has special meaning to Gary, who explains how longevity and inspiration have trumped adulation.
Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.