Pete Townshend wrote the lyrics for "My Generation" during a train ride from London to Southampton on his 20th birthday.
Neil Young rarely allows his songs to be sampled, but he let the Canadian group Redlight King use "Old Man" in their 2011 song, also called "Old Man."
Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The U.S.A." was inspired by the book (later a movie) Born On The Fourth Of July by Ron Kovic, a Vietnam veteran who protested the war when he returned home.
The Isley Brothers' "That Lady" was sampled by Kendrick Lamar for his 2014 single "I." Lamar turned up at Ronald Isley's house to personally ask permission to borrow from the song.
"How To Save A Life" by The Fray has religious overtones - it was a hit on both the Pop chart and the Christian Songs chart.
New Order took the title for "Blue Monday" from an illustration, which read "Goodbye Blue Monday," in the Kurt Vonnegut book Breakfast Of Champions. The image referred to the invention of the washing machine improving housewives' lives.
A top New York studio musician, Ralph played guitar on many '60s hits, including "Lightnin' Strikes," "A Lover's Concerto" and "I Am A Rock."
Phone booths are nearly extinct, but they provided storylines for some of the most profound songs of the pre-cell phone era.
With his X-wife Exene, John fronts the band X and writes their songs.
Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.
Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz on where the term "new wave" originated, the story of "Naive Melody," and why they never recorded another cover song after "Take Me To The River."
Many unusual folks appear in Grateful Dead songs. Can you identify them?