"Mr. Roboto" by Styx was written by their keyboard player, Dennis DeYoung, who used Japanese words and imagery to create an allegory about censorship.
Bob Marley's backup singers, The I Threes, claim they are the "Three Little Birds" in his famous song.
A pre-famous Rupaul is in the video for "Love Shack" by The B-52s. He had a solo hit with "Supermodel" a few years later.
Michael Jackson's 1995 song "You Are Not Alone" was the first single in US history to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart at #1
"Paranoid" reflects a feeling Black Sabbath bass player Geezer Butler often felt after using drugs.
"Anaconda" was originally recorded by Missy Elliott in 2012, but she decided to shelf the track so it went to Nicki Minaj, who released it two years later.
The trail runs from flying saucer songs in the '50s, through Bowie, blink-182 and Katy Perry.
The 5-octave voice of the classical rock band Renaissance, Annie is big on creative expression. In this talk, she covers Roy Wood, the history of the band, and where all the money went in the '70s.
The man who brought us "Red Skies" and "Saved By Zero" is now an organic farmer in France.
Howard explains his positive songwriting method and how uplifting songs can carry a deeper message.
Ian talks about his 3 or 4 blatant attempts to write a pop song, and also the ones he most connected with, including "Locomotive Breath."
He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair."