The thunderclap sound heard in the Bee Gees song "Tragedy" was made by Barry Gibb with his mouth.
The Exorcist theme music is a portion of "Tubular Bells," a 25-minute song released by 19-year-old Mike Oldfield.
"The Rubberband Man" is a "short, fat guy" with rhythm and grace. Spinners producer Thom Bell wrote it to boost the self-esteem of his rotund son.
"The Way" by Fastball was inspired by the story of an elderly couple from Texas who drove to a nearby family reunion and kept going. Fastball's bass player imagined them taking off and having fun like they were young. The story didn't end well: the couple was later found dead after they crashed in a canyon.
Kung Fu was big in 1974, with movies by Bruce Lee and a TV series called Kung Fu. Carl Douglas brought it to the dance floor that year with "Kung Fu Fighting," a #1 hit.
In the UK, the first #1 hit with a rap was "Candy Girl" by the American boy band New Edition in 1983.
How a goofy detective movie, a disenchanted director and an unlikely songwriter led to one of the biggest hits in pop history.
If you can recall the days when MTV played videos, you know that there are lots of stories to tell. See if you can spot the real ones.
How the American gangsta rappers made history by getting banned in the UK.
The Evanescence frontwoman on the songs that have shifted meaning and her foray into kids' music.
With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.
