The eerie percussion and guitar for Portsihead's "Sour Times" was sampled from Lalo Schifrin's "Danube Incident," music composed by the Argentine composer for an episode of Mission Impossible.
In the UK, the first #1 hit with a rap was "Candy Girl" by the American boy band New Edition in 1983.
"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" was supposed to be titled "In The Garden Of Eden," but someone in the studio wrote down the title phonetically, and it stuck.
"Twilight Zone" by Golden Earring was inspired by the Robert Ludlum novel The Bourne Identity, not by the TV show.
Stevie Nicks wrote "Landslide" before she joined Fleetwood Mac. She was considering going back to school when she and her boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham were asked to join the group.
The first rap song to make the Hot 100 was "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang in 1979. At the time, many considered rap a fad that would soon pass.
Julian tells the stories behind his hits "Valotte" and "Too Late for Goodbyes," and fills us in on his many non-musical pursuits. Also: what MTV meant to his career.
Phone booths are nearly extinct, but they provided storylines for some of the most profound songs of the pre-cell phone era.
Tom talks about the evolution of Cinderella's songs through their first three albums, and how he writes as a solo artist.
Richie talks about the impact of "Amazed," and how his 4-year-old son inspired another Lonestar hit.
Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.
Can you name Def Leppard's only #1 hit in America? Get rocked with this adrenalized quiz.