"I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" by Elton John was written for the sister of actress Rene Russo. Bernie Taupin, who wrote the lyrics, was married to Rene's sister, Toni.
The inspiration for Gordon Lightfoot's "Sundown" came from the songwriter worrying about his girlfriend, who was out at bars all day while he was at home penning songs.
Sarah McLachlan's "Possession" contains passages from letters a stalker sent her. He sued her for $250,000 and committed suicide before the trial.
"Just Dance" was Lady Gaga's first hit, and it also brought the techno-synth sound that had been popular in Europe for the previous decade to the United States.
The Bangles song "Eternal Flame" was inspired by a display at Graceland that honored Elvis Presley.
The original "Venus" was a #1 hit for the Dutch band Shocking Blue. Listen to the first line and you'll hear a muffed word: "goddess" was sung as "goddness."
With his X-wife Exene, John fronts the band X and writes their songs.
A look at the good (Diana Ross, Eminem), the bad (Madonna, Bob Dylan) and the peculiar (David Bowie, Michael Jackson) film debuts of superstar singers.
The longtime Eagle talks about soaring back to his solo career, and what he learned about songwriting in the group.
Pool balls, magpies and thorns without roses - how well do you know your Tom Waits lyrics?
Richard explains how Joe Walsh kickstarted his career, and why he chose Hazard, Nebraska for a hit.
Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.
