Jay-Z's "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" is based on the song "It's A Hard Knock Life" from the Broadway play Annie.
"Abracadabra" was inspired by Diana Ross and The Supremes. Steve Miller first met the girl group when they performed together on NBC's Hullabaloo in 1966, and he wrote the lyrics after spotting Diana Ross skiing in the mountains years later.
The only cover of "American Pie" to chart is by Madonna, whose 2000 version was a minor hit in America but went to #1 in the UK.
Keith Richards did some studio alchemy on "Street Fighting Man," which is all acoustic except the bass.
Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk" was the first US chart-topper to include the word "funk" in the title.
Neil Young was married when he wrote "Cinnamon Girl," which clearly was not about his wife. He had a hard time explaining it to her.
Did they really trade their guitarist to The Doobie Brothers? Are they named after something naughty? And what's up with the band name?
Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.
The man who ran Nirvana's first label gets beyond the sensationalism (drugs, Courtney) to discuss their musical and cultural triumphs in the years before Nevermind.
Cain talks about the divine inspirations for "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Faithfully."
The original voice of Snap! this story is filled with angry drag queens, video impersonators and Chaka Khan.
