Billy Joel's song "Allentown" was written as "Levittown," which is the town in Long Island where he grew up. He got the idea to change it after taking a trip to Pennsylvania.
"Constant Craving" by k.d. lang deals with principles of Buddhism, including the cycles of birth and death.
The Texas songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker wrote "Mr. Bojangles" after a weekend in jail where a fellow inmate told him his life story.
"Man On The Moon" by R.E.M. is about the comedian Andy Kaufman, who often seemed like he was from another planet.
"Talk To Ya Later" proved the power of MTV when sales of Tubes albums picked up in markets like Tulsa, Oklahoma, where the network was available.
The chorus in "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire is "Bada-Ya, dancing in September." Maurice White left it "Bada-Ya" instead of a real word because he never let a lyric get in the way of a groove.
John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?
Was a Beatles song a TV theme? And who came up with those Fresh Prince and Sopranos songs?
When he was asked to write a song for the Singles soundtrack, Mark thought the Seattle grunge scene was already overblown, so that's what he wrote about.
Tom stopped performing Thompson Twins songs in 1987, in part because of their personal nature: "Hold Me Now" came after an argument with his bandmate/girlfriend Alannah Currie.
Surprise exits, a catfight and some very memorable performances make our list of the most memorable Idol moments.
Pool balls, magpies and thorns without roses - how well do you know your Tom Waits lyrics?
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