A key line in "Africa" is "I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that I've become," which is about drifting away from what you really want in life. Toto keyboard player David Paich, who wrote the song, felt his work was consuming him.
When Adele needed to cry during the filming of the video for "Hello" she played Labrinth's 2014 single "Jealous." "You could play it at my kid's birthday and I'd burst into tears," she said.
The Isley Brothers' "That Lady" was sampled by Kendrick Lamar for his 2014 single "I." Lamar turned up at Ronald Isley's house to personally ask permission to borrow from the song.
At the end of "Love Bites" by Def Leppard, there are some vocals that are hard to understand. It was rumored that they were: "Jesus of Nazareth, Go to Hell." It is actually producer Mutt Lange saying "Yes it does, Bloody Hell," with a thick British accent.
Beck's "Where It's At" is a nod to the early years of hip-hop when DJs would use two turntables to loop drum breaks, and a microphone to hype the crowd ("two turntables and a microphone...").
Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Two Tribes" features British actor Patrick Allen reading extracts from a government civil defense leaflet.
The Reverend rants on psychobilly and the egghead academics he bashes in one of his more popular songs.
10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces
With $50 and a glue stick, Bruce Pavitt created Sub Pop, a fanzine-turned-label that gave the world Nirvana and grunge. He explains how motivated individuals can shift culture.
Guitarist Tony Iommi on the "Iron Man" riff, the definitive Black Sabbath song, and how Ozzy and Dio compared as songwriters.
How a country weeper and a blues number made "rolling stone" the most popular phrase in rock.
Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.