"Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve samples an obscure orchestral arrangement of the 1965 Rolling Stones song "The Last Time." The Verve had to sign away most of the royalties before they could release the song.
Eric Clapton wrote "Layla" about his love for Pattie Harrison, who was married to George Harrison at the time. He eventually married Pattie, and managed to stay friends with George.
The Phoenix song "1901" is about Paris. Their lead singer Thomas Mars said: "Paris in 1901 was better than it is now. So the song is a fantasy about Paris."
Judas Priest's "Evening Star" is a Christmas carol that describes the journey of the Magi from a first person perspective.
Vincent Price did the spooky narration on "Thriller." He was paid a flat fee of $20,000, turning down a percentage of the royalties that would have paid him far more.
The CCR song "Run Through the Jungle" is about gun control.
Rob Halford, Richie Faulkner and Glenn Tipton talk twin guitar harmonies and explain how they create songs in Judas Priest.
Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.
How well do you know this shock-rock harbinger who's been publicly executed hundreds of times?
Doubt led to drive for Francis, who still isn't sure why one of Status Quo's biggest hits is so beloved.
Greg talks about writing songs of "universal truth" for King Crimson and ELP, and tells us about his most memorable stage moment (it involves fireworks).
