"I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)" by Jay-Z borrows four bars from Notorious B.I.G's "The World Is Filled." Jay-Z and Biggie Smalls attended Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School in Brooklyn, New York, at the same time.
Billy Joel is surprised that "Piano Man" is so successful. He called it "an old, long song about a guy at a depressing piano bar."
"Up Around The Bend" by Creedence Clearwater Revival had a different meaning to British listeners. In England, to go "Around the bend" means to go crazy.
Paul McCartney wrote "Ebony and Ivory," his duet with Stevie Wonder, after a tiff with his wife Linda. "It was like, 'Why can't we get it together- our piano can,'" he explained.
Ed Sheeran's first single was "The A Team," a song about a homeless drug-addict who turns to prostitution. He wrote it based on a woman he met while volunteering at a shelter; Ed was shocked when it became a hit and launched his career.
Despite his hit "Forever In Blue Jeans," Neil Diamond was rarely seen in denim. He said the jeans are a symbol for how "the simple things are really the important things."
These overtly religious songs crossed over to the pop charts, despite resistance from fans, and in many cases, churches.
The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.
Scott was Stevie Wonder's bass player before becoming a top session player. Hits he played on include "I Will Survive," "Being With You" and "Sara Smile."
Songwriters have used cards and card games to make sense of heartache, togetherness, and even Gonorrhea.
The top chant artist in the Western world, Krishna Das talks about how these Hindu mantras compare to Christian worship songs.
