Christina Aguilera did her "Beautiful" vocal in one take; the opening line, "Don't look at me," is something she said to her friend in the studio who was there to offer support.
Alicia Keys got a huge break when Oprah had her perform her debut single "Fallin'" on her show.
David Bowie was in a mystical state when he wrote "The Man Who Sold The World," which he said happened during his "15 minutes of Buddhism."
Chuck Berry's only #1 hit was "My Ding-a-Ling," a novelty song about a boy and his... you know.
"Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who is about a revolution, but it doesn't have a happy ending, since in the end the new regime becomes just like the old one. Pete Townshend thought that whoever was in power was destined to become corrupt.
The Texas songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker wrote "Mr. Bojangles" after a weekend in jail where a fellow inmate told him his life story.
What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?
Lyrics don't always follow the rules of grammar. Can you spot the ones that don't?
Go beyond The Beatles to see what you know about the British Invasion.
The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.
Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.
Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.