"Paranoid" reflects a feeling Black Sabbath bass player Geezer Butler often felt after using drugs.
Neil Young was married when he wrote "Cinnamon Girl," which clearly was not about his wife. He had a hard time explaining it to her.
After the Beastie Boys sampled a bunch of Led Zeppelin songs, Robert Plant did it himself on his 1988 solo hit "Tall Cool One," which sampled "Whole Lotta Love," "Black Dog" and "The Ocean."
Rihanna's 2012 hit "Diamonds" was written by Sia Furler, who two years later had a huge hit on her own with "Chandelier." Sia also wrote the David Guetta hit "Titanium."
Irving Berlin said "God Bless America" was "not a patriotic song, but rather an expression of gratitude."
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."
How a goofy detective movie, a disenchanted director and an unlikely songwriter led to one of the biggest hits in pop history.
Many actors have attempted music, but only a few have managed a hit. Do you know which of these thespians charted?
An Electronic music pioneer with Asperger's Syndrome. This could be interesting.
Dean's saga began with "Ariel," a song about falling in love with a Jewish girl from New Jersey.
The Winger frontman reveals the Led Zeppelin song he cribbed for "Seventeen," and explains how his passion for orchestra music informs his songwriting.
Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.