Tim McGraw recorded "Live Like You Were Dying" just two weeks after his own father passed away.
Fall Out Boy's "The Phoenix" samples the classical work "Allegro Non Troppo," which was composed by Dmitri Shostakovich in 1941. Vocalist Patrick Stump was inspired by "the creepiness" of the strings.
Producer Bob Ezrin convinced Pink Floyd to put a disco beat and children's chorus on "Another Brick In The Wall (part II)," which started out as a short interstitial for their album The Wall.
Judas Priest's "Evening Star" is a Christmas carol that describes the journey of the Magi from a first person perspective.
Icona Pop considers "I Love It" a kiss-off to their boyfriends: "we just wanted to get the song out and get the pigs to hear it," Jawo said.
MTV wanted Weezer to record a version of their song "Hash Pipe" as "Half Pipe" to appeal to the skateboarding crowd. The band refused, and MTV listed the song as "H*** Pipe."
The first of Billy's five #1 hits was the song that propelled Madonna to stardom. You'd think that would get you a backstage pass, wouldn't you?
Did they really trade their guitarist to The Doobie Brothers? Are they named after something naughty? And what's up with the band name?
Chris and his wife Tina were the rhythm section for Talking Heads when they formed The Tom Tom Club. "Genius of Love" was their blockbuster, but David Byrne only mentioned it once.
Songs that seem to glorify violence against women are often misinterpreted - but not always.
Martyn talks about producing Tina Turner, some Heaven 17 hits, and his work with the British Electric Foundation.
It wasn't her biggest hit as a songwriter (that would be "Bette Davis Eyes"), but "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" had a family connection for Jackie.