"Paper Planes" was inspired by M.I.A.'s hassles trying to get a visa to enter America.
Don Johnson, who starred as Sonny Crockett in Miami Vice, had a #5 hit in 1986 with "Heartbeat."
"Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" is about a guy Jim Croce met in the National Guard, which Jim joined to keep him out of Vietnam. Leroy went AWOL, but got caught when he tried to pick up his paycheck.
"Baby Got Back" isn't just a booty song: it's about "Lack of acceptance by Hollywood of the African-American body."
The third verse of "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" by Crash Test Dummies ("they shook and lurched all over the church floor...") was inspired by girl whose parents would speak in tongues at their Pentecostal service.
Ozzy Osbourne's "Shot In The Dark" is titled after a Pink Panther movie.
One of the first successful female singer-songwriters, Janis had her first hit in 1967 at age 15.
When televangelists like Jimmy Swaggart took on rockers like Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica, the rockers retaliated. Bono could even be seen mocking the preachers.
Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.
What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."
Toto's keyboard player explains the true meaning of "Africa" and talks about working on the Thriller album.
The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.
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