"Paper Planes" was inspired by M.I.A.'s hassles trying to get a visa to enter America.
After Cher revived "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)" in 1990, Salt-N-Pepa released "Shoop" and Whitney Houston had a #1 hit with "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)."
Madonna's hit "Don't Tell Me" was written by her brother-in-law, Joe Henry, who has produced albums by Hugh Laurie and Bonnie Raitt.
The motto for Boys Town, which was a Nebraska home for troubled youth, inspired the song "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" by The Hollies.
Brad Pitt and Elvis both get mentions in the 1997 Shania Twain hit "That Don't Impress Me Much."
"Panama" by Van Halen is not about the country or the canal, but about a stripper David Lee Roth met in Arizona.
A popular contemporary folk singer, Williams still remembers the sticky note that changed her life in college.
The lead singer/lyricist for Anberlin breaks down "Impossible" and covers some tracks from their 2012 album Vital.
The singer/bassist for Concrete Blonde talks about how her songs come from clairvoyance, and takes us through the making of their hit "Joey."
A talk with Martin Popoff about his latest book on Rush and how he assessed the thousands of albums he reviewed.
Chris Stein of Blondie shares photos and stories from his book about the New York City punk scene.