"Diamonds From Sierra Leone" by Kanye West is about the "blood diamonds" mined using child labor in Africa. It also serves as a shout-out to Roc-A-Fella records, known for a diamond-shaped hand signal.
Bing Crosby debuted the song "White Christmas" in the 1942 movie Holiday Inn, where he plays a New Yorker stuck in Southern California for Christmas and missing the snow. The song became a Christmas classic and the basis for the 1954 movie White Christmas, also starring Crosby.
Weird Al Yankovic proposed a parody of "Black Or White" called "Snack All Night," but Michael Jackson asked him not to.
"Heaven" by The Psychedelic Furs sounds upbeat, but is about an impending nuclear bombardment.
"Whip It" by Devo is about the rah-rah affirmations delivered by politicians and motivational speakers who often have ulterior motives.
Props to Aretha Franklin: her song "Respect" introduced the term "propers" as a sign of proper respect.
The story of the legendary lupine DJ through the songs he inspired.
Brenda talks about the inspiration that drove her to write hit songs like "Get Here" and "Piano in the Dark," and why a lack of formal music training can be a songwriter's best asset.
Songwriting Hall of Famer Linda Perry talks about her songs "What's Up" and "Beautiful," her songwriting process, and her move into film music.
Taylor talks about "The Machine" - the hits, the videos and Clive Davis.
With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.
