Buck Dharma of Blue Oyster Cult wrote "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" after he was diagnosed with a heart condition and started thinking about his own mortality.
Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Two Tribes" features British actor Patrick Allen reading extracts from a government civil defense leaflet.
Donna Summer's "Bad Girls" is about prostitutes, but it was still used in the movie Rugrats In Paris.
"Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" is the most performed holiday song of all time, according to a Top 30 list released by the performance rights organization ASCAP in December 2014.
The "Free Bird" lyric, "If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?" was something Lynyrd Skynyrd's guitarist's girlfriend said to him during a fight.
Steve Perry wrote "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" with the opening lyrics, "You make me weep, I wanna die," after seeing his girlfriend kissing another man.
John tells the "St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)" story and explains why he disappeared for so long.
Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.
Rosanne talks about the journey that inspired her songs on her album The River & the Thread, including a stop at the Tallahatchie Bridge.
With $50 and a glue stick, Bruce Pavitt created Sub Pop, a fanzine-turned-label that gave the world Nirvana and grunge. He explains how motivated individuals can shift culture.
Jon Fratelli talks about the band's third album, and the five-year break leading up to it.
The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.