"Cigarettes And Chocolate Milk" describes a time in Rufus Wainwright's life when he found himself hungover and pounding chocolate milk to feel better. It didn't work, so he smoked a cigarette, which is when he realized his addictive personality could be a problem.
"Panama" by Van Halen is not about the country or the canal, but about a stripper David Lee Roth met in Arizona.
"I Can See Clearly Now" by Johnny Nash was the first reggae song to hit #1 in America on the Hot 100.
John Legend wrote "All Of Me" about his fiancée Chrissy Teigen. He sang it to her at their wedding ceremony in Como, Italy.
James Brown's "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine" was the first Hot 100 hit with the word "sex" in the title.
"How To Save A Life" by The Fray has religious overtones - it was a hit on both the Pop chart and the Christian Songs chart.
One of the first successful female singer-songwriters, Janis had her first hit in 1967 at age 15.
Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.
"How much does it cost? I'll buy it?" Another songwriter told Jonathan to change these lyrics. Good thing he ignored this advice.
The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.
When she released her first album in 1988, Tanita became a UK singing sensation at age 19. She talks about her darkly sensual voice and quirky songwriting style.
