"All Star" was written as a confidence builder for fans who were bullied for liking Smash Mouth.
The "Electric Avenue" in the Eddy Grant song is a real street. It got its name because it was the first street in London with electric lights.
"Just Dance" was Lady Gaga's first hit, and it also brought the techno-synth sound that had been popular in Europe for the previous decade to the United States.
Shaggy wrote his swaggering hit "Boombastic" after learning what "shag" means in the UK.
The horn flourish at the beginning of "Jump Around" comes from Bob and Earl's "Harlem Shuffle"; the squeal throughout the song might be a Prince sample.
The Texas songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker wrote "Mr. Bojangles" after a weekend in jail where a fellow inmate told him his life story.
Stage urinals, flute devices, and the real Aqualung in this Fact or Fiction.
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.
Wilder's hit "Break My Stride" had an unlikely inspiration: a famous record mogul who rejected it.
Richie talks about producing the first two Kiss albums, recording "Brother Louie," and the newfound appreciation of his rock band, Dust.
"How much does it cost? I'll buy it?" Another songwriter told Jonathan to change these lyrics. Good thing he ignored this advice.
How a goofy detective movie, a disenchanted director and an unlikely songwriter led to one of the biggest hits in pop history.