"Zoot Suit Riot" isn't just a Cherry Poppin' Daddies song - the Zoot Suit Riots were real riots in Los Angeles that took place in 1943 and inspired the song's lyrics.
Neil Diamond got a big boost in 1994 when Urge Overkill's cover of his song 'Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon" was used in the movie Pulp Fiction. His catalog sales ramped up, and suddenly he was cool.
"Virginia" in "Only The Good Die Young" is named after a real girl Billy Joel was trying to impress.
"Cleveland Rocks" was written by an Englishman. Ian Hunter wrote the song after touring America in the late '70s and finding that Cleveland was by far the most receptive city to his brand of Glam Rock.
"Heaven" by The Psychedelic Furs sounds upbeat, but is about an impending nuclear bombardment.
Ariana Grande's hit "Problem" started off as a track written by One Direction songwriter Savan Kotecha. He gave it the working title of "The Whisper Song," after a 2005 Ying Yang Twins hit.
How well do you know this shock-rock harbinger who's been publicly executed hundreds of times?
Soul music legend Bill Withers on how life experience and the company you keep leads to classic songs like "Lean On Me."
Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.
Is Owl City on a quest for another hit like "Fireflies?" Adam answers that question and explains the influences behind many others.
Kristian talks songwriting technique, like how the chorus should redefine the story, and how to write a song backwards.
The Christian rapper talks about where his trip to Haiti and his history of addiction fit into his songs.