Jay-Z's "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" is based on the song "It's A Hard Knock Life" from the Broadway play Annie.
"Zombie" by The Cranberries is about an IRA bombing in England that killed two children.
Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits wrote "Private Dancer," which went to Tina Turner when he realized it wasn't a song for a man to sing.
"Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" refers to "Hova," which is what Jay-Z calls his God Name. Jay-Hova, as in Jehovah.
Lady Gaga says that "Poker Face" is about her personal experience with bisexuality; being with a man but thinking about a woman.
"Name" by The Goo Goo Dolls was partly inspired by lead singer John Rzeznik's flirtation with the MTV VJ Kennedy, who didn't want him to tell anyone her real name.
The Creed lead singer reveals the "ego and self-fulfillment" he now sees in one of the band's biggest hits.
Who writes a song about a name they found in a phone book? That's just one of the everyday things these guys find to sing about. Anything in their field of vision or general scope of knowledge is fair game. If you cross paths with them, so are you.
The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.
A founding member of the band War, Harold gives a first-person account of one of the most important periods in music history.
The 10 biggest "retirement tours" that didn't take.
The Canadian superstar talks about his sudden rise to fame, and tells the stories behind his hits "Sunglasses At Night," "Boy In The Box" and "Never Surrender."
