The first rap song to make the Hot 100 was "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang in 1979. At the time, many considered rap a fad that would soon pass.
Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" was the #1 single in Australia for 13 weeks. It holds the record for the longest running chart topper Down Under since the first ever ARIA Chart was listed in 1983.
The chorus of "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir" in "Lady Marmalade" is French for "Do you want to sleep with me tonight?" When Labelle performed it on television, they had to change it to "Voulez-vous danser avec moi ce soir" (Do you want to dance with me tonight?).
"Louie Louie" was first recorded in 1955 by an R&B singer named Richard Berry, and his lyrics are easy to understand. When The Kingsmen recorded the hit version, their lyrics were indecipherable.
"Tomorrow People" by Ziggy Marley is the first song by a Marley to crack the US Top 40; the highest Bob got was #51 with "Roots, Rock, Reggae."
The James Blunt song "You're Beautiful" is not romantic: it's a about a creepy subway encounter with an ex.
The revered singer-songwriter talks inspiration and explains why she put a mahout in "Drop the Pilot."
Bob was the bass player and lyricist for the first two Ozzy Osbourne albums. Here's how he wrote songs like "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley" with Ozzy and Randy Rhoads.
"Missing You" was a spontaneous outpouring of emotion triggered by a phone call. John tells that story and explains what MTV meant to his career.
Into the vaults for this talk with Bolton from the '80s when he was a focused on writing songs for other artists.
Surprise exits, a catfight and some very memorable performances make our list of the most memorable Idol moments.
With the band in danger of being dropped from their label, Alice Cooper drummer Neal Smith co-wrote the song that started their trek from horror show curiosity to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
