Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (1890-1969) served as 34th President of the United States (1953-61). His tenure saw the rise of rock 'n' roll, Elvis Presley, and the beginning of the Space Race.
The woman "singing" in the video for Technotronic's "Pump Up The Jam" didn't speak English. She was used just for her look, and also appeared on the album cover.
"Mother" by Danzig is about censorship, specifically the Parents Music Resource Center, which pushed record labels to put warning stickers on albums with explicit lyrics.
"Rio" by Duran Duran is a metaphor for America, where the band was trying to break through.
The Sam & Dave classic "Soul Man" was re-recorded by Sam Moore and Lou Reed for the 1986 movie Soul Man, about a white guy who pretends to be black so he can get a scholarship to Harvard.
Eddie Vedder often changes the words when he sings "Yellow Ledbetter." The basic story is about a guy whose brother dies in the first Gulf War. Apparently, bad news in the army is delivered in yellow envelopes.
There was only one Grammy ever given for Best Disco Recording. It went to "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor.
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.
Jon Fratelli talks about the band's third album, and the five-year break leading up to it.
Taylor talks about "The Machine" - the hits, the videos and Clive Davis.
The "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle" singer makes a habit of playing with the best in the business.
Soul music legend Bill Withers on how life experience and the company you keep leads to classic songs like "Lean On Me."
Toto's keyboard player explains the true meaning of "Africa" and talks about working on the Thriller album.