Bruce Springsteen's "Because The Night" is the biggest hit for both Patti Smith and 10,000 Maniacs. For Smith, it was an anomaly, as her songs were aimed at a narrow audience. In the case of 10,000 Maniacs, it marked the emergence of Natalie Merchant as a hitmaker; the song was her last single with the group, and her subsequent solo album Tigerlily got her on the charts with "Carnival" and "Wonder."
Songwriter Wayne Carson came up with the Willie Nelson classic "Always On My Mind" while on the phone to his wife when he was apologizing to her for being stuck at the office.
"Twilight Zone" by Golden Earring was inspired by the Robert Ludlum novel The Bourne Identity, not by the TV show.
The idea for "The Man Comes Around" came to Johnny Cash from a dream he had where he was in Buckingham Palace and the Queen said to him, "Johnny Cash, you're just like a thorn tree in a whirlwind."
Listen carefully and you'll hear the sound of birds in "Birds Of A Feather" by Billie Eilish. Her brother/producer Finneas couldn't resist putting them in, but he kept them real quiet in the mix.
Bob Dylan's most popular song is "Like A Rolling Stone," which tells the story of a wealthy woman whose money and friends fall away. Dylan offers these mockingly encouraging words: "When you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose."
Feist's "1234" is "about lost love, and the hope to recapture what you once had," but it's best known for the Sesame Street version about counting to four.
How a goofy detective movie, a disenchanted director and an unlikely songwriter led to one of the biggest hits in pop history.
The Creed lead singer reveals the "ego and self-fulfillment" he now sees in one of the band's biggest hits.
The original voice of Snap! this story is filled with angry drag queens, video impersonators and Chaka Khan.
The lead singer of Everclear, Art is also their primary songwriter.
The renown rock singer talks about "The House of the Rising Sun" and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood."
