The Queen II album cover was shot by Mick Rock, who had taken the classic photos for Lou Reed's Transformer and Iggy & the Stooges' Raw Power. He positioned the four band members close together, and using a ladder, snapped the photo of them looking out of the darkness. It was inspired by a photo of Marlene Dietrich from the 1932 film Shanghai Express, where she's posed in a similar manner.
Alicia Keys wrote "If I Ain't Got You" just after she'd heard the news that Aaliyah had passed away. in a plane crash.
Paul McCartney wrote "Blackbird" in Scotland after reading about race riots in the US, triggered when federal courts forced the racial desegregation of the Arkansas capital's school system.
Jean-Claude Van Damme was an extra in the video for Ollie & Jerry's "Breakin'... There's No Stopping Us." He can be seen at point dancing in the background.
"Rockin' In The Free World" is a very pro-America title, but the song takes on politicians who are indifferent to the poor and disenfranchised.
The White Stripes song "We're Going To Be Friends" is very innocent, but Jack White feared it would be interpreted cynically. It wasn't, and was even adapted into a children's book.
Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.
Daniel Lanois on his album Heavy Sun, and the inside stories of songs he produced for U2, Peter Gabriel, and Bob Dylan.
Phil was a songwriter, producer and voice behind many Philadelphia soul classics. When disco hit, he got an interesting project: The Village People.
Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.
The top chant artist in the Western world, Krishna Das talks about how these Hindu mantras compare to Christian worship songs.
In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."
