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.
The voice of Waldo in Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher" video was the late Phil Hartman of Saturday Night Live Fame.
Judas Priest's "Evening Star" is a Christmas carol that describes the journey of the Magi from a first person perspective.
A roadie for the Allman Brothers came up with the line "The road goes on forever" for "Midnight Rider," and got a songwriting credit for his contribution.
"Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve samples an obscure orchestral arrangement of the 1965 Rolling Stones song "The Last Time." The Verve had to sign away most of the royalties before they could release the song.
Jack White titled "Seven Nation Army" after how he would mispronounce "Salvation Army" when he was little.
Thanks to a Newsweek article, there was a long-standing rumor that Bob Dylan stole the song "Blowin' In The Wind."
Is Owl City on a quest for another hit like "Fireflies?" Adam answers that question and explains the influences behind many others.
Joe talks about the challenges of of making a Duke Ellington tribute album, and tells the stories behind some of his hits.
Dave explains how the video appropriated the meaning of "Runaway Train," and what he thought of getting parodied by Weird Al.
Dave reveals the inspiration for "Feelin' Alright" and explains how the first song he ever wrote became the biggest hit for his band Traffic.
U2, Carly Simon, Joanna Newsom, Brian Wilson and Fiona Apple have all gone to Van Dyke Parks to make their songs exceptional.
