"I Won't Back Down" is a very personal song for Tom Petty, written after an arsonist burned his house down. "I thought it wasn't that good because it was so naked," he said of the song.
The riff for The Sex Pistols' "Pretty Vacant" was pinched from a very unpunk song, the ABBA ballad "S.O.S."
In 2010, the biggest-selling song in the UK was "Love the Way You Lie" by Eminem.
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.
When the Elvis stamps came out in 1993, lots of folks used them to mail letters with bad addresses so they would be Returned To Sender.
Ella Langley's country crossover hit "Choosin' Texas" was co-written by Texas native Miranda Lambert, who told Ella a story about getting pulled over with a kangaroo in her car (yes, a real kangaroo - a baby). "She's from Texas, I can tell," Langley said, which sparked the song.
The Winger frontman reveals the Led Zeppelin song he cribbed for "Seventeen," and explains how his passion for orchestra music informs his songwriting.
Pool balls, magpies and thorns without roses - how well do you know your Tom Waits lyrics?
A selection of songs made to be terrible - some clearly achieved that goal.
Evelyn McDonnell, editor of the book Women Who Rock, on why the Supremes are just as important as Bob Dylan.
Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.
The Creed lead singer reveals the "ego and self-fulfillment" he now sees in one of the band's biggest hits.