"I Want It That Way" is the most popular Backstreet Boys song, but the lyric doesn't make much sense. That's because it was written by the hitmaking swedish producers Max Martin and Andreas Carlsson, who were more worried about how it sings than what it means.
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was Michael Jaskson's attack on the tabloid press: "They eat off of you, you're a vegetable."
The R.E.M. song "Don't Go Back To Rockville" is about Mike Mills' girlfriend at the University of Georgia, who had to go back to Rockville, Maryland, for the summer.
The James Blunt song "You're Beautiful" is not romantic: it's a about a creepy subway encounter with an ex.
In the UK, the first #1 hit with a rap was "Candy Girl" by the American boy band New Edition in 1983.
Neil Young wrote the CSN&Y song "Ohio" about the Kent State Shootings, when the National Guard opened fire on students at Kent State University in Ohio, killing four.
For songwriters, Johnny represents the American man. He has been angry, cool, magic, a rebel and, of course, marching home.
The story of the legendary lupine DJ through the songs he inspired.
Rob Halford, Richie Faulkner and Glenn Tipton talk twin guitar harmonies and explain how they create songs in Judas Priest.
When you have a song called "Fire," it's tempting to set one - these guys did.
Here is the church, here is the steeple - see if you can identify these lyrics that reference church.
Michael tells the story of "Send Me On My Way," and explains why some of the words in the song don't have a literal meaning.