"Dirty Water" became a Boston sports anthem in the '00s, but it was written by a guy from California after almost getting mugged on a visit to the city.
Part of Elton John's '80s resurgence was "Sad Songs (Say So Much)," which got a lot of exposure in commercials for Sasson jeans, reworked as "Sasson Says So Much." This was Elton's idea - he even got Sasson to sponsor his American tour.
The wild child Role Model sings about in "Sally, When the Wine Runs Out" is based on various women he encountered when he dove back into the dating pool after a long relationship.
Guns N' Roses' Appetite For Destruction album includes a song called "Rocket Queen," identified in the liner notes as Barbi Von Greif. Axl Rose says she "kind of kept me alive for a while."
Led Zeppelin never won a Grammy Award; Jimmy Page and Robert Plant earned their first trophies in 2000 for "Most High," a song they wrote together that explores the role of religion in society.
Featured in the 1978 musical Evita, "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" became the biggest selling UK hit by a female vocalist (Julie Covington).
A founding member of the band War, Harold gives a first-person account of one of the most important periods in music history.
Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.
Switchfoot's frontman and main songwriter on what inspires the songs and how he got the freedom to say exactly what he means.
In the summer of 1990, you could get arrested for selling a 2 Live Crew album or performing their songs in Southern Florida. And that's exactly what happened.
Dean's saga began with "Ariel," a song about falling in love with a Jewish girl from New Jersey.
The guy who brought us "Stacy's Mom" also wrote the Jane Lynch Emmy song and Stephen Colbert's Christmas songs.