"Regulate" by Warren G. & Nate Dogg broke new ground by sampling a mellow, melodic hit from the '80s: "I Keep Forgettin'" by Michael McDonald.
"Heaven" by The Psychedelic Furs sounds upbeat, but is about an impending nuclear bombardment.
"I Can See Clearly Now" by Johnny Nash was the first reggae song to hit #1 in America on the Hot 100.
The 1979 song "Life During Wartime" by Talking Heads deals with how technology could be exploited to take down the framework of society and enable government surveillance.
"I Wish" by Skee-Lo was the first hit song to use the word "baller" in the chorus ("I wish I was a baller..."). That term pervaded pop music over the next several year.
The men of Sparks on their album Hippopotamus, and how Morrissey handled it when they suggested he lighten up.
Famous songs that lent their titles - and in some cases storylines - to movies.
The hitmaking songwriter/producer Sam Hollander with stories about songs for Weezer, Panic! At The Disco, Train, Pentatonix, and Fitz And The Tantrums.
David Gray explains the significance of the word "Babylon," and talks about how songs are a form of active imagination, with lyrics that reveal what's inside us.
The original voice of Snap! this story is filled with angry drag queens, video impersonators and Chaka Khan.
Established as a redoubtable singer-songwriter, the Men At Work frontman explains how religion, sobriety and Jack Nicholson play into his songwriting.
