Christina Perri's "Jar Of Hearts," written about her ex, became a big hit after it was used in a routine on So You Think You Can Dance.
Feist's "1234" is "about lost love, and the hope to recapture what you once had," but it's best known for the Sesame Street version about counting to four.
"All I Wanna Do" by Sheryl Crow started with the first line from an obscure poem called "Fun" that read, "All I wanna do is have some fun."
Paul McCartney wrote "Hey Jude" to comfort John Lennon's 5-year-old son Julian, whose parents were getting a divorce.
Bob Seger got inspired to write "Night Moves" after watching the movie American Graffiti, which showed young people growing up in his "neck of the woods."
Lucinda Williams' track "Compassion" is based on a poem by her father, lauded Arkansas poet Miller Williams.
Into the vaults for this talk with Bolton from the '80s when he was a focused on writing songs for other artists.
A band so baffling, even their names were contrived. Check your score in the Ramones version of Fact or Fiction.
The drummer and one of the primary songwriters in Grand Funk talks rock stardom and Todd Rundgren.
From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.
The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.
Brenda talks about the inspiration that drove her to write hit songs like "Get Here" and "Piano in the Dark," and why a lack of formal music training can be a songwriter's best asset.