The songwriting team Leiber and Stoller wrote "Hound Dog" for a blues singer named Big Mama Thronton, who first recorded the song in 1953. Elvis covered it in 1956, and it became his biggest hit.
Stevie Wonder wrote his own version of "Happy Birthday" in an attempt to get Martin Luther King's birthday declared a national holiday.
When Metallica performed in China in 2013, they were not allowed to play "Master of Puppets."
Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca" was the first #1 hit created entirely in Pro Tools.
Props to Aretha Franklin: her song "Respect" introduced the term "propers" as a sign of proper respect.
Taylor Swift's “Shake It Off” was inspired by how she'd learned to deal with all the false rumors that circulated about her. "The only thing we can control is our reaction to that ,” said Swift. "You can either let it get to you … [or] you just shake it off."
When Dave recorded the first version of the song with his group the Blasters, producer Nick Lowe gave him some life-changing advice.
Richie talks about the impact of "Amazed," and how his 4-year-old son inspired another Lonestar hit.
The renown Texas songwriter has been at it for 40 years, with tales to tell about The Flatlanders and The Clash - that's Joe's Tex-Mex on "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"
How the American gangsta rappers made history by getting banned in the UK.
Bowie's "activist" days of 1964 led to Ziggy Stardust.
