Jay-Z's "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" is based on the song "It's A Hard Knock Life" from the Broadway play Annie.
The first big hit by an X Factor winner was "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis, who won the British version of the show in 2008. The song was intended for Jesse McCartney, who wrote it with Ryan Tedder.
The CCR song "Run Through the Jungle" is about gun control.
Robert Smith doesn't license Cure songs for commercials, but he made an exception in 2004 when he let Hewlett-Packard use "Pictures Of You." He needed the money to buy the group's back catalogue.
According to Frank Sinatra's daughter, he hated "My Way," but had to sing it at every show when it became his signature song.
The rockabilly sound was big in the late 1950s, when Buddy Holly was popular. One of the biggest hits in that genre was the #1 "Party Doll" by Buddy Knox, which used a cardboard box filled with cotton as the drums.
When a song describes a wedding, it's rarely something to celebrate - with one big exception.
Dan cracked the Top 40 with "Ritual," then went to India and spent 2 hours with the Dalai Lama.
Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.
Producer Rupert Hine talks about crafting hits for Tina Turner, Howard Jones and The Fixx.
The former Metallica bassist talks about his first time writing a song with James Hetfield, and how a hand-me-down iPad has changed his songwriting.
In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."