One of the most successful cover songs is Fugees' "Killing Me Softly," a 1996 reworking of Roberta Flack's 1973 hit. Originally, Fugees wanted to change the title to "Killing Him Softly" and make it about the dangers of drug abuse.
Ed Sheeran's first single was "The A Team," a song about a drug-addicted prostitute.
"Livin' La Vida Loca" is a Latin pop landmark, but "la vida loca" are the only Spanish words in the lyric - "mocha" is English.
"One Way Or Another" is based on a stalker who creeped out Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry.
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.
"The House Of The Rising Sun" is a traditional folk song, either about a brothel or a prison.
Who writes a song about a name they found in a phone book? That's just one of the everyday things these guys find to sing about. Anything in their field of vision or general scope of knowledge is fair game. If you cross paths with them, so are you.
The good doctor shares some candid insights on recording with Phil Spector and The Black Keys.
Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."
The stories behind the biggest hit songs about trucking.
How well do you know your protest songs (including the one that went to #1)?
