Ellie Goulding's hit single "Burn" was originally demoed by Leona Lewis for her 2011 Glassheart album. She scrapped the tune when the project was retooled to include more ballads.
Alicia Keys got a huge break when Oprah had her perform her debut single "Fallin'" on her show.
Ellie Goulding's hit song "Lights" is about her fear of the dark, which forces the singer to sleep with the lights on.
"Come Dancing" by The Kinks was inspired by the older sister of Ray Davies, who would make guys take her out dancing and spend their money on her, only to send them home frustrated with just a peck on the cheek.
Bob Seger's "Beautiful Loser" was inspired by a book written by Leonard Cohen called Beautiful Losers.
Katy Perry co-wrote Iggy Azalea's hit single "Black Widow." Perry was originally going to sing on the track, but she couldn't fit it into her schedule, so Rita Ora provided the sung vocals instead.
How a country weeper and a blues number made "rolling stone" the most popular phrase in rock.
"Mr. Jones" took on new meaning when the song about a misguided view of fame made Adam famous.
U2, Carly Simon, Joanna Newsom, Brian Wilson and Fiona Apple have all gone to Van Dyke Parks to make their songs exceptional.
When a song describes a wedding, it's rarely something to celebrate - with one big exception.
Kristian talks songwriting technique, like how the chorus should redefine the story, and how to write a song backwards.
The guitarist/songwriter explains how he came up with his signature sound, and deconstructs some classic Fear Factory songs.
