"Rio" by Duran Duran is a metaphor for America, where the band was trying to break through.
George Michael was 17 and on a bus to his job at the cinema when he came up with the idea for "Careless Whisper" and the lyrics, "Something in your eyes calls to mind a silver screen."
Before she was famous, Lady Gaga was a staff songwriter, and wrote the song "Quicksand," which Britney Spears recorded in 2008.
There's a lot of Americana in "Uncle John's Band" by the Grateful Dead, including references to "Buckdancer's Choice" (an Appalachian folk song) and "Fire And Ice," a Robert Frost poem.
"Only Wanna Be With You" by Hootie & the Blowfish is a tribute to Bob Dylan, but Dylan sued them over it for using lyrics from his song "Idiot Wind."
If you have a whole day to kill, you can check out the full version of Pharrell Williams' "Happy" music video, the world's first 24-hour music video.
Test your metal - Priest, Maiden, and Beavis and Butt-head show up in this one.
Just how much did these monsters of rock dabble in the occult?
How Bing Crosby, Les Paul, a US Army Signal Corps Officer, and the Nazis helped shape rock and Roll.
The writer of "Rainy Night in Georgia" and "Polk Salad Annie" explains how he cooks up his Louisiana swamp rock.
The Christian rapper talks about where his trip to Haiti and his history of addiction fit into his songs.
