Damon Albarn found inspiration for Blur's Britpop classic "Girls & Boys" while on holiday in Majorca. He noted that in the club scene there was "no morality involved."
"Take On Me" was just a minor hit in Norway until a new version was released with the iconic video, making it a global smash.
After the Beastie Boys sampled a bunch of Led Zeppelin songs, Robert Plant did it himself on his 1988 solo hit "Tall Cool One," which sampled "Whole Lotta Love," "Black Dog" and "The Ocean."
Pink Floyd's "Run Like Hell" was released as a single in America because it has a catchy beat, but the lyrics describe a reign of terror instigated by the despot Pink, the main character in the concept album The Wall.
In the song "God," Tori Amos makes the point that if there's God, there must also be a Goddess because there are no male-only species.
Jerry Cantrell used a talkbox to create the warbling vocal effect on the Alice in Chains song "Man In The Box."
The stories behind the biggest hit songs about trucking.
The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.
What's the deal with "Summer of '69"? Bryan explains what the song is really about, and shares more of his songwriting insights.
When televangelists like Jimmy Swaggart took on rockers like Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica, the rockers retaliated. Bono could even be seen mocking the preachers.
Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.
Since emerging from MySpace with her hit "Bubbly," Colbie has become a top songwriter, even crafting a hit with Taylor Swift.