In The Beatles' "When I'm 64," Paul McCartney asks a woman if she'll still be there for him when he's 64. In 2006, he got his answer when shortly before his 64th birthday, he and Heather Mills separated.
The guys from Chic wrote "Le Freak" as a message to a doorman who wouldn't let them into a club. Originally, it was "F--- Off."
"Spoonman" by Soundgarden is about a real street performer in Seattle: Artis the Spoonman.
The movie The Breakfast Club opens with a passage from David Bowie's "Changes" ("And these children that you spit on...")
"Your Time Is Gonna Come" became the first Led Zeppelin song to be covered when Sandie Shaw recorded it in 1969.
Feist's "1234" is "about lost love, and the hope to recapture what you once had," but it's best known for the Sesame Street version about counting to four.
The lead singer on "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me," La La explains how and why Phil Spector replaced The Crystals with Darlene Love on "He's A Rebel."
The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.
How the American gangsta rappers made history by getting banned in the UK.
The man who ran Nirvana's first label gets beyond the sensationalism (drugs, Courtney) to discuss their musical and cultural triumphs in the years before Nevermind.
Songwriters have used cards and card games to make sense of heartache, togetherness, and even Gonorrhea.
Before he was the champ, Ali released an album called I Am The Greatest!, but his musical influence is best heard in the songs he inspired.