Shaggy wrote his swaggering hit "Boombastic" after learning what "shag" means in the UK.
Billy Joel wrote "We Didn't Start The Fire" after a 21-year-old told him, "everyone knows that nothing happened in the '50s."
"Should I Stay or Should I Go?" by The Clash features some Spanish lines by the Texas singer Joe Ely.
"Talk To Ya Later" proved the power of MTV when sales of Tubes albums picked up in markets like Tulsa, Oklahoma, where the network was available.
The game Lana Del Rey sings about in "Video Games" is World of Warcraft - her ex used to play it all the time.
Eric Clapton wrote "Layla" about his love for Pattie Harrison, who was married to George Harrison at the time. He eventually married Pattie, and managed to stay friends with George.
Laura Nyro talks about her complex, emotionally rich songwriting and how she supports women's culture through her art.
A big list of musical marriages and family relations ranging from the simple to the truly dysfunctional.
Some album art was at least "inspired" by others. A look at some very similar covers.
Switchfoot's frontman and main songwriter on what inspires the songs and how he got the freedom to say exactly what he means.
One of rock's top photographers talks about artistry in photography, raising funds for a documentary, and enjoying a County Fair with Tom Waits.
Elvis, Little Richard and Cheryl Cole have all sung about Teddy Bears, but there is also a terrifying Teddy song from 1932 and a touching trucker Teddy tune from 1976.
