"I Won't Back Down" is a very personal song for Tom Petty. "I thought it wasn't that good because it was so naked," he said.
The movie The Breakfast Club opens with a passage from David Bowie's "Changes" ("And these children that you spit on...")
It wasn't one of her biggest hits, but "La Isla Bonita" (from 1986) emerged as one of Madonna's top songs in the age of streaming thanks to widespread usage on TikTok. Creators who visit an island or just want that mood often use it as a soundtrack.
Irving Berlin wrote "How Dry I Am" in anticipation of Prohibition, envisioning a bleak future without alcohol.
Pitbull's line "I got it locked up like Lindsay Lohan" in his 2011 song "Give Me Everything (Tonight)" didn't go over well with Lohan, who sued him for defamation. Around this time, she was in a downward spiral and often getting arrested. Her case was thrown out, but she did get her life back together.
The EMF song "Unbelievable" samples the raunchy comic Andrew Dice Clay saying, "What the f--k was that!"
The 2011 Artist of the Year at the Dove Awards isn't your typical gospel diva, and she thinks that's a good thing.
The men of Sparks on their album Hippopotamus, and how Morrissey handled it when they suggested he lighten up.
Did they really trade their guitarist to The Doobie Brothers? Are they named after something naughty? And what's up with the band name?
MTV, a popular TV theme song and Madonna all show up in this '80s music quiz.
John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?
Greg talks about writing songs of "universal truth" for King Crimson and ELP, and tells us about his most memorable stage moment (it involves fireworks).