The K-pop hit "Gangnam Style" became the most-viewed video in YouTube history months after it was released in 2012, a title it held until "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa overtook it in 2017.
Often heard as a patriotic song celebrating their homeland of Australia, "Down Under" by Men At Work is really about the selling of that country, and it makes a strong political statement.
"True" by Spandau Ballet has some lyrics based on parts of the Vladimir Nabokov novel Lolita, including "Take your seaside arms," which in the book is "That little girl with her seaside limbs."
Bono came up with the idea of focusing on a soldier's last thoughts as he dies from his wounds in the U2 song "White As Snow" after reading William Golding's 1956 novel Pincher Martin.
Songwriter Wayne Carson came up with "Always On My Mind" on the phone to his wife when he was apologizing to her for being stuck at the office.
"Constant Craving" by k.d. lang deals with principles of Buddhism, including the cycles of birth and death.
Rufus Wainwright on "Hallelujah," his album Unfollow The Rules, and getting into his "lyric trance" on 12-hour walks.
When she released her first album in 1988, Tanita became a UK singing sensation at age 19. She talks about her darkly sensual voice and quirky songwriting style.
It started with a bouncy MTV classic. Nirvana and MCR made them scary, then Gwen, Avril and Madonna put on the pom poms.
Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.
A talk with Martin Popoff about his latest book on Rush and how he assessed the thousands of albums he reviewed.
