"London Calling" by The Clash was written amid widespread fears that the Thames River was going to flood the city.
A 1989 track by Kenny G, "Going Home," is the unofficial national closing song in China. The tune is played at the end of train rides, the end of school days, and when malls are about to close.
Jack & Diane started off as an interracial couple; Mellencamp took race references out of the song at the request of his record company.
One of the first teenage stars of the Rock Era was Lesley Gore, who was just 16 when she recorded "It's My Party," a huge hit in 1963. It gave us the iconic phrase, "It's my party, I'll cry if I want to."
"The Reason" by Hoobastank took off on TikTok in 2021 when it soundtracked confessional #NotAPerfectPerson videos about mistakes and regrets. The band made one of their own with the caption: "Realizing 20 years later that you named your band Hoobastank."
"Oh Well," from their 1960s Peter Green era, is the only Fleetwood Mac song played in concert in every decade they've been extant.
Howard explains his positive songwriting method and how uplifting songs can carry a deeper message.
Our chat with Barney Hoskyns, who covers the wild years of Woodstock - the town, not the festival - in his book Small Town Talk.
A popular contemporary folk singer, Williams still remembers the sticky note that changed her life in college.
How the American gangsta rappers made history by getting banned in the UK.
Known in America for the hit "If You Leave," OMD is a huge influence on modern electronic music.
Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.