Jay-Z was going to ask Mary J. Blige to duet on "Empire State of Mind," but he decided on Alicia Keys when he heard the piano stabs on the track.
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."
"November Rain" by Guns N' Roses has a literary influence: The lyric is based on a story called Without You by Del James.
David Bowie's "Station to Station" is over 10 minutes long. Bowie was doing a lot of drugs at the time and later said, "I have only flashes of making it."
"All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey was the first ringtone certified Gold.
John tells the "St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)" story and explains why he disappeared for so long.
Wilder's hit "Break My Stride" had an unlikely inspiration: a famous record mogul who rejected it.
Dave explains how the video appropriated the meaning of "Runaway Train," and what he thought of getting parodied by Weird Al.
Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.
The hitmaking songwriter/producer Sam Hollander with stories about songs for Weezer, Panic! At The Disco, Train, Pentatonix, and Fitz And The Tantrums.
How the American gangsta rappers made history by getting banned in the UK.
