Richard Harris, who played Professor Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter movies, had a hit in 1968 with "MacArthur Park."
Elton John's "Rocket Man" is based on a Ray Bradbury story called The Rocket Man published in 1951.
Pete Townshend never had a #1 UK hit with The Who or as a solo artist, but he did produce and play on a song that hit the top spot there: "Something In The Air" by Thunderclap Newman, a group he assembled.
John Lennon got the title of the Beatles song "Happiness Is A Warm Gun" from an article in a magazine published by the National Rifle Association.
Ronnie Spector nailed the vocal for The Ronettes song "(Walking) In the Rain" on the first take - unheard of in the perfectionist producer Phil Spector's world.
In Beastie Boys' "Paul Revere," the title refers to the name of a horse. They took it from a song in the musical Guys And Dolls where a character sings, "I got the horse right here, the name is Paul Revere."
Scott was Stevie Wonder's bass player before becoming a top session player. Hits he played on include "I Will Survive," "Being With You" and "Sara Smile."
Kristian talks songwriting technique, like how the chorus should redefine the story, and how to write a song backwards.
Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.
Many unusual folks appear in Grateful Dead songs. Can you identify them?
Kevin Godley talks about directing classic videos for The Police, U2 and Duran Duran, and discusses song and videos he made with 10cc and Godley & Creme.
Dennis DeYoung explains why "Mr. Roboto" is the defining Styx song, and what the "gathering of angels" represents in "Come Sail Away."