The Four Tops' "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" was written by the Motown team of Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland and Eddie Holland. The phrase "Sugar pie, honey bunch" was something Dozier's grandfather used to say when he was a kid.
When The Kinks released "Lola," most people didn't realize it was about a transvestite.
The Kate Bush song "Running Up That Hill" is about making a deal with God to switch lives with your partner so there would be no more misunderstandings.
The Cure's "Lullaby" is based on a recurring nightmare frontman Robert Smith had as a child where he was eaten by a giant spider.
Paul McCartney's favorite song that he wrote for someone else is Cilla Black's 1968 UK Top 10 hit, "Step Inside Love."
The lead singer of Everclear, Art is also their primary songwriter.
He wrote "She Blinded Me With Science" so he could direct a video about a home for deranged scientists.
Wilder's hit "Break My Stride" had an unlikely inspiration: a famous record mogul who rejected it.
Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.
The top chant artist in the Western world, Krishna Das talks about how these Hindu mantras compare to Christian worship songs.
Long before Eminem, Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj created alternate personas, David Bowie, Bono, Joni Mitchell and even Hank Williams took on characters.