16-tear-old Lorde wrote the lyrics to "Royals" at home in just half an hour. She was inspired by the "ridiculous, unrelatable, unattainable opulence" that runs through such albums as Kanye West and Jay-Z's Watch the Throne and Lana Del Rey's Born To Die.
The opening line in "How Soon Is Now?" by The Smiths is "I am the son and the heir," not "I am the sun and the air."
Before recording "Boom Clap" herself, Charli XCX offered the song to Hilary Duff, but her people turned down the tune because it "wasn't cool enough for Hilary."
"Cleveland Rocks" was written by an Englishman. Ian Hunter wrote the song after touring America in the late '70s and finding that Cleveland was by far the most receptive city to his brand of Glam Rock.
When The Kinks released "Lola," most people didn't realize Lola was a man. "I was dancing with this beautiful blonde, then we went out into the daylight and I saw her stubble," Ray Davies said of the inspiration.
Michael Jackson was only 11 years and 5 months old when the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" became the group's first #1 hit. This made Jackson the youngest group member ever to top the Hot 100.
Charlotte was established in the LA punk scene when a freaky girl named Belinda approached her wearing a garbage bag.
The drummer and one of the primary songwriters in Grand Funk talks rock stardom and Todd Rundgren.
dUg dIgs into his King's X metal classics and his many side projects, including the one with Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam.
Does Angus really drink himself silly? Did their name come from a sewing machine? See if you can spot the real stories about AC/DC.
Many unusual folks appear in Grateful Dead songs. Can you identify them?
Brenda talks about the inspiration that drove her to write hit songs like "Get Here" and "Piano in the Dark," and why a lack of formal music training can be a songwriter's best asset.