UB40's cover of Neil Diamond's "Red Red Wine" was a minor hit when first released in 1983, but it went to #1 five years later when radio stations in Phoenix started playing it.
The Starland Vocal Band got the title "Afternoon Delight" from the late-afternoon appetizer menu at the restaurant Clyde's Of Georgetown in Washington, DC.
One of Tom Petty's most personal songs is "Room At The Top," which he stopped performing because it brought back painful memories.
The idea for "The Man Comes Around" came to Johnny Cash from a dream he had where he was in Buckingham Palace and the Queen said to him, "Johnny Cash, you're just like a thorn tree in a whirlwind."
Neil Young's song "Old Man" was inspired by the caretaker of the ranch he bought in 1970. Neil was the young man at the time, just 25.
Enrique Iglesias' single "Bailando" was the first Spanish-language song to reach one billion views on YouTube.
The Celtic music maker Loreena McKennitt on finding musical inspiration, the "New Age" label, and working on the movie Tinker Bell.
Can you be married in one country but not another? Only if you're part of a gay couple. One of the first famous singers to come out as a lesbian, Janis wrote a song about it.
A Soul Train dancer takes us through a day on the show, and explains what you had to do to get camera time.
Did they really trade their guitarist to The Doobie Brothers? Are they named after something naughty? And what's up with the band name?
How a goofy detective movie, a disenchanted director and an unlikely songwriter led to one of the biggest hits in pop history.
These overtly religious songs crossed over to the pop charts, despite resistance from fans, and in many cases, churches.