The seemingly inoffensive song, "Deep In The Heart Of Texas," was banned by the BBC when it was released in 1942. They deemed the song too catchy, with authorities in wartime Britain concerned that factory workers would be distracted if they heard it during a shift.
The riff for The Sex Pistols' "Pretty Vacant" was pinched from a very unpunk song, the ABBA ballad "S.O.S."
"Veronica" was inspired by Elvis Costello's grandmother, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease.
One of the great "we're all going down" songs is "Ship Of Fools" by World Party, written when Margaret Thatcher was in power in England.
Katy Perry says her 2008 song "Ur So Gay" is about "guys who wear the guyliner, steal your jeans, and that whole almost hipster emo scene."
In the UK, the first #1 hit with a rap was "Candy Girl" by the American boy band New Edition in 1983.
The longtime BS&T frontman tells the "Spinning Wheel" story, including the line he got from Joni Mitchell.
The trail runs from flying saucer songs in the '50s, through Bowie, blink-182 and Katy Perry.
Franti tells the story behind his hit "Say Hey (I Love You)" and explains why yoga is an integral part of his lifestyle and his Soulshine tour.
A founding member of the band War, Harold gives a first-person account of one of the most important periods in music history.
A look at the good (Diana Ross, Eminem), the bad (Madonna, Bob Dylan) and the peculiar (David Bowie, Michael Jackson) film debuts of superstar singers.
Steve Cropper on the making of "In the Midnight Hour," the chicken-wire scene in The Blues Brothers, and his 2021 album, Fire It Up.
