Adele's "Hello" was the first song to sell over a million downloads in a week. What's remarkable was that this was in 2015, when streaming was a viable option. Her fans were happy to pay for the song anyway.
Fall Out Boy's "The Phoenix" samples the classical work "Allegro Non Troppo," which was composed by Dmitri Shostakovich in 1941. Vocalist Patrick Stump was inspired by "the creepiness" of the strings.
"What's Up" by 4 Non Blondes has endured as one of the most popular songs of the '90s, but it wasn't a huge hit at the time and the band split after one album. Frontwoman Linda Perry went on to write hits for Pink and Christina Aguilera.
With his song "The G.O.A.T.," as in Greatest Of All Time, LL Cool J popularized that saying in hip-hop. He credits the boxer Muhammad Ali, who called himself "The Greatest," as inspiration.
Shakira calls her sons Milan and Sasha her "Waka Kids" because she met their father, Spanish soccer star Gerard Piqué, on the video shoot for "Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)," the official song of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
Jimmy Webb was inspired to write The 5th Dimension song "Up-Up and Away" after seeing a hot-air balloon his friend flew on promotions for the Southern California radio station KMEN.
Genesis' key-man re-examines his solo career and the early days of music video.
Despite appearances on Carson, Leno and a Pennebaker film, Williams remains a hidden treasure.
Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.
The co-writer/guitarist on many Alice Cooper hits, Dick was also Lou Reed's axeman on the Rock n' Roll Animal album.
An original member of Depeche Mode, Vince went on to form Erasure and Yaz.
Justin wrote the classic "Nights In White Satin," but his fondest musical memories are from a different decade.