Arizona DJ Guy Zapoleon played UB40's "Red Red Wine" four years after it was released as part of a feature on songs that should have been hits. Listeners started requesting the tune and within weeks it was topping the Hot 100.
Jeff Lynne sang the word "groose" in the chorus of "Don't Bring Me Down" as a nonsense placeholder, but left it in when he found out it means "greetings" in German ("gruss").
"Talk To Ya Later" proved the power of MTV when sales of Tubes albums picked up in markets like Tulsa, Oklahoma, where the network was available.
The first single from the Thriller album was "The Girl Is Mine," chosen over "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" because it was a duet with Paul McCartney and thus guaranteed airplay.
An unexpected guest vocal: Marianne Faithfull on the Metallica song "The Memory Remains." A star in the '60s, this collaboration helped revive her career.
Eddie Vedder often changes the words when he sings "Yellow Ledbetter." The basic story is about a guy whose brother dies in the first Gulf War. Apparently, bad news in the army is given in yellow envelopes.
Many actors have attempted music, but only a few have managed a hit. Do you know which of these thespians charted?
Charlotte was established in the LA punk scene when a freaky girl named Belinda approached her wearing a garbage bag.
Do you know who wrote Patti Smith's biggest hit? How about the Grease theme song? See if you can match the song to the writer.
Kristian talks songwriting technique, like how the chorus should redefine the story, and how to write a song backwards.
How a goofy detective movie, a disenchanted director and an unlikely songwriter led to one of the biggest hits in pop history.
