"Head Over Heels" by The Go-Go's is a metaphor for how things were getting out of control for the band; they broke up a year later.
Cheap Trick hated the ballad "The Flame" but recorded it because they needed a hit, and the song delivered, going to #1.
Mariah Carey's "My All" is about her affair with New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter.
"Kokomo" gave The Beach Boys their first #1 hit in 22 years. They picked the title because it sounded tropical.
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is an English version of a Zulu hunting song from the 1930s.
The longest-running #1 US hit for a member of the Jackson family is Janet's "That's The Way Love Goes," with eight weeks on top.
A founding member of the band War, Harold gives a first-person account of one of the most important periods in music history.
In 1986, a Stephen King novella was made into a movie, with a classic song serving as title, soundtrack and tone.
A popular contemporary folk singer, Williams still remembers the sticky note that changed her life in college.
Chris and his wife Tina were the rhythm section for Talking Heads when they formed The Tom Tom Club. "Genius of Love" was their blockbuster, but David Byrne only mentioned it once.
The longtime BS&T frontman tells the "Spinning Wheel" story, including the line he got from Joni Mitchell.
Bridesmaids, Reservoir Dogs, Willy Wonka - just a few of the flicks where characters discuss specific songs, sometimes as a prelude to murder.