July 8, 1961
When "Baby Love" reached the top spot, The Supremes became the first Motown act with two #1 hits on the Hot 100.
The lyrics for Lesley Gore's "It's My Party" were based on actual events relating to his daughter Judy's sweet 16 party. The teenager threw a tantrum and burst into tears when her mum and dad insisted that her grandparents had to be invited.
Jay-Z did the rap on "Crazy In Love" at the last minute. He and Beyoncé had started dating and the Texan songstress asked him to get on the song the night before she had to turn in her album.
Pete Townshend wrote the lyrics for "My Generation" during a train ride from London to Southampton on his 20th birthday.
Moby says that "We Are All Made Of Stars" is scientifically accurate, since all matter originates from stardust.
"Light My Fire" was the first song Doors guitarist Robby Krieger wrote. Looking for a universal theme, he decided to write about one of the four elements (air, earth, water, fire).
Tim and his brother Richard are the Furs' foundation; Tim explains how they write and tells the story of "Pretty In Pink."
The top chant artist in the Western world, Krishna Das talks about how these Hindu mantras compare to Christian worship songs.
When singers started spoofing their own songs on Sesame Street, the results were both educational and hilarious - here are the best of them.
Shows like Dawson's Creek, Grey's Anatomy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed the way songs were heard on TV, and produced some hits in the process.
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.
Songs that seem to glorify violence against women are often misinterpreted - but not always.
