When The Kinks released "Lola," most people didn't realize Lola was a man. "I was dancing with this beautiful blonde, then we went out into the daylight and I saw her stubble," Ray Davies said of the inspiration.

John Legend wrote "All Of Me" about his fiancée Chrissy Teigen. He sang it to her at their wedding ceremony in Como, Italy.

Many people believe "Hotel California" is about a mental institution called the Camarillo, but the Eagles say it's about materialism and excess.

The Isley Brothers became the first group to score a Top 50 hit in six consecutive decades when their song "Contagious" peaked at #19 in 2001. Their first entry was their song "Shout" in 1959.

Sleigh bells aren't very punk, but they play throughout the Stooges classic "I Wanna Be Your Dog."

"Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen was the song of the summer in 2012 and a major meme. It got some help from her fellow Canadian Justin Bieber, who tweeted that it was "possibly the catchiest song I've ever heard."
Brian has unearthed outtakes by Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello and hundreds of other artists for reissues. Here's how he does it.
One of the most popular classical vocalists in the land is lining up a trip to space, which is the inspiration for many of her songs.
Lyrics don't always follow the rules of grammar. Can you spot the ones that don't?
When singers started spoofing their own songs on Sesame Street, the results were both educational and hilarious - here are the best of them.
The Canadian superstar talks about his sudden rise to fame, and tells the stories behind his hits "Sunglasses At Night," "Boy In The Box" and "Never Surrender."
The guy who brought us "Stacy's Mom" also wrote the Jane Lynch Emmy song and Stephen Colbert's Christmas songs.