"The Cave" by Mumford & Sons is based on the philosophy of Plato and his work called "Allegory of the Cave."
"Mother" by Danzig is about censorship, specifically the Parents Music Resource Center, which pushed record labels to put warning stickers on albums with explicit lyrics.
"Tenderness" by General Public was partly inspired by the outbreak of AIDS, which at the time was thought to be contagious.
The R.E.M. song "Don't Go Back To Rockville" is about Mike Mills' girlfriend at the University of Georgia, who had to go back to Rockville, Maryland, for the summer.
Buck Dharma of Blue Oyster Cult wrote "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" after he was diagnosed with a heart condition and started thinking about his own mortality.
Ozzy Osbourne's "Shot In The Dark" is titled after a Pink Panther movie.
We ring the Hell's Bells to see what songs and rockers are sincere in their Satanism, and how much of it is an act.
What's the deal with "Summer of '69"? Bryan explains what the song is really about, and shares more of his songwriting insights.
A talk with Martin Popoff about his latest book on Rush and how he assessed the thousands of albums he reviewed.
His keyboard work helped define the Muscle Shoals sound and make him an integral part of many Neil Young recordings. Spooner is also an accomplished songwriter, whose hits include "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry Like A Baby."
The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.
For songwriters, Johnny represents the American man. He has been angry, cool, magic, a rebel and, of course, marching home.