Harriet Schock, an acclaimed performing artist in her own right, has had covers of her songs recorded by numerous artists, including Helen Reddy, Smokey Robinson, Roberta Flack, Lee Greenwood, Johnny Mathis, Nancy Wilson, Manfred Mann, Vicki Carr, Jeannie Kendall, and the new Supremes. She is also a teacher and a coach to aspiring songwriters and the author of her own book about songwriting.
Rachel Platten refused to talk politics when her "Fight Song" became the anthem for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, a decision she came to regret.
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.
In The Beatles' "When I'm 64," Paul McCartney asks a woman if she'll still be there for him when he's 64. In 2006, he got his answer when shortly before his 64th birthday, he and Heather Mills separated.
Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The U.S.A." was inspired by the book (later a movie) Born On The Fourth Of July by Ron Kovic, a Vietnam veteran who protested the war when he returned home.
Al Green's "Take Me to the River" describes a baptism. Two years later, he became a reverend.
Korn's most popular song, "Freak On A Leash," is about their predatory record label making huge profits off the band. It was quite profitable, helping the Follow The Leader album sell over 5 million copies.
The lead singer of Everclear, Art is also their primary songwriter.
The lead singer on "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me," La La explains how and why Phil Spector replaced The Crystals with Darlene Love on "He's A Rebel."
A history of songs dealing with transgender issues, featuring Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Morrissey and Green Day.
The Sevendust frontman talks about the group's songwriting process, and how trips to the Murder Bar helped forge their latest album.
From the lake in "Roundabout" to Sister Bluebird in "Starship Trooper," Jon Anderson talks about how nature and spirituality play into his lyrics for Yes.
Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.