Sourced and sung.
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Hotel California
Felder demoed it on a four-track in Malibu, and his Les Paul duels Walsh's Telecaster through the outro.
Born in the USA
Take four, April 1982, a Yamaha synth from Roy Bittan, and the most misheard chorus in American rock.
God Save the Queen
Written as "No Future," banned by the BBC, and stuck at number two amid loud suspicion of chart rigging.
You Can't Always Get What You Want
A choral intro from the London Bach Choir, Al Kooper on French horn, and producer Jimmy Miller on drums.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Harrison opened a book at random, saw "gently weeps", and Clapton came in uncredited to play the solo.
Won't Get Fooled Again
Eight and a half minutes, a Lowrey organ run through a VCS3, and Daltrey's scream tearing into the final verse.
Mrs. Robinson
Simon had it as Mrs. Roosevelt with nonsense syllables for a verse, and it won Record of the Year.
Heart of Glass
A demo kicked around since the mid-seventies, rebuilt on a Roland drum machine that appalled their punk friends.
Bitter Sweet Symphony
Built on an Andrew Oldham Orchestra recording of a Stones song; Jagger and Richards returned the credit in 2019.
Fast Car
Stevie Wonder's gear failed at the Mandela tribute, Chapman went on with a guitar, and the record went top ten.
Black Hole Sun
A Leslie speaker gives the guitars their swirl, and Cornell built the title from a misheard news broadcast.
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Sessions collapsed in Kingston, so the band regrouped at a French chateau and Taupin traded Oz for a Lincolnshire farm.
Fairytale of New York
Two years in the making, with MacColl finally singing the woman's part, and it still stalled at number two.
What's Love Got To Do With It
Cliff Richard turned it down, Bucks Fizz shelved it, and Turner at forty-four took it to number one.
Both Sides Now
Mitchell was reading Henderson the Rain King on a plane, looked out at the clouds, and started writing immediately.
Piano Man
A lounge gig, a fake name, Bill Martin, and every regular at the Executive Room written into a verse.
I Used to Love H.E.R.
No I.D. looped George Benson, Common told hip hop's story as one woman, and Ice Cube took it personally.
Have You Ever Seen the Rain?
Fogerty said the rain falling on a sunny day was Creedence breaking up around him; the record aches accordingly.
America
No rhyme scheme anywhere, just Simon reworking a 1964 road trip with Kathy Chitty until the emptiness lands mid-verse.
White Man in Hammersmith Palais
Strummer expected roots rebellion at an all-night Palais reggae bill, got showbiz, and slipped reggae bass into punk.
When You Were Young
Twenty minutes for melody and title, by Flowers' account, and Flood and Moulder gave it Born to Run scale.
Who'll Stop the Rain
A B-side to "Travelin' Band" that outgrew it, Fogerty's unhurried strum and a question about Vietnam still hanging.
Somebody to Love (Jefferson Airplane)
Darby Slick wrote it after his girlfriend left; Grace Slick brought it from the Great Society to number five.
Pink Houses
Mellencamp waved at a man sitting outside a pink shotgun house near the highway, and wrote America's most misread chorus.
Stakes is High
Dilla looped Ahmad Jamal's "Swahililand" into a warning shot at where hip hop was heading in 1996.
Young Folks
Yttling whistled a placeholder melody, ran it through tape delay, and kept it; Bergsman answers line for line.
Paradise
Eno took a co-writing credit and played synthesizers; it became Coldplay's second UK number one and a stadium fixture.
Planet Telex
Originally called Planet Xerox until the trademark intervened, drums spliced from other sessions, piano soaked in delay.
If It Makes You Happy
Jeff Trott's hook arrived first, the country arrangement went out, and Crow won a Grammy singing her own backlash.
Lost Cause
One week of writing after a nine-year relationship ended, and Godrich kept the arrangement to acoustic guitar and brushes.
The New Year
A field recording of distant Seattle freeway noise opens the album, then the guitars come crashing in behind Gibbard.
Rose Parade
Smith recorded Either/Or in Portland friends' houses and mixed this one himself, a parade watched through sour eyes.
Centerfold
Justman, the band's keyboardist, wrote it, and his synth hook took a Worcester blues band to six weeks at number one.
Honesty
Number twenty-four on the Hot 100, and still a Song of the Year nominee; Ramone cut it at A&R.
No More "I Love You's"
Roland Barthes' A Lover's Discourse fed the 1986 original; Lennox and Lipson rebuilt it into a Grammy winner.
One Headlight
Jakob Dylan wrote it at a Los Angeles kitchen table, then watched it top all three Billboard rock airplay charts.
Love Hurts
A 1960 Boudleaux Bryant song the Everly Brothers cut first, remade by McCafferty's rasp into the version everyone knows.
Plateau
Curt Kirkwood wrote it for Meat Puppets II, then stood onstage playing it while Cobain sang his obscure song to millions.
Who Will Save Your Soul
Written at sixteen on a road trip, produced by Ben Keith, from a debut that took two years to break.