Latest articles by Neil Crossley
How Simon and Garfunkel created their transcendent masterpiece
“That song had two writers – Paul Simon and God”
How a light-hearted comment from a former Beatle inspired one of Led Zeppelin’s greatest songs
“Seven minutes of exquisite heartache” – quite unlike anything else the band created
“He had to have his privacy, to be completely alone”: How Prince created a masterpiece in isolation
The song was a sparse, stripped-back amalgam of electro-funk, soul, psych-pop, blues and rock
How Paul McCartney created his greatest post-Beatles song
“He did the whole thing, start to finish, every instrument, everything, in a day”
How Neil Young created his biggest hit – with love in his heart and an ache in his back
“Two passes, and it was finished. It took less than two hours to record that song”
“I began writing a song in my head about the drudgery of being an astronaut”: The classic song that transformed Elton John into a superstar
“Unfortunately, people identify it with David Bowie’s Space Oddity”
"Kurt kissed me and said, 'now I don't have to be the only songwriter!'”: Dave Grohl's evolution as a songwriter
“I was in a band with one of the greatest songwriters of our generation, so I didn’t really want to rock the boat”
The story of Wichita Lineman. the song Bob Dylan called the greatest ever written
“When I heard it I cried”
“It’s not dark yet, but it’s gettin’ there…”: The story of Bob Dylan’s ‘90s classic
Dylan wanted a more cinematic texture and a modern sound – but one that was rooted in old American music.
“In terms of thinking it was a hit, I had no idea”: The creation of ’90s classic Walking In Memphis
“Me and the piano – that’s all I cared about”
“The whole thing was so exciting for me – to actually have control for the first time”: How Kate Bush created a classic single
“Singing it in an Irish accent, it comes across in a different way”
“I wasn't prepared for what I saw that night”: How a classic song recorded live in London set Bob Marley on the path to global superstardom
And he gave away the songwriting credit to a local hero back home in Jamaica
“I immediately heard the melody in my head”: How Madonna created a dancefloor classic — with the sample from heaven
An intoxicating mash-up of ’70s disco, ’80s electropop and 2000s club music
“A man walked into the party and I thought, ‘Wow, he’s really vain’”: The No 1 song that propelled Carly Simon to stardom
It also left legions of fans speculating on who it was actually about
“They needed something slow for the romantic scenes with Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis”: An ’80s classic from Top Gun
“Giorgio could have farted and I would have sung it!”
The song John Lennon called “the best I've ever written” – and Yoko Ono’s uncredited contribution
“A lot of it – the lyric and the concept – came from Yoko”
“I don’t think we would’ve found any success had someone else been the lead singer”: A rock classic that’s now hit over two billion streams
How John Fogerty created Creedence Clearwater Revival’s best-loved song
“When we went to collect the Grammy for Song of the Year, I was thinking, ’How did this happen?’”: This No.1 hit is the pinnacle of yacht rock
When Michael McDonald teamed up with Kenny Loggins, there was magic in the air
“When we go into that song, everything changes. It’s like God walks through the room”: The anthem that drove U2 half mad
During the making of The Joshua Tree, half of the time was spent on this one track
“It was John’s original inspiration, I think my melody, I think my guitar riff”: The story of one of The Beatles’ most poignant songs
It was unique in its musical and lyrical sensibilities
“I walked in… and Joni Mitchell was in baby blue pyjamas”: How a weird dream inspired the New Radicals’ classic ’90s hit
And the song was so good it convinced Joni not to quit the music industry
“It’s a perfect song. Bonnie really conveys the drama”: How a classic power ballad was created
“It makes you feel like you're a Norseman in a blizzard”
“The first three times I performed it in public, I burst into tears”: Joni Mitchell's era-defining classic Woodstock
An anthem inspired by the legendary music festival – by an artist who wasn’t actually there
