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Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N’ Roses

Image: Kyle Buss

Fans of Guns N’ Roses will tell you how fast "Sweet Child O’ Mine" was written. In under an hour, the band developed the accompaniment for a melody one of them had come up with—a hand-warming riff that guitarist Slash was playfully improvising. That same riff, by-now famous guitar melody, opens the song.

Hearing the result, Axl Rose wrote lyrics inspired by his then-girlfriend, Erin Everly, whose smile, it seemed to him, reminded him of childhood memories. Remarkably, he completed the poem in a single day. Later, while recording in the studio, the band made another on-the-spot call: they decided to include a sung line that Axl Rose had been repeating while searching for an ending to the song, "Where do we go now?"

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Billie Jean - Michael Jackson

Image: Call Me Fred

Michael Jackson didn’t shy away from saying that he always knew "Billie Jean" was going to be a hit. While writing it, he was aware that he had hit material in his hands, and he worked on it accordingly. Thanks to his rigorous daily vocal training during the production of Thriller , Jackson recorded the main vocal in a single take. The song was mixed 91 times , while he and producer Quincy Jones strived for perfection. In the end, they settled on mix number two—the version we know today.

But here is the most impressive anecdote behind "Billie Jean." Jackson was driving his Rolls-Royce between recording sessions, obsessed with finding the best ideas for his song. He was so absorbed that he didn’t notice the underside of his car had caught fire —until a passing biker alerted him.

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You Give Love a Bad Name - Bon Jovi

Image: Benjamin Farren

Can you imagine the iconic opening vocals of "You Give Love a Bad Name" belted out by any other voice than Jon Bon Jovi’s? A female voice, perhaps? Surprisingly, the melody was originally written by hitmaker Desmond Child for Bonnie Tyler . Her version, titled "If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)," featured different lyrics, and was released earlier that same year in 1986.

Dissatisfied with the final result of Tyler’s song, Child decided to take the same seed of an anthem and team up with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora to rework it. The result was a powerhouse anthem that propelled Bon Jovi to the top of the charts. It also marked a radical change in the band’s career, which veered from then on to a more radio-friendly, arena-rock sound that would define their style.

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Don’t Stop Believin’ - Journey

Image: Kristina Chuprina

If you strip this '80s rock anthem of its drums, bass, guitar, and even its melody, you’re left with a simple yet powerful plea: "Don’t stop believing." Those words have a heartfelt origin. When Jonathan Cain was invited to join Journey, he started working on a song, first deciding that he was going to name it after the words his father would repeat to him over the phone while he was still a struggling musician in L.A.: "Don’t stop believing or you are done , dude."

Cain wrote the emotional chorus first before sharing the project with the band to complete it together. That’s why it’s said that the song was written "backward ." The arrangements were carefully crafted to build up to the climactic final chorus. If you pay attention, this one doesn’t appear until near the end of the song—a structure that sets it apart.

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We Didn't Start the Fire - Billy Joel

Image: David Clode

119 significant events are mentioned in the famous 1989 song by "Piano Man" Billy Joel. A rapid-fire history lesson, covering science, sports, music, politics, cultural icons, movies, and so many more, is uttered to assemble an image of the 40 years the artist had lived until then—from 1949 to 1989. The story of how he stumbled upon the idea for this musical whirlwind is just as fascinating.

Legend has it that Joel was in the studio one day when Sean Lennon, John Lennon’s son , visited with a young friend. The 20-year-old started complaining about the hardships of growing up in the ‘80s, and Joel replied that the ‘60s weren’t exactly easy either. This sparked a discussion where each mentioned world-relevant events they had lived through. Inspired, Joel jotted down the events and began piecing them together, eventually crafting the iconic song.

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I Will Always Love You - Dolly Parton

Image: Wes McFee

"I Will Always Love You," immortalized by Whitney Houston ’s rendition for The Bodyguard (1992), was actually written 18 years earlier by Dolly Parton. Although it became a romantic power ballad in the voice of Houston, the original version hadn’t been written with romance or heartbreak in mind—it was a heartfelt farewell.

In 1972, after having become a performing regular in The Porter Wagoner Show , Dolly Parton decided it was time to leave and pursue her own path. Her deep appreciation for Wagoner and her love for her colleague drove her to write a sweet, sincere song to express her feelings. Explaining that, despite needing to move on, and regardless of where life took her, she would always love him. Touched by the song, Wagoner loved it and asked to produce it himself.

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Maniac - Michael Sembello

Image: David Monje

"Maniac," made famous for its inclusion in the Flashdance (1983) soundtrack, is another example of a song that started with a very different theme. Its original name was still "Maniac," yes. But it wasn’t originally about a passionate dancer—it was about a serial killer.

Dennis Matkosky, the song’s author, had seen in the news a story about a psychotic criminal and conjured in his mind a song that warned of his deeds . Together with his friend Michael Sembello, they finished that version for their own amusement. The demo ended up being one of the songs used in the set of Flashdance for being upbeat, catchy, and danceable. Director Adrian Lyne grew so fond of it that he asked Matkosky and Sembello to rewrite the lyrics to better suit the film. The reworked song became a global hit, reaching the top 10 of pop charts in multiple countries that year.

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Shout - The Isley Brothers

Image: Brett Sayles

If hearing the song "Shout" by The Isley Brothers makes you think of a festive event where a band interacts with a dancing audience, it means the song retained its original spirit. The iconic phrase "Jump up and shout now" was part of a series of playful instructions the band improvised during a live performance. At the time, they were covering "Lonely Teardrops," a Jackie Wilson hit, and went off on a tangent building on the climax of that song.

The band began shouting ad-libbed lines , encouraging the crowd to participate. That responsorial dynamic became the foundation of "Shout," and evolved further through subsequent performances. Once the song was written down and recorded, it became a timeless classic. Today, this 1959 hit remains a staple at celebrations around the world.

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You’re So Vain - Carly Simon

Image: Dinielle De Veyra

A song with the famous line "You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you," has sparked decades of speculation about who inspired it. Mick Jagger, James Taylor, and Warren Beatty were all rumored to be the subject behind Carly Simon’s famous song. The singer and songwriter delighted in keeping the identity of any precise man a secret, and at some point declared that it had been written about a type of man in general.

However, in 2003, for a charity auction organized by Martha's Vineyard Possible Dreams organization, Simon decided to offer one big treasure to the highest bidder: The truth behind the song. Her friend Dick Ebersol paid $50,000 for the revelation. Under sworn secrecy, Simon revealed the person to Ebersol. He kept the secret, only telling the public that he found the answer "very surprising."

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Walk the Line - Johnny Cash

Image: Simon Migaj

"I Walk the Line" was Johnny Cash's declaration of commitment and faithfulness, a song written for his first wife, Vivian Liberto. As he prepared to embark on long tours, Cash penned this song as a vow to assure her that he would remain true to her.

Beyond the inspiration for the lyrics, the song showed an array of singularities that made it stand out back in 1956. For example, each iteration of a verse is sung in a different key, a unique technique that can be heard in the gradual shifts of Cash’s voice. The low hum before each verse is Cash’s preparation for singing in each corresponding key. He also innovated by attaching a piece of paper to his guitar’s end which he would hit while playing, simulating the sound of a snare drum that can be heard in the song.

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Seattle: The Seattle Underground

People usually visit Seattle for the seafood, waterfront views, coffee culture, and the famous Space Needle. But underneath the busy sidewalks lies part of the city most tourists never realize exists. Beneath Pioneer Square sits the Seattle Underground, a network of old streets and storefronts buried below modern Seattle.

This area dates back to the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, which destroyed much of downtown. City leaders decided to rebuild the streets one story higher to improve drainage problems that had plagued the city for years. For a while, businesses operated below street level, but eventually this lower level was abandoned. Today, guided tours take visitors through the underground passageways and old sidewalks and mix ghost stories and old city legends with the real story below Emerald City.

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Chicago: The Chicago River

Between deep-dish pizza, Wrigley Field, jazz clubs, and the towering skyscrapers, few cities feel more American than Chicago. It’s also home to the magical Chicago River, which, in 1900, actually flowed backwards.

Back in the late 1800s, Chicago faced a dangerous problem. The river carried sewage and industrial waste into Lake Michigan, the same lake supplying the city’s drinking water. Disease outbreaks of typhoid and cholera became increasingly serious, and engineers realized something drastic had to happen. In 1900, after years of planning and digging canals, they built a series of canals and locks, like the prominent Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, connecting the Chicago River to the Des Plaines River, forcing the water to flow toward the Mississippi River watershed. That way, they reversed the river’s direction so the contaminated water would flow away from the lake instead of into it. The natural flow was forever altered, but it remains central to city life, especially during St. Patrick’s Day when, according to tradition, it’s dyed bright green every year.

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New York City: NYPL hidden apartment

Yellow taxies, Central Park, Broadway shows, and nonstop energy have made New York City feel magical. The Big Apple hides many secrets, and the apartment inside the New York Public Library Main Branch is just one of them.

In 1910, the library superintendent, John Fedeler, and his family moved into a private eight-room apartment tucked inside the library. This was so that someone would always be available to maintain the huge building. With bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living area, a full home is hidden behind doors that most visitors passed by. The family lived there until 1941, when the space was converted into offices and storage areas. However, the library still offers tours where visitors can learn about its history.

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Portland: Mill Ends Park

When you think of Portland, you may think of Washington Park or Forest Park. But if you pay close attention, you can also visit Mill Ends Park. At just two feet across, it holds the Guinness World Record as the world’s smallest park.

At first glance, it looks more like a flowerpot than a public landmark, but the story goes back to 1948, when journalist Dick Fagan noticed an empty hole that had been meant for a light pole. Tired of staring at it from his office window, he planted flowers there and jokingly claimed that, since it was so small, it was a park for leprechauns. The joke took on a life of its own, and in 1976, it was dedicated on St. Patrick's Day. Today, it’s a must-do for travelers going through Portland, and locals continue treating it with surprising seriousness.

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Houston: The Beer Can House

Everything is bigger in Texas, and Houston is no exception. If you’ve been there, you’ve probably visited NASA, the Museum District, and tried a local barbecue joint. But you’ve probably missed a quirky house hidden among the neighborhoods. Located at 222 Malone St, sits the Beer Can House. The name is self-explanatory, since it’s a house covered with beer cans.

In 1968, John Milkovish decided he was tired of painting and maintaining the exterior of his property. Instead, he began flattening beer cans and attaching them to the house. What started as a hobby slowly turned into a full-blown obsession involving more than 50,000 cans. The house went from being a neighborhood curiosity to a roadside attraction to finally being a protected local landmark in 2001. In 2010, Time magazine even ranked it as one of America's top 50 roadside attractions. True to his Texan blood, John Milkovish built something big.

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San Francisco: The Wave Organ

No trip to San Francisco is complete without taking the cable car or a picture at the Golden Gate. But tucked away near the Marina District is an attraction many tourists completely miss. The Wave Organ is a gigantic acoustic sculpture that turns ocean waves into music.

Completed in 1986 by artist Peter Richards, t he installation consists of a series of pipes extending into the bay. As tides rise and waves move through the pipes, they create eerie sounds ranging from soft bubbling to deep echoes. Richards was inspired by recordings of artist Bill Fontana, made of sounds coming from a vent pipe of a floating concrete dock in Sydney, Australia. In 1980, he received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and tested the first prototypes during the 1981 New Music Festival. Five years later, he completed this sonic sculpture that runs entirely on nature.

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Los Angeles: La Brea Tar Pits

Los Angeles is all about Hollywood, palm trees, and the beaches. But it’s also home to one of the world’s most important prehistoric sites. The bubbling black pools at La Brea Tar Pits have been trapping animals for tens of thousands of years.

Long before Los Angeles was the city it is today, natural asphalt constantly came up from underground. Mammoths, saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, and other Ice Age animals became trapped there, preserving their skeletons remarkably well. Scientists began excavating fossils in the early 1900s, and discoveries continue to this day. The fossils recovered from the site are countless. Visitors can explore the museum for $18 and watch active excavations while surrounded by modern office buildings and traffic.

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Seattle: The Giant Shoe Museum

Seattle already has its share of unusual attractions, especially around Pike Place Market, where fishmongers toss salmon through the air, and crowds line up for fresh pastries. But the Giant Shoe Museum, located there, is even stranger. A single exhibit wall dedicated to oversized footwear , the museum works like an arcade peep show. Visitors drop coins into viewing slots to reveal displays featuring enormous boots, giant clown shoes, and other gigantic footwear.

The museum was founded in 1997 by Danny Eskenazi after he became obsessed with his grandfather’s missing item: the shoe of Robert Wadlow, the tallest man in history. He even offered $1,000 to anyone who could find that Wadlow shoe. Sadly, the shoe remains lost, but his obsession led to the discovery of other shoes worn by Wadlow and more footwear that is now displayed in the museum.

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Boston: Great Molasses Flood Site

Boston's most popular spots blend colonial and Revolutionary War history with vibrant neighborhoods that feature top attractions like the Freedom Trail, Fenway Park, and the Boston Public Garden. But it’s also home to the remains of a disaster.

In 1919, Boston experienced the Great Molasses Flood. A massive molasses storage tank burst in the North End neighborhood, unleashing more than two million gallons of syrup into the streets. After 21 people lost their lives, the disaster led to stricter construction safety regulations across the country, and the tank was never rebuilt. Today, visitors can still walk through the neighborhood where it happened. There’s no giant syrup wave anymore, thankfully, but plaques and local tours continue telling the story.

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Lake Havasu City: The London Bridge

Driving through Lake Havasu City in Arizona, you expect desert landscapes, boating, and blazing summer heat. You probably don’t expect to stumble across a famous bridge from England, especially not the original London Bridge itself.

In 1831, John Rennie designed and opened the London Bridge spanning the River Thames. By the 1960s, the bridge started sinking under the weight of modern cars and traffic. Robert P. McCulloch, founder of Lake Havasu City, saw this as an opportunity and, in 1968, he purchased the bridge for $2.4 million. The bridge was dismantled and reconstructed in the Arizona desert, and completed in 1971. What once connected two sides of London now links mainland Lake Havasu City with Pittsburgh Point that visitors and locals enjoy every day.

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Atlanta: The Center for Puppetry Arts

Atlanta is often associated with Southern cooking, a busy airport, and its important role in the Civil Rights Movement. But tucked inside the city is also the Center for Puppetry Arts, which houses the world’s largest collection of Jim Henson’s original Muppets.

The center opened in 1978, when puppeteer Vincent Anthony transformed a former elementary school into a home for puppet arts. From the very beginning, the project had a special connection to Jim Henson himself. He and Kermit the Frog helped inaugurate the center, and over the years, Henson became one of its biggest supporters. The center expanded significantly between 2007 and 2015, adding the permanent Jim Henson Collection and the impressive Worlds of Puppetry Museum. Unlike many museums, this place is hands-on. Guests can watch live performances, explore exhibits from puppet traditions, and revisit characters that shaped generations of childhood memories.

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Texas barbecue

Image: Andrik Langfield

Texas barbecue is heavily influenced by central European traditions . German and Czech immigrants settled in the state in the mid-nineteenth century introducing new ingredients. That is the main reason we find pork products like sausages in Texas-style barbecue, in addition to the classic beef brisket. In order to preserve fresh meat longer, they used to smoke it and cook it for a very long time. Over the years, this traditional barbecued meat, which originated in central Texas, spread throughout the state, so today we can enjoy not one but four different styles !

Central Texas BBQ is generally very straightforward, the meat is smoked over pecan, mesquite, or oak wood with just a salt and pepper dry rub. South Texas BBQ has Mexican influences and uses a molasses-based sweet sauce. East Texas BBQ is marinated in a sweet tomato-based sauce and slowly cooked via indirect heat. Finally, West Texas BBQ is prepared over an open flame using mesquite wood.

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Memphis barbecue

Image: Philipp Kämmerer

No doubt about it, Memphis is one of the BBQ capitals of America . Unlike barbecue styles in other states, in Memphis, the meat is cooked using charcoal instead of hardwood logs. Pork ribs and pork shoulder are the signature cuts prepared with a tangy and sweet sauce based on molasses and tomato. Classic sides for the Memphis barbecue are sweet baked beans and slaw.

Barbecue originated in Memphis at the beginning of the 20th century , when African Americans began to populate the state. Often found in lunchtime pork sandwiches and late-night treats in nightclubs, Memphis BBQ style soon became a staple in the area. Many entrepreneurs opened new restaurants during this time, including John H. Mills, considered Memphis’s First Barbecue King. Rumor has it that even the great Bing Crosby was a regular at Mills’s place whenever he was in town.

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Kansas City barbecue

Image: fstop314.com

According to the Visit KC website, "Barbecue in Kansas City is more than a menu item or a method of preparation. It’s an institution." The fact is that Kansas barbecue has a long history and is central to the city's culinary culture . Not for nothing is it called the "BBQ Capital of the World". With more than 100 restaurants, there’s even a Kansas City Barbeque Society in charge of promoting this style of cooking around the world.

Kansas City’s love for barbecue started in the early 1900s when a man called Henry Perry began selling slices of hickory smoked meat wrapped in newspaper. Soon after, others followed and started developing their own barbecue recipes. Nowadays, the Kansas City barbecue style involves grilling or smoking different kinds of meat seasoned with a dry rub, then finished with a tomato-based barbeque sauce. Sides include bread, pickles, baked beans, and slaw.

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North Carolina barbecue

Image: Peter Bravo de los Rios

Whether at a backyard grill, or a traditional wood fire pit at a local restaurant, North Carolina has a proud barbecue tradition. This particular method of smoking and cooking meat has its roots in the emergence of hog cultivation . In the 1500s, Spanish settlers brought pigs to the region and natives on Roanoke Island contributed with their wood-fired slow-cooking method. Over the years, barbecue in North Carolina became a special feature in every celebration and special occasion.

Although recipes may vary between different regions in the state, pork is always the main ingredient . While in the East people cook the whole hog, western Carolinians prioritize the pork shoulder. The sauce is a matter of controversy too. The Eastern tradition calls for a thin vinegar and pepper sauce, whereas Western recipes add tomato or ketchup. Geographical customs aside, if you happen to visit North Carolina, order a local barbecue in one of the many great restaurants and you won’t be disappointed!

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South Carolina barbecue

Image: @felipepelaquim

Some argue that South Carolina is "The Birthplace of Barbecue" . We won’t be able to settle this debate here and now, but what is certain is that the Palmetto State's barbecue tradition goes back at least five centuries. As with North Carolina, South Carolina barbecue also has its origins in the cultural exchange between Spanish settlers and American Indians . Europeans brought and raised pigs on the islands off the Atlantic coast and the natives knew exactly how to cook them.

The South Carolina barbecue style means cooking and smoking meat —preferably pork— low and slow over hardwood coals. Sometimes pulled from a whole hog, sometimes chopped from a shoulder or ham, South Carolina barbecue comes with a signature sauce depending on the region . You can find a blend of vinegar, salt, and some red pepper to spice things up or a yellow sauce made of cider vinegar, brown sugar or honey, and mustard. No matter which one you get, be prepared for an exceptionally tender and flavorful dish!

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St. Louis barbecue

Image: Rachel Bramlett

Did you know St. Louis is said to consume more BBQ sauce per person than anywhere else in the country? St. Louisans are big on spare ribs, which may have been introduced in the local culinary tradition more than a century ago. As the legend goes, a steamboat cook named Henry Perry used to slow smoke discarded slabs of ribs from the Kansas City stockyards using locally harvested hardwood trees.

Nowadays, the St. Louis barbecue style includes a variety of seasonings and cooking methods . From grilling to slow smoking, ribs, pulled pork, burnt ends, and pork steaks are smeared with a sauce made from ingredients such as salt, vinegar, black pepper, brown sugar, tomato, and even apricots. Unlike other types of barbecue, St Louis style does not require a dry rub and it cooks a lot faster. White bread is the side of choice, especially if you want to make the most out of all that BBQ sauce!

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Hawaiian barbecue

Image: Tirza van Dijk

Yes, they have barbecues in Hawaii. Although you won’t get the traditional ribs, pulled pork, and brisket, the Aloha State is home to a delicious kind of barbecue. Influenced by its many immigration waves —primarily from China, Korea, Japan, Portugal, and the Philippines—, it has labor origins dating back to the late 19th century . While modern Hawaiian barbecue includes various cooking techniques, such as roasting, smoking, and grilling, the traditional way requires an imu , an underground oven lined with hot rocks, and banana and ti leaves.

Barbecues from the Paradise of the Pacific are often sweet, tangy, and tropical . You can find chicken, beef, pork, and even seafood. Marinades and sauces incorporate Asian flavors and ingredients like soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and brown sugar. Side dishes range from sticky rice to macaroni salad, complementing and balancing the bold flavors of the meats.

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Alabama barbecue

Image: Rachel Bramlett

In the South, barbecue is synonymous with any meat that's cooked over the fire. Although pork is often the protein of choice, some restaurants in Alabama also feature brisket, chicken, and beef ribs. Barbecue became popular in Alabama during the early 19th century when difficult economic times required a clever way for the working class to bring flavor and tenderness to cheap cuts of meat.

Sauces involved in the Alabama barbecue style are as diverse as they come . Influenced by the neighboring states of the so-called "barbecue belt", you can find variations of tomato-based sauces, spicy marinades, mustard dressings, and even a white sauce made with mayonnaise, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Across Alabama, these mouth-watering smoked meats are often served on hamburger buns filled with dill pickles and topped with coleslaw.

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Kentucky barbecue

Image: Luis Santoyo

Barbecues in Kentucky have been popular for a long time. In the Bluegrass State pork shoulders are a popular cut cooked on concrete block masonry pits for at least half a day. However, Kentucky is most famous for smoking mutton over hickory coals . Kentuckians also barbecue other meats like chicken, pork tenderloins, cured hams, and turkey breasts for sandwiches.

Kentucky is home to a diverse array of barbecue sauces with almost every county having its own take. For example, Hickman County uses mostly vinegar and cayenne pepper, while McCracken County sauces taste strongly of vinegar and chili powder. Others prefer an allspice Worcestershire-based dip. The signature sides for Kentucky barbecue are toast, vinegar slaw, and pickled eggs.

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Florida barbecue

Image: Dim Hou

Florida may be best known for its fresh seafood but the Sunshine State also has its own barbecue style . And a soft spot for pork too! A testament to the important place pig meat has in Floridian cuisine is the Cuban twist on the classic BBQ sandwich found at many local joints.

What sets Florida barbecue apart from others is its Caribbean and Latin American influences. Florida BBQ often blends techniques of the Southern United States style barbecues —like the use of sweet tomato sauce or mustard sauce— with Caribbean flavors such as vinegar, fruits, peppers, and spices. It may not be the most traditional barbecue in the country but it is certainly worth a try!