This lighthearted piece from American Songwriter highlights well-known 1970s classic rock songs that many listeners can hum instantly but might struggle to name, focusing on the stories behind their creation. It draws on band members' own accounts to explain how each track came together, offering a bit of nostalgia and trivia for fans of the era's music.

Dire Straits' "Sultans of Swing" was inspired by Mark Knopfler seeing an unassumingly named pub band in South London, while America's "Ventura Highway" buries its title within the chorus lyrics rather than the more memorable guitar riff. Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain", from the tension-filled Rumours sessions, began as a Christine McVie composition before becoming a group effort, incorporating a line from a separate Stevie Nicks song at Lindsey Buckingham's request. The Steve Miller Band's "The Joker" gave the group their first major hit, topping the US Billboard Hot 100 in early 1974, despite Miller himself doubting its commercial potential.