If you’ve ever heard “You’re So Vain,” and wondered what spurred Carly Simon to sit down and write such a scathing song, you can probably just give Warren Beatty a call and ask him. And as for Taylor Swift, we can safely assume that she might not think that John Mayer is so dear after hearing “Dear John”. But what about songs that aren’t your run-off-the-mill response to love-gone-wrong? Just what did inspire Pfife Dawg to sit down and write Microphone check/1, 2/What is this/The five foot assasin with the rough neck business? And by the way, riding on the train with dough does suck.

The art of converting experience and inspiration into lyric and sound is a complicated endeavor, especially when it comes to hip-hop. While Bitches Ain’t Nothing but Hoes and Tricks may not strike a particularly nuanced chord, several hip-hop anthems tackle sensitive subjects as race relations, politics, class structure, moral uncertitude and personal identity with complicated rhyme schemes and challenging meter. And then try to add all that to a slammin’ beat. Not such an easy feat. Which of course, isn’t to say that all song subject has to heavy. “Bonita Applebaum” is still one of the greatest tracks of all time.

As we round the corner to Grammy night, several well respected BMI Grammy award-winning and nominee artists and songwriters such as RZA, Rev Run, RedOne, DJ Khaled and the Madden Brothers are sitting down for a panel discussion to dialogue about just how one goes about putting it all down on wax, “How I Wrote That Song”, Saturday, February 11. Moderated by BMI vice president Catherine Brewton, expect the panelists to discuss all aspects of crafting ditties, some of which wound up going gold. Now that’s the kind of bling that makes a king of rock. Just ask Rev Run on Saturday.

BMI’s “How I Wrote That Song” panel discussion is an annual pre-Grammy weekend event that celebrates Grammy winners and nominees, and also serves as a platform for panelists to discuss the process of writing, producing and performing hit songs. The panel has historically featured an array of music’s top-tier talent. Previous “How I Wrote That Song” participants have included will.i.am, T-Pain, NAS, Colbie Caillat, Common, T-Pain, Keri Hilson, Zac Brown, Seal, Cee Lo Green, super producers Chad Hugo (N.E.R.D., The Neptunes) and Sebastian Krys, hit-penning gurus Kara DioGuardi, Bonnie McKee, Claude Kelly and BC Jean, and more. The conversation will be moderated by Catherine Brewton, BMI Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations. BMI’s “How I Wrote That Song” is open to members of the public, ages 18 years old and up. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 day-of the panel.