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Song Stories

“Cobrastyle”

Robyn | 2008

The Swedish group Teddybears first recorded this reggae-rap song, but for her version Robyn came along and transformed it into an electronic one. For someone who makes pop records, the Swedish singer admitted her influences are steeped in harder sounds. "I think the biggest lyrical inspiration for this album was going back to when I was like 15 and on the subway listening to hip-hop," Robyn said. "Back then, because I didn't know many people in Sweden who knew about rap, it was like my own music world where the lyrics were very direct."

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Song Stories

“I'm Yours”

Jason Mraz | 2008

Jason Mraz re-emerged after his disappointing second album with this lead single, a Jack Johnson-esque ditty about giving yourself fully to someone else. The success of the reggae-tinged song (it earned two Grammy nods and a spot on the Billboard singles chart for well over a year) was something the folk-pop singer never predicted when he wrote it in 15 minutes at home. "I played a happy-hippie chord progression that would probably work without 50 different Bob Marley songs," he told Rolling Stone. "I thought, 'It's too novelty. This is a nursery rhyme,'" concluding that "you can never guess what's gonna be a hit."

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