Sara Bareilles wrote her huge hit song "Love Song" reluctantly because her label wanted her to

This would normally be unremarkable, because record labels push their artists to write certain kinds of songs all the time. However, knowing this changes the meaning of the song entirely. Check out the chorus of the song: 

I'm not gonna write you a love song 

'Cause you asked for it 

'Cause you need one, you see 

I'm not gonna write you a love song 

You previously might've thought that it referred to a jilted lover that wanted to hear a love song from Sara. The person she's singing to is actually a record label executive who told her she needed to write a love song to prove that she could write "marketable hits." This apparently gave her the drive and passion to write her song!

(Source)