Professor of Rock

Coming up next, Lost interview footage I didn’t know I had with one of the greatest band’s in recorded history. and there are Some real revelations here. An all time #1 Hit that happened because the band re recorded a song they’d already released on their album. When they put it on the album it was thought of as filler…An album track but then The genius behind their music woke up one day and knew if he had the band rerecord the song and drop 1 instrument and change the spelling of a word in the chorus it would be a hit. He was exactly right… the song soared to #1 with a totally different singer then the band had used on their singles before and it immediately had an effect on what parents would name their newborns. also exactly 25 years to the day after this song hit #1 the writer’s 2 daughters would have a #1 hit for themselves. Plus we try to solve a long term mystery about one of the most famous song ever on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We’ve all felt that pressure to act a certain way just because someone else expects it. That’s when a solid "don’t give a damn" anthem can really hit the spot, maybe even stopping you from doing something you might regret. When an artist makes it big, the tradeoff is constant scrutiny from the public, with everyone having an opinion on how they should live their life. But when you find a song that captures that feeling of frustration and defiance, it gives you a jolt of energy and strength. You feel as if that artist wrote that song, especially for you. We’re plunging into that sweet, purging spirit, with a countdown of the Top 5 "Don't Give a Damn" songs including Tom Petty’s You Don’t How It Feels that had naughty words so bad MTV played it backward making the song even bigger, and another Watching the Wheels that brought Beatle John Lennon out of retirement and one, My Life by Billy Joel that got me grounded—coming up NEXT on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today we’ve got a super-sized episode coming your way… featuring Pink Floyd's Echoes, a song so epic that it began as 24 separate songs. Songs that the band didn’t know what to do with. In fact, they called them “Nothing, Parts 1-24.” Well, when Pink Floyd did figure it out, what they had on their hand was a song so monumental that it changed the course of their entire career and rock music… jumpstarting The Dark Side of the Moon, one of the best-selling and most iconic albums of all time. But the intrigue doesn’t end there. Echoes may also have an unexpected connection to oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, a two-thousand-year-old volcanic blast, and an anti-Woodstock concert played to an empty stadium. We’ve got an incredible story from one of my all-time favorite bands, coming up… NEXT on the Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up next one of rock’s great frontmen Rob Halford of Judas Priest tells the story of the 80s classic You Got Another Thing Coming that became the mantra of hard rock and the iconic phrase actually came from a thesaurus! The song was also just a throwaway B side until it was played and became the song that brought metal to mainstream radio and to MTV and became the crown jewel of the 15 most dangerous songs that were banned by Big Brother with the PMRC... It’s the 80s underdog song that became the hard rock expression of the decade with one of the 80s biggest rock stars next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You know, I agree with a lot of music historians who have called 1984 the greatest year in music. There were a ton of great songs and albums released that year… But, after going back and reviewing the music that came out in 1985… I am not so sure that ’84 is better than ’85. You will see what I mean when we countdown the Top 10 Song of 1985 NEXT on Professor of Rock... INCLUDING a Movie song -- Don't You Forget About Me -- that was turned down by everyone except for a female-fronted rock band. But she was pregnant and couldn’t do it so she talked her husband Jim Kerr of Simple Minds into it... and Born in the USA, which is the most misinterpreted song ever, and even to this day it played for all the wrong reasons... and another #1 hit by Tears for Fears that the band admittedly ripped off the title from a rival band’s song and paid him 5 bucks for it. It’s the best of 1985 next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up next an interview you won’t be able to take your eyes off of. I tracked down a lost paragon of the 80s. Dale Bozzio from Missing Persons This interview is a train wreck in the best possible way with Bozzio a singer whose band had 3 songs that everybody knows. And Even though any 80s kid can sing along to these songs and they defined early MTV.. NONE of them were actually hits. They got really close two of them hit #42 on the charts including Destination Unknown and Words and two others hit the Hot 100 including Walking In La and were all over the radio. The funny thing is Missing Person always gets included in the greatest one-hit wonders so really you could say they came close to being a one-hit wonder four different times but they definitely left their mark with a frontwoman whose strange costumes and futuristic style made here one of the most influential personalities of the time and it almost never happened… She almost died early in her career when she fell out of a high window at a holiday inn escaping an attacker. You gotta see this! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After 4 straight #1 Albums in their Native UK and a #1 album in America that contained the #1 song of the year The Police were the biggest band in the world. And while they were at their peak they BROKE UP! Their fans were perplexed! Today we try to figure out why and tell the story of how their legendary lead singer Sting gave up a goldmine to go it alone... while taking a major gamble with his solo album and writing a hit song -- If You Love Somebody Set Them Free -- that was a therapeutic antidote and sequel to his disturbing and misunderstood smash hit Every Breath You Take. We have exclusive interviews with band members… the story is next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Music has the power to change the course of human behavior. It’s truly the best medicine for the soul. When you're stuck in a funk, frustrated with everything, and feeling like your world is falling apart, sometimes all it takes is one of your favorite feel-good songs to turn it ALLLL around. It’s magic we can’t always explain, but who needs explanations. This is actually the hardest countdown I’ve ever had to put together because there are so many worthy choices, but we’re gonna count down the Top 5 Feel Good Songs of all time, including some exclusive insight by the artists that created them… including Walking on Sunshine that was so positive it irritated Katrina and the Waves and Come Sail Away that ‘supposed to be science fiction but it actually happened and Good Vibrations that might be the most insane production ever —NEXT on Professor of Rock! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today we’re giving you a front-row seat for a behind-the-scenes look at Aerosmith, one of the most chaotic, bad-boy rock bands ever. This five-piece knew how to grab headlines for all the wrong reasons. I mean the evolution of this band’s career was a wild ride fueled by drug abuse, in-fighting, and even a toxic disdain for the lead guitarist Joe Perry’s girlfriend… In fact, one of today’s songs Sweet Emotion put that girlfriend in the crosshairs…calling her a pig with a man’s face. Another song, Janie's Got a Gun, is a haunting narrative of vigilante justice that owes its origins to a treadmill epiphany. And then there’s Back in the Saddle which features a pretend bullwhip, coconuts, and yodeling. And it was written while the guitarist was stoned out of his mind. We’ve got decades of drama, controversy and unexpected song stories that you’re not gonna want to miss… NEXT on the Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, an interview with Carlos Santana, a musical genius, a guru of the highest order, and a saint. You have to see this interview. So try to follow this if you can. Santana's biggest song of the 70s, Balck Magic Woman, was a rock classic that many people have no clue is a cover from a band that started as a blues band... but would end as one of the biggest rock bands ever when it became a completely different set of members but that’s not all. It was a cover but the guy who wrote it basically admitted that he ripped off the music from a song from the 50s. So when the cover song became a huge hit for today’s guitarist he decided to send royalties out of his now pocket to the guy who got ripped off! Today’s legend got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after several decades of legendary songs and albums and everybody thought his career was winding down and then the year after his induction he had one of the biggest albums ever including a song that was the #1 song of the year in two different years falling at the end of a decade and beginning a new one. The stories are next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You know, the best songs often come from a whirlwind of emotions—whether it's fiction, non-fiction, or somewhere in between. The heart and soul behind the lyrics are what makes them so compelling. In this episode, we're turning the spotlight on songs that were lit by frustration, anger, and even heartbreak. From Paul McCartney answering a critic who claimed a legend wrote silly songs to Carly Simon calling out a cocky lover that became the biggest mystery in the history of recorded music, to Roger Waters voicing political frustration and one that ripped a Stevie Nicks so deeply she asked her ex-lover to change the lyric but he wouldn’t and then she had to sing it next to him for decades… it’s all here! It’s a countdown of songs in the key of diss… the top 5 disses of the 70s, coming up NEXT on Professor of Rock! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up next, it's a story that you have to hear to believe. Today’s band The 5th Dimension was coming off a huge song that took ‘em to the top of the charts and won them multiple Grammies. But they needed a follow-up song to keep the momentum going. And they found it in the most peculiar place. The band’s singer left his wallet in the backseat of a taxi one night and he knew he’d never see it again. Then out of nowhere, a stranger returned the wallet to him and they got to talking and turns out the man who found his wallet was a songwriter and asked him to bring his band to see his Broadway musical. They attended the play and were blown away by several songs in it that they knew they had to put on their next album. Turns out the song wouldn’t only be a #1 hit but a transformative song in the history of music. The band tells the whole story next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s bass line broke 70s radio! It was from the song was Green Eyed Lady by the rookie band Sugarloaf, and it flew out of the gates with mysterious lyrics about a mysterious woman that took them to the top of the charts. But then just as quickly the band fell apart…Then Sugarloaf lost their record deal, not once but two times… desperate to overcome the one-hit wonder label the band re-formed and recorded a demo at a friend's studio, no record deal, just a demo. They actually recorded a song about what they were going through at the moment. it was a song about getting rejected by labels and the quest for a hit song and the song became their second hit and destroyed the one-hit wonder curse... or did they? Turns out they were in trouble with the feds when the random phone number they cited in their song ended up being the phone number to the white house! Find out next as I track down this band to find out what happened. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up…. Tom Jones, one of the greatest singers of all time, and the story of two of his classic songs that we all know by heart: It's Not Unusual and What's New Pussycat? The first one was recorded by him before anyone knew who he was… He sang it as a demo to show an icon of the time how the song should sound. When this icon heard the demo, she knew it would be a hit but his vocal was so perfect she told him he should record the song because it would be a smash and she was exactly right. Then another song became a top 5 hit and a touchstone of the swingin’ 60s but it was so bizarre when the singer heard a demo of the tune, he asked the prolific lyricist who wrote it “What in the bloody hell do you want ME to sing this for?” thinking the song was a big joke. And it kind of was but the famous musician behind it asked him to be serious and sing it with some authority… he did and it became a standard, the stories are next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Billboard Magazine called 1984 as the ‘greatest year ever in pop music.’ I don’t often agree with the music press, but I have to say that I concur with that evaluation. Some of the best singles and albums were released in ’84, including many of my all-time favorites. To celebrate that glorious, impactful year in music, we’re counting down the Ten Best Songs of 1984. Including Night Ranger's Sister Christian one where the singer let the drummer have a go at recording the vocals and it became the band’s biggest song… Another, Prince's Let's Go Crazy, is a party anthem that most people don’t realize is about God and one where Billy Joel hit a high note in the chorus that was so grand he knew he would never be able to hit the notes again and sure enough on his next tour he had to bring in a backup singer to nail it. We have many of the artists participating in this celebration of the best song of music’s best year. See if you agree with my picks, next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s band AC/DC was blowing up radio and arena when their frontman Bon Scott passed away in a most horrible fashion. The band was devastated and had no idea what was next. Little did they know that in the form of a large bell, a supernatural visit from their dead singer, and a new singer who said he could write lyrics but then battled writer's block for months this band would create the biggest-selling rock record in history: Back in Black. It has sold 50 million copies but it never went to #1 and didn’t contain any hit singles. And it had a perfectionist producer Mutt Lange who spent months recording to get just a drum sound on 1 song. But here’s the thing…even with all of those hours recording, and 15 mics capturing the sound of a large bell the band had commissioned to be the backbone of one of the album’s most famous tracks, Hell Bells... to this day AC/DC has never been able to capture the exact sound of the bell on the recording when they play it live. Coming up the story of the biggest-selling rock record ever and the uphill battle to get it right and out to the masses and trying to solve the mystery of who really wrote these classic songs the dead singer or the replacement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, back by popular demand: we’ve already done five. And now we’re doing five more. It’s another countdown of the most controversial songs from the Rock Era. Last time we covered taboo tracks by Heart, the Stones, and even the Beastie Boys. This time, we’ve got five more fiery offerings that rustled up cancel culture, provoked radio censors, and got blacklisted from the airwaves. For Frankie Goes to Hollywood's Relax, a DJ literally lifted the needle off the record mid-song because he thought the lyrics were too obscene. David Bowie's China Girl was accused of being xenophobic but was actually the opposite. And then there’s Bloodrock's DOA, a song that has to be the most disbarring single of the 70s… It was so bad that drivers were freaking out and pulling off to the side of the road while listening to it And that’s just the beginning. We’ve got five more controversial songs coming up next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Johnny Mathis, the 3rd Biggest Selling Solo Artist in History tells the story of both his Christmas album and his #1 hit Chances Are. Johnny Mathis tells how he recorded this all-time standard of the great american songbook in an exclusive interview with the Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, Wally Palmer and Mike Skill of the famous 80s rock band The Romantics set the record straight on a true mystery… First of all, they had two huge hits that everyone knows. Including one of the most recognizable riffs ever on What I Like About You. But surprisingly the song was never actually a hit! And it was a song where the drummer stepped in to sing instead of the lead singer. It got a lot of MTV and radio play but stalled at #49. Then they had a massive #1 in 1984, Talking in Your Sleep. It hit the top 3 on all of the charts: Dance, Rock, and Pop… The Romantics were poised for stardom, THEN they found out that their managers had been stealing the profits earned by the band from its records and live performance since day one. And they were entangled in a lawsuit that kept them from recording anything for 11 years. The Romantics vanished into thin air and it cost them dearly. …. Up next Wally Palmer and Mike Skill tell the story of their #1 hit and how they came back from an 11-year hiatus to reclaim their legacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up next, one of the greatest living guitarists Journey's Neal Schon tells the story of two of the 80s most famous solos: One he played the hell out of, but it was cut from the song, Who's Crying Now, when it was climbing the charts to the top 5. But angry fans called radio stations and complained so they put it back in. And another song Faithfully was so inspiring that one of the greatest guitar players and geniuses of the 80s, Prince, actually called Journey because he had written one of his greatest songs, Purple Rain. But he was afraid he might’ve subconsciously ripped off the guitar part of Faithfully, from the year prior and he asked them if they would listen to it and see. Journey graciously said it was similar but a whole new song. We have Neal Schon with us to tell the story of these two amazing songs next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The complicated story of the best-selling 12-inch single of the 1980s. New Order’s Blue Monday from 1983 would become the stuff of legend. Up next former bassist and co-founder Peter Hook on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It was a song unlike anything he’d done before—a complete departure from the rough edges and restless spirit that made him the voice of a generation. With his track Lay Lady Lay, Bob Dylan didn’t just change his sound; he flipped the script on what fans thought they knew about him. But here’s the kicker: If it were solely up to him, Lay Lady Lay wouldn’t have been released at all! Dylan begged the label not to put it out. So… what changed his mind? And what’s the real story behind the song that became one of Bob Dylan's most unforgettable? Was it about a mystery woman, or was it really meant for a public figure that shocked everyone later? It probably missed #1 because of a misunderstanding that the song was dirty. and the vocal was sped up making the icon unrecognizable plus a famous janitor helped play the drums… It’s a great story coming up next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today we’re talking lost songs, underrated classics, and B-sides that should have been A-sides… all coming from the rock’s mightiest band Led Zeppelin… It’s a mystery how some of these tracks weren’t bigger than they were. In the mix, we’re uncovering one of rock’s holy grail songs. An epic song that could have rivaled Zeppelin's most iconic tracks… But it didn’t made the cut for its album. So it was broken up and scattered across at least four other songs… so you can hear parts of it, but what does the actual song sound like and why wasn’t it released? Especially since it had the potential to be Led Zeppelin's biggest anthem… It’s an episode packed with some of the best odds and ends and hidden gems from classic rock’s most legendary band… NEXT on the Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s classic band Kansas was coming off a massive rock hit Carry On Wayward Son and album Leftoveture and needed to keep the momentum going. And the answer came in one of the most unlikely hits of the 70s, Dust in the Wind. First of all the song was a simple fingerpicking exercise that the guitarist Kerry Livgren was working on to get more limber. As he was playing it, his wife commented on how great the song was and that’s when Kerry laughed and explained it was just a simple exercise. But his wife told him he should put lyrics to it. Kerry was worried about showing the band this crazy idea, it didn’t fit their sound at all and it wasn’t even really a song! But against his better judgment, he listened to his wife and put some lyrics to it. But not just any lyrics, words from a 6000-year-old book. So he played it for the band and they all knew it had to be their next single. It was not an easy song to record though it made Kerry's fingers bleed and lead singer Steve Walsh had to pull the emotional vocal from deep in his soul. … it was a revelation… It became Kansas’s only Top 10 hit and is one of the most famous songs of all time. Up next, an interview with the band on the unbelievable story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Go to incogni.com/professorofrock, and use my code PROFESSOROFROCK (ALL CAPS) on the link below to get 60% off an annual plan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the early 80s, this Survivor co-founder Jim Peterik came home for Lunch and checked his answering machine. He couldn’t believe his ears, Sylvester Stallone asked him to call him right back. He thought it was someone trying to prank him. but when he called back it was really him… Sly Stallone wanted unknown band Survivor to write the Anthem to a sequel to one of the greatest franchises ever, Rocky 3-apparently Queen had turned down the use of their #1 hit Another Bites the Dust… In a very cool interview, Jim tells us how he and guitarist Frankie Sullivan wrote Eye of the Tiger for the opening montage of Rocky 3 when he went up against Clubber Lange (Mr. T) and went to #1 for 6 weeks because Stallone was willing to give his rookie band the chance even though they’d never had a hit. They couldn’t get the lyrics down so they ended up stealing a line from the movie and it became a classic! How they created the perfect 80s classic rock anthem that still rules. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today I’m fortunate to have a true legend with us. Neil Sedaka, part of the brill building legends! He had 12 hits by the age of 21 including one of the most memorable #1 hits of all time in Breaking Up is Hard to Do but then the Beatles came on the scene and his music went out of style in a flash. He was considered square and for over a decade he was Shut out of the charts, not only that he had to move to England to get gigs and times were so tough he had to play dives to as little as 20 people and several times had to follow strippers then one night the #1 star in the world, Elton John caught his act and hatched a plan to wage one of the greatest comebacks ever He had his first #1 hit in 12 years with Laughter in the Rain and followed that up with a duet with Elton John that was a pretty edgy for Sedaka’s Goody two shoes persona called Bad Blood and somehow it got past censors with profanity to hit #1 and Neil also became the 1st artist to remake his first #1 hit turning it into a ballad and hitting #1 again. Get ready for a great show next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Get ready for a lively blast from the past as we countdown the Top 10 One-Hit Wonders! These tracks skyrocketed to fame, only to see the artists who recorded them fade into the background of music history. From the band Kajagoogoo whose lead singer took them to #1 and then they canned him to Autograph who were a bunch of drinking buddies who jammed on weekends got a chance to open for the #1 band on the planet because their drummer was jogging buddies with their lead singer to a song by Nena that the label refused to release because it was in a different language until a DJ accidentally played it and it lit up phones lines… So they hurried and did an English translation but the foreign language one did better. We have great stories and interviews… NEXT..on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next we’re going to go go behind the top 10 songs of this VERY same week from the year 1986. 38 years ago. Once again we will re rank them based on their performance since and we have some Insightful artist interviews… In this chart we Have what may be the most unlikely #1 hit of the decade as well as the biggest hit of 1987 battling it out as well as a couple of great songs that didn’t even make the top 10 that year that years later have been massive find out what the real #1 song is next. Is it Bon Jovi, Bruce Hornsby and the Range, the Bangles, Toto, Journey, Huey Lewis, Billy Idol or a one hit wonder? Find out next on our hit song redux! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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It’s the age-old tale… Toto didn’t think much of their song Africa and it became a huge hit. But this one is totally nuts because it was written on a $16,000 instrument that only 3 people in the world could actually play. And it was written about a place the singer had never been. And it has become the ultimate pop culture punchline. Africa came from flipping through National Geographic and it almost didn’t make the album. And to make matters worse, the lead singer had a tough time pronouncing the words of the chorus, and on the recording half of the singers sang the wrong lyrics. So you actually have 2 different lyrics being sung. Get the real story straight from Toto, next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I try to keep it positive here guys, but every now and then I have to look at songs and artists from a different perspective. And the truth is even the greatest artists can write a stinker. So today we venture into the age-old conundrum... When Bad Songs happen to great artists. And you’re going to have a heyday here. Including a Paul McCartney song that is so annoying that it causes angry convulsions. Another by Heart that they erased from their history. One that was written for Celine Dion and then given to Aerosmith and it became their biggest hit ever. And another that tries so hard to be deep it’s boring. We’re gonna push the envelope a bit on this episode, with a thought-provoking list of '5 Bad Songs by Great Artists’ NEXT…on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How would you like it if you wrote a masterpiece with some pretty deep lyrics and it failed? But then another band cut the song and made it a #1 smash, but then botched your lyrics so badly that it turned the words into a big joke that people are still laughing at today! The lyric in question was from Bruce Springsteen's Blinded by the Light, and it was about a bada$$ hot rod. But the words were so BOTCHED by Manfred Mann's singer Chris Thompson, that it turned the hot rod into a lyric about a hygiene product for private parts!. It became arguably the funniest punchline in rock and one of the most notorious misheard lyrics ever… but the story is even better. And in the end, Bruce Springsteen is still laughing about it... decades after laughing all the way to the bank. The story is next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, another great song mystery. It’s a famous song everyone knows: House of the Rising Sun. But Nobody really knows who wrote it or what it’s specifically about. Today we have a special guest to help us solve it, The Animals Eric Burdon. It was either about a hooker or a prisoner. It’s centuries old but became a #1 hit when the lead singer of today’s Hall of Fame band covered it and may have invented a whole new genre with it. They were also the first British invasion band to wrestle #1 away from the Beatles who had dominated the top spot week after week and in the end, this singer didn’t really get paid for this song since he wasn’t listed as an arranger on the song. Also, other hilarious stories from this legend on several other classic hits from this band is next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You are never gonna believe this story! Today’s legend Joan Jett was rejected 23 times by labels. When she finally made it, Joan had a song she wanted to do that she knew would be a smash hit: I Love Rock n Roll. She saw it performed on TV in her hotel room when she was touring with her band... Joan was so blown away she made a vow that she would cover it… The thing is I Love Rock n Roll took 6 years because it was rejected by her band time and again. And then when it was finally recorded it was released as a B side not once but twice. When Joan went solo, She re-recorded it and this time put it out as an A SIDE. It was a #1 smash… It's one of the biggest rock songs ever. Get the story next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, it's the untamed story of the Southern rock anthem Midnight Rider which was born in a farmhouse outside of Macon, Georgia. The artist The Allman Brothers' Gregg Allman penned most of it in under an hour, but when he hit a wall with the crucial third verse, inspiration ceased. Refusing to let the moment slip away, Gregg did the unthinkable. In the dead of night, with nowhere open and his creative fire blazing, he called on the band's trusty roadie. Together, they ACTUALLY broke into a recording studio to capture the magic before it faded. Breaking and entering might be a crime. But in this case, it was a necessary step in the fulfillment of his destiny. One that was part of a journey packed with triumph and heartbreak to create one of the greatest rock songs ever…It all unfolds NEXT on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There is something about an opening lyric that can make or break a song. And as a lyricist, when you get it right, it launches your song into the stratosphere. For today’s show, we’re paying homage to some of the most gripping opening lines of the rock era… written by master wordsmiths. We’ll tell the stories of their songs and where their inspiration came from… including Jackson Browne who found his muse when his car broke down in the desert and had to hitchhike home and inspired him to write Take It Easy for the Eagles. Then there's Roger Waters and David Gilmour of Pink Floyd with the greatest lyric and guitar combo in history. Roger, who was haunted by a bandmate Syd Barrett's ghost. There’s also the Ramones who copy-catted one of the first boy bands and their bubblegum hit with one of the best rockers of the time. And U2's Bono who couldn’t stand to sing his own iconic opening lyric... thinking it was cheesy but it became the masterpiece of The Joshua Tree. We’ve got some killer stories coming up… NEXT on the Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s band Boston REVITALIZED Rock in the Disco era when some thought Rock was dead and buried. Their first two albums lit up the charts and knocked disco down. But then it took 8 years for their 3rd album to come out because of a lawsuit with their label. Boston beat the big bad label in the lawsuits, but as we all know 8 years in the music industry is a lifetime. And by the time they put out their record, the musical landscape had completely changed. And to make matters worse, someone leaked a rough demo of their new song Amanda to radio months before it was supposed to come out. But then Boston did the unthinkable. Their leaked single Amanda went straight to number one as did their album. And they ruled the mid-80s just like they did the 70s. It is a great story filled with a few surprises next on Processor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up… it’s a countdown of the Top 5 hit resurrections of the Rock Era! These are the songs that made it into the upper reaches of the charts not once, but twice—on separate campaigns. Our list includes a Queen song about a homicidal cowboy that lingered in a legend's mind for years before being recorded, a Righteous Brothers track where the lead vocal was decided by a coin toss, a controversial Benny Mardones ballad about a 16-year-old that had radio programmers sweating, a Prince song so ingeniously full of metaphors, it managed to slip by the moral majority, and a timeless classic sung by Chubby Checker who cut the session short because he to go race back to his house and do his homework. The countdown is NEXT on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You won't believe today's story. The story of the hit rock classic Kryptonite straight from the band, 3 Doors Down. When today’s lead singer Brad Arnold was 15 years old, he was in the middle of his high school math class bored as could be. And so he wrote a song called Kryptonite. That song would later be recorded by his band 3 Doors Down, made up of his school chums. And then they would beg the local radio station for a year to play their rough demo. When the radio station finally did, Kryptonite blew up and went to #1. One day Brad was driving a forklift and virtually the next day he was at #1. And it would launch of the most successful rock bands of their time. And it all came from a silly song he wrote in math class as a freshman… Coming up next, the interview and story from two of the nicest guys in rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, interviews with two legends that we’ve lost over the last few years. One was one of the most successful songwriters in history: Lamont Dozier. Giving Lennon and McCartney all the competition they could handle at their peak. And another was Duke Fakir, the last remaining member of the hall-of-fame music group the Four Tops. Together they tell the story behind several of their biggest hits including their first #1 I Can’t Help Myself (Sugarpie Honeybunch), which came from this famous songwriter’s grandpa and the pet names he used to FLIRT with the women who would come by to get their hair cut by his wife…After it hit #1 the band’s former label put out their early material to capitalize on their popularity and steal their new label’s thunder. So The Tops needed a good follow-up single to head off the threat. And so they took this I Can’t Help Myself and played it backwards putting new lyrics to it. Then the named it The Same Old Song. It hit the top 5 and was almost a carbon copy! See what I mean next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, a snapshot of international supergroup ABBA in 1976, with two massive hits on the horizon... Fernando and Dancing Queen. Yet they made a choice no one saw coming. Fernando was a reworking of a song originally written by ABBA's manager for one of their singer’s solo careers. The principal writers of ABBA wanted the band to record it but they didn’t care for his lyrics. So they rewrote it. The other song Dancing Queen was inspired by a smash that opened the gates for an entire musical movement and later science would prove that it is the happiest song ever recorded. … But Why did This Group pick one song over the other? And what impact did it have on their legacy? We explore the surprising decision to sit on a song that made one of their lead singers burst into tears because She knew would be their biggest hit in favor of another more complex one… that may have been code for a man who saved them from an earthquake …Huh? Don’t worry you’ll get it soon… It's next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Be sure to use my code ROCK100 to get free steaks for a year + $100 off your box! This offer expires soon, so don’t miss out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Coming up next… REO Speedwagon's I Can't Fight This Feeling was a classic #1 that took 10 years to get together. It sat on the shelf for a decade because today’s legendary guest Kevin Cronin had no clue how to finish it. He had no idea what the song meant.. so one day, desperate for a hit and desperate to finish it, Kevin decided to bring in another iconic singer-songwriter to help him. But right before he was supposed to come, this singer got pissed. What the hell does this song mean… And in that second, Kevin realized that the opening line should be the chorus and title of the song and it all came together…what had taken 10 years now took mere minutes to finish and it became a #1 smash…but Kevin admits that He has taken a lot of Crap over the years for a cheesy lyrics that still haunts him. Get the hilarious story straight from the icon next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next we’re going to Go Go behind the top 10 songs of this VERY same week from the year 1987. One of my favorite years in music. 37 years ago. We are going to re-rank them based on their performance since then and you’ll be shocked at what artists we have interviews with trickled in. Who do you think has the #1 song? George Michael, Guns N Roses, Sting, or Belinda Carlisle, Let’s find out… Well, we’re going to find out that Payola stopped a couple of great bands from going top 10 like Pink Floyd’s Learning to Fly and the Cure's Just Like Heaven. But today we right that wrong and we see what the real top 10 is. Today on the Hit Song Redux. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Make sure to get Bad Company on vinyl and listen to it here: https://lnk.to/BCHifi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s episode is a bottled lightning two-for-one. Singer Freddy Curci had Two chart-topping tracks though his bands vanished into thin air shortly after. One with the band Sheriff called When I’m With You went to #1 in 1989 and one with Alias called More Than Words Can Say that hit #2 the very next year in 1990. So two massive hits with the same singer but two completely different bands.. He also set a Guinness World Record when he held the last note out for nearly 20 seconds. He had a #1 hit in 1989 and then another million seller the very next year. It’s a lot to unravel, but it’s really cool. We’re bringing you the rare story of two bands, one singer, and two-1 hit wonders, coming up... NEXT on the Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up next iconic singer-songwriter Johnny Rzeznik shares the story of one of the biggest songs in history: Iris. He was going through one of the worst periods of his live. Johnny was in the middle of a heartbreaking divorce. He had a horrible case of writer’s block and he was so low he was on the verge of quitting his own band, the Goo Goo Dolls. He felt hopeless. So he left his home in New York and ran away to Los Angeles to hide away from it all, holding up in a hotel. Just then a major film, City of Angels, recruited Rzeznik to write a song for the soundtrack and that's when inspiration struck. He felt the song Iris coming through him when he broke 2 strings on his guitar. He just kept playing through the adversity because he knew he had something special. When it was done, Johnny knew he just written a smash… it was touched by a higher power especially when he recorded it. Iris would become one of the biggest songs ever and save his career and his life. Up next this legend shares the story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In ’66, the Beatles introduced the world to a character so mysterious, that her name alone sparked curiosity and speculation... Eleanor Rigby. Who was she? Where did she come from? And why did she captivate the imagination of millions? This haunting, string-laden track from a seminal album wasn't just a song—it was the beginning of a musical enigma. Did Paul McCartney make up the name or did he steal it from a gravestone? And who wrote the song? The most famous songwriting duo ever - Lennon-McCartney - got into a nasty argument through the press about it. The story is coming up, NEXT on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.