Professor of Rock

Coming up...The story of two brothers who lost their father to the gun of a drifter when they were mere toddlers. Gregg and Duane Allman lost their father at an early. age. They learned how to make music and formed a band together as teenagers that would become the stuff of legends… the Allman Brothers Band. They would rule rock radio and help invent southern rock as know it. In the 70s the band was on the verge of a huge national breakout when the eldest brother, Duane Allman the guitarist was killed in a motorcycle accident. Younger brother Gregg & the other surviving bandmates including Dickie Betts overcame their deep despair- finding the inspiration to carry on WITHIN the music of their fallen leader...and channeling the ghost.. of a legend…in a song that would become their only pop hit … Ramblin’ Man...The tragedy & triumph surrounding a 70s rock classic 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, the story behind an absolute classic of Rock told by its iconic singer. Joy to the World by Three Dog Night became the #1 song of 1971. Chuck Negron who was one of their singers at the time sang those perfect opening lyrics….4 words that would change everything. Jeremiah was a bullfrog. and the rest is history. The song was actually a discarded song from a silly kid’s show that failed. In fact, the band wanted nothing to do with it and turned the song down several times before Chuck Negron finally got it. It’s probably the most familiar and beloved four words ever sung in a pop record This story is one you have to hear to believe, It was written by an actor who was in one of the 80s big movies. In fact, this actor’s mother also wrote a number one hit, the 1st #1 hit for Elvis Presley. the only mother-son to accomplish that in history. Both Danny Hutton the last remains original active member of Three Dog Night and Chuck Negron who sang the original recording share their takes in an exclusive interview. 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.

In 1983 at the height of MTV #1 female rocker Pat Benatar took POP radio hostage with this explosive anthem…Love is a Battlefield. Today I sit down with the famous co-writer of this classic…Holly Knight... It started out when her legendary songwriting partner, Mike Champman blurted out a weird title and then the 2 songwriters sat across from each other with a swimming pool between them and shot a paper airplane across the pool with each writing a line each time and flying it across until they finished the song… Luckily it didn’t fall in the pool! In the end, Holly felt one of the key lyrics sounded like a car commercial… the song certainly lived up to that magnitude as it became Pat Benatar’s signature hit and the video ruled MTV. The story is 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… In 1985 legendary band Genesis took some time off when their lead singer Phil Collins was working on his solo album No Jacket Required. So the band's other prolific songwriter and guitarist Mike Rutherford started his own band… He called it Mike and the Mechanics. They recruited two different singers Paul Young and Paul Carrack and out of nowhere they had a hit album that contained 3 big hits: All I Need is a Miracle, Taken In, and today’s song Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground) which went to #1. This massive hit was renamed when it was chosen to be in a 1986 movie called Choke Canyon… This song is so eerie and satisfyingly creepy it’s found new life time and again since the 80s. It’s such a freaking cool song. Years later it was banned from radio during the gulf war for truly dumb reasons. TODAY WE HAVE THE story from an interview I did with its Singer… One of the greatest singers ever and a man who’s had hits with many different bands including his own solo stuff. The Story of this Eerie Apocalyptic #1 rock hit from 1986 hit that predicted what’s happening right now is 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… Another helping from Two of rock and roll’s greatest storytellers. Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman wrote the biggest 60s and 70s hits when they were part of the Guess Who...They had already had a couple of hits with These Eyes and Laughing when they released a monster record in the early 70s American Woman that included two #1 hits and a top 5. They were American Woman and No Sugar Tonight and No Time. Randy Bachman wrote a dear john letter to his girlfriend and decided that it might work as a song so he put one of the most recognizable guitar licks to it that he admits he lifted from another band of the time. The story of a 70s rock standard is told by two legends next as well as a run-in with a legend when he was a kid 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.

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Today’s aspiring songwriters and lovers were so dirt poor that at times they struggled to even feed themselves. Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were down and out before the joined Mick Fleetwood…Just between them, they couldn’t even afford a bed frame and slept on a mattress on the floor. as it turns out, that would be a key memory years later… after they had sold millions of records with one of the biggest bands of the 70s, Fleetwood Mac,. Penned by the enchanted songstress Stevie Nicks, today’s track is a bittersweet, nostalgic look back at the days before her meteoric rise to fame Gypsy barley missed the top 10 but epitomizes what Fleetwood Mac is all bout. The song begs the question was she better off as a struggling songwriter than a global superstar? It’s a rags to riches throwback track, that comes with some other unexpected tie ins as well… including the tragic death of a close friend and an ill-advised marriage to that friends husband that happened for all the wrong reasons. The story is 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, an interview with one of the 80s great hitmakers. The most successful duo of the rock era, Daryl Hall and John Oates Everything they touched turned to Gold and Platinum. Here, John Oates tells the story of a number-one hit from the mid-80s that came at the crossroads of Analog and digital… Out of Touch, it was their final #1 hit after ruling the neon decade with 11 hits, and this one was one of their biggest and they almost gave it away. To put it all in perspective this song was actually a huge accident. Also on this same 1984 record, they had another hit where they spelled the chorus and if you were anything like me you were a little thrown by this… 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…A story of scorned passion…revenge, and arson. It sounds like a film noir thriller, but it was actually an innocent 2-minute song called Norwegian Wood by a little band called the Beatles! The song was based on a cheating husband (John Lennon) whose finished masterpiece managed to offend one of the most influential artists of the Rock Era and change the landscape of popular music for generations to come. It was from the greatest band ever that some critics then and now called the first boy band bashing them over their first few hits like She Loves You Ya Ya Ya… Well, this was the song that turned them into popular music’s Michaelangelos! They set the course for music and decades later everyone is still trying to match them. There’s only one band that could create such a storm of melodrama. Including Paul McCartney taking some credit and George Harrison’s latter feud with Lennon over a writing credit. Find out all the details 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 The Electric story of one of the 70s greatest masterpieces. Bennie and the Jets by Elton John. A song that was truly a happy accident… as Elton stuttered a word in the chorus and it became the best part of the song… along with some misheard lyrics that most have been singing incorrectly for years. It was a hodge podge of Glam rock and fantasy to create a song that Elton was pissed off at the label for releasing over a single that He thought would be the big hit. As you’ll find out next it just so happens that the label and the artist were both right. The story is 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.

When Bad Songs Happen to Great Bands… Did one of the greatest bands of all time, the Beach Boys release one of the worst songs of all time in Kokomo? Today we’re telling the story of that chart-topping hit that polarized music fans. You’ve seen our #1 in Our Hearts episodes? Well, today’s episode could be the reverse of that. it’s made too many Worst Song of All-Time lists to count! How could one of the most iconic and creative bands in American pop history commit one of the 80s greatest musical sins? Well, the legendary genius Brian Wilson, Who wrote most of their material had nothing to do with it... Further, it was a big comeback #1 for a band that had been down and out since Brian, their musical leader had been MIA for years. Plus the shenanigans of Mike Love and his infamous Rock Hall of Fame speech! This one’s gonna be fun… Maybe you love the song it maybe you hate it. Let’s see 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. It may be the most famous opening monologue from a classic song ever …a brave sermon every 80s kid knows by heart. Prince Let’s Go Crazy, the #1 smash from the Purple Rain Soundtrack that blew up 1984. Just by its first few words: Dearly Beloved we are gathered here today to get through this thing called Life! Let’s Go Crazy is a high-energy, savage synth-rock masterpiece that will have you up on your feet the moment it hits. The only thing is, it may not be the straight-up party song you think it is. In fact, if you missed the cues in the intro, you may have missed its coded message entirely. Sung by one of music’s most enigmatic and controversial superstars, the purple one, He was already a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. but this time he went beyond even that…And strangely enough, this 80s smash would prove to be prophetic as Prince was found dead in the very place he described in the song… once you hear this story it will bring a whole new meaning to the song 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, a star-studded event with a diverse group of legends telling the story behind one of the Biggest movie soundtracks of the 80s. Footloose. It was one of only 5 albums to hit #1 the year it came out. A record that still stands and as a soundtrack it had 6 top 40 hits Footloose by Kenny Loggins, Let’s Hear it For the Boy by Deniece Williams, Almost Paradise by Mike Reno of Loverboy and Ann Wilson of Heart who we have interviews with to tell the story. The other hits were Dancing in the Sheets by Shalamar, Holding Out for a Hero by Bonnie Tyler and Heaven Helps the Man by Kenny Loggins, 3 of these songs hit the top 10 and 2 went all the way to #1. And the screenwriter, Dean Pitchford had a hand in all of them! There are so many great stories hear. There’s the top 10 duet that almost didn’t happen because one singer broke her hand. She had to sing without pain pills and first met her duet partner when they sang the first take which became the record! And then 2 of the #1 hit were pitted against each other for an Oscar. Find out who, plus an appearance by Kevin Bacon! 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.

Two of most cerebral rockers and known perfectionists Donald Fagen and Walter Becker AKA Steely Dan, just knew they had a song for their debut album with Hit potential. It was called Reeling in the Years and was a bitter retort against Donald’s girlfriend who had ripped his heart out so he wrote a “get even” song that was missing one little thing... it lacked vibrancy and passion. So, the duo followed a deep gut feeling that they needed to bring in a musician that would provide the spark they desperately needed. Up next the story of a hired gun who stepped into a recording studio in Santa Monica to pull a song out of the doldrums and turn it into one of the greatest guitar tracks of all time, one that Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin called his favorite ever and one that became a 70s classic from their 1973 classic album Can’t Buy a Thrill 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 the Mike Reno singer from the 80s rock band Loverboy breaks down one of their signature songs. It rocked the 80s. It’s a song that put ‘em on the map and started their rise to play stadiums. Mike Reno and guitarist Paul Dean met at a warehouse where the guitarist was jamming with his new band. Reno asked if he could belt out a few songs and it was so electrifying the two decided to collaborate right then and their! After they had this first hit some people read a little bit too deeply into the lyrics and claimed the song was about sadomasochism and bondage. This shocked the singer… The band clearly didn’t write it about this but now it’s become lumped in with that. The interview and 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.

Paul Simon wrote the title track to the best-selling album of 1970, 71, and 72 as half of one of the biggest groups of the Rock Era, Simon and Garfunkel When the duo broke up, he embarked on a very successful solo career that burned hot through the 70s. But by the early 80s, his star had cooled, and he dug deep within his artistic soul for inspiration that took him to a faraway continent… Africa. He called it Graceland! It re-energized his career and became one of the most acclaimed of the 80s and one of the most controversial. Coming up, the story of the lead single You Can Call Me Al... which came from someone calling this legend the wrong name twice at a dinner party. The song actually failed until he created one of the funniest music videos ever with Mr. Chevy Chase. 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.

No way in hell was Jim Kerr and Simple Minds going to record today’s featured song… (a future #1 hit from an iconic 80s’ film.) Don’t You (Forget About Me) for the movie The Breakfast Club. They wanted nothing to do with it. They didn’t care if it was a lock. It was band policy… they only recorded songs they wrote themselves. End of story. In fact, they turned down this track six times. Finally, the songwriters Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff, desperate for them to sing it, had the movie’s director, John Hughes arrange a private screening… Simple Minds consented to watch The Breakfast Club and after that, they recorded the track. Turns out they rocked it. But stubborn as ever, they disowned it when it went Top 10 around the world. Come on, would these guys ever like this song? You know the rest of us sure did. Stick around for a great story 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, it’s the remarkable story of a #1 rock song from 1984 that was written on the porcelain throne. ya the Yes #1 classic rock standard, Owner of a Lonely Heart was written by Trevor Rabin while sitting on the pot In fact, Trevor said he wasn’t ashamed to sing in the loo. well, it’s hard to argue with the results. But even more importantly, this song was instrumental in bringing one of the greatest prog-rock bands of the 70s back from the dead and into the 80s. After years of being broken up, the founding members including Chris Squire and singer Jon Anderson, plus some new faces including producer Trevor Horn all converged around this song… giving them a new lease on life and a new musical direction. And to help us tell the story, we’ve got exclusive interviews with the iconic frontman Jon Anderson who co-wrote and sang this song… as well as some behind the scenes insight from the legendary record man Phil Carson who helped reunite this band. You’re not going to want to say “no” to this one. 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.

Roger Hodgson grew up a happy boy but then his parents sent him away to a punishing boarding school. He put this horrendous experience and his search for sanity into an all-time 70s classic called The Logical Song. When he brought it to his band Supertramp a key member, Rick Davies hated it… but an adventurous recording session gave the song a true uniqueness including a strange instrument he Bought for a few bucks, as well as recording the iconic sax in a men’s room and adding a cool sound effect from one of the first handheld video games... In the end, the drummer made a 10-dollar bet with Roger Hodgson that the record Supertramp Breakfast In America would go top ten… the drummer won the bet in a big way when the album sold 20 million copies this amazing 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.

It should’ve been the zenith of his career… On a fateful night backstage in Knoxville, Tennessee in the summer of ’77… Instead…it was a coup de grace that led to his exit from the supergroup he helped create. Randy Meisner of the Eagles was allegedly too sick to sing his encore spotlight classic rock hit Take it To The Limit with its legendary high note finale. He and Glenn Frey got into a shouting match backstage on the Hotel California tour that night and it got really ugly when Randy punched Glenn in the face. Police tried to break it up but Don Henley called them off. The story behind the song that was the crowning achievement for one of the most beautiful voices of the 70s, and the infamous incident that centered around one of the most recognizable songs in Classic Rock history that sealed this artist’s fate as a member of one of America’s greatest bands… and a tribute to the late country-rock pioneer who’s high harmony helped bring so much depth to Eagles classics like Take It Easy and Witchy Woman 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 next, a very special interview that I was over the moon to get.. Mike Ness of Social Distortion. This Rock Icon released his debut album in the early 80s... It was self-funded, but then his career would take a long 5 year hiatus as he became homeless, sleeping on friends' couches while Struggling with addiction, and was even in and out of jail… He took these real-life born-to-lose experiences and released a classic album with three huge singles that took him from Homeless to Hit status with 2 straight gold records. Story of My Life and Ball and Chain and then a punk cover of Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire. He’s since become the heir to the Man in Black by way of punk and rockabilly. Up next this icon tells us his 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.

James Hetfield was exhausted from a world tour and to make matters worse he missed his girl so in a burst of inspiration he wrote an extremely vulnerable song called Nothing Else Matters that was hell bent on no one EVER hearing… Later his bandmates in Metallica happened upon this personal song and tried to talk him into recording it for their next record…but he wanted no part of it. Get this… He was convinced the song would make the band's fans HURL. Find out what happened next and how the song became Metallica's biggest song ever and how it propelled the Black album to the top of the charts 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….the story of a song that epitomizes the powerful effect of music on the human soul. Leader of the Band by the late great Dan Fogelberg. He didn’t compose it to be hit…it wasn’t even a conscious thought… it just fell out of this gifted singer songwriter. It’ was bold, It was real and deeply vulnerable. So much so that Dan Fogelberg had no intention of releasing it. Certainly not as as single. Unlike most rockstars who rebel against their parents. this artist wrote a heartfelt tribute to his father Lawrence Fogelberg. one day he actually showed it to his dad and he broke down. Later he decided to put the song out there when his dad became sick. It be same his most important work and his father got to witness it march up the charts just before he passed. the story of the song that opened up a dialogue between father’s and sons the world over. 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.

Although He would become one of the biggest-selling male artists of his time, Bryan Adams failed for years… Missing the charts time and again. But this rookie rocker was brash and unrelenting, and even had enough swagger to convince one of the greatest frontmen of all time to sing backup on his album…For FREE And that may have made all the difference. Because that record propelled him to superstar status. Along with his co-writer Jim Vallance, Bryan Adams took Cuts Like A Knife toward the top of the charts with 3 big hits including Straight From The Heart, Cuts Like A Knife, and This Time and he never looked back. Plus, we tell the unexpected story of how he mumbled his way to his breakout, today’s featured track, and give you the lowdown on the secret to his songwriting success. It’s all 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.

One of the greatest Power anthems in rock history was actually sort of written by this legendary band’s fans! Queen and We Will Rock You was inspired by the band’s fans and the band wanting to include them. The legendary singer/guitar duo of Freddie Mercury and Brian May wrote a song that would unite the masses and It began as live improvisation and even though it has one of the biggest driving beats ever it doesn’t actually contain drums! It’s all natural. once you see this song story you’ll never hear the song the same way again… Finally when Queen was recording it, one of the most infamous bands in history kept interrupting them and their frontman made fun of their Freddie Mercury but he would have the last laugh creating a song that would blow everyone away the story is 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 an interview with a mysterious new wave band name the Motels who haunted the first half of the 80s with 4 hits including the 1983 #1 hit that is so exotic, so strange it defies meaning. Suddenly Last Summer. The year before that they had another huge hit called Only the Lonely and both songs are truly haunting. I’ve actually waited for years to find out the stories behind their hits and we demystify them next with 2 original members including the singer Martha Davis and we find out why this iconic group disappeared from music for 22 years. 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 with an 80s artist whose signature song has become a teenage anthem for the outcasts and a quintessential 80s classic… Nik Kershaw and his teenage anthem Wouldn’t It Be Good. It was recorded for his debut album and the song was so big it put the rookie on the biggest live stage in the world in front of billions of people at Live Aid including playing with many of his heroes… and then the next year his song was re-recorded by a former member of Three Dog Night, Danny Hutton. But the band was called something else, Danny Hutton Hitters and he had an unknown sing lead… so many didn’t make the connection. That version was used in a pivotal scene in the iconic 80s film Pretty in Pink and the song was all over the radio again… Up next we have both of these artists take on this song and try to find out why the movie didn’t just use the original hit instead of a remake. It’s a fun one 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.

Up next… an interview with Kevin Cronin, the frontman about an 80 rock classic that is on the short list of greatest opening lines ever. Heard it from a friend who, heard it from a friend who, heard it from another you’ve been messing around. Yep, it’s Take it On the Run by 80s rock legend REO Speedwagon and it helped the band hit #1 for 15 weeks on the charts It’s become a part of 80s lore. A song everyone knows by heart… 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 off one of the most ground-breaking albums of the early 80s in The Hurting, today’s featured duo, Tears for Fears really upped the ante for their 1985 follow-up Songs from the Big Chair. True titans of rock and pop, nobody was bigger that year. And the echoes of today’s featured song still shake us…Shout not only went to #1 it became A key track that would have the arenas chanting along in unison, and the song was intended to be nothing more than an interesting album cut. In fact, it was just a repetitive chorus, and the song’s composer, singer Roland Orzabal was reluctant to even finish it. But his bandmates including his other half Curt Smith, knew it would be a worldwide hit It took some convincing, and a whole lot of time to finish: The longest process of the band’s career. and it’s a good thing too because it led to another #1 hit called Everybody Wants to Rule the World and an inside joke inside the song about a music exec bullying the band to cut 5 seconds off of it to make it radio-friendly. The story is 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.

Back in 1984, today’s featured band was teetering on the brink of extinction… After crushing it with four straight landmark LPs in the 70s, everything went sideways for the rock band Heart led by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson to start the neon decade. Band members quit, three albums failed to deliver, and their record company kicked them to the curb. Word on the street was they had lost their mojo. In fact, five labels in a row took a hard pass on them. And they really wondered if their careers were over. Then miraculously, they were given one last chance… and they had to make the best of this chance. They had arguably the greatest female voice to deliver the songs in Ann Wilson but their first #1 came from the backup singer slash guitarist sister Nancy who never sang lead. and she got a distinct vocal performance because she was sick… In fact, she tried to re-record when she got better and it wasn’t the same… Find out how this band pulled off a miracle comeback in the strangest way. 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 WORST SONG OF ALL TIME… it’s a question that’s been asked and answered a million times It’s been voted on. it’s been the subject of intense debate. Well, today’s song has been part of most of the polls out there… We Built This City by Starship. In many of these lists, it’s always #1. yet this song continues to drive our culture decades later…we still can’t resist its charm.” Written by Elton John’s Lyricist Bernie Taupin and up-and-comer Martin Page and given to Mickey Thomas and Grace Slick who kill on it. Most critics hated it because it came from Starship who was once Jefferson Starship who was once Jefferson Airplane and they felt the new band had sold out with a middle-of-the-road pop hit… This history of it is very interesting. The story of a #1 smash from the 80s from both the co-writer and lead singer and why this song still moves the needle 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.

He was a left-handed virtuoso that loved science fiction, parakeets, and getting high…But not everything about this Jimi Hendrix was as it seemed. Since his untimely death, there are myths galore about his life, and some strange fiction that helped inspire one of rock’s most influential tracks… the 60s classic Purple Haze. We sift through the different theories from a stalker kidnapping a victim to a visionary dream and on and on from a virtuoso who hated his singing voice so much he could barely record it. The story its 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’re going to go behind the Top 10 songs of this very same week from the year 1986. If you need a break from the sheer insanity of the 2020s, we’ve got you covered. We’re hopping into the DeLorean and returning to the golden era of rock. After counting down the Top 10 songs from 37 years ago, we’re re-ranking them according to how much the world has listened to them since. So by the end, we’ll have an entirely new Top 10 for you. This time around countdown contenders include multiple movie soundtrack hits including Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins a comeback single from legendary band the Moody Blues with In Your Wildest Dreams who found new life in the neon decade, and not one, but two heavy-weight rivalries between iconic bands and their former frontmen Including Van Halen with Sammy Hagar vs. David Lee Roth solo... You’re not going to want to miss one. It’s all 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.

They were likely Rock’s first supergroup and it all started when these virtuosos who went by the name of CREAM starring Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker all took in a Jimi Hendrix concert, and the bassist Jack Bruce was so juiced with inspiration by what he saw, he went home and created one of rock music’s most familiar and magical riffs. Sunshine of Your Love One that gets stuck in your head for days and that’s a good thing. However when they showed the guaranteed hit to the label head, legend Ahmet Ertegun he hated it. He thought it was crap. Some famous artists outside of the band had to talk him into putting it out. The supergroup was only together for a couple of years and they almost killed each other but their music will last a millennia creating genres and subgenera’s in the process. The story is 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.

Making a comeback is a punishing challenge. In the entertainment business, it is extremely difficult, if not utterly impossible. But the Bee Gees beat ASTRONOMICAL ODDS by mounting a successful comeback not once, not twice but an amazing THREE times and on the third comeback they had to do it twice.. once in the UK and then again in American with two different songs. Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb and Robin Gibb were the biggest band in the world and then Vanished from the charts for a decade. They didn’t have a hit for 10 years! The ruled the 70s with the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack with hits like Staying Alive and How Deep Is Your Love and then were pushed out by tastemakers but their hit You Win Again gave them a #1 hit in 1987 in the Uk and One a top 10 in America in 1989. 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.

Sibling rivalry, band-member infighting, and an ongoing wrestle for creative control all led to the break up of today’s featured band. Creedence Clearwater Revival... Theirs was a bottled lightning career, but they were no one hit-wonder. In fact, they kicked out 9 Top 10 hits in the space of two years… John Fogerty and his band never landed a #1, but they did have a record 5 #2 hits. Today’s song was certainly worthy of a #1. It is a true standard of the rock canon. It was also prophetic… predicting the collapse of this illustrious band. Have You Ever Seen the Rain predicted what was about to happen. But only Fogerty knew what it meant. The rest of the guys had no idea. Find out how one of the biggest bands in the world went from clear blue skies to pouring rain almost overnight and then they were gone forever… 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, a tale about legendary singer songwriter Jackson Browne who wrote plenty of entries in the great American songbook including a deeply poignant classic that he wrote when he was only 16 years old called These days He was an old soul and after taking radio by storm in the 70s he decided to do something no other band or musician had done before Cut a completely Live rock album of all new material while touring America. Life on the road can be grim and bittersweet, living our of your suitcase severely exhausted from gig to gig This legend wanted to capture that so he made a concept album with all new material live… And not just onstage… But in hotel rooms, rehearsal spaces, and even on a moving tour bus. The result is iconic. Today, we’re giving you the story of behind this album and it’s title track Running on Empty, a moving masterpiece that makes you feel like you are there. 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, an interview with one of history's only rock singer-songwriters that has had a big hit in the 70s, 80s, and the 90s. Dennis DeYoung of Styx is a bonafide "3 Decades Icon." He did in the 70s with Babe, in the 80s with Mr. Roboto, and Show Me The Way in the 90s. Well, In the late 70s, Dennis needed a birthday present for his wife, so on the fly, he sat at the piano and wrote a very personal song to give to her… Well, the song was so good his bandmates begged him to put it on their new album. He wasn’t so sure but at the last second his bandmates got him to agree and it became the band’s first #1 hit and one of the biggest songs of 1979. Babe started out as a birthday present. He tells us the story next as well as insight on the iconic guitar solo. It’s a can’t miss. 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.

Struggling to stay faithful to his wife while on the road, the Man in Black, Johnny Cash wrote her a mournful love ballad backstage at one of his concerts to clarify his feelings he called it Because You’re Mine but it later turned into I Walk The Line. However, when he got the song to the studio, his producer increased its tempo, turning it completely on its head. And Cash hated it. Well, that is until he saw how audiences reacted to it. His fans went crazy for it. And with his deep baritone voice rumbling like a train down the tracks, it’s no surprise this song shot to #1. Today we’re not only giving the story behind this legendary hit but also interviewing another Icon who teamed up with this Johnny Cash to record an entirely new version of this track and we get a historic account of that recording that was a guaranteed #1 Mainstream Radio screwed him over. This untold story will blow your mind. It’s all 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 we present the story of a song that is truly a musical miracle …Aerosmith and their classic 70s and 80s hit Walk This Way. First of all the masterful riff from this 70s and 80s classic instantly came out of nowhere at a soundcheck… Then the iconic lyric came to singer Steven Tyler when he was in the middle of a movie at a theater. Steven Tyler wrote the lyrics in a flash but on recording day he left them in a cab and they were never recovered so he had to start all over because he couldn’t remember them… The band including Joe Perry were livid. Well they came out better on the second try. The song was a hit in the 70s and then America’s band fell flat on their face… They couldn’t buy a hit. After years of nothing producer Rick Rubin gave them a chance to remake this hit with a new hip hop group called RUN DMC and it started one of the greatest comebacks in rock history. The story is 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.

After Ozzy Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath, the band he’d fronted and helped make famous for a decade, a lot of people thought his career was finished. That he was a washed-up has-been. Exiled for being a drunk and a drug addict, and fighting demons and wild mood swings, you can’t really blame them. Even Ozzy thought his career was over. However, with the aid of an up-and-coming guitar hero named Randy Rhoades, he would surprise even himself… rising from the wreckage to become a larger-than-life rock icon. Even bigger than he had been with his former band. And kicking it all off was his seminal 1980 album Blizzard of Oz which delivered a full-speed-ahead, blazing rock track called Crazy Train that had listeners going off the rails… It missed both charts but spawned a classic following, a perfect moment in rock history. Come help us relive it. … 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, it’s a full-speed, kick-you-in-the-teeth, adrenaline-fueled rocker… inspired by an 80s legend who literally had a death wish. Motley Crue and their once-in-a-lifetime rocker Kickstart My Heart from their 1989 classic Dr. Feelgood. It all happened on one notorious night back in 1987, Nikki Sixx the decadent rockstar overdosed after a night of reckless abandon… scaring the hell out of his bandmates Vince Neil, Tommy Lee, Mick Marrs, and his fans in the process. Pronounced clinically dead, rumors of his demise spread like wildfire. And it would take some serious Pulp Fiction needle-piercing action to bring him back to life. He would actually say he was out of body witnessing his death Then he woke up in the hospital. and he ripped out his tubes and escaped. He bummed a ride off a fan who thought they were seeing a ghost and then when he got home he shot up again! Well needless to say the incident’s aftermath led to his band’s biggest song ever and it would eventually help him get clean. The unbelievable story is 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.

Legendary Producer and artist Jeff Lynne from Electric Light Orchestra, who was only a few years removed from writing and performing 8 top 10 hits with ELO, was producing George Harrison’s 1987 comeback album Cloud Nine. The comeback would be big with 2 huge hits.. including I Got My Mind Set on You and When We Was Fab. The two of them decided to put together a supergroup. They both agreed to find one person they admired and then make a record. However, in the process, they ended up bringing in 3 legends for a total of 5. Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, and Harrison and Lynne. The Traveling Wilbury’s were born. They created one of the greatest records of the 80s, Handle Me With Care. up next we tell their story… How 4 of these legends were so mesmerized by their bandmate they all stopped everything they were doing whenever he would record his part and the tragedy that followed their debut album. 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.

In 1985, pop music was not a forum for the dark subject of abuse, doors were opened leading up to that year to take about deep subjects from Tears for Fears to an awkward singer named Aimee Mann was fronting a New Wave band called Til Tuesday from Boston brought the taboo topic to light with a groundbreaking song about empowerment. Voices Carry was a New Wave revelation. It was one of the most memorable hits of the mid-80s, with an acclaimed music video that was daring & disturbing. When you hear the story of this haunting track, you’ll likely hear it with a whole new understanding & appreciation of its brilliance. But it has a lot of stories… so which one is true? That’s what we’ll be trying to solve. By the way, this may be the most haunting song of 1985 and it also might be the year's catchiest. it’s all 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, an interview with one of the most interesting frontmen in music on his band’s signature song. John McCrea of CAKE on their 90s classic GOING the DISTANCE A song that has one of the most iconic first lines of the last 30 years. I have to admit I was a little intimidated to interview Cake’s frontman because he’s wicked smart… You’ll have to see how I did. His explanation of the meaning of this song is pretty sobering. as he says you can’t explode into the world with great magnificence, and still feel like the guy underneath the Mickey Mouse head, with the fan batteries that have stopped working properly, and its dark under there, and everybody wants your autograph.” See what else he says 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 story of this next song is so good. So entertaining it almost feels made up, but it’s not. Van Halen with David Lee Roth at the helm headlined one of the first big festivals of the 80s… while they were in the middle of working on the song Jump from their blockbuster hard rock masterpiece 1984. The other big headliner was the Clash, the most famous punk band on the planet, and Joe Strummer and co dissed Eddie Van Halen’s band because they were getting paid more… Van Halen was already in disarray as the guitarist wanted to add more pop element to their hard rock while the David Lee Roth wanted to do cover songs. Eddie got so pissed he threatened to burn the masters. In the end, Eddie worked on a melody he’d had for a while and turned it into the band's biggest hit… Jump went to #1 for a month. But this happy-go-lucky 80s hit is actually pretty dark…Almost no one realizes some have said David Lee Roth wrote the song encouraging someone to take their own life… kind of... Find out the real 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.

It is arguably the most ambitious and iconic concept album ever created, written by a band that was coming apart at the seams. Pink Floyd the Wall. It was Born out of the mind of mad genius Roger Waters one of the rock era’s most provocative and insightful lyricists, its genesis began when a stadium-sized concert went sideways. Feeling disconnected from his audience, Roger Waters lost it when one fan tried to incite a riot. Roger got became so livid he spit in the fan’s face. It was a reprehensible action but it did lead to the creation of this blockbuster record. Today, we’re not only giving you the story behind this landmark album but also delving deep into one of its greatest tracks, Run Like Hell. First written by guitarist David Gilmour for a solo album along with Comfortably Numb, but it’s since become a powerful and dangerous warning against cutting ourselves off from reality. You’re not going to want to miss the breakdown on this one. It’s all 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.

Up next, a band that had to fight tooth and nail to get airplay on American radio in the late 70s. The Police struggled to get a fair shake in 1979 but just a few years later they were the #1 band in the world when Synchronicity and Every Breath You Take were #1 globally. Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland’s global domination would begin with today’s song that is a no doubt about it classic. The 70s classic Message in a Bottle and in a way it was written by the singer Sting's dog… while the music was written in the back of a van while the band was traveling 100 miles an hour on the autobahn. Decades later it’s a surprise the song was recorded at all because the band was at each others’ throats all the time…Fist fights and shouting matches… but it kept the creative juices flowing. the amazing 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.

Today, it's the defining track of a big-budget, no holds barred rock opus. But writing this signature song would be a harrowing experience for this band’s frontman Dave Grohl. Just a couple years removed from the suicide of his friend and bandmate, Kurt Cobain when he was in NIRVANA, Dave Grohl was trying to move on. Now with a new band Foo Fighters and writing their second album the Colour and the Shape, he was facing all kinds of problems. The guys weren’t gelling and were exhausted from their perfectionist producer Gil Norton. And then he got served divorce papers at the studio. Crushed by the weight of his crumbling marriage… he put the sessions on pause and flew cross-country to his hometown. There he wrote his best song Everlong, pouring into it everything he was feeling. When it was finished, it would become the biggest song of his career. One that would have millions of fans singing along in unison. Get ready for a banger 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.

Alright, so today we’re going old school… taking you back to a shocking and iconic hit from the 70s. It was from a rockstar that defined the word and he put every teacher on notice when he wrote this defiant rocker. I”m talking about Alice Cooper and his anthem Schools Out. No two greatest words were ever spoken in a rock song… at least not to us when we were kids in school. All of us have been singing along to it ever since. It’s a teenage rebellion track that perfectly captures the restlessness of youth. Plus there are also some pretty crazy stories surrounding this one, from spooky urban legends like the band getting their name from making contact with a 16th-century witch to the over-the-top stage antics like the mostly accidental chicken sacrifice that blew this band’s legend up to the actual record coming with a switchblade, a slingshot and being wrapped in paper panties. Find out why they banned it. The story of everybody’s favorite rock and roll golfer who actually liked school, Alice Cooper. …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.