Professor of Rock

Up next Rock’s most notorious bad boy Axl Rose had been working on a piano song for about 8 years… It was actually the only song he knew how to play on the piano and he wanted his band Guns N’ Roses to record it. But as guitarist Slash would point out...they weren’t a Ballad Band.. they wanted to rock. It would be called November Rain. They tried recording this epic that had more in common with classical music than rock… at one point it was 25 minutes long. In the end, Slash added 3 bold solos, then they added a choir that included a future rock frontman by the name of Shannon Hoon who was in Blind Melon. And together they created the most expensive video ever with a leading lady the singer had hand-picked from a magazine cover…Stephanie Seymour. He would ask her to marry him before it was over. Up next, the unbelievable story of one of the biggest songs ever... November Rain from Use Your Illusion 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’s quite possibly the most vulnerable song about a broken relationship of the Rock Era. The late Gordon Lightfoot wrote an absolutely gut-wrenching ballad where a man, who was once a hero, calls himself out as the culprit for a failed marriage, and pleads with his wife not for forgiveness, but for empathy. It’s the story of the 70s classic If You Could Read My Mind. Years later Gordon’s daughter pled with him to change the lyrics to this heart-wrenching ballad. We also tell the story of Gordon’s rise to fame and pay our respects to the singer/ songwriter who was on Bob Dylan’s Favorites. An institution. Mr. Gordon Lightfoot. ...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.

Okay, so this one’s an episode I’ve been needing to do for a long time. And I’ll be upfront with you. It’s a topic that really gets under my skin, so I’ll try to be positive. Today we’re counting down my all-time, Top 5 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame snubs… bands and artists who are well overdue for the so-called honor, but routinely get passed over year after year. There is a long list of rock hall snubs…From Iron Maiden to The Guess Who from Pixies to Motorhead from New York Dolls to the Smiths from Joy Division/New Order to Slayer from Styx to Foreigner to Jethro Tull and Thin Lizzy, Motley Crue, Toto the list goes on and on. We’re also going to try to figure out why the Rock Hall routinely refuses to induct actual rock artists into their ranks. They’re called the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but they seem to have a bias against rock and Roll? I’m not going to be pulling any punches here. I just want to give some love to some classic rock icons that I think we all admire and I want to hear yours too… 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.

A flare gun fired by an idiot attending a concert led to the burning of a casino and a towering fire in the sky. The rock band Deep Purple happened to be in attendance and was supposed to record their new record Machine Head there the next day…they saw the whole thing. A few days later the band’s bassist Roger Glover had a nightmare about the fire and a legendary song title came to him Smoke on the Water…. sometime later a riff just as iconic came to guitarist Ritchie Blackmore that he borrowed from a famous classical piece… It would be a chore to record. They were shut down by the Police for playing too loud. Then they had to move to an abandoned hotel to record…It was a disaster. Once they recorded this legendary song. they didn’t think much of it. Ian Gillen sang the hell out of it. One day Deep Purple played it live and got a massive reaction. They decided to release it as the last single off the album and it became their biggest hit. The riveting story of the disaster in Montreux 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 song was a comeback #1 hit for a legendary band named the Doobie Brothers who lost their iconic singer, Tom Johnston to Sickness. What A Fool Believes was written in a cool way… It was actually a collaboration between 2 legends Michel McDonald and Kenny Loggins. There were both aware of one another and wanted to write together. So a meeting was set… Kenny Loggins pulled up to Michael McDonald's house he could hear that the smooth voiced yacht rocker was at the piano trying to work out a song part he was stuck on… It was “What a Fool Believes” As Kenny made his way to the door the rest of the song came to him and he immediately said I know how the rest of the song should go and he sad this right before he shook hands and met him for the first time and they nailed the song in just a short time. up next we have interviews with both legends and get the real story of the definitive Yacht rock song ever! It went to #1 in 1979 one of the only non disco song to do so and won a grammy for song of the year! 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.

So here’s one for you. How many songs do you know that were cut from a ground-breaking album, turned into a B-side several times, and then placed on a movie soundtrack as an afterthought… only to then rocket up the charts to become a #1 single? Doesn’t happen very often, right? Well, the Red Hot Chili Peppers did just that with their 90s rock classic Soul to Squeeze. Actually, Anthony Kiedis, Flea, John Frusciante, and Chad Smith, the Red Hot Chili Peppers had it all ready to go as a part of a double album which was to be BloodSugarSexMagik, but their label demanded they cut the record in half. And since they’d already written another song like it the #1 hit Under the Bridge, they just dropped it. But as it turns out this song resonated with a lot of people who felt like outcasts. I guess everybody loves an underdog. Get ready, it’s the incredible story of the #1 Alternative Rock hit that never should have happened. And it’s 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.

Legend Carole King wrote or co-wrote over 2 dozen hits for other people before she got a chance to record her own record... With husband Gerry Goffin.... Goffin King was the songwriting team of the 60s. In the 70s when she wanted to go solo the only problem is SHE HATED the sound of her own voice. She was criticized by some in the industry about it saying it was hoarse and too thin. One night legendary singer-songwriter James Taylor put her on the spot and pushed her to record a song she’d written for a famous group… She Killed it. This opened the door for a solo Record that would rival any artist or band in the 70s… Carole King's Tapestry with major hits like I Feel the Earth Move, So Far Away, It’s Too Late and You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman all were hits and made it a 70s vinyl classic. Carole King became a singer songwriter for the ages and the first woman to spend so many weeks at #1 on the billboard charts. She also had 24 hit before she was 20. 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 the hard rock and glam metal bands that ruled MTV and the concert circuit in the 80s are well documented from Motley Crue to Def Leppard to Bon Jovi and Whitesnake but one band that was just as big in that moment but don't get the credit they deserve is Ratt. Today we have an interview with the lead singer Stephen Pearcy. Many forget Ratt and their 80s hard rock album Out of the Cellar sold 5 million copies and contained a true classic from the era the glam metal masterpiece: Round and Round. The 1984 rocker still rules today from Cobra Kai to Stranger Things!. Next, the singer tells us how the song came about and how he and the guitarist threw live rodents at 80s model Tawney Kitaen for an album cover shoot during that time, and how they got legendary comedian Milton Berle to dress up like a woman for free in their iconic music video for Round and round and how a Geico commercial just sent the band back into the charts again in 2022!. 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 story of two musicians who achieved global success both as songwriters and band members. They also happened to be romantically involved. You can credit them with two #1 Hot 100 hits for one of the biggest stars in the industry, How Will I Know and I Wanna Dance With Somebody, and another massive hit for themselves Waiting for a Star to Fall, a feel-good 80s staple, has become a sleeper classic. It’s catchy, it’s upbeat, and guaranteed to elevate your mood… Only, behind the scenes, this track has a much different story. While working on the song and their album, this couple couldn’t even look each other in the eyes. Their relationship was completely falling apart. Making for a bitter contrast to one of the most energetic 80s hit you’ll ever hear. So… would their crumbling relationship ruin everything they had worked for? Or would the stars once again align for them as the decade faded? the answer 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.

Up next legendary rock singer Dennis DeYoung formerly of the band STYX tells the story of 70s classic Lady, the first quote-unquote power ballad The song was the breakout single for this future stadium band and it’s all because of a trusty DJ. The song had failed and stiffed on the charts because it’s tempo started slow and then revved up and so it really didn’t fit any format. But then a Chicago DJ heard it randomly on a jukebox in a pizza place and started playing it religiously and LADY caught fire and became the most requested song on this huge station it took a little while but within a year the song hit the top 10 and birthed an oft-copied style in rock the power ballad. The story is coming up 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.

Neil Diamond was a shy kid who got mixed up with a rough crowd, and came dangerously close to being shot in the left eye during a street fight. He quit the gang after that and had to choose between a guitar and a sword… You see he was a master at fencing, winning nationals and earning a scholarship to NYU… Then he dropped out of college to pursue his real dream of being a singer/ songwriter- living below the poverty level for years. making it on 35 cents a day. But he persevered… one day he saw a picture of a girl. It was on the cover of a magazine and a song title came into his head.He tucked it away… One night he was writing a song he knew would be big but he needed a 3 syllable girl’s name and he remembered the magazine. the 60s and 70s classic Sweet Caroline was born! and he wrote it in minutes… it became a singalong classic. the 3 syllable girl’s name would become one of the most popular baby names of the next few decades and fans would add their own lyrics to the song including good times never seemed so Good… so good…so good. so good and bum bum bum making it one of the greatest participation songs ever. The story is 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.

So what happens when you give rock’s greatest frontmen ever, a relationship ultimatum? As in “It’s either me or your music. What’s it going to be?” Well, this actually happened with a girl that Rock God Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin was deeply in love with. Okay, to be fair, this happened before Plant joined Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham of rock’s heaviest band Led Zeppelin In fact, Plant was still scraping by reaching for his big break. but he picked music. Still, it was a heartbreaking standoff that he would never forget. a decade later with five Legendary albums to his name, he wrote a song about this girl and what might have been called Ten Years Gone and it became a classic landing on one of the most triumphant double albums in rock history: Physical Graffiti The epic story is 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.

Face punches, stolen demo tapes, a controversial sound, and well, a Drummer arrested for stealing a car on his way to the video shoot? All of this happened to the Cult when recoding their 80s hard rock classic She Sells Sanctuary… It’s the preeminent song from Singer Ian Asturbry and Guitarist Billy Duffy...an all-out rocker that launched the band into the international spotlight. Only the thing is, most of us in the US weren’t paying much attention at the time. This song was also so out of step with this band’s musical roots, that it enraged former fans and inspired some serious fist-to-face violence… Get the story of how today’s band fought back and established themselves as an iconic act for the ages so Iconic that both New Wave kids and Metal heads loved them… 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 Yacht Rocker Robbie Dupree what wrote one of the all time 80s classics… Steal Away is as popular today as it was when it peaked near the top of the charts in 1980 and amazingly it almost didn’t get recorded. Robbie moved out to LA and paid his dues for years but nothing came of it. He submitted demos including "Steal Away" to every label he could and they rejected him outright. So he moved back and took a job loading carpet into trucks to make ends meet figuring it was over. Then the craziest thing happened… Find out from Robbie and how the song has had a major resurgence from Jimmy Fallon to Better Call Saul. 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 guitarist Dave “the Snake” Sabo from late 80s premier hard rock groups Skid Row tells the story of the anthem that started it all. “Youth Gone Wild” Snake Sabo was actually good friends with the biggest selling rock frontman of the late 80s, John Bon Jovi and was actually in Bon Jovi early on but it didn’t work out so John Bon Jovi helped his friend to get a record deal and then had the rookie and his band Skid Row open for him on his stadium tour. Within a few weeks of playing this song the student surpassed the teacher as the opening band Skid Row was getting a bigger ovation than the head liner! The interview and story is 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.

Coming up it’s a fiver countdown starring one of rock’s mightiest bands ever Van Halen with a fun Sammy Hagar interview to go along with it. Van Halen was so great they had 2 distinct eras the David Lee Roth era and the Sammy Hagar one.. and though fans fight about which was better they were both powerful in their own way because both included the greatest ever… Eddie Van Halen. and both are covered here as we look at their best-hidden gems including a song that Eddie Van Halen was so excited about writing he called and woke Sammy Hagar up at 4 in the morning and coaxed him to write it half asleep over the phone… Some funny stories coming up next on Professor of Rock including great tracks like Mean Streets, 5150, and Little Guitars. 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 getting into the entertaining story behind an up-tempo 80s track that landed in the Guinness Book of World Records… You Spin Round (Like a Record) by 80s dance-pop group Dead or Alive Written by colorful, larger-than-life frontman Pete Burns… Before Pete got his big break, he spent his time terrorizing patrons at an independent record store. There as a sales clerk, he gained a reputation for ripping on customers if they bought music he didn’t like… Even throwing their purchases back in their face. But later on, after he finished throwing records at customers, he threw down a record of his own… DOA's signature song You Spin Me Round that launched his band to prominence, and became a go-to track on dance floors and in karaoke bars around the world in 1985 from their album YOUTHQUAKE…They ruled one chart so perfectly they had 7 top 10 hits over just a couple of years but the second the 80s ended they disappeared and their iconic singer would be the victim of a disastrous surgery…the story is 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’s featured song is an undeniable masterpiece. Not only has it been hailed not only as Queen's greatest track, but also as one of the foremost rock songs ever written. Two words: Bohemian Rhapsody! Technically, it is three of the best songs ever written… since it is made of three distinct sections… Rock, ballad, and opera. Yes opera. And it all flows together seamlessly. So naturally, the record label hated it. No way in hell were they releasing this monstrosity as a single. So the song’s composer Freddie Mercury leaked it to a local radio station. And the response was of course overwhelming. Calls poured in and listeners stormed record shops looking for a copy. The label ate crow. Brian May loved it. It rocked the 70s and then it rocked the 90s when the comedy film Wayne’s World used it. It went to the top 5 yet again! The story of the greatest song in history. 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 Grateful Dead may have the most passionate & loyal following of the Rock Era. The Dead were jamming their way to the highest echelons of live music when In 1986, this legendary band’s front man Jerry Garcia nearly died, and the future of the group was in serious jeopardy. Jerry recovered, and the Grateful Dead made a miraculous comeback with their first album in 6 years In the Dark which led to their one and only hit song, Touch of Grey! Most are shocked when They realize this all time group only had one hit. They’ve played live to the most people in rock history over 25 million but only had 1 top 40 hit. Coming up... the making of the unlikely anthem by the psychedelic road warriors from Palo Alto, and the unheralded author Robert Hunter who was an indispensable part of the group, even though he never performed with them. 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 an interview with 80s icon Paul Young about his #1 hit Every Time you Go Away that has one of the funniest misheard lyrics of all time. As a kid I botched it until i was corrected… Also many people don’t realize it’s actually a cover song. A cover of song originally written and recorded by one of the most successful groups ever, Daryl Hall and John Oates. Daryl Hall says he didn’t think the song was commercial at all, so it was destined to be a deep album track but just a few years later Paul Young saw its commercial potential and took it to #1. The story and interview on this 1985 #1 hit 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.

Up next an interview with 2 rock hall of famers who were in the 60s band Buffalo Springfield. Stephen Stills, who also went on to form Crosby Stills and Nash and Ritchie Furay. Both share their experience of creating a historic hit that defined its time. They were part of a supergroup and at the time nobody was aware that it was a supergroup…This rookie band actually recorded this classic secretly under their producers' noses because they wouldn’t allow the band to play together, they had been recording them separately and then combining the tracks into one mono track, making their sound weak. Ironically one of the band members Neil Young would spend his career lashing out at commercials using rock music and years later this song would be used in a beer commercial. The song was written in a 10-minute car ride after the Stephen Stills had witnessed something very troubling and originally the song didn’t even make it onto the debut album but after it was an accidental hit and they added it onto a second pressing. The interviews are 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.

Coming up it’s one of the most heart-wrenching stories of a classic song from real life… Fire and Rain by legendary singer-songwriter James Taylor...It's a song we all sing today. James Taylor (JT) was dealing with serious mental illness, and he had voluntarily checked himself into an institution at 18. He dropped out of school and formed a band. That band failed…. He began to sink further into darkness trapped by a vicious heroin addiction. Then he found out a good friend Suzanne had taken their own life. It left this 20-year-old future superstar homeless, destitute, and at the end of his rope… again checking himself into an institution to get clean where he wrote a desperate 'cry for help… a solitary prayer called Fire and Rain. It became a breakout smash that started a hall-of-fame career...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.

Today, it’s an epic track from a throwaway album… Or at least that’s what the band called it. This song though, it set a new standard for how rock bands wrote and released singles in the 80s, and in the process became one of their signature hits. Home Sweet Home by Motley Crue… Unfortunately, it never got its due on the charts. In fact, because their label hated it and refused to promote it, Home Sweet Home Tanked …So to keep the song alive, the Motley Crue, including Vince Neil, Mick Marrs, Tommy Lee, and Nikki Sixx funded a music video out of their own pockets. And you know what? People went crazy for it. It set MTV records and was so popular the network pulled the plug on it to give other videos some screen time. They made up a rule??? How does that make any sense? This is a story you’re not gonna want to miss. So get ready, it’s 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.

In 1980 AC/DC was on top of the world releasing one of the biggest-selling rock records in history Back in Black…Then they had years of dwindling sales, in fact, their next three records drastically underperformed and with rock bands like Guns N Roses, Def Leppard, and Bon Jovi coming on strong in the charts. Some thought this best band’s best days were behind them. but those who thought that didn’t understand this group’s grit and determination. Rushing toward a new decade they released one of the biggest rock albums of the time The Razor’s Edge while delivering their highest charting hit ever Moneytalks A true head-banger with a classic riff And yet today it’s been all but forgotten. How could the highest charting song of this band’s career become their most underrated hit that the band hasn’t played live in 32 years and been overshadowed by the other big song from the record, Thunderstruck? Stick around, 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, we’re showcasing a song that boasts the most recognizable date ever used in a lyric. September 21st! For decades people have wondered why the band who wrote this 70s classic chose this particular day. Earth Wind and Fire and their classic hit September made that date famous but the truth may not be what you think it is. Earth Wind and Fire or EWF, is known for the pure positivity that they infuse into all of their music. Any time you drop the needle on one of their records it's a guaranteed good time. And September is the epitome of all of that...Written by the band’s leader Maurice White and a songwriter he called up out of the blue who was on food stamps at the time and struggling mightily. Maurice Alle Willis her shot at the title and together they authored the 1978 smash September.. one of the most joyful jams of the era. So get ready, we’ve got the 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 the story of a very unique rockstar. Adam Ant... First of all his mother was Paul McCartney’s Housekeeper and he in turn got to walk Paul’s Dog and even snuck into his music room. later he and his band Adam and the Ants had 7 songs in the top 40 at the same time. Then in 1983, he was voted “World’s Sexiest Man” in the MTV viewer’s poll. His odd image was envied by many, including the King of Pop, while his music dominated the New Wave landscape of the 80s taking him to the top of the charts and the face of early MTV… Today we break down his career including his MTV new wave classic Good Two Shoes. There were dark times.. After a maniacal episode in 2003...he was found by police- curled up in a ball & sobbing in the basement of a North London cafe. It’s the story of a post punk icon, and his breakout solo smash Goody Two Shoes that was confused by some as a critique on righteous living but was actually a manifesto about exploitative journalism 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, legendary singer-songwriter Jackson Browne was asked to write a song for the 80s teen movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. It was a Huge Departure for him and it took a few famous friends to convince him to do it. When he finished the song known as Somebody’s Baby, everyone KNEW it was a smash and told him to put it on his new album. He REFUSED the song saying it was a meaningless pop tune. It ended up being his biggest hit and an 80s classic and by not putting it on his new album it probably cost him platinum status and the #1 spot… He ragged on the song for years until his therapist of all people told him he was DEAD WRONG and that the song was about the most fundamental thing in life. Find out what song it is… Why this legend at first despised it and how he learned to love it 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.

After hitchhiking across America and stowing away on a plane and bumming around Europe as a youth, Huey Lewis toiled in band after band trying to make it in music for almost a decade. He actually dropped out of Cornell University to chase his music dreams and formed the bar band Huey Lewis and the News. They broke into the Billboard Top 10 with a brilliant hit written by Mutt Lange called We Both Believe in Love which Huey turned into Do You Believe in Love that became his first top 10 hit. Up next Huey tells the story in an exclusive interview where he admits that the music video for Do You Believe in Love was excruciatingly awful and the pain of watching it for the first time with label execs. 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….Jim Croce was an emerging superstar whose promising career started to enter its peak when he made a decision to quit the business altogether to spend time with his wife and newborn son. But a fatal moment would tragically change it all. At that point, after years of futility, he became a hit parade, marching off 5 consecutive Top 40 singles, including I Got A Name, Don’t Mess Around with Jim, Bad Bad Leroy Brown and today's classic song: Time in A Bottle. this was a song he buried on his new album that shot to the top of the charts after it was used in an ABC movie of the week.. the 70s pop classic would prove to be a beautiful and endearing omen. The story of a timeless song and career 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.

Throughout the late 70s and early 80s THIS BAND WAS ON fire. Between the US and the UK, The Police had 14 Top 20 hits and for a while they were easily the biggest band in the world. Today we’re checking out one of their highest charting hits. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic. And it almost never happened. The song was ignored by two out of the three band members for years. So the lead singer Sting finally recorded it in secret. He steamrolled them to get it on the new album Ghost in the Machine…but in the process it alienated the others namely Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers and even though it became a monster hit, the song ultimately caused a rift that ended the band. Its a compelling story about a song that the singer believed in so much he searched for the Perfect rhyme for a word in the chorus for years and the song was definitely magic … the story is 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.

Bob Seger had been a regional sensation for over a decade but when it was all said and done he had only had one hit in 15 years and by 1976 it had been 8 years since that hit. He couldn’t seem to break through. Well, one night after seeing a popular film of the time he started to have a vision for a song. the 70s rock classic NIGHT MOVES was a very emotional and private experience from his adolescence and sometime later he wrote it at an A&W Drive-in after ordering a burger.. rumor is he wrote it on his tab… He wrote it about a teenage tryst. She ended up marrying somebody else and broke his heart but he turned it into a breakthrough smash single, transforming him into one of American Rock’s greatest rock storytellers. and to think due to a mix-up at his label it almost ended up being a b side… 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, an all-time rock hit is put under the microscope by the entire band and this one has so many layers to it. Time of the Season by the Zombies was released in 1969 going into the 1970s and it was the perfect song as the psychedelic 60 bled into the excessive 70s and it has so many backstories. First of all, It didn’t become a hit until a year after the band had actually broken up. Its unique handclaps and audible breathing made it one of the most unique million-selling hits ever and it contained a phrase that would become part of our everyday vernacular.… Who’s Your Daddy... then the label was ready to give up on the legendary album the song came from Odessey and Oracle… it was saved at the last minute but even then the record’s title was misspelled and it still hasn’t been corrected. Then to add insult to injury when the song hit the top of the charts, with the band broken up a promoter put out a fake version of the band and began to tell people the lead singer had died… The lead singer Colin Bluntstone found out about his own death when reading the paper. 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.

It was the blockbuster record that put rock back on the front burner in the middle of disco…and it came out of nowhere… Tom Scholz and his upstart band Boston saved rock and roll with it’s power chords thought 70s classics like More Than a Feeling, Peace of Mind, Foreplay/Long Time and Rock & Roll Band to name a few of the powerful song that ignited radio. It sent shockwaves through the industry when it sold out virtually everywhere. Yet it’d been rejected by every major label in the industry. one even wrote a rude letter saying it offered nothing new. Tom Scholz the genius behind it had been tinkering in his basement for nearly 6 years perfecting it’s sound… He was rejected, laughed at and on the verge of financial ruin… It helped that had had one of the greatest singers ever in Brad Delp...Up next an original band member who was there during that stint tells rock and roll’s Cinderella story of the record that saved rock and roll. 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 rare interview with rock singer-songwriter Dave Pirner of 80s and 90s Minneapolis scene group Soul Asylum on the 1993 classic hit Runaway Train. The song started out as one thing and ended up making a seismic change worldwide. Dave Pirner actually wrote the song about depression but it took years to finish. The lyrics were too similar to another #1 song from long before but after going through some dark times, one day a metaphor hit him right between the eyes and he wrote the song we know in a few minutes then the song’s video would have even more impact helping solve crimes and saving lives. 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.

Up next.. the story of an all time classic rock song from both the singer Lou Gramm and guitarist Mick Jones who wrote it.. All-time 80s anthem JukeBox Hero by Foreigner! They each had a great song and pretty much combined it into one with dual experiences… legendary guitarist and producer Mick Jones said it came from letting a fan come backstage after he’d waited 5 hours in the rain to get tickets to their sold out show. The Iconic vocalist Lou Gramm said his inspiration came from standing outside a sold out concert hall not able to see Hendrix perform. It maybe the most challenging song for a rock singer to perform in history… Most can’t hit the notes but boy did this guy do it even if he had to fight a legendary producer tooth and nail to get it just right. The song became a #1 rock song an sold a million copes twice! From 1981 hit album Foreigner 4. 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, it’s one of the most instantly recognizable and impossible to resist songs of the rock era. Take on Me by A-ha. It's music video ain’t chopped liver either… maybe the definitive video of 80s MTV . Take On Me is a song that rises high above its genre and era. But it would be a long and rocky road for this band to get there. Morten Harkett and his band A-ha would rise to global fame but it started clear back in the late 70s when their keyboardist came up with one of the catchiest hooks of all time. Only the band thought it was too catchy nicknaming it the Juicy Fruit song because it was so over the top catchy. For a while wanted nothing to do with it… then in the 80s they put it out and it Failed. How could the catchiest song ever not be a hit. It’s inching up to 2 billion plays on Youtube alone. Find out how they turned it around 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 one of the darkest days of one of the rock era’s most storied bands. 1987's Tango in the Night was Fleetwood Mac’s 2nd biggest record. Most people forget that. It also had more hits than any of their albums tied with Rumours with Little Lies, Everywhere, Seven Wonders, and Big Love. Already known for having more than their fair share of secrets, intrigue, and infighting, one tragic day after recording Tango in the Night took the band’s brand of musical mayhem to an entirely new level… leaving one band member, Stevie Nicks fearing for her life. And another Lindsey Buckingham outright quit the band for good. Mick Fleetwood and Stevie Nicks were both stuggling with substance abuse and Christine McVie felt pushed out of the creative cycle. John McVie hadn’t played in so long that he was rusty, but through all this turmoil they managed to record a hit song so magical, so joyful… even happy-go-lucky, that it puts you in a good mood even time you hear it. So could that joy and the record's success overcome the drama? Stick around to find out. 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 legendary singer Steven Tyler of Aerosmith wrote one of rock’s greatest masterpieces at the age of 14. A 14-year-old kid! Not only that… This 70s classic is a pretty heavy song for a 14-year-old to understand let alone write. The 70s hard rock classic Dream On is the one that put the screaming demon and the Boston boys on the top of rock royalty. But when Tyler brought the bonafide rock classic to his band, guitarist Joe Perry didn’t want to cut it because he felt it was too soft for their sound even though the song builds and then explodes! Many obstacles stood in the way of this song becoming a hit from a run-in with a gangster who pulled a gun on the band to it failing on its first release to Steven Tyler blowing out his vocal cords on one big performance. The song is sung by Steven Tyler in an entirely different way than any song he’d sing thereafter. 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.

Coming up, we’re going to go behind the Top 10 songs of this very same week from the year 1982. But that’s not all. After we count them down, we’re re-ranking each song according to all-time streams and views, to find out which song has made the biggest mark on history. So who do you think will take the top spot today? Will it be a veteran band like Journey, a previous chart-topping act like Rick Springfield, or the J. Geils Band? Or maybe a surprise one-hit wonder? Or could it be an 80s hit machine like Huey Lewis and the News? Stick around and find out if any of these contenders can make a run for the top spot… 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 one of the greatest guitarists of the rock era, Steve Stevens tells the story of meeting legendary singer the new wave Elvis… Billy Idol and working on their first hit together…White Wedding, the head banging rocker that many have played at their weddings. Which is funny because it’s actually an ANTI-marriage song. Also many were confused with the lyrics thinking that the singer wrote it about his sister... misunderstanding the slang. And what’s more, the iconic music video cost very little to make but became one of the most visually iconic of all time. Also, how they crafted a classic that’s become synonymous with MTV’s glory days. The interview is coming up 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 an interview with legendary singer Eric Burdon of the rock and roll hall fame band the Animals who’s signature song has empowered so many over the years but especially one of the biggest all time superstars of them all who credits this song as the direct inspiration to everything he’s ever written. Bruce Springsteen has said that We Gotta Get Out of This Place is the song that’s inspired everything he’s ever done form Born to Run to Born in the USA. I actually interviewed the singer and the legendary brill building songwriting couple Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil who wrote and I dare say both their stories haven’t been told together on video yet. It’s historic… it’s also may own personal favorite videos i’ve ever done. check it out 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.

A lot of people forgot about this band from the latter part of the 80s… Today’s act actually scored three US Top 10 hits from their debut album All That Jazz. The Sophista pop band named Breath pulled off an 80s hat trick... Not an easy feat. Especially since up until then they were riding out a losing streak of four failed singles. They were all but done. But it would be an impressive comeback and the perfect underdog story… seemingly setting them up for a long and prosperous career. First Hands To Heaven stole the #2 spot. Then came How Can I Fall at #3 and then Don’t Tell Me Lies at #10. This band should’ve been huge. They had the talent, and their lead singer David Glasper had a breathtaking voice. So what happened? Why are they all but forgotten today? Was it a case of the sophomore slump? Or is there some other reason they dropped off the map? Stick around, as we get to the bottom of this one, and try to figure out where in the world their singer is… 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.

Most people assume that today's song from one of the biggest bands ever was a #1 hit because it’s such a classic radio standard...played all the time. In reality, it missed the charts entirely. Desperado by Eagles is one of their biggest songs ever. But Desperado wasn’t a hit because it was never actually released as a single. Written by Don Henley when he was a teenager. The 70s classic has quite a history from starting a fire at a photo shoot that required the fire department to save them to the band having no budget for recording which only gave the Henley a few takes in the studio to try to nail down the vocal with a renowned orchestra playing behind him. No pressure. But the song would have its revenge as it appeared on a future album and was a big reason why that album would sell 40 million copies.. the story is 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.

After years without a hit in their native land and a grand total of zero hits in America, Thin Lizzy was on their last leg… Phil Lynott and co were told by their label if their next record wasn’t a hit they’d kick ‘em to the curb. They were in debt, they were desperate but this band was made up of working-class Fighters…however today’s classic song, the Boys are Back in Town was one that the band deemed a throwaway track that didn’t even deserve to be on their next album, but the late decision to include the song would lead to a couple of DJs from the south playing the deep cut and it spread like wildfire not only saving their career, it catalyzed a classic rock anthem. Up next, the story of one of the most overlooked bands of the entire 70s and the surprising motivation behind this song… 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, were covering one of the biggest songs from a legendary rock band that has been streamed over a billion times and despite it’s popularity It never actually charted on the Hot 100. Simple Man by the kings of the south Lynyrd Skynyrd. The only reason it wasn’t a hit is because it wasn’t ever released as a single.. It finally charted decades later … Funny story: Apparently, the band’s producer Al Kooper didn’t want them to record it. So Ronnie Van Zant and co locked him out of the studio and told him not to come back until they were done. I guess these guys were butting heads all the time. But somehow, despite the constant fighting, they managed to put together one of the strongest debut albums ever: Pronounced ‘Lĕh-’nérd ‘Skin-’nérd And this song, well, I’ll just say if you listen closely, you’re gonna hear some of the best advice for a happy life and it has even more meaning now since this band’s last founding member, Gary Rossington passed away marking the end of an era.… Get ready, the story is… 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.

Warren Zevon was told by one of the founding fathers of rock, Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers that he should write a novelty song about a horror movie icon… So he wrote a total joke song…One he called a piece of crap called the Werewolves of London... It became his only hit! It’s a song about a mysterious, sophisticated gent who could be seen dining at Chinese restaurants, and drinking Pina Coladas in posh areas of Soho & Kent. He’s a dapper fellow, with tailored suits, and perfectly coiffed hair. But don’t let appearances fool you….Despite his dashing looks, you better keep your distance... cause he’ll rip your lungs out. The truth behind this ‘hairy handed’ bottled lightning hit, and the tortured artist who released the cap- then “drew blood" 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 the lords of rock Led Zeppelin are back in full force. We take Another deep dive into the heaviest band in history with Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham… It’s the story of A key track from their landmark fourth album, Led Zeppelin IV otherwise known as Rock N Roll and it actually came out of an improv jam session while the band was taking a break from writing another classic track. Written in only 15 minutes, it was like the band pulled this one out of thin air. The legendary guitarist even called the creation of this song, “spontaneous combustion” and it was a big middle finger to the critics who claimed the band had lost their rock edge. Now, decades later it is still revered as an all-time standard. It’s the tale of the unlimited fist-pumping, heart-stopping classic… 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.

It was one of the most storied #2 hits in rock and roll history from a band that was criminally underappreciated in their day. The Zombies' 1964 classic “She’s Not There” blew everyone’s mind including the Beatles. Half a century later, People are getting hip to their genius. Up next the entire band from Rod Argent to Colin Bluntstone tell the story of this their biggest hit. It hypnotized listeners in the 60s and it was the first ever rock hit to use an electric piano as a lead instrument… and then decades after its peak on the charts it was Banned from radio for being lyrically inappropriate after 911 The story is 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.

“Over the first 22 years in the history of the Grammy Awards, no single artist had swept the so-called “BIG FOUR,” Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and New Artist of the Year.” Until 1981…. Christopher Cross made history while competing against some of music's heaviest hitters: Barbara Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Barry Gibb, Lionel Richie, Billy Joel, and Pink Floyd. He did it with his #1 smooth 80s classic Sailing... the song that defined Yacht Rock, a genre that wouldn’t be named for 30 years. He won the Oscar, 5 grammys and more and then banished them to his garage. 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.. they were a rock supergroup Made up of parts from 3 legendary Prog rock bands Yes, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and a new wave band The Buggles… Together they formed Asia who mastered the early 80s with the biggest straight ahead blockbuster rock record of 1982…they stole the #1 spot from the likes of ACDC, Foreigner, Pau McCartney and Fleetwood Mac it was actually the biggest selling album of the year pop rock or soul. The main hit from the record The Heat of The Moment was an apology letter to the singer’s girlfriend and it actually started as a country song but cooler heads prevailed and it became the singalong rocker of 1982. A founding member and co writer of the song tells the story personally 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.