Professor of Rock

Coming up. It was the most anticipated album of its time. Pink Floyd with David Gilmour at the helm hadn’t released a new album in over 6 years! An eternity in rock! It would be the 2nd record released by the band since they parted ways with Roger Waters. The Division Bell hit #1 in 21 countries and it was put out when the musical landscape had completely changed with grunge and hip hop as king… Roger Water Ripped the songs apart, criticizing the fact that David Gilmour’s wife Polly Samson had co-written the first single. Coming up a songwriter who helped with the mesmerizing first single High Hopes and also Take it Back with an interview with the co-writer. What would it be like to write a song with Pink Floyd? Well, we get that answer from an artist who co-wrote two songs with them along with the wisdom that David Gilmour passed on to him. 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.

Many have called it the best record ever made. And the ultimate rock and pop record. It is the ultimate expression and illustration of a recording technique that hundreds of icons have tried to copy but never equaled. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling by the Righteous Brothers is the most played song in the history of the 20th century and it almost didn’t get played by radio. It was too long when Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield recorded it and Phil Spector produced it. It was almost 4 minutes long at a time when radio wouldn’t play anything over 3 minutes. Written by the legendary songwriting couple Barry Man and Cynthia Weil, the duo decided to fudge the numbers a little and wrote down 3:05 on the tape they sent to radio even though it was closer to 4 mins long. It got played and became a #1 smash. Up next in the mother of all song stories.. the last surviving member of the Righteous Brothers Bill Medley and hall of fame songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil tell the story of this 60s classic that was used in Top Gun! 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 didn’t have movie star looks like Burt Reynolds or the rock n’ roll flamboyance of Elton John. Instead, he wore granny glasses and sported a dutch boy haircut. The great John Denver… In spite of his “golly gosh darn” image, he became a bonafide star performing songs that America could relate to. Especially today’s 70s classic Rocky Mountian High… the song made him a 70s legend. It’s a song that everyone loves even if some won’t admit it… It was actually banned during its heyday because radio programmers thought it was about Smoking Dope. The story of a song about nature that is somehow more beautiful than nature...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.

By 1979, tensions were running high within the ranks of America’s most iconic band the Eagles… Don Henley, Glenn Fry, and co had released 6 albums over the course of 7 years, toured relentlessly, and been to hell and back again. It all came to a head at a concert one night when a simple disagreement almost ended in an all-out brawl. As the 70s gave way to the 80s, the Eagles broke up. Solo records came and went but Don Henley struck with several that defined the 80s. He wrote a scathing indictment against the media with Dirty Laundry after they had pried into his personal life. The story of a song that still resonates today and how Hell froze over and the Eagles got back together. 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 coming off a diamond-selling album. A hard rock band at the peak of their career with a singer-guitar duo that was second to none. Van Halen with David Lee Roth up front and the greatest guitarist of his generation Eddie Van Halen. 1984 was a massive record. She had just hit the top of the charts with a rock-pop song that had many excited about her future… Scandal with Patty Smyth hit the top 10 with the Warrior… Van Halen lost their singer and Eddie Van Halen ended up crossing paths with Patty Smyth and offered her what may’ve been the most coveted role in all of music….an interview with both Patty Smyth and Sammy Hagar about what might’ve been. A female fronted Van Halen in the Van Halen multiverse… and a few others who were offered the job including Daryl Hall and Steve Perry? Find 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.

As a father of 3 daughters this was the most difficult song that Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, one of America’s great rock bands ever had to write… It actually took him 9 months to finish, then a record exec made him censor his own song fearing it wouldn’t get played on pop radio because of 1 word that wasn’t even a swear word… Would he change it? It would be the biggest hit on an 80s hard rock masterpiece. Pump an album that had a pretty good chance of being the first hard rock record to have 3 #1 hits from one album… would it happen … THE ROAD WOULD BE TOUGH… Janie’s Got A Gun got banned and had to compete with a smash hit starring a cartoon cat... find out if this …provocative and haunting song pulled it off 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… what can I say? There’s just nothing else like it. I mean it’s dark, it’s moody, it’s theatrical rock. Listening to it takes you on a heart-pounding sonic journey deep into the shadows and then back into the light. Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler written and produced by the great Jim Steinman is epic in size and scope. The 1983 #1 hit is punctuated by a raspy, larger-than-life vocal performance from Bonnie Tyler who lost her voice some years before and had take throat surgery not knowing if she’d ever sing again.. she also had a huge hit that typecast her as a soft country rock balladeer… then she got a chance at singing a 7-minute song about Vampire love that would go onto become one of the biggest #1 hits ever…but it pissed Jim Steinman’s other constant collaborator Meatloaf off who felt the song was his for the taking… It’s a compelling story of a song that still moves the needle 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.

The snobs and the critics thumbed their noses at KISS as a party rock band with high theatrics and no technique. Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss were ready to prove them wrong, I mean they are the band that really taught us how to rock… up next a song that took them to another level. Detroit Rock City was first written as a party anthem. then the singer decided to change it up and write about a real-life tragedy. They felt they had something special, so they put it out… Then It Totally Bombed.. with radio stations picking up the B SIDE Ballad Beth instead…but redemption would come…even if it took decades. It’s a great comeback... 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, a rare interview with one of the funniest rockers ever. Mr. Eddie Money… Sadly, he passed away a few years back. The Money Man tells the story of his signature hit the 70s rock classic, Two Tickets To Paradise... He was a poor kid from the other side of the tracks dating a rich girl. Her parents didn’t want her seeing him He wanted to take her somewhere special but didn’t have the money so he wrote her a song… It became a rock classic but did it save their relationship? Find 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.

Pat Benatar has something of an adversarial relationship with one of her biggest songs… the Top Ten 10 hit “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” It broke her career wide open. There’s a few reasons for this, but ultimately, even though she made it famous, it wasn’t her song to begin with. That distinction goes to a struggling songwriter who wrote it after punching pillows in a new age therapy session. Yeah, you can’t make this stuff up. Even though Pat doesn’t care for it, there’s no doubt that generations of fans haven’t been able to get enough of it. It’s an 80s classic rock radio staple for sure, oozing confidence and bravado, putting Pat Benatar forward as the 80s premier female rocker that would be followed by plenty of great hits like Love Is a Battlefield and We Belong. 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 nicest guys in the business about his biggest hit. Jason Mraz on his smash hit I’m Yours…It started as a demo he put up on his website.. he considered it nothing more than a b side. A few years later he was playing a concert in Sweden and he needed a song to extend his set, he played this b side, and all 10k people there were singing every word. He was shocked. So he decided to record it properly. He put it out and it became one of the biggest songs ever...spending a year and a half on the charts. 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 of partying like rock stars. IT FINALLY caught up with the members of Motley Crue. It began with a fatal car crash involving singer Vince Neil and then the band’s primary songwriter and bassist Nikki Sixx nearly died on the floor of a hotel bathroom, in fact, a few hours later he busted out of his hospital room and bummed a ride home from 2 fans who were having a candlelight vigil after they heard he’d died on the radio. After these near-death experiences into the late 80s this glam rock act finally got clean and sober. From this mild experience, they made a historic record called Dr. Feelgood led by the powerful title track that became the band’s only gold single that came from dancing with death. Let the viewer beware…We are about to enter the dark side of Hollywood 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 show is a whopper…we dig into the genius & the tragedy that surrounded a pop music classic that was #1 several times for different artists. Without You. Written and recorded by Badfinger and then discovered as a deep track by Harry Nilsson who loved it and wanted to record it. …But after trying it in many different iterations and fighting with his legendary producer about the right way to approach the song. Harry Nilsson began to hate the song and did everything he could to sabotage it. It went to #1 anyway…But then the song became something of a curse. The co-writers of the song from Badfinger were decimated by career & money struggles, and in the end, actually ended up taking their own lives. Then Harry Nilsson ruptured his vocal cords and never sang the same way ever again Harry then basically disappeared from the public eye and then passed away right before he was planning to wage a comeback. Then another artist took her version to #1 in the 90s... The details of this bittersweet rock n’ roll soap opera are 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 taking a deep dive into one of the most recognizable songs of the rock era from one of the most storied and long-tenured bands of the rock era… Start Me Up by the Rolling Stones… The band actually first wrote it as a reggae song, a pretty big risk for a bunch of white guys.. even though this song came from later in their catalog, it was a smashing success, just missing out on that #1 spot… a coveted prize they would never achieve again. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards first wrote it in the mid-1970s and then a few years later they did even more takes. More than 70. One was a rock and roll take… Years later an associate producer was looking through the vaults and took found the one take they did that was a rock version and the band released it off of the 1981 album Tatoo You…becoming a classic. Which begs an interesting question, was this song their last stand? Was it their last gasp for mainstream music relevancy? Or is chart success overrated? Let’s find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next Graeham Goble, a founding member of the legendary 70s and 80s band Little River Band and the band’s primary songwriter dd he tells the story of their biggest-selling song… Lady... He said that he wrote a song about a beautiful girl he saw dancing at a show he was playing. Lady became one of the most-played songs in radio history and Their biggest selling single and to this day, the woman has no idea the song was written about her because as the writer will explain… he never met her. He also tells how the band he helped start and created many of their biggest hits is now controlled by a group of individuals who aren’t even from the band's native country and tour and record without any original members in an exclusive interview 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.

Coming up… an interview with one of the greatest rock singers in history… Lou Gramm the voice of Foreigner and another legend Mick Jones mega-producer and songwriting maestro on a song that spent a record 10 weeks at #2. Waiting for a Girl Like You... The song never got to #1! It had to settle for being the greatest bridesmaid in recorded. history. this 80s masterpiece was famous for its distinct ambient intro that came from future star Thomas Dolby who was discovered busking on the street by producer Mutt Lange. Lou's incomparable vocal came from a session where a mysterious beautiful woman walked and sat down in front of him inspiring him to dial it up to 11, nailing the take … then he rushed out to find the woman but never saw her again. Up next an interview with all three about one of the greatest songs ever... 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 one of the most well-known classics of the 80s but… it wasn’t actually a hit. It stopped just sort of the top 40. #41 in fact…New Wave classic Tempted by The Squeeze was an interesting one... the band recorded it with their longtime lead singer Glenn Tilbrook and then when Elvis Costello came in to produce the record, he didn’t like the lead singer's approach so he had the whole thing re-recorded using a guest vocalist named Paul Carrack who had a hit with How Long with Ace and then later had several solo hits as well as many with the band Mike and the Mechanics including in the living years. Carack was only with the band for one record. He nailed it and one iconic line from the song became so popular that fans threw toothbrushes on stage at the band whenever it was performed. Get the inside story of this classic 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, we’re going to go behind the Top 10 songs of this same week from the year 1984. But we’re not stopping there. After we count them down, we’re re-ranking them according to all-time streams and views, to find out which one has left the biggest mark on history. This time around we’ve got some of the greatest hits from the 80s all duking it out for that coveted #1 spot. But who will be the champion? Will it be Van Halen, Prince? Genesis, or maybe a rookie new wave band, a glam metal favorite, or even a one-hit wonder? It’s a nostalgic trip back in time. 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, two legends and world-class storytellers share the story of one of the biggest radio songs ever. These Eyes was the first big hit written by Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings of the Guess Who. Guitarist Randy Bachman went to pick up a girl for a date and she wasn’t ready, so he sat downstairs waiting, and there happened to be an old piano there, so he wrote this little song in a few minutes. He later took it over to the singer’s house who changed one key lyric… It put this legendary band on the map. As a classic of the late 60s and early 70s, both Randy and Burton tell the story of this classic rock standard. 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.

For over a decade, Led Zeppelin ruled rock with an iron fist. I mean, no one else even came close. With the release of eight epic, life-altering records including the blockbusters Zeppelin IV, Houses of the Holy and Physical Graffit...they changed the landscape of rock forever… kicking out classic rock standards left and right… it all came crashing down one morning in the fall of 1980 when their Drummer John Bonham was found dead. Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones were so devastated, Page didn’t pick up a guitar for 2 years. Some bands bring in a replacement and go on… This band knew they couldn’t… Today, we pay tribute to Bonzo and celebrate their final chapter by breaking down their final album Coda rIncluding their plan to release a punk song under a made up name to get the public’s reaction…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 one of the most mysterious, otherworldly songs of the 80s. It’s a song that absolutely hypnotizes you as a listener Eyes Without a Face by Billy Idol. Written by Billy Idol and Guitar Hero Steve Stevens for the 1984 New Wave classic album Rebel Yell. With an exotic chorus that’s sung in french. The song STARted out as a ballad but then Steve Stevens who’d written the music walked into the studio and let out a face melting blazing guitar solo that was so potent when he walked into the control room everyone in their was jumping up and down cheering including the singer. the story of this 80s classic is told by this legendary guitarist and co creator 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 a song that never really got its due when it was released as a single. My Best Friend's Girl by the Cars… Yeah, sure it was a Top 40 hit… but not by much. And yet I don’t think anyone today could deny that this song is an absolute classic rock staple. It’s also a signature song from a debut record so strong that honestly, it could have been released as a greatest hits album. Written by Rik Ocasek with vocal help by Benjamin Orr, this song, along with Just What I Needed, lit up radio in 1978 and we’ve had the meaning of the song backwards from the start. Up next, the story of a 70s classic by a band that balanced punk, new wave, power pop, and 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 coolest stories of a one hit wonder ever…This artist dropped out of high school to follow his rock and roll dreams, he scratched and clawed for 10 years before a chance meeting in an elevator gave him a shot at a record deal. Grayson Hugh arranged and helped finish a song that he knew would be a hit, but then couldn’t release it because an Icon got first dibs on releasing her version. Finally after so many failed promises, His song, the 1988 hit Talk It Over shot up the charts… The unbelievable story of rock and roll perseverance straight from the artist 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.

Every now and again in an interview with an artist, a story is told that is so unique, Poignant and heart felt that the story enhances the song to an unparalleled level. It seems to deepen with every listen. This is the case with Marc Cohn’s hit Walking in Memphis... Most people thought this massive hit was a made up homage to an artist, poetic license on steroids, but as we’ll find out in the exclusive interview coming up, every part of this song actually happened. the Ghost of Elvis to Al Green preaching. Marc Cohn was a Struggling singer songwriter and trying to find that one hit that would get him his first big break and he found it in one weekend. the story from grammy winner Marc Cohn 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.

"In 1967, a brilliant concept album was recorded that shattered the boundaries of song arrangement, and forever changed the art of recorded music. The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Maybe Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr created a concept record about an imaginary band. They were in a race with the Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys to create the greatest record ever.. The last cut on their ground-breaking record A Day in the Life was a mind-altering composition inspired by the death of a notorious socialite, and psychedelia. We raise the curtain on this fantastic voyage across the perils of stone cold realism.. and the fantasy of lysergic imagination….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 song that drove one of the UK’s biggest bands The Cure kicking and screaming out of obscurity into the Mainstream Thematically, Robert Smith’s Lovesong was completely out of character for the pope of mope… It was an unexpected bright spot on Disintegration.. the 1989 album that makes you feel like you might never see daylight again. Don’t get me wrong, it’s easily one of the most darkly beautiful records ever created. It is a moody, melancholy masterpiece that has not only been hailed as the peak of this band’s career, but also one of the greatest albums of the 80s. So what was this so-called ‘happy’ track even doing there? And could this band’s reluctant rockstar make peace with the song that turned this indie band into stadium headliners? We’ll find out... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, a tale of identical twin brothers who were told by everyone in the music industry that if they wanted to make it in show business, they had to lose their thick Scottish accents. The Proclaimers had a lot against them before they hit with I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles). For example...famous British TV host Paul Yates called them “weird” on their national television debut… But they didn’t care. They refused to drop their accents, and proved their skeptics wrong when their 2nd single rose to #3 on the British Pop Chart, and their 4th single became an International smash- largely because of their accent, Then the band got a stroke of luck, when American actress, Mary Stuart Masterson (who had become a fan of the band), submitted their music to be used in the Johnny Depp film Benny and Joon. The music instantly gripped the crew and everyone who saw the movie and took it to the top 3 in american 5 years after it was a huge hit everywhere else. 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.

Conflicting stories, throat surgery, destitution, overblown egos, and cartwheels across sports cars. It’s all part of today’s #1 80s rock anthem Here I Go Again by Whitesnake. Singer David Coverdale first recorded this song in 1982 and it went nowhere… then he was on the cusp of a break through record when he had to have throat surgery and didn’t think he’d ever sing again. He was 3 million in debt and his label wouldn’t give him the cash to make a music video to promote the song… yet somehow he overcame… With Whitesnake self titled that had 3 big rock hits, Still of the Night, Here I Go Again and Is This Love from 1987 into 1988… The key was dusting off the 1982 recording of Here I Go Again and giving it new life… on his way to world domination.. but he had re record it 3 times with 3 different bands because he fired his entire band before the album came out. Find out the story 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.

This is such a cool 80s story. The band the Hooters formed in 1980. they released an album independently and then took some time off when two of their principal members were hand picked to work on the 1984 blockbuster album Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual including helping with Girls Just Wanna have Fun and co-write the 1984 #1 hit Time After Time. Then they were signed by Columbia Records and released the 1985 2 X platinum album Nervous Night that had 3 big hits including the classic 80s anthem And We Danced plus Day by Day. They opened live aid and were killing it in 85 and 86 and then they disappeared out of the limelight in the US only to hit it big in europe and come back in the 90s writing another monumental hit One of Us for Joan Osborne. In an exclusive interview, principle members Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian tell the story 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.

IN 1983 in the midst of the 2nd British Invasion, a new wave band with a cool name almost no one could pronounce rocketed up the charts with a one-hit wonder for the ages. Kajagoogoo with the mind-blowing bass infused 1983 ditty Too Shy. They were led by a singer with one of the decade's most iconic hairstyles with one name, Limahl! The group seemed poised to be a lot more than a one-hit outfit but then the band fired this charismatic singer and they never had another hit… but he did. In an exclusive interview, the former lead singer tells the story of this singalong ditty 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 a landmark album that is all killer and no filler. Def Leppard Hysteria… This 80s hard rock masterwork was so epic that not even two car crashes, the brave drummer who lost his arm, and millions of dollars of debt could stop it from dominating the airwaves. Actually, when today’s band got started on it, they were intentionally trying to beat out the biggest selling album of all time. Michael Jackson Thriller, who actually kept their last album 1983’s Pyromania out of #1. But that’s not all. We’re also giving you the story behind its Top 10 title track, the Pink Floyd like power ballad Hysteria A song that perfectly sums up the magic that went into the making of this seminal record with A cameo interview part form lead singer Joe Elliot… it’s the story of Gen X’s greatest 80s rock blockbuster. 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.

Standing at the crossroads of her career, Stevie Nicks traded in the surefire success of Fleetwood Mac after Rumors and Tusk for a shot to prove she could do it on her own. But solo success wouldn’t come easy. Especially when two tragedies affected the progress of her album. The first of these would shake us all. The death of Beatle John Lennon The other was more personal, but still just as devastating. Stevie wrote and recorded Bella Donna with two duets… Stop Draggin My Heart Around with Tom Petty and Leather and Lace with the Eagles Don Henley but the breakout was Edge of Seventeen that came from a misheard phrase and a an inflight menu…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.

"One evening in the early 70s, a trio named the Bee Gees took the stage to play to a hometown crowd It was supposed to be a fun show but it turned out to be a demoralizing indicator of where their career stood at that moment. The attendees were more interested in getting drunk, then listening There was no question about it…the Bee Gees were at a crossroads… With 3 straight albums that were commercial failures. They were in a bad place but the adversity made the bond between the brothers Barry Gibb. Maurice Gibb and Robin Gibb was stronger than ever. It’s the story of how one of the most successful acts of the Rock Era reinvented themselves when Barry found his falsetto and the #1 hit Jive talkin came from driving over a bridge and the sound the tires made on the road... 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 one of the greatest rock vocalists ever Sammy Hagar on a song that changed everything. Right Now by Van Halen. After joining of the the mighty Van Halen and having back to back #1 albums with 5150 and 0U812, the band needed to evolve with the changing times. Sammy had the lyrics to this song in his head for months but his cowriter Eddie Van Halen wasn’t on board. one night Sammy was playing video games and heard Eddie playing something on the piano instead of the guitar … the Red Rocker walked in and started singing his lyrics over the piano figure and the game changing song was born. It had a legendary music video to go along with it, but the Sammy HATED it until he didn’t;. they put it in on an album he wanted to call the F word. Sammy tells the story in this exclusive interview 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.

Coming up next an exclusive interview with one of the founding fathers of New Wave. Singer and snazzy dresser Martin Fry of ABC He helped the brits battle it out in the second british wave in the 80s. He tells us about his band’s signature hit, the elegant synth pop masterwork The Look of Love. It lit up both sides of the Atlantic. Most think it’s a happy song because of the music but it actually came from the lead singer getting his teeth kicked in by an ex lover.. Well The producer Trevor Horn Video Killed the Radio Star Fame, was such a perfectionist he actually had Martin’s ex lover come in and record a part in the song so it was true to life! The story if 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.

When hot shot rookie Terrence Trent Darby arrived on the scene, he was hailed a rival to the biggest names in music history. but there’s a catch, he was the one who started the rumor. With his eyes firmly fixed on rock immortality not only did he declare himself a musical genius, but he claimed his debut was better than the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper. However, the self-hype started to get so big that people started to wonder if he was his own biggest fan. But to his credit, his record the Hardline According to Terrence Trent Darby topped the album charts and two of his singles Wishing Well and Sign Your Name were massive on the Hot 100. Could he sustain the success or would he falter… the story of both songs and his career are 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.

The story of the desolation of the Police and the birth of Sting’s first solo hit, If You Love Somebody Set Them Free, as song he wrote as a remedy to the disturbing stalker #1 hit of 1983, Every Breath You take. After 4 straight #1 albums in the UK, their first #1 Album in America, and first #1 Single… the Police were on top of the world. No one was bigger than they were at the time. Which made what happened next so perplexing to their fanbase. They simply quit. Or at least they quit playing together. Today, we try to figure out why and tell the story of how their iconic lead singer Sting gave up a guaranteed goldmine to go it alone while taking a huge gamble on his first solo album. How a nightmare about a blue monster actually broke up the band… 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.

Visit https://iolo.com/professorofrock and use code PROFESSOROFROCK to get 60% off System Mechanic Ultimate Defense with 30 Days of FREE 24/7 Live Tech Support. Thanks for Sponsoring the video iolo! Today’s song contains one of the most iconic opening riffs of all time… from one of the most notorious and dangerous bands of the 80s: Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses. 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.

Shrouded in the intrigue of an urban myth about a deadly acid trip, and cryptic lyrics, many shared that this 70s classic was about a suicide. American Girl by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers etched the superstar onto the Mt. Rushmore of rock n’ roll storytellers. The fact & fiction surrounding one of the greatest rock songs ever. IN hindsight it’s actually this Tom and his band the Heartbreakers biggest hit ever… Except for the fact that it wasn’t actually a hit.. and it was the last song he ever played live. the real story of this classic rock standard is next.. …. 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 and interview with a musical genius, one of the word’s greatest living guitarists Carlos Santana. This interview blew my mind. He’s such a guru. 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 last great power Ballad of the 80s, I Remember You by Skid Row. And it almost didn’t make it onto the record because the band thought it was just okay. In fact, their exact thinking is that it was cheesy even though it rocked harder than most ballads… Well, their label and management both felt it would be a smash as did the band’s friend John Bon Jovi. So Dave the Snake Sabo, Rachel Bolan, Sebastian Back, and the band recorded it. Coming up the founder, guitarist, and co-writer Dave Sabo shares the first-hand account of one of the most chosen songs for the prom with one of the best vocals of that year, from a band that was deemed hair metal even though they were straight hard rock. 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.

Up next legendary singer songwriter John Oates of Daryl Hall and John Oates (Hall and Oates) tells us the story of their first single. The 70s classic She’s Gone! A song from that was released 3 times over a few years before it finally charted at #6 and became an all time classic helping put the most successful duo on the map for good. And to think it all came from John getting stood up by a beautiful woman on new years eve. He may owe his entire career to that rejection… We also discuss the story behind the hit Sara Smile.Get the stories in an exclusive interview 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.

Is it a hidden gem or a no brainer hit hiding in plain sight? Even though today’s song broke the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and claimed #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart, What it Takes By Aerosmith has faded into obscurity since its moment of glory. Which is a huge oversight, because its one of the best songs in its genre from one of the biggest bands in the world. It came from one of the best rock albums of 1989 in Pump the also included the hits Love in an Elevator and Janie Got a Gun and get this, The song started out as a country western song but Steve Tyler and Joe Perry knew they could never get away with that so Tyler gave it a no holds barred hard rock twang, which molded into a fierce power ballad that set an all time record for the most repeated lyrics in a top 10 hit. 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 legend Randy Bachman, a co-founding member of both Bachman Turner Overdrive (BTO) and The Guess Who on his classic rock standard Takin’ Care of Business TCB that sat unfinished for years, because The Guess Who thought it sounded too similar to the Beatles Paperback Writer... Then one day he got an idea from a random saying he heard on a radio show and the chorus was finished, but it was still missing something musically until a pizza delivery guy walked in and offered to play piano on the track which was the missing piece… When he played the demo for a record exec, he flipped out… He wanted him to release it asap… Now Randy just needed to track down the pizza guy to sign a release… Which proved too tough. He had to call every pizza place to try and track him down… Elvis also picked up on the song and made it his mantra. Which brought it full circle since Elvis was the reason Randy got into music as a kid... 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 one of the greatest comeback stories in music history. Neil Sedaka had 6 top ten hits as a rookie including one of the biggest #1s of the time with Breaking Up is Hard to Do. Then literally overnight he became a has been. When the Beatles came out and wiped his style from the musical hemisphere. His label wouldn’t release his music. He even moved to the other side of the world and played gigs at dives just to keep his dream alive. He was shut out of the charts for 13 years. One day he ran into the biggest star in the world, Elton John at a party and Elton gave him a chance for a comeback. He wrote a great song, Laughter in the Rain that he knew was a smash… It returned him to the top of the charts almost a decade and half later…This Hall of Fame artist give us 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.

Today’s track is like rollin’ thunder. And it comes at you just like a hurricane. It’s a powerful, heavy hitting anthem, and designed to blow you away. Hells Bells by AC/DC But in spite of that, it was actually written as a tribute to a fallen frontman, Bon Scott. Brian Johnson came into the band with some big shoes to feel as Angus Young and his brother Malcom young along with uber producer Mutt Lange created the biggest selling rock record ever… Back In Black . Charged with writing the lyrics to this rock epitaph on the tight deadline of just one day, Brian Johnson found himself paralyzed with writer’s block. But after some unexpected inspiration and spooky, supernatural experience, his fortunes began to improve. He felt like he received some help from the grave, then later the band had a 1 ton bell commissioned to get the right sound for the song...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, a song that has received a lot of hate… Many don’t want to admit that they know every lyric… In fact, I would say if you’re a Gen-Xer and you claim not to know every word to this massive #1 hit you’re a big fat liar… I'm talking about Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice. I present to you an exclusive interview, with maybe the greatest Bottled Lightning story of them all. For about a year Robert Van Winkle, AKA Vanilla Ice was the biggest star on the planet. He was at #1 for 15 weeks, Madonna wanted to date him, he had the first rap #1, and then overnight he was cast off. He ripped off Queen and David Bowie’s Under Pressure- the beat and bass line. Then he got caught in some tales from his past and he was done. Many were livid that he ripped off the song and didn’t pay out royalties at first, but he actually introduced the song to many all over the world…as it wasn’t a hit in America. So, so, so many twists and turns to this story. It's the breakdown of a song that still moves the needle, in an exclusive Professor of Rock interview. 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 classic hit double A Side from one of the Depeche Mode In the 80s the band was starting to make it’s way up the charts and they haven’t stopped since. Today we break down the beautiful, sensitive Martin Gore Ballad Somebody along with it’s other side Blasphemous Rumors. Believe it or not the latter song caused an uproar in my small community of Blackfoot Idaho for it’s out right blasphemy…in fact when the main writer showed it to the rest of the band one key members was afraid it would offend everyone… . When Martin Gore brought Somebody to David Gahan, the late Andrew Fletcher and Alan Wilder he decided to sing it.. and sing it he did… buck naked. He wasted to sing it in the nude to capture the vulnerability perfectly. Boy did he ever. Coming up next the story of an 80s DM classic and how it lead to other great song of the same nature like, Enjoy the Silence, Stripped, A Question of Lust and more.. 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 harrowing details behind a near fatal car crash that put one of the great musical Genius Stevie Wonder in a coma for 4 days. He had just come off Talking Book the #1 album that gave him grammys and hits including You are the Sunshine of My Life and his cousin smacked into a flatbed truck in front of them and Stevie was stuck in the head and bleeding. He was rushed to a hospital and was near death for days. When his cousin came to see him he began to sing his latest song Higher Ground softly to him and Stevie woke up. He was afraid he’d lost his musical abilities since he could no longer taste or smell but days later he mustered enough to try his clarinet and he could still jam. Stevie felt that the accident was his destiny and felt he was given a second chance at life and Higher Ground was the perfect omen for that. He would then release several historic albums including Songs in the Key of Life and fulfillingness first finale and embrace the future. We also include an interview with rock hall of famer who witnessed it first hand when Little Stevie Wonder came to Motown. He had just written his first song at the age of 10! 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 #1 smash with the distinction of having one of the most innovative and unforgettable music videos ever made. Peter Gabriel’s super catchy #1 hit Sledgehammer. Made up of over 100 hours of filming…the song was written by the master artist who lived on the fringes of pop culture stardom for decades. But after releasing this song, it’s awesome video, and his extraordinary album So, Peter Gabriel was on everyone’s radar. And in the process, he even one-upped his former bandmates, Phil Collins and Genesis stealing the #1 spot from one of their biggest hits, Invisible Touch, replacing them at the top of the charts. Most people don’t realize, this innocent fun loving hit is all about SEX! Coming up, get the story of how this slice of ear candy came out of nowhere to become an all-time 80s favorite and actually When He REPLACED his Former Band Genesis at #1, Phil Collins Wanted to Send a Note that said: Congratulations Bastard! 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.