Professor of Rock

This song came hit the top 10 in America in 1980 and sounded like it was 100 years a head of it’s time..It came on pop radio where Kenny Rogers and Christopher Cross and Olivia Newton John were the norm. Gary Numan and his 80s synth pop masterwork sounded like it was from mars. It was the instigator of new wave, of dark wave, of industrial music of Electonica or EDM. GARY NUMAN IS a pioneer of every genre just mentioned , He even looked and sounded like an android. It was awesome. With a song that came from expressing the fear he felt as a victim from a bout of road rage. He wrote the song on a bass guitar in about 15 minutes…Up next he actual pioneer tells us the first hand account of creating a song that defined the 80s and a video that defined MTV 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.

Up next New Wave 80s duo Wang Chung tell the story of writing one of the quintessential pop culture hits of the 80s. singer Jack Hues was worried about using the band’s name in the chorus of the song thinking it would be cheesy instead it became a part of the lexicon of the decade. The catchphrase of the 80s. Everybody Have Fun Tonight (everybody Wang Chung Tonight ) with a video that now has to have a warning on it do to it’s whacky cinematography that could cause medical issues, the story behind a song that takes you back to the best of the 80s as both Jack Hues and Nick Feldman relate the making and recording of the song that would make them a permanent part of 80s lore. 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 multi-million record-selling artist isn’t exactly known for taking suggestions. But that hasn’t stopped legions of fans from sending him ideas for his next song. In fact, Weird Al Yankovic is bombarded with so many pitches that he has called it the bane of his existence. However, that being said... there was one time that he did make an exception. Afterall, when an 80s Icon Madonna told a friend that she wished that Weird would make fun of her smash #1 hit from 1984. Weird Al Obliged with one of his funniest take ups ever. The video and song Like a Surgeon would land the comedy genius or Sonic comic back on the billboard hot 100 and drive his album Dare to be Stupid to the top of the charts. So, get ready, it’s the completely unexaggerated, absolutely true story about one of the greatest songs of our time. Am I being sarcastic? Find out next 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.

After starting the 80s off with a bang these historic pioneers of New Wave had been through the ringer entering the final year of the decade. The B52s were looking at slumping sales and the tragic loss of their guitarist Ricky Wilson in 1985 Kate Peirson, Cindy Wilson, Fred Schneider and co had been in decline for years. They wrote their biggest hit ever, Love Shack! They would set mainstream radio on fire with one of the most UNLIKELY party hits ever and after 13 years as a band with not one top 40 hit, they had two top 3 hits back to back…Love Shack contained the most mispronounced phrase of the decade. Up Next Cindy Wilson sets the record straight on some long held urban legends behind the one of 1989’s biggest hits and says there’s no way it should’ve been a hit. It’s a celebration of the late 80s classic Cosmic Thing. 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 60s rock classic White Room by Cream was at least 5 years ahead of it’s time and the amazing lyrics came from one of those ‘gut check’ moments in life, when a person faces great adversity, or despair. It’s at that moment you have to make a decision to fight through the pain to get to a better place,..or.. just give up and fall into the abyss forever.. This episode is about one of those critical life-changing events...With one foot in the grave, poet Peter Brown used a flophouse to be his sanitarium to get rid of a lethal drug addiction, and turn his life around. He wrote a poem about this watershed period of his life, but mostly about his Apartment. The members of Cream Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton shortened the poem and added their heavy touch to the song to make a smash in the late 60s influencing Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath with their dynamic approach that pretty much invented heavy metal. Even though the trio only last 3 years because Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker were about to kill each other. Peter Brown was shocked when it became a hit and all time classic. 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.

"On this episode, one of the greatest composers of the Rock Era, Mr. Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo wants to invite you to a party….Not just any party… "It will a party unlike any that you’ve ever attended….a party where no one’s still alive. When you arrive….please leave your body and soul at the door. Don’t run away….It’s only the story of an 80s macabre thriller called Dead Man’s Party inspired by the tragic history of a haunted hotel where 7 murders happened all at once. Danny Elfman stayed on the 11th floor where many have reported seeing the ghost of the 7 murdered. He turned it into an Oingo Boingo classic but it just missed the top 40 as did his 1985 hits weird science. the band had at least 20 classics but not one top 40 hit. Then Elfman quit too focus on composing some of the most famous scores ever such as the simpsons, Batman, and the Nightmare Before Christmas. 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.

How does one try to break down the Led Zeppelin standard Stairway to Heaven? It’s the constitution of Rock! It’s been talked about a million times. People have been trying to figure out what it means for ages. 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 an all time 70s #1 hit that has as much drama and intrigue as any song every recorded an an example of everyone trying to force a song to be something it wasn’t. In the end the song won the battle. I’m talking about Papa Was A Rolling Stone by the Temptations...First of all it was 12 minutes long with the first four minutes recored as an extended instrumental section that had the legendary group furious that their vocals were being increasingly pushed to the background by an off the wall producer. Then the producer had the Dennis Edwards the singer record dozens of takes to the point of exhaustion. He also didn’t want to sing it. it got so bad that after the song was finished he was fired and it would be the last massive hit So many urban legends have been thrown around about the song and we’ll get the real story from the last remaining member of the this hall of fame group. the interview with Otis Williams set the record straight. 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 more than a decade of paying their dues on the road, nine studio albums of mixed success, and eleven singles that mostly struggled on the Hot 100… The J Geils Band was way overdue for their big break.. As luck would have it they entered the 80s just as a new sound was storming the airwaves, they finally figured out what listeners were looking for. Led by a semi risqué #1 hit, Centerfold about the singer finding out his once girlfriend is posing in magazine this song punctuated with some of the catchiest pop hooks known to the 80s, enabling this band to finally break through years after battling it out on the charts. They paid their dues for 14 years.. They ruled 1982 with Centerfold going to #1 for 6 weeks and the Title track Freeze Frame going to #4, they they pretty much vanished. It was so popular, I sang it in church as a 7 year old kid and got in huge trouble. The story of the song 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.

The First 3 studio albums from KISS that taught us how to rock, were actually, commercial disappointments. It was so bad Their record label Casablanca was circling the drain. It was a desperate time for Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, the principal songwriters of Kiss create a song that would vault them to superstardom and keep the band going for the long haul… So they reached deep within themselves and generated the perfect 70s rock anthem Rock and Roll All Nite and it died on the charts. Desperate to prove themselves, the head of the record label Neil Bogart hatched a plan to take their live show and bring it inside the bedroom of every teen in america… Kiss Alive would change music history and give the band theirs first huge hit an anthem of rebellion that should’ve been a #1 Hit! 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 years this rock legend had been fighting a losing battle against alcoholism and substance abuse. Ozzy Osbourne is of course FAMOUS for having an extreme on-stage persona, but in the late 80s his personal demons started to take the spotlight. In a drunken act he would forever regret, this musician went completely off the rails and assaulted his wife. Next thing he knew, he was waking up in a jail cell charged with attempted murder. How can anyone come back from something like that? Well, today we’re telling the unbelievable story of how he did. And how it all relates to a hit song he wrote for his wife called Mama I’m Coming Home. Written with guitarist Zak Wylde and Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead, this 1991 power ballad from the album No More Tears returned him to prominence in the charts.. 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.

Against all odds, and against better judgement, today’s artist wrote a song that went to #1 on the Hot 100 and sold over 6 million copies…AND IT’S the WORST SONG EVER WRITTEN. To prepare for this episode, I scoured a every valid list of ‘Worst Song Ever Polls’ and was surprised to find that this 70s hit rarely made the cut… I alway try to be positive but you have to trust me, this is TRULY the worst song of all time. I don’t think there is a person living who would say otherwise. and yet is isn’t included in any of the worst songs list I’ve looked atSo, what’s the deal? Is this actually some kind of a ‘worst song hidden gem?’ I had to wonder if there are there listeners who secretly like this sort of ear poison? Today we discuss Disco Duck by Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots and how the song went from a really bad idea to a #1 hit in the middle of the disco era of the 70s. How Rick was fired for even talking about the song as it was making it’s way up 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.

This Legendary Rock band knew that this song would be really big. So It was perplexing when it finished in 3rd place out of the four singles released from their 1981 blockbuster album Escape. I’m talking about Don’t Stop Believin’ By Journey. It was a strange song in that Steve Perry’s immaculately sung chorus doesn’t show up until the last 30 seconds of the song and Neal Schon has a blazing solo in the first 30 seconds but it’s promise would grow over the decades after it was released and when Glee wanted to cover it in their landmark episode the Neal Schon in our interview said he was pretty nervous that it would ruin the song and turn it into Mary Poppins, taking all of the Heaviness out of it. Instead it helped turn it into the biggest selling digital rock single ever. In a star studded episode including Carlos Santana, Toto, Sammy Hagar and Panic! at the Disco, we get the story from the principal band members of Journey including Co-writers Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain and current lead singer Arnel Pineda… 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 anthem by AC/DC that was completely misunderstood by the critics and haters. Thinking that Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap was evil and meant to influence children to follow Satan the 70s tune was actually inspired by a cartoon character the band members watched on the telly as little children. It was released on an album that wasn’t released in America for almost 5 years until Back in Black blew up in the early 80s. By this time their incredible singer Bon Scott had already passed away. the album went on to sell 6 million copies ever 5 years after it was recorded. The band’s label didn’t believe in Bon Scott early on and refused to push AC/DC in the states but the band proved them wrong with sold out stadiums and over 100 million records sold and has been the ultimate kryptonite to cancel culture with their no holds barred, no apologies brand or hard 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 these guys were still in high school, they were late for class because they were up all night doing recording sessions with Some of the most legendary bands of the 70s… Steve Lukather and David Paich as well as the Late Jeff Porcaro formed Toto soon after and David Paich wrote the riff of the 70s classic Hold the Line in his first apartment so loud and so many times that he was evicted after other renters complained but in the end the song sold a million copies and put the band on the map. IN this exclusive interview with Steve Lukather and David Paich we get the story first hand as well as the story of 99 and how their classic logo came to be. 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 wrote and performed one of the most eartastic hook laden classics of the 80s. I Can Dream About You, the underrated top 10 hit from 1984 is true sonic time machine.. over it’s 4 minutes it transports you back the greatest year in music history. Sadly it’s singer, the great Dan Hartman would only live for another few years after it was a hit Dying at only 43 from a brain tumor… today’s story is an interesting one… He wrote this song as a demo for Daryl Hall and John Oates only they weren’t able to record it.. So he pretty much recorded the way he thought they would’ve done it imitating their sound with reverence and it was brilliant. Used for the cult classic film Streets of Fire it became a smash of the summer of 1984. Including exclusive interviews with John Oates from Hall and Oates and his former bandmate, Edgar Winder from the the Edgar Winter group, this is a cant miss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"Coming up, the evolution of a universal rock standard that was rescued from obscurity by a 17 year old, future icon, who happened to see a live performance of the song while watching TV in a hotel room in London. Joan Jett was touring with the Runaways when she saw the Arrows perform I Love Rock and Roll on TV. Joan made a pact to cover the song no matter what. She Knew it would be a #1 hit. It took 6 years after her band rejected it and it was released as a B-side not once but 2 times. When She finally covered it as Joan Jett and the blackhearts including Ricky Byrd on guitar it was a #1 smash. topping the billboard hot 100 for 6 weeks. The story of perseverance and destiny…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.

This all time rock classic appeared on the biggest selling album of all time. Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975… Already Gone was the most rocking single that Glenn Frey and Don Henley and the Eagles ever did.… It came out of funny situation…while in the backroom of a place he used to gig at Hall of Fame songwriter Jack Tempchin was thirsty and searching for something to Drink. when he opened an old fridge and found a jug full of a strange liquid. He was so thirsty he drank it… it ended up being very heavy as in no time he was three sheets to the wind. … about 20 minutes later he had written a song that would bring him Millions. Find out this and more in our new interview with Jack 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.

For a lot of US listeners, today’s band is a well-kept Canadian secret. And that’s not a good thing, because these classic rockers have turned out a killer catalog that includes multiple Top 40 hits... just not on this side of the border. It’s Tom Cochrane’ and his band Red Rider. Their classic rock battle cry: Lunatic Fringe is continually cited as one of the best one hit wonder of the 80s only it was never a hit on the charts. It missed the top 40 completely thought it did go top 20 on the rock charts IN fact Red Rider never had a top 40 hit in America. Even so Lunatic Fringe has become a classic of rock radio.... It’s a haunting battle cry, burning with righteous indignation. A call to defend the downtrodden and stand against hate. Tom’s management actually tried to talk him out of even recording it and he nearly listened to them but a devastating tragedy motivated him to see it through.. This is the story of a singer who never gave up and found redemption in the chart later on because of it… his band barely missed the U.S. top 40 for almost 20 years but his first solo single Life Is A Highway hit the top 5 everywhere. 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 anyone thinks of the baddest rock stars on the planet, Billy Joel would likely be at the back of the line because they judge his work and persona off of a few radio hits. Uptown Girl, Just the Way You Are, We Didn’t Start the Fire... Well that bias has caused many to miss out on one of the greatest back catalogs of songs in history and one of baddest cats in the business… Mr. Billy Joel the Piano Man. Truth is he’s one of the baddest dudes in the game and one of the greatest artists in rock history and he’s been hiding in plain site all these years. Let me just give you some starters… 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 icon of the 80s was using a urinal when a fan recognized him and came up midstream and pitched him his demo. He gave him the tape when he was finished. the icon was Rick Springfield mourned the times Jessie’s Girl was a hit. Part of the music on that demo became his top 10 hit Affair of the Heart. Then a few years later another 80s icon (Steve Kilby of the Church) was using the bathroom of a woman he had come home with and heard a strange noise in the adjacent bathtub.. He pulled back the shower curtain and found a huge Lizard lurking which inspired another great 80s song, 80s hit Reptile. These interviews as well as one with John Oates and Colin Hay of Men at Work from the stories of the 5 best underplayed hits of the 80s including One hit wonder, The Captain of her Heart by Double and the amazing Electric Blue by Icehouse. . Urinals inspiring big hits… Anxiety keeping one artist up at night… Its all hear in the best of 80s hidden gems. 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 band’s heavy Debut single was one of the biggest rock hits of the year but critics wrote them off as a Grunge also ran. Collective Soul hit #1 on the Rock charts with Shine. Critics were dead wrong. It was a huge mistake on their part since Ed Roland and Collective Soul weren’t of that caliber just in the same time frame.. Their second album 90s classic December blew the sophomore jinx out of the water with several #1 hits including today’s feature. The World I Know Ed Roland walked out of his hotel room in New York City and just moved around the skyscrapers by foot observing the grittiness and the turmoil of the people in this metropolis inspiring him to write this #1 smash. Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls borrowed from it considerably and in my interview with Ed he has the perfect comeback. Also with their other #1 Rock hit, the rest of the band called the song the worst shit ever and didn’t want to record the song. Ed told them to forget it…THEY WERE RECORDING IT.. he was right.. It was one of their biggest this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Gary Puckett and the Union Gap were playing wherever they could when they got discovered. They got their big break while they were playing a gig inside of a bowling alley. IN fact they signed the record contract inside the same bowling alley about a month later they hit the charts with fury, with 6 consecutive gold hits and actually outsold the Beatles in 1968. Young Girl was the big hit for them in 68 going all the way to #2. TH Up next Gary Puckett and his producer songwriter Jerry Fuller (who produced and wrote hits for everyone from Ricky Nelson to Elvis) both tell the story of this nostalgic hit which even to this day has remained controversial because people don’t listen to the lyrics they just jump to conclusions. We unravel the mystery of the 60s 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 ZZ TOP was doing well in the 70s but when they entered the 80s they wanted to up their game after hearing the modern sound of several New Wave and Synth pop acts of the 80s like Depeche Mode and Duran Duran so they updated their sound adding keyboards to their guitar attack along with some high tech music videos for MTV and instantly blew up as one of the most recognizable bands in history with the hit Sharp Dressed Man as well as Legs and Gimme All your Loving taking their 1983 blockbuster Eliminator into he stratosphere The thing is they didn’t really change at all, outside of a little synth.. They already had the most iconic look and sound in music, they just needed more exposure and it could’t have happened to a nicer bunch.. They were always focused on the music, not the money. ZZ Top was offered millions to shave off their beards by Gillette back in the day but they declined. Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard and the late Dusty Hill were one of a kind. 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 LA punk band X and their 1980s masterpiece album Los Angeles. Both John Doe and Xene Cervenka give their recollections of the scene and music that has influenced everyone since with X’s distinct brand of rockabilly, punk, American and folk. X is one of the most compelling and influential underground bands of the 80s punk and alternative scene with a new perspective on an indie record that has been called one of the finest recordings of it’s genre. Released in 1980, this album has been name to so many top 10 lists we can’t cover them all here It’s been inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame as well. Songs covered include the title track, Johnny Hit and Run Paulene, the Door’s cover Soul Kitchen, the Unheard Music, Your Phone’s Off the Hook, The World’s A Mess It’s in His Kiss and Sex and Dying in High School 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.

Daryl Hall and John Oates 1981 hit I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do) is one of the most sampled songs in music history. It went to #1 after Olivia Newton John spent an 80s record 10 weeks at #1 Stopping Hall and Oates from replacing themselves at #1 since Private Eyes was at #1 just before Physical’s run. (It also kept Foreigner at #2 for a record 10 weeks! Not only has been sampled by numerous iconic songs over the years Furthermore it also influenced one of the biggest records of all time Billie Jean by Michael Jackson. Jackson told Hall and Oates at concert backstage that he would always dance to the record and he lifted the bass part from it. Years later it would be sampled on numerous rap and hip hop albums. John Oates tells the story of the #1 hit and how it has been misunderstood by many listeners thinking it was a lovesong but that it is actually as song against the power brokers of the entertainment industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How Led Zeppelin threw this song away is beyond me. Next we break down a classic rock hidden gem Hey Hey What Can I Do which was the B side to the 45 of Immigrant song Written by the world’s biggest rock band Sadly, it never made it onto its intended album, Led Zeppelin 3 or any of the six that followed. And yet it has been hailed as a top-notch tune, living for decades as a holy grail rarity. A status reinforced by the fact that Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham never played it live. It’s a 70s hidden gem for the ages. One that was forgotten to almost everyone aside from avid record collectors and classic rock DJs. Would fans ever get their hands on this incredible track? Find out... NEXT on the Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

One of the 80s best hit songwriters Holly Knight created the perfect song for an up and coming rookie Patty Smyth or Scandal featuring Patty Smyth called the Warrior… When Patty Smyth heard it she absolutely loved it. She knew it was a hit… She would be proven right as it went to #1 on the rock charts and #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. When it came to the music video…it was a different story and even though the video for the Warrior would rule MTV Pattie loathed it. she loved the song and hated the video find out why from both the artist and songwriter in our exclusive interview coming up next plus how Patty almost fronted Van Halen when David Lee Roth left. 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 Episode 1 of a compelling interview with Thomas Dolby who most recall as the 80s video star on MTV with his quintessential hit, She Blinded Me With Science and as a Master Producer for many acts including Prefab Sprout but did you know that he played with David Bowie at Live Aid and along the way founded a Silicon Valley Software Company called Beatnik that's technology has been used to play internet audio and ringtones? He was also the Music Director for the Ted Conference for many years and is now an esteemed Professor at Johns Hopkins University. Over several episodes we will break down his amazing career from MTV to where he is today, so stay tuned for future episodes... Today's episode is focused on his bottled lightning classic 1983 hit She Blinded Me with Science. This 80s hit epitomized the decade. He used a whacky TV Scientist, his love for asian women and an affinity for the films of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton to cultivate an 80s synth pop classic that is forever tattooed on our brain. This musical icon shares the secrets of the song and the unforgettable music video in an exclusive interview 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 a conversation with the hilarious duo They Might Be Giants who helped originate geek rock from with alternative vibe. Diving into their double platinum record Flood from 1990 including an in depth discussion on their modern rock hits Birdhouse in Your Soul.. early on, the two Johns… John Flansburgh and John Linnell found that Writing one minute songs was their forte and then they sprung up from the underground and sold a million records with one of the most explosive ear catching songs of the time along with other great songs from the album including Particle Man and Istanbul (not Constantinople) and Minimum Wage... both members of the duo tell us how being the album of the month for Columbia House’s famous 8 albums for a penny offer helped them break through next on professor of rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The most streamed song for the band Kiss is I was Made For Loving You.. this 1979 hit started as a challenge between a disco producer & legendary front man Paul Stanley… Paul maintained, that it was much easier to write a “disco hit” than it was to write a rock hit. We go ‘behind the masks’ to reveal how the world’s most famous glam rock band created their biggest international hit…from the Kiss album Dynasty and how it was the original lineups last big hit and how Gene Simmons wasn’t happy about this part 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.

Joe Jackson Stepping Out was the best song of1982. That’s saying something because 82 was a massive year in music, it was the year of mega chart singles like Eye of the Tiger by Survivor, Physical by Olivia Newton John and I love Rock and Roll by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and big albums like Men at Work’s Business as Usual Prince 1999, Duran Duran Rio even Michael Jackson Thriller came out at the end of the year… Joe Jackson was just on a higher musical vibrations. He rocked the end of the 70s with his New Wave Hit Is She Really Going Out with Him but then after several albums he got tired of being categorized as New Wave so he wrote a song that called on the ghosts of George Gershwin and Cole Porter and thought it stalled just outside of the top 5 it had a sonic quality that could whisk you away to musical ecstasy. Up next the story of the most unsung hit of the 80s by a man who still has an air of mystery surrounding 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.

80s rock band Survivor was flying high in 1982. They’d just scored their first #1 hit with Eye of the Tiger spending 6 weeks at the top of the summit and were ready for more but when their next album flopped and their lead singer Dave Bickler lost his voice, Many wondered if this band would survive… after auditioning many singers they found the perfect frontman in Jimi Jamison as well as the perfect song to take them back to the top. I Can’t Hold Back from there 1984 blockbuster album Vital Signs put them on the right track for multiple hits including High On You and the Search Is Over Up next founding member and co writer Jim Peterik tells the story behind their comeback and the song that took them back to #1 next... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next a rock legend and metal god Rob Halford of Judas Priest gives the straight story behind the 80s heavy metal classic You’ve Got Another Thing Coming which started out as a b side until radio and their label turned it into the spark that pushed mainstream radio to play the music that was meant for the outcasts and misfits. Rob also talks about being part of Tipper Gore’s Filthy 15 list of banned songs and how the phrase may have come of a thesaurus becoming a mantra for the outcasts.. and his words became part of our culture! . coming up the story of an underdog rock song that has become one of music’s greatest rock expressions… 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 80s classic hit In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins has arguably the most famous urban legend behind it in rock history. Told and retold thousands of times. Did Phil Collins of Genesis really witness a potential murder and then write about it to haunt the killer? Or is it a total farce? The story of a song that has become one of the biggest of its time only to stall outside of the top 10 back in the early 80s. we give it it’s due as a #1 in our hearts and find out the real 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.

Coming up…A tale of two lead singers Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth. Both fronted Van Halen… Both had different philosophies. WE look at them through two classic song from both eras… Aint Talkin’ Bout Love from the 70s debut and Why Can’t This Be Love from the 80s album 5150. They are both great because the music for each was written by the genius Eddie Van Halen along with the usual offerings by Michael Anthony and Alex Van Halen. The story of both songs along with an interview from Sammy Hagar about the #3 hit 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.

Tom Petty risked everything to earn his freedom form a cheating record label. The Result was captured in one of his greatest 80s hits, Refugee. Tom Petty risked His finances, his reputation, his future in music, even his mental health... it was all on the line. But the alternative was something much worse, working under a dishonest contract that was more or less musical servitude. Going bankrupt in the process, this fearless artist took his label to court while at the same time writing and recording what many consider to be his masterpiece album Damn the Torpedoes. The story of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers fight for liberty including an exclusive interview with the song’s co-writer Mike Campbell. 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 Police created the 1983 #1 Hit Every Breath You Take at a tumultuous time.. Sting was going through a painful divorce, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers were fighting tooth and nail with Sting to get their ideas heard and producer Hugh Padgham was in the middle of the strife. Manager Miles Copeland had to go lay down the law. They were the biggest band in the world and they wanted Synchronicity to be the biggest record on the charts so they were able to stop the fist fights for a time to create a blockbuster. Sting sat down to write a love song one night but it turned into a sinister stalker song. Every Breath You Take would take a lot to finish but when it dropped it went to #1 for 8 weeks… The biggest song of `1983 and the most played song ever. Get ready for a riveting story of the trio who had an outright songwriting brawl, all the way to #1. 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 Martin Fry of 80s New Wave band ABC was sick, music saved him. This Charismatic velvet voiced new wave frontman was going through his darkest times, when he had Hodgkins disease. As he battled cancer with chemotherapy he realized that listening to his favorite music lifted him up out of despair and so he wanted to create a song that paid tribute to this joyful music of motown that helped him survive. the result was one of the greatest top 5 hits of 1987, When Smokey Sings about his hero, Smokey Robinson.. the song just soars. Up next this Martin Fry of ABC tells us the story of capturing that and how his tribute to his hero Smokey actually passed him up on the charts as both were in the top 10 at the same 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.

The real story of how Dave the Snake Sabo and Skid Row created the 80s metal classic 18 and Life. There are a lot of urban legends about this song and Dave sets the record straight. The top 5 hit came from Skid Row’s multi-platinum 1989 self titled album that included the hits Youth Gone Wild, I Remember You and this classic. . As an opener for Bon Jovi during their New Jersey tour, many said that Skid Row was better with the duo of Dave Sabo and Rachel Bolan and Sebastian Back on vocals, they helped rock rule radio as the 80s came to a close. 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.

Burton Cummings of the Guess Who made up the all time 70s rock classic American Woman on the spot in the middle of a live show… while hearing Randy Bachman’s guitar vamp Burton sang the famous lines stream of conscience and a #1 hit was born. Luckily a bootlegger was recording the show and the Band got a hold of the cassette and recorded it after. Contrary to popular belief the song was not written as an anti war song or against American… Burton sets the record straight in this exclusive interview on the biggest rock song of 1970. 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.

Fine Young Cannibals blew up 1989. They seemed to come out of nowhere and were gone just as quickly. For one year they ruled the charts. #1 on the album charts with the Raw and the Cooked and then two #1 hits including She Drives Me Crazy and Good Thing. When the English Beat broke up, Andy Cox and Dave Steele decided to form a band using MTV to find a singer. After auditioning 500 singers they finally found a singer the old fashioned way. Through people they knew. Roland Gift had distinct falsetto and Fine Young Cannibals were born. They worked with Prince producer Bobby Z and created a beautiful pop album that set the charts and the 80s on fire. So why did they walk away from music? Whey didn’t they record a follow up album? Relegated to the one album wonder status or as we call it Bottled Lightning. Find out why next on professor of rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 1970s #1 Classic Rock hit Black Water by the Doobie Brothers is has been called the rock and roll equivalent of Gone with the Wind meets Huckleberry Finn. The classic rock band wrote it as a love letter to the south. They thought the song was ok but don’t think it was a hit so it was relegated to a b side when out of nowhere a DJ played it and suddenly the request lines lit up like a CHRISTMAS Tree! Weeks later it went to #1. Tom Johnston and Pat Simmons also tell the story of how Another Park Another Sunday was stopped in the charts because radio stations refused to play. You’ll love this underdog story of two 70s classics! 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.

Robert Smith and the Cure had a lot that went into their song that broke the band to the world, Boys Don’t Cry… written in the late 70s and released in the US in the 80s it set up the decade perfectly. the song came from years of antics by Robert and his band. He was expelled from school for several live shows that incited craziness… He was beaten up for wearing his mother’s dress to school. He also wrote Boys Don’t Cry as a protest against the adults who told him to cover his real emotions. It set the Cure up for long term success which would be followed by Close to Me, In-between Days and Just like Heaven to make him one fo the greatest of the 80s. 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 Soundgarden released Black Hole Sun, a surreal and sinister trip into the unknown… the song's sonic beauty resembled a psychedelic apocalypse. Authored by legendary Seattle musician Chris Cornell during a late-night drive, he quickly rushed home to capture this haunting melody. When he finished the song he completely underestimated it, calling it a decent third or fourth single. Little did he know this rock anthem was about to flip the musical zeitgeist upside-down and send Soundgarden past Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Alice in Chains in grunge’s next wave of the 90s... next we dig deep into the meaning of this dreamy soundscape… on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The story behind the 1983 classic Space Age Lovesong by A Flock of Seagulls. Mike Score of A Flock of Seagulls tells the amazing story of this perfect 80s hit. He started out as a hairdresser during the day and played in an experimental rock band at night. In this exclusive interview he reveals how he created the shimmering new wave wall of sound that he dubbed Punk Floyd. and how he wrote a perfect song called Space Age Love Song after he already hit with I Ran. With his plucky exploration he was 50 years ahead of his time with Space Age Lovesong, the emotional guitar driven song. It’s a new wave classic. Up next the story of this immaculate 80s record on professor of rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We’re counting down the Top 10 songs of this very same week from the year 1985. This time around we’ve got some of the biggest hits from the 80s duking it out for that #1 spot. It was a legendary week for sure. You had Dire Straits, Billy Joel, Tears for Fears, Aretha Franklin and Huey Lewis and the news all vying for the coveted #1 spot along with a great one hit wonder and Somehow, we’ve managed to pack in three parenthesis songs, three summer blockbuster hits, as well as some iconic music videos that solidified already great hits. It’s 80s nostalgia to the max, that is going to take you back to the best days of your life... 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.

Olivia Newton John was one of a kind. A beloved icon of the 70s and 80s, she felt like a member of our family. She will always be a key part of our childhood. Her kindness and purity always shined through. She also had the biggest hit of the 80s with Physical spending an amazing 10 weeks at #1. She had five #1 hits including Physical, Magic, I Honestly Love You, Have You Never Been Mellow and Hopelessly Devoted. We remember one of the most LIKABLE icons ever with this tribute to a legend who was part creator of the magical parts of our favorite decades from Sandy in Grease to Xanadu...Olivia Newton John was truly one of a kind. 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.

Riding high on satire…Weird Al Yankovic seemed unstoppable in the mid 80s after Eat It! and Like A Surgeon. but when his fourth record, Polka Party essentially flopped, he almost called it quits. But instead, he started writing for his life. And out of this trepidation, he created a supersized song patterned after the King of Pop Michael Jackson’s latest hit Bad called Fat. It not only won over listeners, but captivated MTV audiences across the world with a hilarious video in 1988. If you lived through the 80s, I don’t think there’s any way you could have missed this one. It was huge! How Weird Al went platinum with Even Worse and rocked 88. 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 #1 Eighties (80s) Duet between Aretha Franklin and George Michael...one of the powerhouse duets of all time or was it a match that was too good to be true? We get the inside info from the legendary #1 hit producer Narada Michael Walden who was there orchestrating the whole thing. You had George Michael an up and comer who had already hit #1 a couple of times with Wham! and was ready to step into legendary status as a solo artist right before Faith was released in 1987 going up against one of the greatest voices in history. The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin who was coming off her huge hit Freeway of Love The rookie was nervous singing with his idol and the legend was born ready… would the duet be a hit or a flop? Find out 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.