Professor of Rock

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.

Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon...Imagine if you will an album so legendary.. So in Demand that there were factories working around the clock to manufacture it and still couldn’t keep up.. or so the legend goes or urban legend that is. . And it'’s still selling like hotcakes. It spent almost 20 years on the charts but never went to #1 in its native land..It has spawned more folk tales than any album ever.. Led by a provocative and talented lyricist/ singer Roger Waters as well as a true guitar legend in David Gilmour. Today we un peel the endless sonic layers of the song Time and the Great Gig in the Sky… Songs so stunningly true to life and space they have the power to stop time. With incredible contributions from Rick Wright and Nick Mason and with Commentary from the great Alan Parsons… The Dark Side of the Moon is a true 70s classic rock manifesto and the breakdown 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.

How Led Zeppelin followed one of the biggest selling albums of all time, the 70s classic, Led Zeppelin IV with a bold venture that utterly confused their core faithful. It would’ve been a ’no-brainer’ to simply stay the course, and give the fans what they were used to. But Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham went the other way, and purposely abandoned the heavy blues rock sound they were famous for. The 2nd single from this long play deviation was a reggae song named after the punchline of an old vaudeville comedy routine. Dyer Maker as in did you make her said in a cockney accent…It became one of the most mispronounced song titles in history. From Houses of the Holy, the story of an all time 70s classic rock standard 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.

Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Jack Tempchin, who wrote several Eagles classics including Peaceful Easy Feeling and Already Gone tells the story of writing with his best friend and eagles co-frontman Glenn Frey after the Eagles broke up in the early 80s. The wrote the first post Eagles hits including the #15 hit, The One You Love. Jack shares the hilarious story of how Glenn set up a room with over 100 candles and served a $20,000 bottle of wine to try and welcome the songwriting muse to help them write a hit and the incredible legacy that Glenn Frey and Don Henley created years after Glenn’s death and why he should’ve been more celebrated! 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 compelling story of Ain’t Too Proud to Beg by the Temptations...An up and coming writer producer named Norman Whitfield got the Temptations to record his song...He purposely put the key a step above the lead singer David Ruffin's top range to push him to reach for his best… a fierce and passionate take.. the legend is the singer was sweating buckets by the time it was done but he killed it! Then this producer had to pitch the song against the groups regular producer who happened to be the hottest in the business…Smokey Robinson. How the 60s classic Aint Too Proud to beg went from underdog to Classic with an interview with the last remaining member of the original Temptations Otis Williams.. 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 biggest #1 soundtrack hits of the 80s.Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship for the 80s cult classic movie Mannequin starring Andrew McCarthy. It was a duet between two power house voices in Mickey Thomas and Grace Slick who started Jefferson Airplane back in the 60s and then became Jefferson Starship in the 70s and just Starship in the 80s. This #1 hit written by by Diane Warren and Albert Hammons wasn’t really working until the legendary producer Narada Michael Walden who had just written massive hits for Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston decided to have the male and female parts swapped. So Mickey and Grace switched their singing parts which brought a completely different sound ..and the song started to explode going to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1987. Then it became a hit again decades later when it was used in a commercial. Up next the singer Mickey Thomas and the producer Narada Michael Walden tell us the story of this movie 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.

It has been called a flop, a letdown, and a failed album... Pretty much erased from the pages of music history, Red Hot Chili Pepper’s 6th studio album, the 90s classic, One Hot Minute has become a ghost record. It has been overshadowed by the massive success of its predecessor Blood Sugar Sex Magik and its follow-up Californication. But climbing to #4 on the Billboard Album Chart and selling over 2 million US units, and 4 million worldwide and producing 3 Top Ten hits including the #1 Hit My Friends is far from a letdown. Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Chad Smith and new guitarist Dave Navarro were going with the flow that took the band through a harrowing experience making the record including Anthony’s relapse. … A 4X platinum album? Most artist would die for that.. But, what happened? How did one of the most anticipated albums of its day become a lost chapter in this band’s history? well it all starts with a key member quitting and then later coming back.... John Frusciante is the key . Get 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 1971, considered the greatest year in music history by many, with Led Zeppelin, the Who and Joni Mitchell all releasing monumental albums, a band from Fort Worth, Texas horrified & fascinated radio listeners with a song about about a grisly plane crash.The single was widely banned from the airwaves for its explicit subject matter, and for containing the eerie wailing of ambulance sirens that consumed listeners when they were driving… 70s band Bloodrock created their disturbing one hit wonder called simpy DOA from a real life event. Their guitarist had been the witness to a real life plane crash. For the stations that dared to play it,- the request lines immediately lit up like a Christmas tree! . Soon the FCC (Federal Communications Commission tried to outlaw it.and had it not been banned, it might've been a #.1 hit... Up next the story of the most grotesque song ever to crack the Billboard Hot 100 on Professor of Rock.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After major success in the 70s, the band Heart hit a wall in the early 80s and went years without a hit. They were struggling so much that lead singer Ann Wilson thought the band's career might be over. Then they pulled off one of the greatest comebacks of the decade When they scored their fist #.1 album in 1985 followed by two consecutive #1 hit, These Dreams and the 1987 smash... the power ballad called Alone from the album Bad Animals. Alone was such an amazing vocal performance by Ann including a heart wrenching heavenly scream that made every 80s kid hit the rewind button on their walkman a few hundred times... Alone became a #1 Hit for a month... It revived their career for good and the song became one of the most covered from the 80s. Up next Ann Wilson of Roll Hall of Fame band, heart tells the story of making some huge sacrifices to keep the music alive and how alone brought them back from the dead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, the story of a rare hit song that went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 two different times. You Keep Me Hanging On went to to #1 for the Supremes in 1966 and then in 1987 for Kim Wilde. But! That’s not all. 2 other versions were top ten hits as well.. In fact the first time it hit #1 with it's soaring up beat hook laden take, just a few months later a totally different version from an explosive heavy rock psychedelic group went to #6… Carmine Appice and his group Vanilla Fudge It’s one of the most played songs ever and we have an all star cast of including Lamont Dozier of Motown, Mary Wilson of the Supremes and Carmine Appice of Vanilla Fudge to tell the story of this 60s 70s and 80s smash. With the recent passing of legend Lamont Dozier who along with the crack shot team of Holland Dozier Holland wrote many of Motown's biggest hits, we see in this video what made Lamont Dozier so special. He wrote or co-wrote 14 #1 hits from the 60s to the 80s including one with Phil Collins. 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 Fixx Came at the right moment in the early 80s and captured those times so eloquently in their new wave radio hits but strangely enough their songs seems to be the perfect soundtrack of the times we are living through right now. up next their lead singer Cy Curnin tells the story behind the 1983 classic Saved By Zero that may well be their signature song and how the song was written as a way to clear your head and put away your fears.. on professor of rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"Coming up…the story of metal rock icon, Lemmy Kilmister who toiled behind the scenes as a roadie for the great Jimi Hendrix, and was fired from a band after being arrested for drug possession. He was a scruff from Newcastle with the most famous chopstache of the Rock Era, who LOVED to gamble- while playing his music with Motorhead ‘fast and vicious.’ We push up the ante, and play with the 'dead man’s hand’. with the 80s metal classic Ace of Spades and get the story behind this classic NEXT…on Professor of Rock.’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up next an interview with 80s underground band Violent Femmes.. They somehow sold 1 million copies of their self titled Violent Femmes debut album with absolutely no promotion. No radio play, no label support... nothing. The album had several familiar songs that the children of the 80s know by heart, like Add it Up, Blister in the Sun, Kiss Off and Gone Daddy Gone but the album was like contraband, if you had it you were lucky because it was hard to find. How did this little band that could sell a million albums fin out next with an exclusive interview with the band members including original members Gordon Gano and Brian Ritchie. 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 one album wonder: Glass Tiger The Thin Red Line that had 3 top 40 hits. In the past we’ve talked about those rare hit songs that have been Lightening in a bottle. Where an artist or band releases a song that rips up the charts and shakes the earth for a time and then never rises to those levels again… Sometimes we cover An album that has multiple hit singles and rockets up the charts and then the artist never reaches those heights again? Up next lead singer Alan Frew and keyboardist Sam Reid from the canadian synth pop warriors, Glass Tiger tell the story of a moment where they were all the rage in mainstream music with #2 hit Don’t Forget Me When I’m Gone and #6 hit Someday as well as the top 40 anthem I will Be there! 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 another edition of our series Bottled Lightening One Album Wonders… Where an LP had multiple hit songs and then the artist Never had another hit. Rupert Holmes had three hits on his album Partners in Crime. the #1 smash Escape the Pina Colada Song and top 10 hit HIM and then the #32 hit Answering Machine about outdated tech that is pretty funny. but this story ups the ante. . Instead of fading to obscurity after his next two albums and song didn’t chart, he outsmarted the industry when they wouldn’t play his records anymore. He turned the tables on the old cliche one hit wonder and ended up being extremely successful in every aspect of the business including broadway, TV, and books.. It’s a great story 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.

What is your favorite song of all time. It’s a question that gets asked a lot… Well in one of my all time pinch me moments I got to interview the cowriter and co singer of my favorite song ever Mike Lindup of the 80s classic band Level 42 on the story of the 1986 hit Something About You, a glorious synth pop new wave jazz classic and even plays parts of the songs to show how he came up with the song and how he wrote with Mark King, Wally Badarou, Rowland Gould and Phil Gold from the album World Machine. 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 manipulative, it’s menacing, and it’s a masterpiece. the Metallica 80s song Master of Puppets is a grim parable about the abuse of power and the cost of addiction. And it just so happens to be set against one of the heaviest hitting riffs of all time by a band praised for their speed and skill, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Cliff Burton dug deep with this one. . No surprise then that this, their signature song, has made a pop culture comeback recently in the 4th season of Stranger Things. Featured in one of the most epic scenes in modern media history with Eddie Munson saving the world, it just hit #1 all over agian and my kids are listening to it! 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 one of the most elegant and breathtaking #1 hit of the 70s: Just My Imagination (running Away From Me) from the last remaining member of the legendary rock and roll hall of fame group The Temptations. Mr Otis Williams takes us through the song. Though this song was the first of several number one hits for the group in the 70s after dominating the 60s with My Girl and Can’t Get Next To You it would be the last song to be recorded by two key members of the band including one of there lead singers Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams who’s health was failing. …this coming just two years after losing another of their lead singers in David Ruffin. It did’t matter because as this song proves.. it was always about the core not the individuals. The story of one of the most beloveds songs ever is coming up on professor of rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The amazing story of the first all indigenous band Redbone and their ultra catchy 70s smash Come and Get Your Love. The band was compelled by a burning desire to put the spirituality and history of their ancestry in the forefront of their music... the band featured in this episode risked commercial acceptance...disregarded music industry conventionalism, and scored the first major pop hit by a group entirely made up of Indigenous Americans. The inspiring 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.

Up next an exclusive interview with 70s Legend Peter Frampton the singer write guitarist who had failed as a solo artists for years. He procrastinated and only had a few days to write an album that's songs would eventually become part of Frampton Comes Alive which for many years was the biggest selling album ever until the 80s. At the time He felt his songs were good but for some reason they just weren’t going anywhere. He partied and frittered away his time to record and was left with only a few days to create an entire album. He did and it would pay off big time. Up next, the story of Show Me The Way and he talks about his time working with George Harrison’s. Peter also tells us the story of how he learned to use a very cool effect on his guitar to take one of these songs to classic rock legend and how he went from zero to hero virtually overnight 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 behind one of the most recognizable music videos of the 80s… THE 1986 #1 hit Addicted to Love by Robert Palmer the suave, dressed for success rocker who is the epitome of James Bond of Pop music , along with a stunning backup band who couldn’t play a power chord to save their lives. It took a decade to get mainstream radio to notice but did they ever ever after this one. He was supposed to sing it as a duet with a famous female artist. We’re going to take a deep dive into this #1 obsessive anthem that had everyone hooked from the moment they heard it. ,coming 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.

Buddy Holly by Weezer..This nerd rock 90s blast from the past came out of the blue and took the world by storm. No one was expecting it, but everyone started singing along as soon as they heard it. River Cuomo and Weezer became the unintentional heroes to the underdog… the album and song were produced by Ric Ocasek of the Cars- This geek rock classic pays homage to every decade of rock era. and for it’s iconic Happy days videos, the singer actually hated the song.. Find out why NEXT on the Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 1984 a fledgling band called Split ENZ that included two brothers Tim and Neil Finn broke up, coming up short of the path to success they set. just a year later Neil Finn formed a new band. Their self titled debut album, though promising was a slow starter as their first three singles failed to chart, it was the forth song “Don’t Dream It’s Over"that raised a ruckus and saved the album form obscurity, a song that many legendary musicians have said they wish they’d written. One of the most enduring songs of the 80s that went to #1 In Canada and New Zealand and barely missed #1 here in the states with a #2 showing but it’s legacy has lived long past many songs that did go to #1. Up next the singer and songwriter tells the compelling story of this all time 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.

The amazing story behind Def Leppard and their breakthrough hit Photograph from their 1983 smash 10 million selling album Pyromania. Joe Elliott and company had to recruit a new guitarist when their current player was coming to recordings intoxicated. They tapped Phil Collen and he ended up saving the album with killer solos. Super producer Mutt Lange set the band straight and they had their first smash hit… Was the song about a Hollywood starlet? Joe Elliott has told several different stories… Find out which one’s true 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.

Next one of the Gen X's greatest guitar heroes, Steve Stevens breaks down a bonafide 80s classic. Rebel Yell by Billy Idol. First of all the song title came from a night of partying with the Rolling Stones… Then when they tried to record it, their drummer wasn’t hacking it… Low and behold they could hear a rival band recording next door with a killer drummer so they recruited him for the session and he ended up joining the band. then the guitarist created the song’s signature sound from a toy robot.. It’s a great story behind a classic straight from the man… 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.

We just lost a soft rock icon. Jim Seals was half of one of the most successful duos of the 70s- Seal and Crofts and the author of an enrapturing Yacht Rock classic Summer Breeze We blow through the jasmine, and pay tribute to a revered soft rock legend with the story behind the classic 70s hit Summer Breeze and reflect on it’s power to take us back home again next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, we’re going to go behind the Top 10 songs of this very same week from the year 1982. You know we’ve done a lot of these Redux episodes on this channel, but I gotta say, today’s show might have all them beat. It’s absolutely stacked with great songs. When comparing it today’s top hits you almost want to cry.. How far we’ve fallen IT’s really sad. The 80s Ruled...this time around there are some serious countdown contenders... Including what may be the heaviest hitting movie theme song of all time Eye of the Tiger by Survivor. Then Asia with the Heat of the Moment , some of New Wave’s finest British Invaders like Soft Cell with Tainted Love and The Human League with Don’t You Want Me and some surprise underdogs... and it’s going to be a real fight to the finish to see who comes out on top... 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.

Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys was America's Original Rock band and we celebrate their 60 the anniversary as we UNBOX the Beach Boys Sound of Summer 6 LP set and have an exclusive interview with some of the members of the original band, including Brian Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine. Brian and the boys created Pet Sound and Good Vibrations only 5 months part as just 24 years of age. The album and song blew everyone away, especially the Beatles. We celebrate that legacy 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 strangest, most compelling songs in the history of the 20th century. It’s the kind of 80s New Wave hit that makes you rethink the meaning of life. Once In a Lifetime by Talking Heads. David Byrne, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth and Chris Franz were the quirky avant guard master of a whole new musical level as they made us look beyond the social construct. Jerry Harrison tells the story of this amazing song. that had an equally fascinating music video . 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 began as an innocent remark precipitated from a lover’s quarrel, that progressed into an anthem for freedom. The legacy of Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd the 70s classic, the greatness of the creation from Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins, Al Cooper'It began as an innocent remark that came from a lover’s quarrel, it turned into a legendary song that has likely been requested at every Live Rock show ever since. At first the singer didn’t think it was anything special, then one night he laid on his back in the the corner of the studio and wrote it in a few minutes. At on point it was 17 minutes long. Once recorded the label hated it. They tried to stop it form being put on the album.Eventually this classic rock standard progressed into an anthem for freedom. coming up, The legacy of one of the signature songs by a blessed... and a cursed Hall of Fame band from Florida…. 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.

Thanks to Bespoke Post for sponsoring this video! Head to https://bespokepost.com/rock20 and use code ROCK20 to learn more and get 20% off your first box Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It was a dark, dark time back in the summer of 1989. Or at least it was for today’s featured artist. After conquering the 80s with his own unique brand of musical genius Weird Al Yankovic found that critics and audiences had turned against him. After his should’ve been a hit movie UHF bombed. From there things got even worse when his longtime A-list partner Michael Jackson Rejected his latest song parody. Al wondered if he Was he doomed to be a relic of the 80s? Or could he write a comeback hit for the ages? Enter Kurt Cobain and Nirvana. He recorded a send up of Smells Like Teen Spirit… He did it with a mouthful or marbles…It saved his career… The story is next on Professor or Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next we celebrate Benny Mardones who passed away 2 years ago. Considered by the industry to be a one hit wonder. His one hit, called Into the Night was much more than that simple label.. It has charted 3 different times over the last 40 years including hitting the billboard hot top 20 twice in the 80s at the beginning and end of the decade. It’s one of the most misunderstood song of the rock era, and isn’t about what you think it’s about! It’s singer and writer was a special soul, who battled his demons and won, inspiring so many along the way. I was able to interview him before he passed and it’s definitely one of my most cherished sit down ever. 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.