Professor of Rock

Coming up, we’re diving into ten unforgettable rock classics from 1976 that never cracked the Hot 100’s Top 40 — songs you know by heart, but were never “hit singles.” And most of these are better than some of the biggest smash hits of their day. You’ll hear the story of a Robert Plant who was confined to a wheelchair after a serious car crash. And his band named the title Achilles Last Stand after his injury. Then there’s the tale of Boston's sonic genius Tom Scholz, who preferred working in his basement over the recording studio. So when his label tried to get him into the studio, he ran an elaborate scheme to trick them… using his bandmates as decoys. And we’ll unpack a tabloid takedown that Debbie Harry wrote to call out how women were chewed up by the media… and then her own label turned around and used her song to exploit her with a crass ad campaign. Killer stories, legendary tracks—NEXT on Professor of Rock.MyBookie: Get in on the action with MyBookie. Use our promo code ROCK and any bet you choose up to $500 is fully covered. Go to https://www.mybookie.ag/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up next today's Chrissie Hynde went through the most trying time of her life. One day, she had to fire bassist Pete Farndon, one of the co-founders of her band, and then 2 days later, she faced the death of her right-hand man, James Honeyman-Scott, one of the greatest guitarists of his time. To top it all off, Chrissie was pregnant and going through a breakup with her iconic husband Ray Davies. Up next, the story of a true rock and roll warrior who rose from the ashes of losing her bandmates and created Back on the Chain Gang, a song that could make the most heartless person break down. It has become a beacon of the 80s. Coming up next the story of true rock and roll resilience, next on Professor of Rock.Thank you to our sponsor Squarespace, the easiest way to create an exceptional website, blog, portfolio, or online store. Try Squarespace free for 14 days and receive 10% off your first purchase with the Professor of Rock promo code: ROCKGet started at: https://www.squarespace.com/rock See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, we tell the incredible, outrageous stories of 5 acts that were LEGENDARY for being downright awful, and yet they managed to become cult heroes. Some people actually worshipped them, including some true legends of music. There’s the story of The Shaggs, 3 sisters who were forced to be a trio by their domineering father... because his mother had a dream that his daughters were going to be singing stars. They HATED every second of it and were so bad they got stuff thrown at them when they performed. But they became one of the most influential bands of their time. Then there was Lady Florence, the artist who was so bad, people actually paid top dollar just to make fun of her in concert. Plus Stardust Cowboy, a terrible novelty cowboy that inspired David Bowie to create Ziggy Stardust, as well as a shock singer, Tiny Tim, who actually died while performing his dreadful signature song. The 5 Worst Acts of the Rock Era is NEXT… on Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up… Bad to the Bone, it may be the most recognizable guitar riff ever. George Thorogood, the famous guitarist who wrote it, is with us today. He actually wrote it for his hero, but it was rejected. So he did it himself. And he added a snarling stutter to its chorus that made it a classic. But it wasn’t a hit when it was released in 1982; instead, it ramped up every year after that, becoming more and more prolific. In fact, it became so memorable. It became the signature song for every rebel or bad boy in films and TV, and then became the most famous ringtone for years. Coming up, the story of a riff and a stutter that became the stuff of legend, and took an unknown guitarist who was the opening act for his heroes, and then passed ‘em up with this one. The story is next on Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up next, the story of a perfect pop song, Chicago's Hard Habit to Break... In fact, it may be the 80s' greatest pocket symphony that hearkens back to heavenly vocal harmonies of the Beach Boys and the Beatles at their peak. Hard Habit has one of the most powerful and enduring vocal duets of all time, with Peter Cetera and Bill Champlin, who somehow blended perfectly even though they were so different. And we have Bill with us today to recount the hilarious session that birthed this barn burner. In fact, during the recording, the legendary producer and Peter played a practical joke on Bill that saw him recording one line dozens of times, and it was the punchline to their joke… all these years later, he admits it was a brilliant send-up. Plus the at the last second, they needed another verse, and the original writer was off the grid on vacation… When they finally got hold of him, he wrote it over a pay phone in seconds.. Coming up with the story of an 80s classic on Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up next, the story of one of the three most played rock songs in history: Bon Jovi's Livin' On A Prayer. It was a #1 smash in the 80s, and Jon Bon Jovi wanted to give the song away. He didn’t think it was strong enough for the album until he was convinced it was Great. I have the song's co-writer, Desmond Child, with me today, who happens to be one of the most successful writers ever. Today, Desmond tells the story of several #1 hits he wrote with Bon Jovi, including the song You Give Love a Bad Name, which he wrote for an iconic female singer who had a hit with it in other countries but not in America. He knew the song was special, so he took it and put new lyrics over it and turned it into a rock song. And it became a smash… It’s coming up next on Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up… we’re taking a trip back to the year rock hit overdrive, and counting down 10 albums that made it a gold standard year in music history. Man, there were so many CLASSICS to choose from, I gotta warn you now — a few fan favorite albums are gonna be left on the cutting room floor. Will your favorites make it? There are some incredible stories here. On one album, iconic singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell wrote in “poetic code” about giving her daughter up for adoption. But it would be decades before she revealed the truth. Another album by Elton John had what we all now consider a signature song, Tiny Dancer… but no one wanted to hear it in concert back in the day. Not until a fictional sing-along launched it into the zeitgeist 20 years later. Then there is the Rolling Stones album that had the classic #1 Rock hit Brown Sugar, that has been completely eradicated from radio, and the band has vowed never to play it again. Plus, the powerful song we all have a personal relationship with. These stories and more are coming up NEXT on the Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sibling rivalry, band-member infighting, and an ongoing wrestle for creative control all led to the break up of today’s featured band. Creedence Clearwater Revival... Theirs was a bottled lightning career, but they were no one hit-wonder. In fact, they kicked out 9 Top 10 hits in the space of two years… John Fogerty and his band never landed a #1, but they did have a record 5 #2 hits. Today’s song was certainly worthy of a #1. It is a true standard of the rock canon. It was also prophetic… predicting the collapse of this illustrious band. Have You Ever Seen the Rain predicted what was about to happen. But only Fogerty knew what it meant. The rest of the guys had no idea. Find out how one of the biggest bands in the world went from clear blue skies to pouring rain almost overnight and then they were gone forever… Enjoy this classic, NEXT on Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up…Some massive hits with unbelievable stories, including the story of Elvis, who had to record a cheesy middle section in “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” that was so bad he had to do two dozen takes because he would burst out in laughter. The song went on to become a #1 smash. As well as the song I'm Sorry that was delivered by Brenda Lee, a remarkably mature 15-year-old who many scorned because they didn’t think a teenager should tackle such mature subject matter. Then there’s the #1 hit “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini” that a man claimed to have written for decades, it got him free drinks and fame, and the New York Times even said he wrote it in his obituary until the truth came out. He had just made the whole thing up. and finally a strange novelty song “Alley Oop” that was written in 10 minutes, that was recorded on the fly by random people hanging around the studio, including the Janitor. It’s a countdown you don’t want to miss next on Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Thompson Twins, an up-and-coming band, were trying to finish their second album and needed one more song to fill it out. They had a tight deadline and were running out of time. So that night, frontman Tom Bailey wrote one in a jiffy called Hold Me Now. He knew it was filler, but he could tack it on the end of the album and their record would finally be finished. Hold Me Now ended up being a #1 smash, and it turned the band inside out. It actually ended up changing their musical direction as they put their guitars in storage and embraced synthesizers. This set them on the course to dominate America as one of the best hitmakers of the 80s. Their biggest was born out of real-life heartbreak. The bandmates who became lovers had just gone through a painful breakup. Writing “today’s song together became a form of therapy, turning their raw emotions into one of the most powerful pop ballads of the ’80s, and they did it in real time as they were talking out the problem and happened to record it in the process. We have one of them here next on Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.