Professor of Rock

1988 was an absolute goldmine for music—an era of massive hits, legendary albums, and songs that still give us chills. Looking back, it’s wild how many classics came out of that year! From soaring rock anthems to unforgettable pop gems, these tracks captured everything—passion, joy, romance, seduction, escapism, and pure musical magic including a song by Def Leppard with so many guitar parts it was impossible to duplicate live, also a Guns N Roses song that was guitar exercise that sounded like something the circus would play but the lead singer made the guitar player turn it into a song against his will and it became MASSIVE... There’s also the rookie Tracy Chapman who SUBBED in for a Legend at the last second when He had to cancel an appearance at a benefit Show that had an audience of 600 Million people. Her song Fast Car was so powerful it made her a star in 4 mins and she sold 2 million records the week after. We countdown the 10 best songs of 1988 next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s song Vienna by Ultravox has been voted the greatest bridesmaid song in history. The Greatest #2 ever. Sadly it was kept out of the #1 spot by one of the worst songs ever. It was a novelty song that annoyed everyone all the way to the top of the charts. But today we have Midge Ure the singer and writer of the classic #2 song with us to tell the story. Vienna also has a badass viola solo in it that was nearly impossible to get recorded and it still haunts anyone who dares to listen to it. One of the 80s most underappreciated artists has the story next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up… we’re counting down 5 massive hits from the Rock Era that were once everywhere but have since become socially unacceptable. These songs topped the charts, ruled the airwaves, and seemed untouchable—until shifting times and cultural scrutiny pushed them into taboo territory. Some artists refuse to play them, others have tried to rewrite history, and a few have vanished from pop culture. Which songs made the list? Well, there are two #1 hits on this countdown that two legendary artists have refused to play… In fact, one was one of Cher's biggest hits and she left it off her greatest hits album! Another is a classic of the rock canon from The Who that the band refuses to talk about, essentially erasing it from existence. And another by Sheena Easton that pissed off feminists when it hit #1 in the 80s even though it was sung by a female. Very interesting stories here, including an artist interview… NEXT on Part 3 of our Taboo Songs of the Rock Era countdown on Professor of Rock! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s band Foreigner was a revelation in the '70s and '80s. A British band with an American singer, they set the FM radio dial on fire with half a dozen smash hits over their first few albums getting as close as you could get to #1 but they were always the bridesmaid. Actually, they created the biggest #2 hit in history, sitting at the runner-up spot for a record 10 weeks. Then in 1984 into 1985 that all changed. Releasing the no doubt about it #1 hit I Want to Know What Love Is, with one of the most inspired vocals ever. So inspiring everybody in the control room was bawling. Pretty good for a song that was written at 3 in the morning minutes after this legend was awakened by inspiration. The 80s power ballad not only gave them a #1 hit across the globe, but it has recharted 4 more times for various artists after the 80s. But no one can touch the original vocal. In fact, it might just be the greatest vocal performance on a #1 hit with the song being further opened up by an amazing and unexpected musical weapon… and it knocked 2 record-breaking hits out of #1. Interviews with the Singer and guitarist are next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up next, the most requested band of the last year… April Wine. I’ve received over a thousand requests in our comment section for the last year to interview or cover this band. Well, I actually interviewed their guitarist Brian Greenway over a year ago, but the Zoom interview didn’t work. The file wouldn’t open. Well, the other night I tracked it down again and was finally able to make it work! So up next an interview with the longest-serving member of April Wine, a famous hard rock band that had 20 hits in their native Canada but only 3 in America but what a band! They were the first Canadian band played on MTV and still ignite classic rock radio. Plus they had a song that most 80s kids remember because it spelled out a hardcore profanity in its chorus but got past censors. Stay tuned for a treat 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’ve all been there—watching a movie we thought was amazing, only to find out that someone else absolutely hated it. Or going to a restaurant a friend swore by, only to think it was terrible. You’ve probably said to yourself, “I’m never listening to that guy again!” Well, music works the same way. You might totally vibe with a song that someone else can’t stand. It’s all so subjective, and that’s part of the fun—finding something you truly love, even if others don’t get it. Coming up, we’re going to dive into that spirit and shake things up with a countdown of the Top 5 Songs from the 80s from bands that Shoulda Been Bigger including The Sundays' singer Harriet Wheeler who has gone MISSING, as well as Can't Hardly Wait by the Replacements, a band was so worried about not selling out that it stopped them from being the greatest band of the 80s, and How Soon is Now by the Smiths that has been called the Stairway to Heaven of the 80s with a haunting guitar drone that came from a butter knife. The stories and song are …. NEXT on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today we’re telling the story of Cheap Trick, a band who may have invented the phrase “Big in Japan.” These guys really struggled to get off the ground and were flirting with disaster when they discovered they were revered as rock royalty halfway around the world. Capitalizing on this good fortune, things really blew up when they recorded their live album Cheap Trick at Budokan which wasn’t meant for distribution in the US. But it got so popular, they released it here as an import even though they are an American band! But it ended up saving their career. But then after scoring a handful of hits Cheap Trick once again found themselves on the brink of extinction. Looking to make a big-time comeback, they agreed to record someone else’s song… a surefire hit called The Flame. Only their guitarist hated it. In fact, he hated it so much that he crushed the demo tape underneath his boot. Find out what happened next as we get into the story of rock’s most resilient and entertaining bands… 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.

Many called Bonnie Raitt an overnight success when she swept the Grammys in 1989… but today’s guitar-toting songstress was actually two decades and ten studio albums in the making. Without a doubt, it was a long, hard road to get there. Dropped by her label, written off by critics, and getting loaded after every show, it seemed like Bonnie's career was over. But Raitt’s comeback was oh so sweet when she hit #1 in 1989 and swept the Grammys. Her legend was etched in stone when she covered a former NFL football player's song I Can't Make You Love Me that was so heart-wrenching she could barely get through it because she was sobbing over the entire recording. Today’s song is definitely a candidate for the saddest ever written. It’s one you can only listen to a few times a year... and it was inspired by something a man said to a judge when he was being sentenced for shooting up his girlfriend’s car. With an amazing guest instrumentalist, 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.

Coming up, we're celebrating 10 songs from one of the greatest years in music, 1973. It was a year when we were gifted with songs that rejuvenated our souls like few others. There were iconic guitar riffs and solos that were considered the best of the Rock Era... including a song called D’yer Mak’er that was so hard to say DJ’s and fans still mispronounce it 50 years later even though it’s played all the time. Then there was the Reelin' in the Years guitar solo that was perfectly executed on its first take, everyone in the room was astonished… problem was the engineer forgot to record it. As well as a song that a legendary guitarist helped write but out of the goodness of his heart gave full credit to the drummer who helped write it… That kindness cost him millions. We have legendary guests here to help us countdown the Top 10 Songs of 1973... 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 a true legend… Smokey Robinson. I’ve been wanting to talk to him for a long time because he has one the greatest voices of any era, not to mention he's one of the greatest lyricists and producers…and he has some legendary stories behind today’s songs… one he started singing in the middle of a concert as his group was ending a song, he got caught up in the moment and started belting out an entry new song on the spot… It would later become a #1 hit. Then another one that he recorded as a slow bluesy number. It got released and was played on the radio… Then one night he got a phone call at 3 in the morning… It was the head of the label who said I just figured out that you need to re-record your new song with a faster tempo. problem was he wanted him to come into the studio that minute to do it. So he did and sure enough, the song became a smash. The interview is coming up next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.