Professor of Rock

The year 1980 was a fascinating time for music…. The decade was ushered in by some bold songs by artists who pushed their own boundaries to stay relevant and challenge their fans. It’s also a year that gave us some of the most influential & timeless tracks of the Rock Era. Including two of rock's greatest bands, Pink Floyd and Queen releasing disco-influenced tracks… by rock’s most progressive band in Another Brick in the Wall part 2 and Another One Bites the Dust by Queen who stole the iconic bass line from Disco group CHIC but everyone claimed Chic ripped Queen off. then there Kenny Loggins' I'm Alright that has a mystery vocalist that shocked people when they figured out who it was and as well as Call Me by Blondie that we’ve all sung for years even though it’s about a male... well ya know... And AC/DC's classic song You Shook Me All Night! it’s all. Coming up NEXT as we countdown the Top 10 Songs of 1980… on Professor of Rock Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s track Lovesong by The Cure is extremely complicated. First of all, it only exists because its creator Robert Smith saved its lyrics from a house fire. Then he gave the song to his wife as a wedding present. It’s also the song that drove his band kicking and screaming out of the underground of obscurity into the Mainstream. He called the record total shite, his label called it commercial suicide. Thematically, it was completely out of character for him… He said it took him 10 years to even feel comfortable singing a song like this. And it was an unexpected bright spot on a very dreary album, Disintegration... a classic 80s album that makes you feel like you might never see daylight again. A moody, melancholy masterpiece that has not only been hailed as the peak of this band’s career but also one of the greatest albums of the 80s. So what was this so-called ‘happy’ track even doing there? And could The Cure's reluctant rockstar make peace with the song that turned this indie band into stadium headliners? Well, I’ll give you a clue… Smith hated the popularity it was bringing him, but then got pissed when it missed out on #1. You gotta hear this one! 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 we break down the evolution of the Doobie Brothers named after a drug and half the band didn’t know what it was! Today we have four famous members here to tell the tale. Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald, Patrick Simmons and Skunk Baxter! It’s the story of a group that was a straight-up rock and roll band with a score of classic rock standards and a huge number-one hit. and then became something entirely different when their lead singer Tom Johnston was sidelined and they had to bring in a replacement in Steely Dan alumni Michael McDonald to keep the music playing.. and they moved their sound to a more smooth and soulful place returning to #1. Up next we have Sheriffs with Samurai Swords in the song China Grove, a record that a DJ accidentally turned around and played the B-side of in Black Water going straight to #1, and another song in What a Fool Believes that defeated disco in 1979. We have all the legends here to tell 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.

It’s the voice that saved an underperforming jam band and kicked off an arena rock revolution. After three hitless albums in the 70s, this Journey was on the chopping block. But the addition of an unknown singer named Steve Perry changed everything—transforming them into one of the biggest rock acts of all time. From stadium-shaking anthems to soul-stirring ballads, their music dominated airwaves and defined an era, becoming the soundtrack of a generation. In this Evolution episode, we've got Don't Stop Believing, a song that broke every rule in the book and is now the #1 song ever, as well as Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) the most epic rock song to be made into the most cringe-worthy music video and Open Arms, a song that almost made the guitarist puke and it became their biggest hit. The band is here to tell the stories 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.

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Today we are going back to the classic year of 1983 and counting down the top 10 songs of this same week and then we’re going to put the actual top 10 plus some other great songs from that week and recalibrate them to tell you what the real top 10 songs are based on all-time streams, views and radio play. 4 decades later you’ll see what lasted and which ones died. And we have interviews, stories, and your comments… including The Clash who wrote Rock the Casbah protesting Iran banning Disco songs, as well as a song that failed on the charts until a soap opera used it, and then it went to #1 after it’s broadcast. Then a duet between the two biggest stars in music that was a huge letdown to the backing band because it was so cheesy and another song that a legend wrote a big old middle finger to the media. I’ll tell you what there’s no autotune here, just absolute talent. 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.

1971 was a game-changing year in music history—a period when creativity exploded across genres, legendary albums dropped left and right, and artists redefined the sound of a new generation. Many refer to ’71 as the most pivotal and exciting of the Rock Era, and I wholeheartedly agree It’s top 3 easy. So I’m doing the impossible…I’m counting down the Top 10 Songs from this emblematic year. All 10 of these songs are legendary including Marvin Gaye's revolutionary song What's Going On which was written on a golf course by some drinking buddies. Another Joy to the World was written for a kid’s cartoon that never got off the ground so a band made it one of the biggest rock songs ever... and Take Me Home, Country Roads that came from the songwriter misreading a road sign and yet another by Led Zeppelin that was written as a joke but the fans took it very seriously and made them rock gods because of it… It all coming up on … 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, Wang Chung, a band that finishes many of the top one-hit wonder countdowns but the problem is..the band had 5 hits including 3 everyone knows and radio still plays. Today’s song Everybody Have Fun Tonight is the one that many point to as their one hit… it also finishes in the top countdown of worst songs and that’s why I wanted to cover it. It is definitely not one of the worst songs ever. Everybody Have Fun Tonight is a classic from the 80s that did a couple of really cool things. It became an accidental catchphrase of the decade that defined the 80s and it introduced a new word into many dictionaries which also happened to be the band’s name. When this singer brought the song to his bandmate, he wanted nothing to do with it. He thought the band was too smart for it and that it was too commercial. But it became a smash and its iconic music video was banned for being too visually dangerous for some with the potential to cause a severe medical condition. the band is here to tell the story… It’s 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, Lost interview footage I didn’t know I had with one of the greatest band’s in recorded history. and there are Some real revelations here. An all time #1 Hit that happened because the band re recorded a song they’d already released on their album. When they put it on the album it was thought of as filler…An album track but then The genius behind their music woke up one day and knew if he had the band rerecord the song and drop 1 instrument and change the spelling of a word in the chorus it would be a hit. He was exactly right… the song soared to #1 with a totally different singer then the band had used on their singles before and it immediately had an effect on what parents would name their newborns. also exactly 25 years to the day after this song hit #1 the writer’s 2 daughters would have a #1 hit for themselves. Plus we try to solve a long term mystery about one of the most famous song ever 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 felt that pressure to act a certain way just because someone else expects it. That’s when a solid "don’t give a damn" anthem can really hit the spot, maybe even stopping you from doing something you might regret. When an artist makes it big, the tradeoff is constant scrutiny from the public, with everyone having an opinion on how they should live their life. But when you find a song that captures that feeling of frustration and defiance, it gives you a jolt of energy and strength. You feel as if that artist wrote that song, especially for you. We’re plunging into that sweet, purging spirit, with a countdown of the Top 5 "Don't Give a Damn" songs including Tom Petty’s You Don’t How It Feels that had naughty words so bad MTV played it backward making the song even bigger, and another Watching the Wheels that brought Beatle John Lennon out of retirement and one, My Life by Billy Joel that got me grounded—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.