Professor of Rock

Coming up next: one of the greatest singer-songwriters of the '80s and beyond, Neil Finn, tells the story of his first band, Split Enz. They were underground heroes who would later conquer the mainstream with some of the best songs of the decade, including their 1980 single I Got You that became the biggest-selling single in Australian history, even though Neil thought the chorus was Corny and was planning to replace it but ran out of time. Then, another single One Step Ahead that became one of the first videos played on MTV, where one of his bandmates did the Moonwalk years before Michael Jackson would. Then there’s the song that he wrote for a fan because they traveled all across the world to meet him. It’s an entertaining interview with one of the finest songwriters ever 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.

Fleetwood Mac was a true supergroup in the ultra-competitive 70s and became the most enduring soap opera in rock history where it seemed like every band member was sleeping with each other at one time or another, and it actually enhanced the music. But fast forward to the 80s, and it got progressively worse and came to a nasty conclusion in 1987 while recording Tango in the Night, a record that had more hits than any of their albums tied with Rumours with Little Lies, Everywhere, Seven Wonders and Big Love..Already known for having more than their fair share of secrets, intrigue, and infighting, one tragic day after recording their new record. The experience took the band’s brand of musical mayhem to a putrid level, leaving one band member, Stevie Nicks, fearing for her life. And another, Lindsey Buckingham, outright quit the band for good. Several of the band members were struggling with substance abuse, and another, Christine McVie was feeling left out of the creative process even though she may have had the best ideas. But through all this turmoil, the band manager recorded a hit song so magical, so joyful… even happy-go-lucky, that it puts you in a Great mood every time you hear it. So could that joy and the record's success overcome the drama?? Well, the story is coming up next.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

OK, everybody! It’s time to shift into high gear with the ultimate soundtrack to power your next road trip. On this episode, we’re cranking up the volume and celebrating the Top 5 Driving Songs that turn every journey into an epic adventure. Along the way, we have Radar Love, a song that caused the most speeding tickets in history. Another song called Driver's Seat that was held out of #1 because a factory went on strike and couldn’t make enough copies. Plus, GNR's Welcome to the Jungle, one of the most iconic hard rock songs ever. But at the time, nobody would play it because the band was too controversial. MTV made them a deal that they’d play the song 1 time at 4 AM… So many fans called in after to request it be played again it tied up the switchboard for days… It made Appetite for Destruction a hit, selling 30 million copies. And finally, Born to Be Wild, a song that was written as a slow ballad until Steppenwolf sped it up and made it the greatest driving song ever. The stories are 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.

It was the end of a decade and the beginning of a brand-new era in music. It was the year the Beatles said goodbye, and a new wave of singer-songwriters took center stage... and rock, soul, and pop collided in revolutionary ways. So many classics with incredible stories and legendary guests, from No Sugar Tonight, a song inspired by Randy Bachman witnessing a wife cussing out her husband in public with a funny comeback. He turned into a #1 hit. And Bridge Over Troubled Water, a song that famous songwriter Paul Simon forced his less famous singing partner Art Garfunkel to do. But Paul was jealous and LIVID when it became their biggest hit. Another, Free's All Right Now was written on the fly before a gig, and it went over so well that the audience made the band play it again. And Eric Burdon & War's Spill the Wine, a song that most people don’t realize is about an O-R-G-Y, but we sing it all the time. The countdown 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.

Desperado was the first song the Eagles actually wrote together and it ended up being the last song they ever played tougher before they broke up. And to think that this complex classic was written by Don Henley when he was only 17 years old and it became a true classic for a band that had at least a dozen of them from Hotel California to Take it Easy but this became their crem de la crem. it became an all time standard, and one of the most covered songs ever. but it missed the charts entirely. but the song’s history is just as profound. From a starting a fire at the photo shoot for the record, where the fire department had to come save them to the band having zero budget to record it… In fact he band could only afford two takes on the song so the singer had to be perfect to nail a difficult vocal and with a renowned orchestra playing behind him. No pressure at all right? Even though the song wasn’t a hit, it was including on a greatest hits album and it is the major reason why that album has sold over 40 million copies… The story is next. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You know, some of rock’s best tracks just don’t get their due for a lot of different reasons. Maybe they were buried too deep on the album or overshadowed by a hit single. Or maybe they didn’t fit the mold for radio airplay. But these are the tracks that fans hold close to the vest—the ones you brag about knowing before anyone else caught on. They are true hidden gems. And these songs hit just as hard—and sometimes harder—than the familiar classics. So, on today’s episode, we’re digging up five of these deep cuts... songs that didn’t top the charts but still move the dial in the heart of every diehard fan. The entries include Rush's YYZ, which contains a message written in Morse Code. The Led Zeppelin track Celebration Day had its drum part accidentally erased, so it forced the band to get creative. And then there's The Jack by AC/DC, which most fans don’t realize is about an STD, with the lyrics hidden in plain sight. It’s time to shine a light on five underrated classics that deserve way more love. It’s all 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.

Coming up next…Do you ever need a short rest from some of the most overplayed songs of the 80s? Well, I got your remedy today with 5 classic hidden gems. Today, I have all five artists behind these songs here to tell the stories, including legendary singer-songwriter JD Souther, who wrote a load of classics for different artists, and we just lost him even though the media virtually ignored it. But fortunately I was able to talk to him about his massive solo hit You’re Only Lonely that sounded so much like another legend that DJ mistook him for that icon and wrongly announced the song and artist on air… leading many to go to the record store to buy the record, confusing the store clerks… Another is from Daryl Hall, who had the most hits of the decade with his partner John Oates, but found enough time to put out a solo song called Dreamtime that became a huge hit… And Paul Carrack, who is the only singer in history to have a top 10 hit with four different groups including today’s hit Don’t Shed a Tear which was supposed to be cut by another band. But the guy who wrote the music hated the lyrics…so it fell to Paul. They are all here to tell the tale 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, a legendary song by The Little River Band that had the same title as several big songs that came out at the same time: Lady. It managed to hit the top 10 due to this band’s incredible harmonies and infectious melodies. Graeham Goble, the man who wrote the song, is here to tell the tale. He wrote Lady about a beautiful girl he saw dancing at one of the band's live shows. And to this day that woman has no clue the song was written about her. And he doesn’t even know her, because he didn’t formally meet her. Today’s episode is bittersweet because our guest wrote or co-wrote some of the biggest hits of the 70s and the '80s as a founding member of today’s famous band, and now this group has ZERO original members and is controlled by a group of individuals who aren’t even from the band’s native country. And they tour and record with many fans not knowing this. 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… I’m trying to keep my cool and not throw a chair through the window as I give you my top 6 picks for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 14 are nominated, and like many of you, I’m livid that Paul Rodgers has been eligible for induction for over 30 years and isn’t in. He only happens to be the blueprint that God created for the perfect Rock Singer and a favorite of Legends like Robert Plant and Freddie Mercury. There’s another band on here that is nominated as two bands in one nomination: Joy Division/New Order. And another who is one of the most distinct voices in history. Joe Cocker. And clear back in 2014, Billy Joel yelled out his support in concert for the Hall to recognize him… It would take 11 years, and now that artist has passed. We get through a tough countdown 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.

It was a year of BIG moments—Ronald Reagan challenged Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down” the Berlin Wall, on Black Monday the stock Market Crashed, and scientists spotted a supernova exploding in the depths of space. But back on Earth, music was having a supernova of its own. Some of the biggest albums ever to hit the charts made 1987 a candidate for the greatest year in music history, from Def Leppard to Guns N' Roses to REM, to U2 to The Cure and many more, led by incredible songs that were so unforgettable they still resonate today. Including a rock anthem, Wanted Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi that has such a fist-pumping singalong lyric we all stop everything we’re doing to sing along to it, another… Billy Idol's " Sweet Sixteen " is so haunting it still sends shivers down our spines, plus one that came from Paul Simon from getting dissed at his own dinner party in the 70s so he put it in the song You Can Call Me Al as an inside joke, and it became a smash. And another by Genesis that has truly deranged music video with puppets that cost 10 grand each in Land of Confusion… It's all 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.