Professor of Rock

Stevie Nicks, one of rock’s most revered singers, was on her way to a secretive honeymoon after getting married. During the drive to the couple’s destination, Prince's Little Red Corvette came on the radio and she pulled over at the closest record store to buy the tape. The song was so compelling it inspired Stevie to forgo her wedding night and instead, she wrote her biggest hit, Stand Back. Nicks rushed down to the studio and in the process, she called Prince to get permission to write what was essentially her lyrics over his music. It just so happened he wasn’t home, instead she found out he was only 20 minutes away. Prince came to the studio, and in a flash of magic, he played a perfect synth melody for it. Stand Back became Stevie's biggest solo hit and Prince turned down a writing credit. Later when the music video was shot, Stevie Nicks almost died when a horse almost toppled her. The story of an 80s classic 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.

Up next we’re going to count down the top 10 songs of this very same timeframe from the year 1988. We have interviews and stories from the artists… as well as your stories and dedications. And then we’ll recalibrate them based on their all-time performance since then. It’s a great show with so many great songs a couple of artists who reached the coveted BILLION VIEWS CLUB and today’s Top 10 countdown may be the only one in music history to have the worst song of the 80s go up against arguably the best song of the 80s… See if you agree and who wins the battle. 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.

Coming up… the wild story behind Rock Me Amadeus by Falco, one of the most unexpected global hits of the ‘80s. It was written in German which happened to be Falco’s native tongue but when he tried to sing it in English, it didn’t work. So Falco sang it in German which was a massive risk for them in America. In fact, Rock Me Amadeus was released twice, and both times it was a total flop… each time they retooled it and finally they brought in another singer to bring some soulfulness to this new wave track. Rock Me Amadeus became an innovative blend of classical music and pop culture and it made Falco the biggest-selling artist ever in his homeland. But behind the catchy chorus and infectious beat lies a tale of artistic risk, personal demons, mysterious deaths, and a song that may have spelled the end of Falco… The drama unfolds 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, an interview that really surprised me. Sometimes I do an interview and think I know what to expect and then the unexpected happens and it turns into something else entirely. Today’s multiplatinum artist Rita Coolidge hit the jackpot in 1977 and 1978 with 4 big hits including We’re All Alone and Your Love Is Lifting Me Higher. Then soon after had another big hit being chosen to sing the James Bond Theme “All Time High. All 5 of these big hits were written by other people, but according to Rita, she wrote a song that was stolen from her because she was heard playing it through the wall in a studio…the stolen song became one of the biggest songs ever. Layla By Derek and the Dominoes The story and interview 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.

It’s hard to understand why a song that was hit all over the world wasn’t released in the US. Today’s song Zombie by the Cranberries was never released in America, yet it’s the most streamed song of the year it came from. And even crazier it may have stopped a centuries-old conflict. It was sung by a beautiful angel whose gorgeous voice went scorched earth on this hardcore rock song. She wrote a song with so much righteous anger that it’s one of the most pissed-off performances of the rock era. Responding to a tragic bombing that took the lives of two innocent children, this ethereal frontwoman powered up her dreamy folk sound, and unleashed a series of siren screams that no one knew she had in her…Historically, she was one of the greatest artists of her time and truly deserved better. Let’s honor this angel 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.

Michael McDonald has over 1,200 songwriting credits and has played on more than 700 recordings dating back to 1972, yet for years, no one knew his name outside of a recording studio. That all changed in ‘75 when he joined the Doobie Brothers, one of the biggest rock bands of the decade. After releasing four platinum albums, the Doobies disbanded, and one of the most recognizable voices of the Rock Era went solo. In this episode, we jump into the story of I Keep Forgetting (Every Time You’re Near), the song that kicked off Michael McDonald's solo career and later became a BIG crossover hit, thanks to a rapper named Warren G, who stumbled upon a stack of vinyl from a street peddler outside Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles in Hollywood. When he sampled this song not only did it go to #1 but even people who hated RAP Loved this song… All this and more, 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.

Rob Halford the metal God himself and the raging front man of Judas Priest tells the story of the band's metal masterpiece: British Steel and the song Living After Midnight from the early 80s that brought metal to the children in this exclusive interview 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.

Did today’s featured artist Phil Collins make too much music? Between Genesis and his solo career, we’re talking 20 studio albums in about three decades. That’s a new album every year and a half. During the 80s alone Phil churned out eight #1s and 21 big hits overall… The numbers are staggering. But was it overkill? When is enough “enough” when it comes to your favorite musicians? Overexposed and getting a reputation for going a little too “vanilla pop,” Phil decided to shake things up. So he took a chance on a more serious subject.. writing Another Day in Paradise, a song that was self-indictment, and that made him question his own humanity. When Collins released it, it caught everyone’s attention. And he took some heat for it. You’ll see why coming up 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.

So apparently one of the greatest classic rock songs of the 80s, Rock You Like a Hurricane by the Scorpions, almost didn’t happen because when the song was first written nobody in the band could figure out how to play it. So they put it on the back burner… then when they finally nailed it, they wanted it to be a song that had more than a little edge. In fact, the lyrics were rewritten about 10 times and they were so focused on it being forbidden, that the song had the F word in the title. And the way they used it was so over the line there was no way they’d get it played on radio. The Executives made them tone it down …a lot. But even with the clean version of Rock You like a Hurricane it caused panic... when it came out and became a huge hit, a Karen in the Government tried to get the song BANNED. A story you won’t want to miss 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 it about Mondays that seems to bring everyone down? It’s as if that day casts a shadow over us all, shifting the mood of the universe for a full 24 hours. With that in mind, one of the most talented, yet volatile bands of the Rock Era, the Mamas and the Papas, created Monday Monday, a song that unintentionally summed up their brief but brilliant run and gifted us with a break-taking classic. Monday Monday was written in 20 minutes and nobody in the band liked it. Especial singer Denny Doherty... Some even hated it with a passion so imagine their surprise with it hit #1. Then everyone wanted to know what the song was really about. Well as it was not even the writer, John Phillips had a freaking clue what it was about…decades later it turns out the song was an eerie prediction for what would happen to the band. When Michelle Phillips and Mama Cass Elliot and Denny and John fractured.The story is 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.