Professor of Rock

Coming up…We have our Bottle Lightning show where we talk about the greatest one-hit wonders ever. But today I wanted to shake it up. What about those artists who actually followed up their huge hit with another one of equal impact? A second legitimate hit but then never had another one? The Two Hit Wonders. It’s a special countdown of the Top 5 '2 Hit Wonders' of the 80s! We're talking about tales featuring comedy legend Milton Berle in drag, a groupie who took her obsession with a radio DJ to a deadly level, an artist nicknamed "the Ant,” a civil lawsuit with Van Halen in the plaintiff's seat, and one band had a 50-second cameo in an 80s movie that will shock many of you… Get ready for some serious fun AND nostalgia…Our Top 5 '2 Hit Wonders' of the 80s are 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 next, a sit down with one of my favorite artists ever Huey Lewis... about one of the best songs of the mid-80s: Hip to Be Square. I swear I've never met anyone who doesn’t love this guy…Turns out Huey was writing a fun little song about leaving rebellion behind to conform to a more traditional lifestyle… Not selling out but buying in. Then years later this happy-go-lucky 80s classic was stolen by a notorious serial killer! Then on another hit from Huey's record, I know What I like: everyone was in awe with the amazing backing vocals. Come to find out it was the offensive line and a quarterback from an NFL team…For about 5 years in the 80s, Huey Lewis and the News were as big as anybody in music. Right there with Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince Duran Duran, and the Police, and they were just a bunch of regular guys. They had 11 top 10 hits in 4 years but then everything changed because of a horrible disease. He hasn’t been able to tour, but in the end, they are still the only news source I trust. Find out why 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.

Alright, this one’s going to blow your mind. Today we’re featuring the iconic hit Jamie's Cryin' that never so much as placed on the Billboard Hot 100… even though there’s no doubt it should have. Jamie's Cryin' was released as a single by one of the most badass bands around, Van Halen, as part of their debut album in the late 70s. But it got no love. Fast forward a decade later, and to add insult to injury, Jamie's Cryin' was sampled without Van Halen’s permission for the #2 rap hit Wild Thing by Tone Loc. Later the two parties almost came to blows over it. So was this straight-up thievery? Or is there some possible explanation for using another band’s song without their consent? You be the judge. The story is 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.

Coming up… rock icon Pete Townsend of The Who delves into his feelings of angst in Behind Blue Eyes... grappling with the pressures of being a celebrity put on a pedestal and confronting the reality that he's not WHO he appears to be. It all began when Pete was tempted by a beautiful fan backstage after a live performance. And being a famous rock star we know how this story goes… but in actuality… Pete resisted her advances. Instead, he returned to his hotel room, where he channeled his emotions into writing a song about the struggles of being a public figure. In a moment of clarity, Pete Townsend realized he wasn't the person everyone thought he was. Behind Blue Eyes became one of the most beloved songs ever with one of the most poignant vocals of the 70s. And there's a reason it was so heartfelt. Singer Roger Daltrey's dog died hours before he put down the vocal. We go behind the artifice to uncover what it's really like to be… the bad man… 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.

From KISS to Bon Jovi, Today's blues-rock outfit Cinderella caught the attention of some of the industry’s biggest icons before they were signed. And though their story sounds like something out of a fairytale, the reality is that these guys went triple-platinum with their debut record, all thanks to their hit single Nobody's Fool which climbed the charts to lucky #13 in the mid-80s... with lead singer Tom Keifer whose distinctive voice stood out in a sea of Glam Metal. And get this, the band formed because they were all taking a wizz at a urinal all at the same time. Then after 3 huge records, they disappeared for a very good reason. An outside force derailed them… Find out what happened 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. Tom's Diner by Suzanne Vega was a 1987 album track that wasn’t even released as a single in America. Then years later the song would make history several times… First, it was remixed by the underground duo DNA and released as a bootleg that got play all over. In fact, when Suzanne heard her song she wasn’t sure whether to congratulate them or sue them for using her song without permission. But she decided to help them promote Tom's Diner and it became one of the biggest hits of her career and her biggest worldwide. And then it was used as the track to develop the MP3 maker. Suzanne is the mother of the format…And to think it came from eating breakfast at a restaurant that was later the one you see in Seinfeld. This Suzanne Vega tells this crazy 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.

In the prime of his life, Fee Waybill of the Tubes, one of rock’s wildest frontmen was lured into a seedy parlor in the underbelly of San Francisco’s notorious red light district. The rocker was captivated by a young exotic dancer who slinked around inside an enclosed booth with hardly any clothes on. … Falling into a scam, Fee kept shelving out dollar bills, trying to engage in a conversation with the dancer, but she ignored him until he finally wised up and realized he was being a sucker! Fee Waybill eventually paid enough money for the woman to converse with him, and he asked her if she would like to be a dancer with his band. She refused to answer his question, and his session abruptly ended. They say ‘Curiosity killed the cat,’ but in this story…curiosity birthed the smash hit She's a Beauty. You’ll never believe what happened next… Seriously, this is one of those rock and roll song stories that’s stranger than fiction… and I’m gonna tell you all about what happened…free of charge, of course…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 have a killer show today. Celebrating Top Gun, one of the biggest soundtracks of the 80s with half a dozen of the artists who made this record one of the biggest ever... including the main song Danger Zone which was a major bitch to get down. The movie needed a major adrenaline rush anthem for the opening of the film to get audiences locked in and over 300 songs were tested and used for the scene but nothing worked. Then when they finally got Danger Zone, they had six major bands and artists turn down the chance to record it. So in an act of desperation, the producer called in a favor from Kenny Loggins, who was not necessarily known as a rocker, but he came in and slayed it. And not only did Danger Zone go to the top of the charts, it went back to the top 35 years later and became Kenny's most streamed song ever. The story of this blockbuster 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.

Coming up, they were the hottest group in music. The Bee Gees were coming off a decade where they had 14 top 10 hits and 9 #1 songs. And then pretty much overnight the band couldn’t buy a hit. The Bee Gees were poison and radio wouldn’t play them. They were totally uncool. So they hid…their lead singer Barry Gibb went undercover and wrote a song for somebody else called Islands in the Stream. It was recorded by one of the hottest singers of the time… Kenny Rogers. But a few days after Kenny cut it, he started having second thoughts. In fact, he started to despise it. But out of nowhere a solution came in the form of a beautiful blonde named Dolly Parton who turned the song into a duet that became one of the biggest hits of its time... Giving this legendary singer-turned-writer a comeback hit that most still don’t know he even wrote…It’s a tale of fantastic serendipity… and a master class in creative collaboration including an interview with Kenny Rogers, 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.

Here’s one for ya. Golden Earring was a band that had 47 hits in their homeland but struggled to break through in America… They finally did in 1973 with Radar Love. But it was one and done. They would be known as a one-hit wonder until 9 years later when they shook off that label and had another massive hit with Twilight Zone. But today’s song Radar Love is about a tragic car accident where someone lost their life and a misheard lyric that made it a classic. It’s been covered over 500 times and may have caused more speeding tickets than any other song. Get ready for a great 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.