Professor of Rock

The in-depth story of one of the biggest selling singles of all time. The only 80s song to hit #1 four different times … Do They Know It’s Christmas by Band Aid was put tother by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to fight starvation in africa. Geldof saw the famine on television and knew he had to do something do ha assembled an A list team to record a song that he hoped could generate millions for relief. Everyone from Sting to George Michal to Duran Duran, Boy George, Spandau Ballet, Bono of U2, Phil Collins and many more. Up next an exclusive mini Documentary on the story of the song with co-writer and creator Midge Ure of UltraVox as well as interviews with 80s icons Paul Young, Tony Hadley formerly of Spandau Ballet. Four different versions of the song have went to #1 in the UK. The heart felt story is told in this new mini-documentary… 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 it’s the origin story of one of rock’s best drummers and how a failed pilgrimage to England brought him face to face with destiny. Neil Peart struggled to make it for years. He even felt his audition for Rush was a disaster. Geddy Lee like him but Alex Lifeson originally didn’t think the mighty Neil was cool enough for the band. Neil went from being a high school dropout to one of rock’s finest and most cerebral lyricist. Today we break down the first song that the power trio wrote together as the classic lineup of Rush in the 70s, Fly By Night from the legendary album. How the three of them came together with this classic prog rock record to forge a new path and give the world new insight into what it means to be truly elite. 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 was their first massive hit in America. it kicked open the door and let people know that they were here to stay leading to them being one of the biggest bands of the last half of the 80s… INXS and their top 5 hit What You Need ruled MTV with it’s innovative music video that won many awards and get this they made it for just 200 bucks.. After Michael Hutchence and Andrew Farris wrote the song and it became such a huge hit, Andrew says that he and Michael felt a lot of pressure to follow up it up with a massive Hit. He says they both worried that What You Need Was their peak so they dug down deep and approached their next album with the idea that every song would be a hit. That’s where the #1 1987 album Kick came from...up next the co-founder and cowriter of this legendary band Andrew Farris tells us the rest of the story. 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… one of the coolest stories you’ll ever hear about a #1 song… First of all the singer Brad Arnold wrote it when he was 15 in math class in about 10 minutes. Then he begged his local radio station to play it and then it was the most requested song on the station for months… then a few months later they were playing next to the giants of rocks… The story of Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down is so unbelievable you’ll think they made it up! The song went #1 on 3 different charts. Next this band tells the amazing story and I’ll tell you if you aren’t a fan You will be after this interview. Two of the nicest guys in all of music. Here’s the story of song that has sold 5 million copies and been streamed over a billion times! 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 with an absolute legend … Randy Bachman who made up a big part of two bands in the 60s and 70s… The Guess Who and Bachman Turner Overdrive or BTO... He’s written or co written some of the greatest classic rock standards ever as one of the only artists with a #1 hit with 2 different bands… The only other person to do that… Paul McCartney…Next He tells the story of recording a song as a total joke….. He wrote and recorded a #1 70s rocker to play a practical joke on his brother… But when a label executive didn’t hear any hits on his band’s new record, out of desperation A BAND MEMBER talked him into playing the joke song and the EXEC knew it was a smash. the only problem was that this singer songwriter didn’t want to release it Up next is legend tells the hilarious story of a classic rock standard 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 early 80s this Survivor co-founder Jim Peterik came home for Lunch and checked his answering machine. He couldn’t believe his ears, Sylvester Stallone asked him to call him right back. He thought it was someone trying to prank him. but when he called back it was really him… Sly Stallone wanted unknown band Survivor to write the Anthem to a sequel to one of the greatest franchises ever, Rocky 3-apparently Queen had turned down the use of their #1 hit Another Bites the Dust… In a very fun interview, Jim tells us how he and Frankie Sullivan wrote the Eye of the Tiger for the opening montage and went to #1 for 6 weeks because Stallone was willing to give his rookie band the chance even though they’d never had a hit. How they created the perfect 80s classic rock anthem that still rules. 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 one of the most notoriously misheard lyrics in rock history. A line that was supposed to be referring to a Hot Rod, has instead confused generations of listeners because it sounds like a reference to a feminine hygiene product. Revved Up Like Douche…was supposed to be Revved up like a deuce... Yeah, no joke. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band took legend Bruce Springteen’s first single and turned it into a Billboard #1 hit. And it is the garbled delivery of that cover version of the song that is the culprit. because Sprinsteen’s original failed to chart, it’s feminine-health counterpart rocked the charts….Shaking his head in disbelief, the Springsteen joked that the public had spoken. Get the story behind the song and find out what the real lyrics actually say… 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.

Up next an exclusive interview with a cofounding member of the classic 70s and 80s group Little River Band. Graeham Goble who wrote and arranged the most played song in American history by an Australian band or artist…Reminiscing. The song went to #3 in the billboard charts in 1978. Since then it’s been played almost 6 million times on radio. There’ve been a lot of great australian artists over the years…right? AC/DC, INXS, Nick Cave, The Church, Olivia Newton John, Rick Springfield... and on and on and Little River Band or LRB as many know them by have the top song ever by an Aussie and the song almost got thrown out.. They couldn’t get the arrangement to work and were about to move on after trying to record it 2 separate times … Goble talked them into trying it just one more time and someone that wasn’t even in the band is the one who figure out how to make it work… also Beatle John Lennon said it was one of his favorite songs…. 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.

Legendary 70s singer guitarist Mark Farner formerly of Grand Funk Railroad or just Grand Funk as they came to be known, tells The wild story of the 70s classic rock staple We’re An American Band! A song that every fledgling bar band has covered on their way up. A staple of the Classic Rock Canon. First of all he recorded it with a broken nose… and he co wrote the song with the drummer but he says out of the goodness of his heart, he allowed the drummer to have the sole writing credit which has ended up costing him millions We get the real story behind an urban legend that’s been floated for years. In 1971 Grand Funk sold out Shea stadium faster than the beatles and has been snubbed by the rock and roll hall of fame for decades the interview 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 the two principals from an 80 rock band that is a true mystery… Wally Palmer and Mike Skill of the Romantics explain their 1983 #1 hit Talking In Your Sleep… First of all they had two huge hits that everyone knows… Talking in Your Sleep and What I Like About You...Only What I Like About You wasn’t actually a hit. It was sung by the drummer and got a lot of Mtv and radio play but stalled at #49 Then Talking in Your Sleep went to #1 in 1984 and in addition it was top 3 on all of the charts. Dance, Rock and Pop... It seemed like they were poised for stardom, THEN they found out that their managers had been misappropriating the profits earned by the band from its records and live performance since day one and the lawsuit that followed kept the band from recording anything for over a decade…. Up next this band tells the story of their #1 hit and how they came back from an 11 year hiatus to reclaim their legacy.. 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.