Professor of Rock

It’s a song that reached the Top 5 all over the world and went to #1 in 8 different countries. It was also one of the early warning shots of the Second British Invasion. and the Human League frontman Phillip Oakey had only learned how to play an instrument months before And although Don’t you Want Me has gone down in history as one of the most pivotal tracks of the 80s, singer Phil Oakey actually hated it. Hoping that no one would ever hear it, he made sure it was the last track on the album and begged his label not to release it. But it wasn’t enough. The song was pure pop gold and they weren’t going to pass on a surefire hit. It’s the story of one of the greatest new wave songs ever by one of the most influential synth pop bands of the 80s... 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 some call it the greatest power ballad ever recorded.. Faithfully by Journey. It was one of the best songs of one of the best years in music history.. 1983. It was so universal and impactful that when Prince was writing his own power ballad Purple Rain, he was concerned that he may have subconsciously borrowed from it so he called the band to see what they thought… and even though the legendary guitarist Neal Schon and Super human lead singer Steve Perry figure prominently on this one, the song was actually written by the keyboardist Jonathan Cain from something real he was dealing with. Up next the keyboardist and guitarist of the rock hall of fame band give us the real story of a classic 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.

Today, it’s the origin story of an unrivaled rock band that was actually “this close” to never happening…Led Zeppelin almost didn’t work. At least not with the legendary lineup we’ve all come to revere. Rising from the ashes of another historic band, the Yardbirds young guitar virtuoso Jimmy Page dreamed of assembling the ultimate rock powerhouse… The only catch was, with a tour already booked, he only had a month to do it. Now he just needed to find three prodigies who could help him alter the rock’s sonic landscape forever... No problem, right? How Jimmy Page recruited John Bonham, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones and recored their 70s classic Good Times, Bad Times to make everyone forget about the Beatles breaking up and it only took 15 hours of rehearsal before they recorded their massive debut record that a critic once called weak… Didn’t matter, they became the heaviest band ever! 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.

A tribute to the beautiful Christine McVie...She was the endearing “secret weapon” of the brilliant, yet treacherous supergroup Fleetwood …the enchanting songstress that illuminated natural beauty with a quiet, unpretentious confidence. Her bluesy, angelic voice mesmerized us, and the sincerity of her music inspired us with some of the greatest songs of the rock era… Like Everywhere, Don’t Stop, You Make Loving Fun, Little Lies, Songbird, Hold Me and her solo hit Got A Hold on Me… She was so underrated especially on Fleetwood Mac’s monumental album “Rumors”. 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 a #1 hit that took 10 years to write. Kevin Cronin of Reo Speedwagon had the verses finished but he had been searching for the chorus for so long…He felt blocked. With pressure to write a hit for his band’s next album he scheduled a writing session with a famous contemporary but the morning of he canceled because he was physically sick! He was so frustrated that he stared cussing Screaming out to the muse! What is this song about! Just then it him like a ton of brick… up next he story of one of 80s greatest #1 hits Can’t Fight This Feeling by Reo Speedwagon with an exclusive interview and Kevin explains the cheesy, bubblegum lyric that’s he’s caught endless crap for! The story of an 80s power ballad. 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 Pearl Jam against the world when they were working on their follow up album to Ten that sold more copies that even Nirvana Nevermind in the early 90s. But as Eddie Vedder and co prepared for VS. their sophomore offering, they were tired of fame. They had planned on ten doing so well and they refused to do promotion of the album in terms of music videos etc… The album still hit #1. The signature song from the record called Daughter would actually start out with a different name and lyrics but Eddie Vedder really sunk his teeth into its message about child abuse and learning disabilities.. which had never been covered in a massive single before. Up next the story fo a 90s masterpiece. 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 rock band Kansas was coming off of a huge single with Carry On Wayward Son and album with Leftoverture that established them as the one of the premier bands of the 70s as they were woking on their follow up their main songwriter Kerry Livgren was playing a fingerpicking exercise when his wife noticed and told him he should put lyrics to it. He did and wrote Dust in the Wind with lyrics that go back to Genesis in the Bible making it 6000 years old. The next day he was reticent to show the band this song since it was a ballad and totally opposite to what they were about. but as soon as he showed them they knew it had to be their next single. It became their only top 10 hit and in the interview next original guitarist and founding member Rich Willams tells how the song was such an ordeal it made his fingers bleed and how Steve Walsh made it flow… with special guests on how the 70s rock classic has changed everything. 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.

A lawsuit with a corrupt label stopped rock band Boston from releasing anything for 8 years. After ruling the late 70s with hits like More Than A Feeling and Peace of Mind and Don’t Look Back, Tom Sholz and Brad Delp were paralyzed for almost a decade and even though Tom Sholz wrote Amanda in 1980 he had to wait until 1986 to release it after the band won the verdict and were able to record with any label they chose. Their third album called Third Stage went to #1 as did the first single Amanda even though a rough demo bootleg had been played by some radio stations. Up next is the amazing story of the comeback of the 80s! 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, we’re going to go count down the Top 10 songs of this very same week from the year 1983. It’s the lates edition of our program the hit song redux … And after we count them down, we are going to recalibrate them… revise them based on their all time performance since then. We’re going to show you what the real Top 10 is. Plus, we’re giving you exclusive artist commentary on the songs and including your memories and dedications… So who is the real #1? Is it David Bowie? Daryl Hall & John Oates, Pat Benatar, John Mellencamp, Michael Jackson, a one hit wonder or a maybe an ex-Beatle. Let’s find out next as we compare it to today’s mainstream music.. and it isn’t pretty... 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.

Some thought she was an overnight success when she swept the grammy in 1989… but guitar-toting songstress Bonnie Raitt was actually two decades, and ten studio albums in the making. Without a doubt, it was a long, hard road to get there. Dropped by her label, written off by critics, and getting loaded after every show, it seemed like her career was over. but Bonnie’s comeback was sweet when she hit #1 in 1989 with Nick of Time and swept the grammys and then her legend was etched in stone when she covered a former NFL football player's song that was so heart wrenching she sobbed through singing it. The song called “I Can’t Make You Love Me” was inspired by something a man said to a judge when he was being sentenced for shooting up his girfriend’s car and was played beautifully by Bruce Hornsby. …the amazing story is 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.