Professor of Rock

Inspired by the experience of a failed screen test for a film about one of the most controversial comedians of the 20th century, Lenny Bruce…superstar singer-songwriter Neil Diamond composed the most personally challenging song of his illustrious career. I Am… I Said…. It took him 4 months to write. It was a daily battle to put that song on paper that drained him emotionally. But when it was completed, it turned out to be one of the most fulfilling songs he had ever written. It came from therapy sessions he was having at the time. However, one lyric about a chair inspired a famous journalist to write a scathing book about Bad Songs, Wherein he ripped this Neil Diamond and This 70s classic to Shreds…However, the fans struck back and the hate mail was so insurmountable the journalist had to write a public apology. The story of this climatic song and the incredible journey to stardom by its legendary author 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.

Today’s Classic song was Written on a piano in an empty studio, Thing is, today’s Legend never expected it to see the light of day. If only because he had been in the most successful band in the world for years and written over 100 songs and they were all rejected… I’m talking about George Harrison writing the song Something for the Beatles. He had written over 100 songs that got rejected and never got one of his songs released as a single until Something. It would become one of the most beloved songs in their catalog and their 2nd biggest song as a band. It would end up inspiring one of the greatest solo careers ever. Meanwhile, its flipside brother, the John Lennon penned Come Together is just as grand. With a large helping of non-sensical lyrics that have been dubbed gobbledygook, but have become a lasting part of the cultural lexicon. That’s right, today we are giving you two Hall of Fame song breakdowns for the price of one. And it’s all 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.

How do you follow up the biggest album of your career, a legitimate 80s landmark album, when two of your bandmates have gone MIA? That’s the situation today’s band, Def Leppard was grappling with as they gathered to write their 5th studio album, Adrenalize. Tragically, one member, Guitarist Steve Clark was lost to the grips of alcoholism. And the other, the “so-called” 6th member, legendary producer Mutt Lange to an entirely different artist (Bryan Adams). If you didn’t know better, you might guess this record would be their darkest offering. The thought had crossed their mind. Instead, Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Rick Savage, and Rick Allen composed a relentlessly upbeat collection of life-affirming rock and roll… A pure adrenaline rush starting with their first hit Let’s Get Rocked…Problem is the timing was a little bit off…It came right when their brand of Feel Good Highly produced Rock was nearly extinct. What would happen to this band in the changed musical environment when grunge ruled? I actually ask lead singer Joe Elliot next and he get a little pissed. 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.

Coming up, a great underdog story of a rookie artist who went through hell to get to the top. Cyndi Lauper beat the odds to hit #1 in 1984 with Time After Time… First of all, she lost her voice due to a collapsed vocal chord and didn’t know if she’d ever sing again. She also got sued for $80k and had to declare bankruptcy leaving her penniless. But Nothing could break Lauper’s spirit or grit. When she finally got her break, her label, Portrait Records was trying to push her to only cover songs even though she was a prolific writer. She rebelled and wrote a song with another up-and-coming artist named Rob Hyman that was partly inspired by the TV Guide as well as an alarm clock that wouldn’t die. She even threw it into the shower and closed the door but the loud ticking kept her awake. Luckily, it did become a #1 smash called Time After Time that ruled the charts and went on to become the most covered song of the 80s. It was so good when they were recording it, the producer wouldn’t let anyone near the studio in fear that someone would steal the song. UP next, an interview with the cowriter and co-singer Rob Hyman of the Hooters on the story of an absolute 80s standards. Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper from her best-selling album She’s So Unusual! 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…it’s the intriguing narrative behind one of the most surreal songs of the Rock Era. Crafted by a trailblazing musical performer known as "the Chrome Nun,” Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane. The classic '60s composition White Rabbit draws inspiration from the whimsy of a bedtime story that this singer was told as a child every night…Alice In Wonderland….Grace found some hidden messages in the story and longed to write them in this sinister and treacherous song. Whenever this songstress performed this composition live she would recite the words slowly and precisely so that the audience would understand her message but no one did! Join us as we delve into a mesmerizing journey through the rabbit hole of time, exploring a mind-altering dimension of music and bold rock artistry as we decode a song that has more mystery and enchantment than any song of its time. The story 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.

Here’s a number for you 13… Only 13 Instrumentals have hit the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100… Of those 13 as you may have guessed most are from Movies or TV shows… but out of that small list of 13 that hit #1 there is only 1 ROCK instrumental that did it in all of music history and it started out as a jam session. the Edgar Winter Group led by the wild and crazy mad scientist of Rock n Roll. He wanted to play his keyboard like a guitar so he put a handle on it and jammed. That instrument became the Keytar…that instrumental became Frankenstein. Once they recorded the song it was an epic 20 minutes long. If radio was going to play it, they would need to pair it down. But the song became the only #1 rock instrumental in history when a DJ played it by accident. Coming up we’ve got the goods. an interview with rocker Edgar Winter. who wrote the song tells us the story along with his massive follow-up hit Freeride… both of these songs are mainstays on classic rock radio. 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, one of the greatest feel-good one-hit wonders of the rock era. A song that changed everything and brought peace to a nation that was hurting from an integral voice that made the oft-recoded song shine. I’m talking about Get Together by the Youngbloods with lead singer Jesse Collin Young. It was truly one of rock's most significant appeals for peace and brotherhood during a very turbulent time in the world, with a Chorus that has become a part of the identity of the 60s, and yet it still resonates. Original singer and interpreter Jesse Colin Young tells the story of taking Dino Valenti’s folk song to the next level However it would be a long journey to the top of the charts… When it was first released it stalled at #62 but a lucky break gave him a second chance when it got re-released 2 years after it failed. 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… an interview with a mystery singer who had 2 songs in the top 10 at the same time with 2 different bands but here’s the thing he never got any credit. Nobody knew who he was until much later. One of these songs was so massive it became the #1 song of the year beating out The Beatles, The Stones, and Elvis who all had big hits that year…. I’m taking about the #1 song of 1969… Sugar, Sugar by the Archies. This song is so catchy everyone was singing it then and is still singing it now. And to think the #1 smash was actually written for preschoolers for a cartoon. there was so much mystery surrounding the identity of this singer and his imaginary band that it was a trivia question that no one could solve for years… The Question was: What group never appeared together, never went on the road together, never interviewed together, and had a #1 hit... coming up we’ll get the answer from Ron Dante in this exclusive interview and the story of a song so catchy it hit #1 for 4 weeks in the Us and 8 weeks in the UK and inspired Def Leppard to write Pour Some Sugar on Me decades later. 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 featuring a classic 1980 record from one of the most diverse bands of the era. The Tide is High By Blondie. Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, Jimmy Destri, Frank Infante, and Clem Burke were masters of their craft. True masters of hook-laden pop-ditties who had a knack for always hitting pay-dirt… and they did it with a fistful of rock and new wave… unfortunately, this time they had a hitless album on their hands. Or at least that’s what their label Chrysalis told them after listening to it. The record called Auto-American was just too different from anything they had ever done. This unusual collection got no love from the music industry. until it scored two chart-toppers including Rapture the first rap hit and The Tide is High. These 80s #1 hits helped the record reach Platinum status in the US. And really It was kicked off perfectly with today’s featured A track, a cover of an obscure song by the Paragons that became a personal favorite of one of the Fab Four in fact… it ended up replacing John Lennon at #1… Sadly, this record was the end of an era for Blondie. Worn down by a never-ending workload and label pressure to stay on top, these guys bottomed out and never had another hit after having 7 big ones in just 2 years. But was it really the end? We’ll find out… 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.

In 1980, the quiet, reserved, bassist for one of the most popular rock bands, created a track that LIT up disco balls in the clubs and blasted over the airwaves around the world. John Deacon of Queen embraced disco with a funky bassline and the song THAT WOULD BECOME Another One Bites the Dust was enhanced even more once his flamboyant singer Freddie Mercury got a hold of it and bludgeoned the Disco semantics with a rock and roll swagger and Brian May’s shredding guitar took it even Higher. Queen turned Another Ones Bites the Dust into the best song of Disco. But there would be controversy when parents said that the song was evil. They claimed that if one played the song backward a subliminal message would corrupt teenagers' minds. The story of a sports anthem inspired by the band Chic, and crusaded by the King of Pop- that was a huge departure for one of the world’s greatest rock bands, and became the quartet's biggest-selling single in America. 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.