Professor of Rock

Many have speculated on the real story behind this historic 70s classic. Peg by Steely Dan is an all-time. But the duo of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker have been famously tight-lipped about it. Well, today we try to solve this mystery from the two foremost perfectionists of modern music. The song is historic for myriad reasons. It contained 40 of the greatest musicians in the world. It introduced the world to one of music’s most legendary singers in Micheal McDonald who actually sang backup on it and to top it all off they had 7 of the top session guitarists record the iconic solo before they chose the one that made the cut and then he had to play if for 6 hours before the band was satisfied… a band that was once called sociopaths masquerading as benign dictators. 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.

The story of Good Lovin’ by the Young Rascals or later known as just the Rascals. Every now and again you hear a song that has so much magic, you know it’s gonna be a smash. Here's the story of this rock classic from an interview with Felix Cavaliere the lead singer and keyboardist of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band. The song explodes in the first 3 seconds and hooks you. The #1 hit story 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.

Written in just 10 minutes, today’s songwriting virtuoso, Elton John had this landmark track ready to go before his bandmates woke up for breakfast… Staying in a haunted 18th-century mansion at the time, Elton John and his band were out to write the album of their lives and they did…when this album and this song launched they darted to #1 Honkey Chateau and his 70s classic Rocket Man. But as it was rising on the charts the accusations started to fly… Was this song a rip-off of another iconic track? Namely David Bowie’s Space Oddity. It’s an allegation the duo of Elton John and Bernie Taupin strongly denied. However, they did admit that it was heavily influenced by a completely different song. But despite its origins, this anthem was destined to become a standard… It’s gonna be a long, long time before we ever hear anything like this again. 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… a 70s classic that has one of the most iconic opening lines of the decade… Sign says long-haired freaky people need not apply was a happy accident The song came to singer Les Emmerson of Five Man Electrical Band when he was cruising on Route 66 and saw all of these billboards advertising different things in the middle of nature. It was actually obscuring mother nature and Les wondered where these rules came from so he wrote a 70s classic protest song... the song was actually a B-side until DJs flipped the record over and started playing it. It became a massive hit thereafter with a great message. Up next the surviving members of the bands give us the story 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.

Skinny ties and mullets… A quirky band named the Cars with two singers (Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr) who split the difference between rock and new wave and power pop. They sabotaged radio with their 1978 song that seemed to start the 80s off two years early. Just What I Need became the ultimate Singalong classic. The character in the song is a little unhinged but the chorus is so catchy and relatable it was tailor-made for ad campaigns that would follow for decades after… The story of a song that opened the floodgates for a band every social circle loved but didn’t sound like anybody else… 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.

Bad Moon Rising, written by John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival was released in 1969… It stands as a timeless musical monument to one of the most turbulent periods in American history. The classic swamp rock song encapsulates the fear & uncertainty that characterized an era of social upheaval, political unrest, and cultural shifts. It came from a very strange place, to say the least. It also contains one of the funniest and most famous misheard and misquoted lyrics ever. Let’s delve into the historical and cultural context surrounding the creation of this classic rock standard that became an anthem for a generation caught in the crosscurrents of change… 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.

Dangerous, volatile, and even outright destructive, today’s band is what rock is all about. Guns N’ Roses Broke onto the scene in the mid-80s, their hard-hitting music and reputation absolutely freaked out the media establishment… Radio refused to play their 1987 Masterpiece Appetite for Destruction, they were blacklisted by MTV, oh and parents confiscated what few tapes actually got sold… As unbelievably talented as these guys were, their music was never going to see the light of day. But just as their label was about to give up on them, one never-say-die A&R man threw up a Hail Mary called Welcome to the Jungle. He begged his boss to call in a favor to MTV and this band’s video of Welcome to the Jungle was given one solitary play on the channel… in the worst possible time slot. would it work? Find out the all-time rock and Roll Underdog story of a band that went from never heard of ‘em to the biggest debut album 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.

We’re heading back to the Summer of 1985, to immerse ourselves in song so saturated with nostalgia euphoria that you may never want to take it off repeat. Summer of 69 by Bryan Adams. It was an up-tempo rocker and a legitimate rite of passage for every 80s kid. But I have to admit that it doesn’t mean what I thought it did when I was growing up. For years people have debated its message. Bryan Adams wrote it with longtime partner Jim Vallance for his 1984 classic album Reckless. Actually the song title was supposed to be a temporary lyrics meant as a joke… They kept it in though and it became an 80s smash. Does it reference a specific year in history? Or is it simply about getting some summer lovin’? Let’s see… This episode will have you longing for “the best days of your life.” NEXT on they 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.

A hit song can come from anywhere… a billboard, a magazine cover, a summer romance, a TV evangelist, or… maybe the idea for a song could come from a cheap bottle of wine. The incomparable Neil Diamond has written a song about ALL of the sources I just mentioned. One never knows where & when imagination will strike, and that’s what makes the backstory of the 70s classic Cracklin’ Rosie so cool. Let me take you on a little journey back to the late 60s to show you what I mean. Come on board and take a ride with me to the outer reaches of northern Canada to discover the origin of this feel good classic you’ve sung THOUSANDS of times and have had the meaning wrong the whole time! …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 one of rock’s most legendary singers… Robert Plant, Freddie Mercury, Ann Wilson of Heart, they’ve all cited him as the great one. I’m talking about Paul Rodgers… The man who helmed Free and Bad Company and the Firm with Jimmy Page. Paul tells us the story behind arguably his most iconic song…Alright Now by Free It took radio by storm and according to stats it’s played about every 45 seconds in this country! It came after the band played a horrible gig where only 30 people showed up and didn’t notice the band at all. They needed something that would wow the crowd and take them to the next level. They were so determined they wrote the song in about 10 minutes and the next thing they knew they were playing it at a gig in front of 600k people Find out the details of this classic from the legend who created it, 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.