Professor of Rock

Three strikes and you’re out. Isn’t that usually how it goes? Well, not for today’s band… Alphaville who despite repeatedly failing to break into the Hot 100 with the same single…the 80s classic Forever Young, still turned the 1984 single into a massive pop culture phenomenon. Played on underground radio here in America, a lot of people here just didn’t catch on to it until long after its release… Maybe that had something to do with Alphaville refusing to tour in the US for more than a decade. Even so, time was on their side. Because radio hit or not, this Forever Young was destined to be an eternal track… Perfectly capturing the dramatic longing and angst that we all feel when we’re young, this song drips with nostalgia and they released it half a dozen times… Would it ever be a hit? 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.

All eyes were on this legendary band after they released their megalithic fourth album Led Zeppelin IV. Championed by many as the greatest rock record ever written… Everyone was clamoring for a sequel. But they wouldn’t get it. Instead, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham took a sharp left turn into unexplored territory… kicking out a bold collection of songs that tapped into a diverse selection of genres: House of the Holy. The rock press eviscerated them for it. But time would prove that they knew what they were doing. An essential entry into the compendium of rock, House of the Holy also boasts today’s featured song, No Quarter. And I’m telling you, we’re zeroing in on a haunting masterpiece. Written by the band’s most underrated member. This foreboding track is a work of sheer genius and will engulf your soul. It was also part of a cut-throat moment when two of the members reunited, leaving him out while naming their project after his song! Find out 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…. Jimmy Buffett became the wealthiest artist of the rock era because of his clever songs that he turned into crafty entrepreneurial maneuvers. But there was a time when he was given free drinks as compensation for entertaining barflies, and didn’t own a collared shirt or a pair of jeans with no holes. His career was in such bad shape, he contemplated committing suicide in a hotel room. The game changer was when he came to his producer Norbert Putnam with an idea for a song that described a typical day, entwining the mundane, the frustrating, and the comical. Margaritaville! The producer told him it was a “terrible idea” for a song, but he went ahead…and recorded it anyway. Margaritaville became an iconic sing-a-long classic, but even more, it became a state of mind and the foundation of a multi-million dollar enterprise. Let’s put our ‘FINS UP,’ and get on board. A good time will be had by all in our tribute to legend Jimmy Buffett… 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.

After this rookie hit the top 10 for the first time in 1983 he was ready to take his place amongst the legends with his follow-up… Prince Rogers Nelson otherwise known as just Prince created something that he wasn’t really comfortable doing. Writing a big stadium power ballad. He actually saw Bob Seger inspire a crowd doing one of his own classics and was intrigued, believing he could write a great one. He worked up a demo and it was 10 minutes long. Then he sent it to Stevie Nicks and asked her to write lyrics… she was too overwhelmed thinking she’d ruin the song. Then when he finally finished playing one of the best guitar solos of the decade he was worried he might’ve ripped it off Journey’s recent big ballad Faithfully. So he actually called Journey and asked them to listen to it. They were so mesmerized by this that they told him to run with it. It became the power ballad of 1984 and one that would push him to the apex of all of music. Up next through interview and story the tale Purple Rain! 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 latest edition of our program the Hit Song Redux. In this show, we go behind the Top 10 songs from this very same week 40 years ago in September of 1983! But counting them down isn’t enough. After we reach #1, we re-rank them according to all-time streams and views… to see what the real #1 hit is. Today we’ve got a massive lineup in store, with some of the most iconic tracks the 80s have to offer. But who will claim the top spot? Could it be The Police, a Jim Steinman special, Maybe Def Leppard or ZZ Top or Bonnie Tyler, or even maybe a one-hit wonder, or the big movie soundtrack hit of that moment? Stick around to find out and make your guess in the comments. It’s all happening… 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 next, an interview with a legend on a feel-good singalong 80s classic. First, this legendary singer-songwriter was told by a big-time movie producer his movie song would be used for a dancing puppet... which he thought would be lame… Secondly during the recording of the song this singer invited another famous rocker to do background vocals but he forgot to give him credit when the song became famous which started a decades-long rivalry and lastly to make matters worse they had a mediocre drummer who could only play a basic beat… It actually made this song a classic hit. An entertaining story of the song everyone knows next in 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, we’re bringing you the story of a perfect pop song… the 1984 smash hit Hard Habit to Break by Chicago… It was an 80s pocket symphony that hearkens back to the genius of the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. This band and this song feature one of the most power-packed vocal duos of all time. Peter Cetera and Bill Champlin’s vocal prowess was second to none. On this episode, we’re giving you an exclusive interview with one half of that duo and getting some unique insight into this track. Plus, you’ll hear the incredible story about how this song’s writer Steve Kipner thought he was finished and went on vacation off the grid… only to find out that the song needed one more verse. He wrote in on the fly in a snowstorm nonetheless, he called it in on a 7-11 payphone. And it was perfect. Just what the song needed. If you’re not already addicted to this track, you will be after we’re done. 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.

Although Pink Floyd is no stranger to this channel, we really are breaking new ground here… taking on an epic album that we’ve never covered before. And with it, a formidable song that is as darkly beautiful as they come. Were covering the dog-eat-dog track from Pink Floyd’s 1977 masterpiece Animals, Dogs… It was written by one of the premiere lyrical geniuses of the past half-century… Roger Waters and boasts a brooding, black-hearted view of the world. Okay maybe that sounds a little bleak, but I’m telling you… When paired with the sonic excellence of his guitar hero bandmate David Gilmour, this track becomes a rarified work of art. Plus we’re giving you a preview of how this album led to the beginning of the end for this band. We’ve got no shortage of drama for this one. It’s an episode you’re not going to want to miss… 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.

Today I have a very interesting interview with a legendary singer and former frontman of one of the biggest bands of the 80s Dennis DeYoung was with Styx for many years but his 1983 song Mr. Roboto may actually have been the straw that broke this band up. Mr. Roboto was a huge hit and it's still ahead of its time decades after it became a mega smash. It’ rocketed up the charts and has become the song that most know this band from even though they’ve had numerous hits. Problem is half the band hated it, including Tommy Shaw and some still do. It’s become synonymous with the 80s and a pop culture phenomenon but for years the band wouldn’t do it and even now when they do it, I’ve actually caught one member rolling his eyes… the song that divided fans and likely broke up the band… Mr. Roboto is covered in detail next by Dennis 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.

Up next, an interview with one of the most prolific songwriters in history… JD Souther...He co-wrote many hits for the biggest-selling American band ever, the Eagles. Today he tells the first-hand account of the Eagles' #1 hit sung by Glenn Frey and Don Henley that was a full-on brawl. The 1980 classic, Heartache Tonight. Coming from the multi-million-selling 1976 classic Hotel California, this hit was Written and recorded when the band was at each other’s throats and about to break up…this song came out of a jam session with Glenn Frey and JD Souther but they couldn’t nail down the chorus so later Glenn called a famous buddy, Bob Seger and he sang the song over the phone…amazingly the Seger sang back exactly what they needed to finish it. It became the band’s last #1 hit from their album The Long Run… Also, the story of the fight that ended the band between Glen and Don Felder Get the story straight from the legend 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.