This Week in Music History – Impact 89FM | WDBM-FM: Recent Episodes
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On Nov. 19, 1979, Chuck Berry, a legendary rocker, was sentenced to prison on tax evasion charges. The sentencing came after a long legal battle concerning his failure to file income tax returns for years. He did not pay tax on a huge amount of the money he accumulated during the 1970s, leading to his 4-month prison sentence. Funnily enough, this wasn’t Berry’s first incident. His legal troubles were frequent, as his personal life was always very scattered amidst his success.
Chuck Berry was a pioneer in rock, blues and R&B music, with hits like “Johnny B Goode” (as seen in Back to The Future), “Maybellene” and “Roll Over Beethoven.”
Historically a troublemaker, Berry grew up in St. Louis as the fourth of six kids. He began learning guitar in his childhood but would later set it aside. In 1951, he picked up the guitar again and joined his former high school classmate’s band. He eventually met pianist Jonnie Johnson, and they created the Sir John’s Trio. Later, Berry left for Chicago and met Muddy Waters who helped put Berry in contact with Chess Records. The rest is history.
To this day, Chuck Berry remains a massively influential figure in the past, present and future of rock, and his sheer presence outweighs his legal troubles by a huge margin.
We’re celebrating Miley Cyrus’ 32nd birthday on Nov. 23. Cyrus was born to be in the spotlight at an early age. We have watched her grow into a multi-talented genre-bending artist with a diverse career spanning music, film and television.
Cyrus first rose to fame with the wildly successful Disney Channel show Hannah Montana, where she played the dual role of Miley Stewart and her pop-star alter ego, Hannah. This role catapulted her into stardom and recently earned her an honorary title as a Disney Legend, being the youngest honoree ever to receive the achievement.
Throughout her career, Cyrus has reinvented herself with many different eras, each one showcasing her evolution as an artist and individual. After her Disney years, she continued acting, starring in films like The Last Song, LOL, So Undercover, and more, demonstrating her versatility beyond the iconic Hannah Montana role.
One of her most memorable and transformative eras came in 2013 with the release of her fourth studio album, Bangerz. This era brought a new, rebellious Miley to the spotlight, sparking controversy and defining her as an artist unafraid of taking risks. Remarking on her memorable 2013 VMA performance with Robin Thicke. This was her time to break free from her Disney persona and embrace her own identity. As a fan, looking back now, I can see how this chapter was truly iconic, symbolizing Cyrus’s journey of self-expression and resilience.
In recent years, Cyrus has continued to thrive. She had a brief pop-punk era in 2020 before releasing her eighth studio album, Endless Summer Vacation, which included the hit single “Flowers.” This empowering anthem resonated with fans worldwide, reflecting her personal stories of growth and resilience. Earlier this year, she received two Grammy Awards.
Happy birthday, Miley! Growing up with you has been an honor, and we can’t wait to see where your remarkable career takes you next.
Have you ever found yourself repeating the same part of a song over and over, with nothing helping except listening to it on repeat? This phenomenon, known as an Earworm, is more common than you might think, and scientists have long been curious about why certain songs get stuck in our heads for years.
In 2016, the American Psychological Association released a study titled Dissecting an Earworm: Medoldic Features and Song Popularity Predict Involuntary Musical Imagery where they used 3,000 survey participants to research, explore and understand what causes earworms and how they persist.
The term Earworm originates from the coined German term öhrwurm, which is when a portion of a song — usually around 20 seconds — is on constant repeat in your head for hours, days or even weeks. The study revealed that nine out of ten people experience this at some point in their lives.
The study suggests that musical characteristics such as tempo, melodic structure and rhythmic elements are all contributing factors as to why a song may be stuck in your head. Popular songs that receive heavy radio play or go viral on platforms like TikTok are more likely to become Earworms due to repeated exposure.
Researchers suggest that songs that are simple and easy to remember with common melodic structure, and faster tempos are more likely to be stuck in your head.
Context also matters. Certain situations where you hear a song — such as an emotional or memorable event — can trigger the song to replay in your mind. Interestingly, the study also linked Earworm formation to enhanced creativity and problem-solving abilities.
So, the next time there is an Earworm stuck in your head, try shifting your focus and distract yourself with another task. Play the song in the background without paying close attention, or even listen to a different, simple tune to distract your mind with another song.
– JaTasia Powers
On Oct. 30, 2000, a new website was launched, using Britney Spears to teach students basic physics concepts. The website, called Britney Spears’ Guide to Semiconductor Physics, was accessible through the URL britneyspears.ac. The site illustrated a variety of physics concepts, ranging from how semiconductors are used to the basis of modern electronics.
While rumors have assumed that the website was created by Britney Spears herself, the founder was actually a physics post-grad from the University of Essex named Carl Hepburn. The website incorporated Britney Spears in a number of different ways, including a “lip glossary” of semiconductor physics and pictures of her alongside complex physics equations.
Hepburn decided to put the phrase “Britney Spears” in the website address, believing that it would make the website viral from fans who wanted to learn more about her. He also added picture galleries for those who looked up Britney Spears noting that, “I knew most people who were looking for information on Britney would not appreciate a site solely dedicated to semiconductor physics. So I added picture galleries.”
A year after the launch of the Britney Spears physics website, it gained attraction and became a viral sensation. Today, the site is still up, containing several vintage shots of Britney Spears. As the years continue to go by, one thing that will remain timeless is the Britney Spears Guide to Semiconductor Physics.
– Chae Eun Park
On Oct. 31, 1969, art and glam rock legend David Bowie took the stage of the General Gordon, a pub in Gravesend, England. However, the performance only lasted all of 15 minutes after Bowie made a surprising stylistic choice, diverging completely from a typical on-stage performance.
Bowie had just appeared on the Top of the Pops, a British music chart television program, with his classic hit, “Space Oddity.” Everyone wanted to see Bowie perform. So, he gave them what they wanted on that Halloween night. He played “Space Oddity,” but took a sharp turn, dragging a stool on stage with a huge book in hand.
Instead of continuing with more music, Bowie perched himself on the stool and began reading poems from the book. The unconventional and unprecedented move didn’t resonate, and he was eventually booed off stage — which, personally, I would’ve never done — leaving a crowd of very dissatisfied fans behind.
An attendee, Dave Stableford, had paid eight shillings and six pence for admission. He recalled, “Unfortunately, the poetry didn’t go down well and he was booed off stage.”
Of course, this performance didn’t dim his flame or halt his momentum whatsoever. He went on to become one of the greatest musicians of the ‘70s and ‘80s, with iconic albums such as The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, Aladdin Sane and Hunky Dory, only adding more quirk and personality to each performance.
– Noelle Simonelli
Twenty-one years ago on Oct. 21, we lost Elliott Smith, one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters in recent memory. According to his girlfriend, Jennifer Chiba, the two were arguing when she went to take a shower. Shortly after, she heard Smith screaming. She opened the door and found him standing with a knife in his chest. He was rushed to the hospital but ultimately died from the two stab wounds he endured. While his death was initially ruled a suicide, autopsy results would be inconclusive as to whether the wounds were self-inflicted. Regardless of the manner of Smith’s death, it was a tragic loss — he was only 34 years old. At the time of his death, he was working on his sixth studio album, From a Basement on a Hill, which would be finished by those close to him.
Even with his career cut short, Smith made an undeniable impact on the independent music scene and the world at large. He would first gain some popularity with the band Heatmiser, which he would perform with in the Portland, Oregon, area. While in Heatmiser, he would send a collection of demos he recorded on a four-track tape to a local record label. The songs on the tape impressed the label so much that they were all released as Smith’s first solo album, 1994’s Roman Candle. While the understated, acoustic nature of the album differed greatly from the heavier grunge that was popular at the time, it was immediately well-received for its poetic, nuanced lyricism and raw, emotive vocals.
Smith would follow up Roman Candle the following year with a self-titled album that followed in its predecessor’s low-fidelity footsteps while showing the beginnings of his experimentation with songwriting and instrumentation. The opening track, “Needle in the Hay,” is a haunting portrait of his struggles with drug addiction and one of the most enduring songs in his discography. Following the breakup of Heatmiser in 1996, Smith got his big break in 1997, when several songs from his third album Either/Or were included in the soundtrack for the movie Good Will Hunting alongside the non-album track “Miss Misery.” The film became a commercial and critical success, and “Miss Misery” earned Smith an Academy Award nomination. Either/Or would arguably go on to become the defining work of his career.
While Smith was reluctant to fully step into the spotlight, he signed with DreamWorks Records to release his next album, 1998’s XO. This album saw him adopt fuller arrangements, with songs featuring string arrangements, keyboards and other layers of instrumentation. XO would also notably feature the fan-favorite song “Waltz #2 (XO),” which deals with Smith’s fraught upbringing. 2000’s Figure 8 was the last album released by Smith during his lifetime, and it would continue in the more melodic, almost Beatlesque direction of its predecessor. The years following saw him further struggle with drug addiction and mental illness. He played his final concert on Sept. 19, 2003. His posthumous album, 2004’s From a Basement On A Hill, would enter even darker and more surreal sonic territories. Songs like “King’s Crossing” remain some of the most harrowing in his entire discography, and overall it’s clear that those who handled the completion of the album did so with extreme care and respect
Even now, more than two decades after his death, Smith’s music continues to resonate with those who feel they have no one to speak to. Countless musicians have taken influence from him, but nobody writes songs quite like he did. While his early grave was a tragedy, that shouldn’t allow us to forget all of the beautiful music he made while he was alive.
– Sky Curtright
On Oct. 23, 2006, Amy Winehouse released “Rehab,” the iconic lead single from her second studio album Back to Black. “Rehab” took the world by storm after its release. The song peaked at No. 7 on the United Kingdom Singles chart and at No. 9 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, making it Amy Winehouse’s only top 10 hit in the U.S.
Written by Winehouse and produced by Grammy Award winner Mark Ronson, the song discusses Amy’s struggles with addiction and her aversion to going to rehab.
“They try to make me go to rehab, but I said no, no, no /
Yes I’ve been black, but when I come back you’ll know, know, know.”
With “Rehab” topping the charts, Amy was at the absolute top of her career and she released her sophomore album, Back to Black, shortly after on Oct. 27, 2006. Back to Black became one of the biggest albums of all time, going multi-platinum and selling over 16 million copies worldwide. Amy Winehouse went on to sweep at the 50th annual Grammy Awards, winning five awards, including Record and Song of the Year for “Rehab.”
Amy’s Grammy win for Record Of The Year remains one of the most iconic moments in pop culture, as she stands frozen in utter shock after her idol, Tony Bennett, presented her with the award.
Winehouse sadly passed away in 2011 due to alcohol poisoning at the age of 27, just five short years after her critically acclaimed album was released. Although her career and life were tragically cut short, Amy Winehouse remains one of the greatest musicians of all time and continues to inspire new generations of artists. Her legacy and talent will live on forever.
– Helena Najar
On Oct. 24, 2006, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift released her debut studio album in the U.S. and Canada. She later released the album elsewhere on March 18, 2008. When Swift was only 14, she moved with her family to Nashville to pursue a career in country music. At the same age, she signed with ATV/Sony to write songs for the album. At 16, she released Taylor Swift, which features not only country elements such as banjos, fiddles and acoustic guitar but also leans into pop and rock elements with a vibrant teenage touch.
As a young girl, Swift was influenced by classic country music stars such as Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton. Being a teenage girl, Swift dove into themes about the high school experience, from crushing on the boy next to you in English class to the soul-crushing heartbreak that falls in that adolescent frame. Because of Taylor Swift this young generation of people in the early 2000s finally had a pop singer that they could relate to and see themselves in. Out of the eleven tracks on the album, Swift wrote three of the songs by herself, and the rest she wrote with the help of co-writers Robert Ellis Orrall, Brian Maher, Angelo Petraglia, and Liz Rose.
The debut album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2008 Academy of Country Music Awards. This was quite a high accomplishment, because not only was this Swift’s first album, but she was also only 19 years old which is a unique experience in itself as an artist trying to make it in the industry. As a young girl, she was a trailblazer, in a sense, when it came to her songwriting of what some might call difficult emotions. Because of Swift’s influence, we now have musicians who were influenced by her storytelling and songwriting such as Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and many more. Her legacy lives on, and this debut album acted as a blueprint for her following albums, allowing her to grow and flourish from the success of the first album. With the song “Tim McGraw” reaching the Top 40, Taylor Swift has been noted as one of the best country albums of the decade. All in all, Swift’s debut album is one of twangy country romantic charm and is an easy and enjoyable listen.
– Sophie Sparkman
On Oct. 26, 1993, Madonna made her first appearance in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for a stop on “The Girlie Show” tour, causing outrage in a predominantly Catholic territory. If there’s a feud notoriously known throughout the 1990s, it’s undoubtedly between Madonna and the Catholic Church.
Raised a Catholic and named after the Virgin Mary herself, Madonna has both embraced the religion and challenged notions regarding it, receiving quite the backlash since the start of her career. Religious audiences have condemned her for various disrespectful acts regarding religion, from desecrating the cross in her “Like a Prayer” music video to simulating sexual acts with backup dancers on stage to her hit song “Like a Virgin.” Her artistry also embraced being a free and sexually liberated woman — a taboo in both societal norms and religious spheres of the world — which was especially impactful given her namesake, a religious figure known for purity.
As a predominantly Catholic nation, catholic churches in San Juan were appalled by her behavior. In response to the visit, they opened their doors the night of the show and encouraged residents to tie black ribbons on trees in protest. Despite the resistance, the show went on and pulled in even more negative reception when Madonna passed the island’s flag beneath her lower region. If her reputation on the island wasn’t already tarnished enough, you could say the above act was the nail in the coffin.
– Mae Melaku
On Oct. 18, 1969, Diana Ross & The Supremes introduced The Jackson 5 on a live broadcast of ABC’s Hollywood Palace Special for their first national TV appearance. The Hollywood Palace Special was a musical variety show that aired from 1964-1970. In this episode, The Jackson 5 performed alongside big names such as Diana Ross & The Supremes, Sammy Davis Jr, and Willie Tyler & Lester.
The brothers — whose ages ranged from 10 to 17 — performed “Sing a Simple Song,” “Can You Remember,” “I Want You Back” and “There Was A Time.”
In 1968, the five talented brothers were discovered by Bobby Taylor of Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers, who quickly brought them to the attention of Motown. At Motown, they impressed President Berry Gordy so much they were signed almost immediately, leading to a quick explosion onto the pop and R&B charts in 1969 with “I Want You Back.”
Diana Ross played a huge role in The Jackson 5’s debut. In Aug. 1969, she presented them to music industry insiders in Los Angeles, California, which led to them opening for a Diana Ross & The Supremes concert just days later. This marked the beginning of their rise to stardom.
The Jackson 5 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and is the only group to have its first four records reach No. 1 on the charts. Additionally, three of their singles have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame: “I’ll Be There,” “I Want You Back” and “ABC.”
– Noelle Simonelli
In 2006, George Micheal made headlines after smoking a joint during an interview with Melvyn Bragg for The South Bank Show, a long-running British television arts program. This news initially got out on Oct. 20, 2006, sparking widespread discussion. During the interview, Micheal lit up a joint and discussed how cannabis is good for his mental health. The interview was filmed in Madrid, Spain, where cannabis is legal, and was scheduled to air on Oct. 31.
At the beginning of the interview, he talks about how “grass” was the best drug for him.
“This is the only drug I’ve ever thought worth taking… This stuff keeps me sane and happy. I could write without it if I was sane and happy.” He even joked that it was better for him than alcohol. “I think my life might be somewhere else if I’d chosen another avenue. Alcohol for instance. Christ if I had drank as much as I smoked. My god, I’d look like Keith Richards,” Michael said.
Micheal was very open about his drug use throughout the interview, discussing how it helped him cope with his stress and helped him manage the pressure of fame and his struggles.
“It is very good for creative people but it is a terrible, terrible drug in terms of… You’ve got to be in the position in life to take it. You’ve got to at least achieve most of your ambitions because it chills you out to the degree that you could lose your ambitions,” Micheals said.
When the interview aired, Micheal received many mixed reactions. Some people praised him for opening up about the drug, while others were very disappointed, especially after he was found slumped over his steering wheel in London just one month prior.
At the beginning of the interview, a black screen with the message “George Michael wishes to inform viewers that he has never tested positive for drinks or drugs whilst driving” was displayed.
Mental health charity Rethink criticized Micheal’s comments. Paul Corry, director of public affairs, called his comment “naive and stupid,” warning that young people, especially those in Michael’s audience, were most at risk from long-term cannabis use.
On the other hand, people were appreciative of Michael’s openness and honesty about his cannabis use. People appreciated his willingness to discuss intimate details about coping with the complexities of fame and mental health.
– JaTasia Powers
On Oct. 7, 1975, a deportation order for John Lennon was reversed by a Federal Appeals Court judge, allowing him to legally remain in his New York City home. Let’s take a brief step back and explore why.
On the brisk English morning of Friday, Oct. 18, 1968, John Lennon and Yoko Ono were arrested on drug charges following a police raid of their home near Montagu Square in London. It was already a hectic time for the couple, as Ono had discovered she was pregnant only days earlier. (Remember, they were married to other people at this time.)
Prior to the raid, Lennon anxiously tried to dispose of evidence, but Sergeant Norman Pilcher eventually broke down the front door. The police would then find 200 grams of hash, a rolling machine and half a gram of morphine. This was a serious amount, and especially at the time was taken seriously.
Lennon knew they were coming, however. He noted, “That thing was set up. The Daily Express was there before the cops came. In fact, Don Short had told us, ‘They’re coming to get you,’ three weeks before. So, believe me, I’d cleaned the house out, because Jimi Hendrix had lived there before in the apartment, and I’m not stupid. I went through the whole damn house.” Imagine if he hadn’t known.
Mr. Lennon did a pretty good job of covering his tracks, as the whole trial ultimately resulted in him pleading guilty out of fear that Ono would be deported, and a £150 fine. Considering the circumstances, I’d say Lennon did pretty well.
– Ian Randall
On Oct. 12, 1969, a rumor that Paul McCartney had died spread around the world, becoming the largest rumor in rock and roll history. The rumor started when Russ Gibb, a Detroit DJ on WKNR, received a mysterious call. The caller told him to play several songs backward, including “Strawberry Fields Forever.” At the end of this song, John Lennon said “I buried Paul,” leading to a national rumor that Paul McCartney had died.
As the rumor that McCartney died got out, speculation about Paul McCartney spread as well. Some claimed he had died in a car accident three years ago, and the Beatles covered up any news headlines about the event. This explained why there was no news when Paul McCartney allegedly died. To explain why he was still seen after his death, Beatles fans said they replaced Paul McCartney with a look-alike for the band, called Billy Shears, who wrote and produced two songs, “Hey Jude” and “Blackbird.” As this story reached millions of people, more stories circulated, all showing signs that Paul McCartney was dead.
Paul McCartney, at the time of this rumor spreading, was very much still alive. He had been on his Scottish farm with his wife, daughter, and newborn child. Due to the time constraints of caring for his newborn, he was unable to debunk the rumors surrounding his death. A few months later, McCartney reported to the press that the rumors were false and that he was spending less time in the media due to his commitments to his family.
Today, Paul McCartney, who is still alive, continues to be an iconic singer and songwriter, releasing an album in 2018 called Egypt Station, which topped the Billboard 200. To this day, his legacy remains, whether in the form of his music or in the rumor that changed the world.
– Chae Eun Park
On Oct. 13, 2016, Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. The American singer-songwriter received this award “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” The prize was announced by the Swedish Academy. Dylan is the 12th Nobel laureate from the United States.
In the days that followed Dylan’s win of the Nobel Prize, the singer remained silent, still speechless from the high applause at his work. Dylan finally responded to Edna Gundersen about this esteemed accomplishment, saying that getting the award was “amazing, incredible. Whoever dreams about something like that?” Dylan was unable to travel to Stockholm for the ceremony “due to pre-existing commitments.” In his absence, his speech was given by Azita Raji, U.S. ambassador to Sweden. There was also a notable performance from Patti Smith in which she sang Dylan’s song “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.”
In Dylan’s Nobel Lecture, he discussed in great detail the three literary works that had a significant influence on his songwriting. These literary works are Homer‘s The Odyssey, Moby-Dick by Herman Melville and All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque.
The old-time folky Bob Dylan is now known as the first musician and songwriter to win a Nobel in Literature. Though his history-book-making win is admirable, to say the least, it did not come without controversy from the public. Some writers argued that Dylan’s work was not of equal praise as that of traditional authors. All in all, Bob Dylan writes songs with themes of love and religion while diving into surreal imagery. I think it is safe to say that Dylan was a well-deserving candidate for the Nobel Prize since his lyrics often feel like poetry and his acoustic sound is one of literary admiration.
– Sophie Sparkman
In 2016, a lawsuit was filed against Ed Sheeran and his No. 1 single, “Thinking Out Loud.” The heirs of Ed Townsend, who was the co-writer for Marvin Gaye’s 1973 soul classic “Let’s Get It On,” sued Sheeran for allegedly intentionally copying the song. The lawsuit claimed that Sheeran’s song had a similar melody, harmony and rhythm.
The estate of Townsend includes his daughter, Kathryn Townsend Griffin; sister Helen McDonald; and his former wife, Cherrigale Townsend. The party wanted $100 million in damages and an injunction preventing Sheeran from further profiting from the song.
Sheeren denied the claims, arguing that the similarities within the songs were coincidental and were a common chord progression that was used in pop music. Sheeran claimed that he wrote the two-time Grammy-winning song with his guitarist, Amy Wadge.
The trial was put on hold in 2019, and then again delayed in 2020 due to Covid-19. It wasn’t until 2023 that the case went on a two-week trial.
During the trial, Sheeran defended his case, describing his personal experience writing the song with his guitarist after his grandfather had passed. He even performed the song in front of the court as he explained his songwriting process. During the second week of the trial, he told the court that he would be “done” with music if he was found guilty.
“I find it really insulting to work my whole life as a singer-songwriter and diminish it,” Sheeran said.
The jury eventually ruled in favor of Sheeran, concluding that there was not enough evidence to prove Sheeran had intentionally copied Gaye’s song. Following the verdict, Sheeran expressed his relief but also shared his disappointment and frustration with the emotional and financial toll lawsuits like this place on musicians.
This case is substantial for artists in the songwriting industry due to this being a common lawsuit and verdict happening time and time again. It continues the discussion about copyright laws and how they apply to popular music, especially with the use of common chord progressions and musical motifs.
– JaTasia Powers
On Oct. 4, 1982, The Smiths made their live debut at The Ritz in Manchester, England. The alternative band, led by frontman Morrissey, included Johnny Marr, Andy Rourke, Mike Joyce, Craig Gannon, Dale Hibbert and Ivor Perry. Their performance was unique and unlike anything the British alternative rock scene had seen before. At the time of the performance, the band didn’t have much music out since they were still up and coming, but its significance in the alt scene was memorable. At the time, The Smiths’ discography was short but the lasting impression made on that day sent their career soaring.
With a relatively brief performance, The Smiths performed four songs. The set consisted of “The Hand That Rocks The Cradle”, the only live performance of “Suffer Little Children,” a cover of U.S. girl group, The Cookies’ “I Want A Boy For My Birthday” and a vivacious new song called “Hand In Glove.” The Smiths’ big debut came about as a result of a band called Blue Rondo A La Turk. When this band was also performing at the Ritz, the promoters were contacted and convinced to let The Smiths play the infamous venue in support.
When the melancholic band took center stage, they were introduced by James Maker, one of Morrissey’s friends at the time. A funky energy quickly ensued after Maker introduced the band. He stayed on stage to dance and play the tambourine and maracas. At the time, the event was described by The Face magazine as “the kind of live music fashion show that the British don’t attempt enough.” The Smiths’ sound had a vibrancy and wistfulness that had never hit the Ritz stage before, so this debut performance was new and fresh for the audience.
Although many would say that The Smiths’ live debut was not their best performance, with a touch of chaotic energy and few songs, it was one to be remembered and the start of a band that would make a name for themselves forever in the alternative rock music scene.
– Sophie Sparkman
On Oct. 5, 1973, Sir Elton John’s seventh studio album, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was released. It went on to become his most successful, topping the Billboard Top 200, being inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and selling over 30 million copies. This album has emotionally embedded itself into the lives of many, becoming a timeless force in music history.
When I think of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, a flood of memories rushes in. Scattered across my life, this album carries a deep sense of nostalgia, throwing me into pictures of the past. I’m transported to the backseat of our bright blue minivan, with Mom and Dad singing along up front. It brings me back to karaoke sessions in the car with friends and glimpses towards the future at a high school senior night. Most notably, though, I’m taken back to what I personally believe to be a pretty perfect Father’s Day gift: sitting in Comerica Park, watching the sunset over the stage, a cool summer breeze and the unforgettable opening notes of “Bennie and the Jets” as the show begins.
In celebrating the anniversary of this remarkable album, I highly encourage you to think back on your memories with it. Where do the songs take you? Can you feel the air, picture the scene? And if you haven’t sat down to listen to this album in full, I can’t recommend it enough. It truly does possess that magic and nostalgia promised in the title.
– Noelle Simonelli
On Sept. 24, 1991, Nirvana released their second album, Nevermind, changing the course of music history. Although Nirvana had already been in the music scene for years, they were still relatively unknown. That was until Nevermind’s lead single, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was released to radio in August of that same year. Unlike their debut album, Bleach, Nevermind was slightly more polished and radio-friendly allowing the music to connect with a wider audience, skyrocketing the trio into the limelight. Despite the more radio-friendly aspects of the album, Nevermind still brought a whole new wave of grunge and alternative music to the mainstream. With grunge’s newfound home in mainstream media, other musicians with similar sounds began to pop up throughout the rest of the ‘90s. Nirvana’s distinctive sound can be seen as a clear influence to groups like Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots and the Cranberries.
While Nirvana went on to release their third and final album, In Utero in 1993, Nevermind remains their most successful. Today, Nevermind has sold over 30 million copies worldwide making it not only one of the most successful grunge albums but one of the all-time best-selling albums. The impact Nevermind had on the music industry will never be forgotten, and that is why, on this day in music history, we remember this timeless album.
– Helena Najar
In a year filled with extravagant avocado toast, Tide-Pod-eating children, Beyonce headlining Coachella and a phenomenal Billboard’s Year-End Hot 100 list, there was one thing we didn’t expect — a tax fraud case accusing Colombian singer Shakira of failing to pay the Spanish government €14.5 million — coming to about $15.8 million — in taxes. Towards the end of Sept. 2018, the Spanish government claimed that Shakira failed to pay her taxes from 2012 to 2014 when she was considered a resident of Spain. On the other hand, Shakira denies these claims and states that she was residing in the Bahamas at the time. The Spanish government also accused Shakira of funneling money to an offshore account to avoid income and wealth taxes, totaling $7.1 million.
In 2018, Shakira was traveling constantly for her El Dorado World Tour which began on June 3 in Germany and ended on Nov. 3 in Columbia. For Spain, however, she was still considered a resident based on the location of her spouse and children and Barcelona being a “center of economic interest.” At the time, Shakira was married to Gerard Piqué, a famous FC Barcelona soccer player, and had two children who also resided in Barcelona. As a result, Spain felt that it had sufficient evidence to charge Shakira with six counts of tax fraud.
On November 20, 2023, Shakira was found guilty of six counts of tax fraud but faced no jail time. Instead, she was made to pay what she owed and was fined half that the €14.5 million, coming to €7.3 million (about $8.1 million). Shakira also paid €432,000 to suspend a three-year prison sentence. In the end, it looks like Shakira’s hips do lie.
– Andrea Jurado-Gutierrez
On Sept. 29, we celebrate the 29th birthday of one of the indie and alternative rock world’s most devastating lyricists, Julien Baker. Best known for her work with the indie supergroup, boygenius, Baker has spent the better part of 14 years providing teenagers who have never gotten over anything with the most crushing of songs.
Julien got her start in Sept. 2010, releasing her first single, a cover of “Nothing Better” by The Postal Service. After that, some patience was required as we awaited the release of her debut album, Sprained Ankle, in 2015. Following Sprained Ankle, Julien continued to build on her phenomenal solo career with albums Turn Out the Lights and Little Oblivions. Although her start was small, she built up a devoted following throughout the years, leading to the eventual explosion of popularity that resulted from boygenius’ debut album, The Record, released in 2023. After blowing up in 2023 with boygenius, Baker became a six-time Grammy nominee, taking home three wins just last year, further cementing her musical success.
Over the past couple of years, I have gotten deeply acquainted with Juliens’ discography. There is such deeply rooted emotion and melancholy in her music—whether solo or with boygenius—that it’s hard not to fall back on her in the more gloomy times. I, along with many others, have found solace in her work, knowing that we aren’t alone in our thoughts. I can’t imagine a Spotify Moody Mix or a lonely walk to class through the snow without her. Although, she’s likely in hibernation after the chaos of last year’s boygenius summer, happy birthday Julien. I can’t wait to see what devastating work of genius you gift to us next.
– Noelle Simonelli
The last words of composer Johannes Brahms came after he took a sip of wine. Those words, which were something like “Ah, that tastes good,” came on April 3, 1897.
Brahms is one of the most well-known and well-respected composers of the 19th century, and it is good to remember that the story of music does not start somewhere in the 1900s, but long, long before Brahms even took that last sip of wine. So, when we discuss music history, we must understand the flaws in our routine examination of it.
We don’t have original recordings from most of human history — as the first recordings came about in the mid-1800s — and it is good to have a simple reminder that music before the age of records was as rich and interesting as it is now.
Brahms blended practices of the Romantic and Classical eras, and his compositions continue to be seen as some of the most skilled work to come from either. He balanced the complex and the simple with great care, and though his music was more traditional than the likes of some contemporaries, he remains one of the most well-regarded composers of all time. Rest in peace to one of the greatest.
– Mike Merucci
On April 5, 1994, about 30 years ago, Kurt Cobain died by suicide in his Seattle, Washington home. Cobain, the lead singer and guitarist of Nirvana, had entered into a life of fame and stardom — a life he was conflicted about living.
Nirvana saw their first mainstream success with their second album, Nevermind, released in 1991. From there, the band was pushed into the spotlight, being credited with bringing grunge and the “Seattle sound” to the mainstream. Their success led to the creation of a massive fanbase and a collective view of Cobain as a symbol of “counterculture,” with Pitchfork referring to Cobain as the “world’s most famous outcast.” Nirvana’s style, music and attitude heavily contributed to the cultural zeitgeist of the decade, and with the release of In Utero two years after Nevermind, Nirvana was on track to stay in that influential position.
Would you want to be famous? This seems like an easy question with a simple answer, but each answer has its caveats. You can debate the pros and cons and land on an answer, but you might switch back and forth between yes and no as you make new discoveries. This constant debate was something Cobain struggled with heavily. According to multiple interviews with people close to Cobain, he was constantly changing his opinions about the popularity of Nirvana and himself. Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic spoke about Cobain’s changing opinions in a February 2023 interview, stating that Cobain “was counterculture” but at the same time “wanted to be really famous.” He went on to say that Cobain was “like a windmill” in the sense that he would state his opinion then change it just a few moments after.
Given how quickly Nirvana saw fame, it makes sense that Cobain felt scared and left in the dark when it came to dealing with this new lifestyle. At times, the fame felt like too much to handle. Throughout his life, Cobain struggled with depression but turned to drugs, mainly heroin, and alcohol to deal with it. This method of coping with his depression, along with the pressures of fame, only grew worse in the months leading up to his death.
Most people note his stay in Italy, which occurred about a month before his suicide, as the starting point of his descent. In Italy, while on tour, Cobain created a deathly concoction of champagne and Rohypnol, which led to an overdose. Cobain survived this attempt but was sent home to Seattle with his wife, Courtney Love, and his daughter, Frances Bean, forcing Nirvana to cancel their Europe tour. Soon after, the police were called to Cobain’s Seattle home, where police confiscated all of his guns after he threatened to take his life again.
Because of concerns about Cobain’s heroin use and mental state, Love and his friends convinced him to check into a rehabilitation center in Marina Del Ray, California. Cobain only spent two days at the center before escaping. He booked a flight from Los Angeles to Seattle and returned on April 2. In this timespan, Cobain had convinced a friend to buy him a shotgun for “protection matters.”
April 5, 1994, was the day Cobain decided to take his own life. He returned to his Seattle home, wrote his suicide note, took a fatal amount of heroin and Valium and shot himself with his shotgun. His body was discovered three days later when an electrician arrived to install a security system. In his note, Cobain wrote about his dying passion for what he once loved, how he felt about his life regarding fame and who he had become. Near the end of his letter, he wrote “I don’t have the passion anymore, and so remember, it’s better to burn out than to fade away.”
Cobain’s death was a tragedy, leaving the world and his fans sad, angry and upset. These emotions led to the creation of conspiracy theories involving his death. The most famous of these theories is that he was murdered by his wife. Some of the main “evidence” backing this theory includes the change in handwriting at the end of his suicide note and the fact that the private investigator hired by Love believes that his death was a murder. Though this theory is a popular one, there is no concrete evidence proving it is true.
– Brooke Racine
On April 7, 2008, the legend of Bob Dylan only grew. And it did so after Dylan received an honorary Pulitzer prize for his “profound impact on popular music and American culture.” This was the first time Pulitzer judges recognized an artist from the rebellious sphere of rock ‘n’ roll, a genre formerly discarded by those judges for reasons no common American could have given a damn about.
Dylan’s music, which needs little introduction, surged through the cultural veins of the late-20th century, and its poetic air continues to oxygenate the blood of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. If you watch a documentary focusing on those years in the U.S.A., you are bound to hear a Dylan track or three. Dylan is one of few Americans I’d consider a cultural titan, and it was about time the Pulitzer committee recognized him for that.
– Mike Merucci
When you think about what an album is supposed to be, Run-D.M.C’s self-titled debut album checks all the boxes. More than that, it was full of firsts. Released March 27, 1984, it was the first hip hop album to be certified gold. Before this, hip hop sounded like disco, R&B and other groovy samples. This album abandons the old school sound, being considered the first hardcore rap album.
To modern ears it may be relatively tame, but the Beastie Boys, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar would be nowhere without the groundbreaking work done by Run-D.M.C. It was also one of the first hip hop albums to be considered full-length, and every track on the album is the typical length of pop songs.
Other contemporary artists like the Beastie Boys or Rock Master Scott & The Dynamic Three were experimenting with a similar sound, but these groups lacked Jam Master Jay’s gritty and bare-bones beats. These were ruthless rhythms drawn together by rhymes missing any sense of melody that created an iconic hardcore sound.
Any track from this album could have been a single, and many were. However, the album as a whole was the very model for hip hop artists for decades after. The members of Run-D.M.C. redefined hip hop. The sound and the style of the genre still echoes with their imagination.
– Robbie Sullivan
Wu-Tang Clan will always be the perennial rap supergroup — a collection of artists and talent that somehow managed to produce incredible work together and apart. Members like RZA, GZA, Ghostface Killa, Raekwon and Method Man all produced classic albums during their solo careers, but none, however, could reach the heights of Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s debut album, Return to the 36 Chambers.
Released on March 28, 1995, this album cemented ODB as one of the standout members of the original Wu-Tang lineup. With his eclectic flow, surreal subject matter and raucous beat selection, it quickly solidified its place in rap history. It’s impossible to separate ODB’s personality from the album, whether he was taking a limousine to pick up food stamps, saving a four-year-old girl from a car accident or reminding everyone that Wu-Tang is for the children. He was unpredictable and genuine outside of his music and in it.
Standout tracks from this album, like “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” and “Brooklyn Zoo,” are bona-fide classics that take the original grimy formula from Wu-Tang’s debut album, Enter the 36 Chambers, and advance it even further. ODB’s iconic Biz Markie-esque singing and electric flow are immediately recognizable after you hear it once. It is so iconic, in fact, that modern rappers today are still utilizing it in their own repertoire.
The influence of this album can’t be understated, and it’ll always be a standout piece in the diamond-studded solo catalog of the Wu-Tang Clan.
– Neelan Bosnic
The White Stripes were pioneers of the indie rock genre in the early 2000s. Sharing the same last name, many assumed that the duo behind the Detroit-based act, Jack and Meg White, were siblings. Jack White did nothing to deny this, even referring to Meg White as his “big sister” onstage. The pair told every news outlet of their apparent familial relation to each other. This facade continued until March 30, 2001, when the Detroit Free Press announced to the world that Jack and Meg White had indeed been married, not related.
The pair were married in September 1996 and had split by March 2000: three months before the release of their second album, De Stijl, and about a year prior to the Detroit Free Press reveal. Even in the months following the article, The White Stripes still denied their former marriage. The band treated the notion as a rumor.
In a 2002 interview with SPIN, Jack White told Chuck Klosterman that the marriage certificate was fabricated. He claimed that people were trying to portray the pair as formerly married because “America loves gossip.” The two continued to deny their status as ex-partners for years while continuing to make music together until the breakup of The White Stripes in 2011.
An event like this brings into question why someone would lie about their relation to their bandmate. Why did Jack White want to portray someone he was married to as a sibling? One possible explanation is that the duo wanted to keep the focus off their relationship. This is essentially what White told Rolling Stone in 2005, saying that “[the audience] care[s] more about the music, not the relationship — whether they’re trying to save their relationship by being in a band.”
The band instead desired to put the musical talent and contributions of each member at the forefront, albeit in a strange manner. No matter the explanation, the reveal did not seem to change public perception of The White Stripes in a career-defining way.
– Ashley Morgan
If you were asked to name the first thought that comes to mind when I say the words “concept album,” what would you say? For most, it would be fair to assume that nothing compares to the prog rock English band Pink Floyd and their monumental achievement that is The Wall. After The Wall‘s release at the tail end of 1979, the band began touring the album shortly after.
The first show was performed on February 7, 1980. With the theatrics and story that flowed through the album, a tour with equally exciting ideas was needed. Thus, the tour involved elaborate set pieces, costumes and puppeteer work. Lead creative force of the project, Roger Waters, appeared wearing numerous costumes during the show, from school outfits to Nazi war uniforms. Giant puppets were displayed around the stage, depicting characters from the album such as the Headmaster and the Mother. The most powerful visual used on stage was the giant wall itself, being built up all the way to the end, where more art is displayed against it like a giant screen.
The creation of the concert entailed so much production that it would be too difficult to move around, so the shows were only played at five different cities, with a grand total of merely 31 performances. Pink Floyd took total creative control over their tour de force, having no sponsors and ultimately running the show on a net loss of money. The show also featured zero songs from previous works, with the entirety of The Wall being played in order, with the intermingling of three songs scrapped from the album. Regardless of Pink Floyd’s members’ relationship being at an all-time low, the group managed a feat to be remembered forever in rock history.
– Ryan Wilbert
The Beatles are strangers to nobody, being the most accomplished musicians of all time and known all over the world. Before The Beatles stepped foot into the United States though, they weren’t quite as well known globally as they are now. In fact, the event that is generally considered the start of “Beatlemania” and the “British Invasion” happened on Feb. 9, 1964, in New York City when the Beatles played on the Ed Sullivan Show. It is one of the most iconic moments in modern history, as an estimated 73 million people watched as this band from Liverpool, England took the stage and blew away everyone watching. Screams of the audience can be heard in the now-legendary videos, as every young person in the audience ate up the performance.
This was more than just a simple musical performance, though. It sparked rock ‘n’ roll’s entrance into the mainstream and its status as the most dominant genre for over 30 years. The Beatles’ performance on the Ed Sullivan Show inspired so many young musicians to pursue music. Along came a countless number of musicians seeking to specifically create rock music. This was only the beginning of the Beatles’ legendary career, where they would go on to be the world’s best-selling musicians ever, a record which may never be broken. Who would have thought a group of British musicians in their 20s would go on to accomplish all of that?
– Alex Jimenez-Vega
On Feb. 10, 1978, the world was forever changed — Van Halen was released. This was Van Halen’s first studio album, and is widely regarded as one of the best debut releases of all time. The album featured a raw and heavy sound that was far ahead of the rest of the late ‘70s scene.
Van Halen set out to record their debut after countless hours of practice, and got the job done in about three weeks. This was an impressive feat at the time and completely unheard of, especially with the quality of what was created. It was produced with only about $40,000 in October 1977. In fact, they spent such a small amount of time in the preproduction phase that they treated the album like a demo, unaware of the beast that had actually been created.
Of course, many are familiar with the album because it encompasses some of Van Halen’s biggest hits to date. Songs like “Jamie’s Cryin,” “You Really Got Me,” “Runnin’ With The Devil” and “Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love” are familiar to almost everyone, but the standout track of the album is undoubtedly “Eruption.” It’s the song that has inspired so many to pick up a guitar, and is still one of the most impressive guitar works in the entire universe. The track is most famous for its lightning fast shredding, however, it is also famous for something else: Eddie Van Halen’s newfound technique of tapping. Van Halen’s tapping involved hammering on and pulling off the same string simultaneously, instead of strumming, to produce an alien-like sound that has been reproduced and refined ever since.
Another standout song was the cover of “You Really Got Me,” originally by The Kinks. It was actually Van Halen’s first-ever single. The band revamped the song to have a high-intensity feel, truly showing off their thunderous sound and providing the world with their spin on an already well-known track. The cover went on to be more successful than the original, but to Eddie Van Halen’s disappointment, it was almost too famous. In his own words, “It bummed me out that our first single was somebody else’s tune.” Nevertheless, the song still lives on as one of their largest successes and is a favorite to almost every Van Halen fan.
For many, this was the album that got them into hard rock. It definitely was for me. There are only so many bands that have, in history, come out of absolutely nowhere with something completely revolutionary and different in all the best ways. This album definitely makes that list and has transformed music ever since. So, for the anniversary of the release, give it a listen from start to finish. You might find yourself subconsciously picking up a guitar — mind your wallet.
– Ian Randall
If you grew up on the internet or know people who did, you’ve probably heard of “Friday” by Rebecca Black. Almost 13 years ago, Black released her debut single, “Friday,” along with its music video on Feb. 10, 2011. Writing that sentence just made me realize how old I am.
It took about two months for the song and video to reach virality, but once it did, everyone had something to say about it. The track itself consists of some pretty grating vocals heavily layered in autotune and accompanied with some straightforward lyrics destined to become staples in internet culture. My favorite bar has to be the following:
“Yesterday was Thursday, Thursday /
Today it is Friday, Friday (Partyin’) /
We, we, we so excited, we so excited (Partyin’).”
When the music video went viral on YouTube, the public was not too fond of it. The comment section of the video was filled with typical internet hate, criticizing the flaws in the low budget music video and jabbing at the lyrics paired with Black’s vocals. The video currently sits at No. 24 for most disliked video on YouTube, with over 4 million dislikes.
Though the song was not liked by the masses, that didn’t stop people from talking about it years after its release. While on a TikTok doom scroll, I encountered an old clip of disgraced and horrendous YouTuber, Shane Dawson, talking about how “Friday” could secretly be about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. He was shot on… Friday? This has to be correlated!
Revisiting the comment section of the music video was a very interesting experience. Instead of more relentless online bullying, the comment section actually praises Black for a wide variety of things. For one, she never took the video down or turned the comments off, even though she was one of the most bullied individuals on the internet. People have also realized that the song is genuinely fun. The lyrics about being a teenager and “looking forward to the weekend” are carefree and extremely catchy. Many people cite nostalgia as the reason for their sudden liking of the song, and I’d have to agree with them.
It took a while for the tides to turn, but Black is finally getting the love she deserves. The impact that “Friday” had, and still has, on internet culture is tremendous, and the name Rebecca Black will forever be cemented in the list of internet icons.
– Brooke Racine
On Dec. 11, 1964, famous musician Sam Cooke was found dead in his Los Angeles motel room. Immediately, when talking about this case, it is important to mention the mysterious circumstances surrounding Cooke’s death. When police arrived at Hacienda Motel, they discovered that Cooke had died from a gunshot wound. They questioned the manager of the motel, Bertha Franklin, and she admitted to shooting Cooke in self-defense, but the story she told doesn’t quite add up.
Franklin claimed that Cooke forced his way into her office, looking for a girl while also not being clothed. Soon after, she claimed that she shot Cooke, who died after she hit him in the head with a broomstick. This was immediately disputed by Cooke’s friends and family, but, ultimately, the case was ruled a justifiable homicide.
We may never truly know what happened the day Cooke was killed, but he left behind a legacy of music that will never be forgotten. Cooke was one of the first black musicians to achieve mainstream success, in turn influencing a plethora of musicians for decades to come. From “You Send Me” to “What A Wonderful World,” Cooke’s discography and impact will always be remembered.
– Alex Jimenez-Vega
On Dec. 14, 1995, the FBI publicly released documents detailing their plans to deport Beatles legend John Lennon in 1972. While that may sound like something from a “sentences nobody has ever said” generator, that is indeed a fact. This whole saga began in 1968, when Lennon pled guilty to a misdemeanor cannabis possession charge in London. At the time, immigration rules barred anyone convicted of any sort of drug charge from entering the United States. However, come 1972, Lennon had been living in the United States for a year on a tourist visa that had since expired.
When Lennon initially hired lawyer Leon Wildes, it was to have his visa extended so he could support Yoko Ono in her custody battle for her daughter, Kyoko. However, the Nixon administration didn’t like Lennon much, so he would need Wildes for much more than that. In fact, it was a letter from South Carolina’s favorite civil rights opponent, Strom Thurmond, to then-Attorney General John Mitchell following Lennon and Ono’s appearance at a rally supporting John Sinclair, a poet and manager of rock band MC5, that started the Nixon administration’s attempts to deport the rock star. The rally, which took place at the Crisler Center, featured several notable artists protesting the harsh sentence for Sinclair.
But why would a misdemeanor drug charge from four years prior be the catalyst behind the attempted deportation? According to Wildes, it was politically motivated. Lennon was a popular figure within the anti-war movement and the hippy counterculture, and his influence over the youth wasn’t something Nixon appreciated.
During Lennon’s deportation trial, Wildes revealed that there was a secret program classifying immigrants as “priority or non-priority for purposes of deportation.” The regulations the Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) had to announce following revelations in this case were the basis for the current deferred action program the United States government currently follows.
– Ashe Burr
George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic revolutionized funk. One of their seminal works, Mothership Connection, was released on Dec. 15, 1975, marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of the genre. The album is a cosmic voyage into the outer realms of funk, blending psychedelic influences with the raw energy of traditional funk elements.
Horn players from James Brown’s band punch through the groove in a frenzy of hits, while the choir responds with mesmerizing harmonies. The rhythm section, too, spreads an infectious groove. Bass player Bootsy Collins is to be credited to that end. His godlike funk is present throughout the album, though the rhythm section would be nothing without Bernie Worrell, who laid down all the keys.
Clinton, the mastermind behind Parliament-Funkadelic, crafted a narrative that transcended music with a blend of science fiction and social commentary. The album’s impact goes beyond its infectious beats and imaginative storytelling; it played a crucial role in shaping the Afrofuturism movement. The mothership itself is the cosmic connection between music, culture and the boundless possibilities of the imagination.
Mothership Connection is home to some of Parliament-Funkadelic’s most iconic tracks, such as “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)” and the title track, “Mothership Connection (Star Child).” These songs captured the spirit of the ‘70s. More than that, they defined the future of R&B, hip-hop, soul and funk music. This album continues to inspire artists and broadcast its good vibes.
– Robbie Sullivan
Hunky Dory, David Bowie’s fourth studio album, was released on Dec. 17, 1971. His prior three albums were essentially flops, with the exception of the track “Space Oddity,” which reached the tops of many charts. With Hunky Dory, Bowie was hopeful to push past his one-hit wonder stage and truly break into stardom. His eccentric personality began to shine through, and his claim to fame expanded to his bizarre outfits and flamboyant personas, not just his music. It would be impossible to go a lifetime without knowing a song from this album.
One thing you will quickly learn about me is I’m a David Bowie fan first and a human second. I grew up listening to whatever my parents had on, whether that was Duran Duran, The Beatles, Beastie Boys or Rush, but within that, some Bowie would sneak in. Hunky Dory is home to many of the songs I grew up listening to, such as “Oh! You Pretty Things,” “Changes” and my personal favorite, “Life on Mars?,” so it holds a special place in my heart.
“Life on Mars?” has a wildly interesting backstory, as the song was originally dreamt up in 1968. Bowie had been invited to write English lyrics for French singer Claude François’ “Comme D’Habitude.” After taking a crack at it, he came up with a song titled “Even a Fool Learns to Love,” which was quickly rejected. The song was passed on to Paul Anka, who turned it into “My Way,” which was, of course, passed on to Frank Sinatra and quickly became a hit. Although he knew his lyrics were rather terrible, Bowie wrote “Life on Mars?” in retaliation, following a similar chord progression and style.
Bowie was a man of experimentation. Throughout his lifetime, he created a vast collection of alter-egos, tried many forms of expression and released music right up to his last breath. Hunky Dory was the end of an era for Bowie, as a mere half year later he debuted The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, with the introduction of his new alter ego Ziggy Stardust — an androgynous, narcissistic, intergalactic rockstar who would take the universe by storm. After Hunky Dory, he never had to worry about being a one-hit wonder again.
– Noelle Simonelli
On Nov. 23, 1993, Snoop Doggy Dogg released his debut album, Doggystyle. This album is notable for being the first ever debut album to chart No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling over 800,000 copies in the first week alone. Now 30 years old, the album’s production endures as an exemplar of excellence.
Snoop Dogg, as he is currently known, uses humor that has been heavily criticized for being filthy and unsophisticated. The most popular song from the album is “Gin & Juice,” which paints a picture of a party. The whole album, in fact, feels like one big party. This is due in part to the many skits that can be heard between tracks. Also, Snoop Dogg’s lyrics in “Gin & Juice” capture his eccentric personality. His humor develops a chill atmosphere that lets the listener be absorbed into the party.
This album also helped bring G-funk into the mainstream. The genre is characterized by samples drawn from the godfather of funk, George Clinton. Clinton had revolutionized a genre known as P-funk. The many homages to the work of Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic contribute to the album’s laid-back vibe.
Doggystyle’s album art was drawn by Snoop Dogg’s cousin, Joe Cool. In an interview, he said, “I didn’t think it would be iconic, man. And then when it sold as many as it sold, and I seen my shit up there, it just gave me… like, damn. I can’t believe it. My artwork is out there ’cause Snoop let it come.”
Joe Cool also contributed to the album by helping Snoop Dogg write some of the lyrics on “Murder was the Case,” having spent time in prison himself. About one month before the release, the then 21-year-old rapper turned himself in for the crime of murder. This only added to the public’s growing anticipation surrounding the release.
Other gangsta rappers of the time typically delivered lines bluntly and used anger to get the message across. Snoop Dogg’s rhymes have been called evocative, melodic, distinct and oh so smooth. With this release, he cemented himself as one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time.
– Robbie Sullivan
Freddie Mercury, frontman of the illustrious and irreplaceable band Queen, was a force to be reckoned with. With his operatic training, he stood out among his peers. Queen led a revolution with their originality and showmanship that continues to live on today.
On Nov. 24, 1991, Mercury died in his Kensington home, just a day after Jim Beach, Queen’s manager, issued a press release revealing Mercury was HIV positive and had AIDS. His death was felt around the world, as statues were erected, vigils were held and a tribute concert was organized to honor his legacy.
The Freddie Mercury tribute concert was held in April 1992 at Wembley Stadium, where Mercury stood only a few years prior for his legendary Live Aid performance. Many esteemed musicians and performers took the stage to celebrate the life of Mercury: this included David Bowie, Elton John and George Michael. This concert raked in millions of dollars for AIDS research, as around 72,000 people were in attendance for the show.
The AIDS epidemic was a truly heartbreaking time, as the illness stripped away identities and ostracized the LGBT+ community more than it already was. Although Mercury stayed silent on his identity and battle with AIDS, he was an extremely charitable person, leaving donations throughout his lifetime.
Since then, the Mercury Phoenix Trust was founded by Queen bandmates Brian May and Roger Taylor, along with Jim Beach. The fund is still active, raising awareness and money for further research and AIDS illness support. Mercury’s legacy continues to live on through biopics, Queen’s continued touring and the fact that nearly everyone on the planet has heard his genius.
– Noelle Simonelli
On Nov. 25, 1974, Nick Drake unexpectedly passed away from an overdose of antidepressants. Drake embodied the “starving artist” archetype, failing to achieve commercial success with each of the three LPs he released during his lifetime. Drake had dabbled in music composition from a young age, originally being encouraged by his mother — who played a bit of music of her own — to learn the piano. Once Drake picked up the guitar, he immediately implemented his musical curiosity in experimenting with open tunings — tunings in which all the strings of a guitar are set to a specific chord. The timbre derived from those opened strings is only bolstered with Drake’s intricate finger-style performance.
Five Leaves Left would be Drake’s debut record, produced during his time at Cambridge in 1969, which he would ultimately leave behind to pursue his musical career. Robert Kirby, a friend he met in school, would write instrumental arrangements for the tracks on Five Leaves Left, as well as Bryter Layter, Drake’s sophomore LP that was released in 1970. Both records would fail to amass an audience large enough to support Drake financially.
In 1972, Drake released Pink Moon, his final album. Pink Moon totally strips away the layers of grand production that had built up over his last two efforts, resulting in a product that spotlights Drake and his guitar. There is a magical quality to the rawness of the recording. It’s almost like a portal to a spontaneous moment of pure and innocent creation.
Drake’s isolative nature and the failure to upstart his musical career would lead him down a serious case of depression that he would never quite tear away from. He quit the music scene for a couple of years before resolving to continue with a fourth LP. This LP would never be finished, as Drake’s depression intensified.
There were moments where Drake was cheery and held a contented conclusion about his place in life, and he died during one of these positive waves. His death was ruled a suicide, yet some of his friends and family members dispute the claim. There was no other evidence of a purposeful attempt at taking his life aside from the nature of an overdose.
Near the bookend of Five Leaves Left, “Fruit Tree” perfectly captures the essence of Drake and his history. The lyrics prophetically read:
“Fame is but a fruit tree /
So very unsound /
It can never flourish /
Till its stalk is in the ground.”
“Safe in your place deep in the earth /
That’s when they’ll know /
What you are really worth.”
Drake was able to attain a cult following decades after he was gone, and people were finally able to hear his voice through the silence of his death. He left a small influence on the work of the next generation of musicians, and this influence has only grown as time rushes along.
– Ryan Beylerian
On Nov. 26, 1989, MTV aired the premiere episode of the hit series MTV Unplugged. The show would feature musical artists playing acoustic instruments. MTV Unplugged aired frequently from 1989 to 1999 and from 2000 to 2009, however, not as many episodes aired during the latter time frame. The show’s first season hosted performances from artists such as Syd Straw, Elliot Easton and Elton John. Singer and songwriter Jules Shear would host the first 13 episodes of the series.
MTV Unplugged has featured some of the most iconic performances in music history. Eric Clapton’s Unplugged became the best-selling live album of all time, selling 26 million copies. Other performances include rock band Nirvana, which was one of the last televised performances from lead singer Kurt Cobain after his death in 1994.
MTV Unplugged is one of the most iconic shows in music history.
– Liz Thomas
On Nov. 14, 1998, Lauryn Hill became the first female rapper to land a No. 1 hit on The Billboard Hot 100 Chart. “Doo Wop (That Thing),” the lead single off Hill’s debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, would spend two weeks atop the charts. The song earned Hill recognition at the 1999 Grammy Awards, where she won five awards, including Best New Artist, Best R&B Album, Best R&B Song, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Album of the Year.
“Doo Wop (That Thing)” was a huge hit and sold over 500,000 copies, making the song RIAA certified gold. It became the first and only hip-hop song to debut at number one until 2010.
– Liz Thomas
On Nov. 18, 1993, Nirvana hopped on MTV for something they hadn’t yet done: an Unplugged concert. This would completely contradict what Nirvana was all about: sloppy guitars, funny stunts and smashing equipment — extreme things that no other band was doing. This time, we saw the band with acoustic instruments, sitting on stools, not actually breaking anything. It was definitely different.
Unplugged concerts were an integral part of MTV’s ‘90s programming, with artists like Alice in Chains, Oasis, Stone Temple Pilots and of course Nirvana. Nirvana’s performance would go on to become MTV’s most legendary and well-known performance to date.
Nirvana appeared on the show only two months after the release of In Utero. They played some of their biggest hits, like “Come as You Are,” “All Apologies,” “Dumb” and more, but also a large portion of their lesser-known catalog. The band also covered David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World,” which would go on to become one of their most successful works after the unveiling of Unplugged as a studio release.
Cobain’s stylistic and unique approaches to his vocals and song structure had a huge effect on the entire performance and was no doubt a hugely monumental moment in music history. To see Nirvana succeed, flawlessly, in something that was literally the exact opposite of their regular energy was amazing. The performance has since cemented its spot as an integral part of music history and can perfectly sum up the impact that Nirvana had on their fans. In fact, the guitar used by Cobain in the Unplugged concert sold for a whopping $6 million at auction in 2020.
The concert’s studio release was unveiled on Nov. 1, 1994, just months after Cobain’s death. The final months of his life were extremely erratic and messy, but Cobain was still at the forefront of one of the most jaw-dropping performances ever and was still redefining the culture. While Cobain was unable to witness the studio version grace store shelves and subsequently take the No. 1 Billboard spot, his music still lives on, especially through Unplugged.
– Ian Randall
The tale of Milli Vanilli is a truly tragic one. Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus made up the group, meeting each other for the first time at a club in Munich, Germany. Morvan and Pilatus instantly clicked, sharing interests in similar topics and backgrounds. The duo wanted to enter the music industry, never doing anything of much substance until a music producer named Frank Farian came into their lives.
Farian had been involved in many projects before Milli Vanilli. Multiple groups produced by Farian were merely lip-syncing actors, just like Milli Vanilli. Nothing Farian had produced was very successful, so he needed some good-looking people to sell some records. In came Milli Vanilli.
The naive youngsters saw an opportunity to break through into the world of music, but the contract they had signed with Farian made it so Milli Vanilli could not actually sing any of their songs. Regardless, Milli Vanilli’s debut record, All or Nothing, sold like hotcakes in Germany, with their lead single, “Girl You Know It’s True,” exploding with popularity in the summer of 1988.
Following its success in Europe, Farian expanded All or Nothing before releasing the North American version, titled Girl You Know It’s True, on March 7, 1989. When Milli Vanilli hit the United States and the rest of North America, they soared to the top of the charts. Three of Milli Vanilli’s singles went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Girl You Know It’s True went six times platinum.
All eyes were on the group: At the Grammys hosted on Feb. 21, 1990, Milli Vanilli won the Grammy for Best New Artist. A few months later, on July 21, 1990, the cracks began to show. During a performance, Milli Vanilli’s backing track to the song “Girl You Know It’s True” became stuck, as it repeated the hook, showing the pair was indeed lip-syncing. People became skeptical of the R&B act, and on Nov. 19, 1990, Milli Vanilli’s Grammy for Best New Artist was revoked after Farian finally admitted that Morvan and Pilatus didn’t sing any of their songs.
The aftermath was brutal for Milli Vanilli. They were seen as frauds, even after proving they could sing live on TV. In the end, it was too late, as media outlets all over the globe used Milli Vanilli as a scapegoat and buried their career as they fell into obscurity.
Morvan and Pilatus attempted a comeback in 1997, but to no avail, and on April 3, 1998, Pilatus was found deceased in a Frankfurt hotel room because of a drug overdose. It is truly tragic that the career of Milli Vanilli was overshadowed by something that was out of their control. Even after proving they had talent, Milli Vanilli could never recover from the bombardment of hate they received. They may not have been seen as great musicians at the end of their careers, but to this day, Milli Vanilli remains one of the most fascinating stories in all of music history.
– Alex Jimenez-Vega
I would have to argue that everyone knows at least one Led Zeppelin song — at least one. And chances are that song came from Led Zeppelin IV.
Led Zeppelin released Led Zeppelin IV on Nov. 8, 1971, as their fourth studio installment. It was also their fourth self-titled release. This album had some inherent similarities to what made them Led Zeppelin: Plant’s unignorable screaming vocals, Page’s shreddy but bluesy licks, Jones’ thumping bass lines and, of course, Bonham’s self-established beats.
The album rose to No. 1 in the U.K. and remained there for 90 weeks. It also peaked at No. 2 in the U.S. and was the best-selling album of 1971. It would go on to become their best commercial success and most legendary work to date.
Most of the album was recorded in Headley Grange, which was a former workhouse that had been converted by the band as a sort of musical refuge. The place was encased in gothic architecture and ivy-covered towers, serving as an inspiration for the band. Bonham’s booming sound thrived here, with massively open halls and natural acoustics the band used to their recording advantage. The pure beauty and almost isolated atmosphere served as a gateway to some of their more creative works, especially “Stairway to Heaven” or “When The Levee Breaks.”
It is no secret that the band regularly touched on grand battles and even The Lord of The Rings, and they continued this theme throughout their fourth installment. “The Battle of Evermore” is a perfect example. Plant explored ideas around the Scottish Independence Wars with his lyrics, and Page used a mandolin instead of a guitar to further the sound of the track.
However, the band made it evident that they wanted to turn the volume up on this one. They prompted Bonham to be even louder and create a feeling of pure power. “When The Levee Breaks” is a prime example where Bonham’s drums drive the song and Page provides an eerie element with his guitar playing. The song was actually about the great Mississippi flood and was originally a country folk song written by Memphis Minnie, but it was creatively reworked by Zeppelin. My favorite part about every Zeppelin song on the record is that there is always an underlying meaning and a story to be told.
There was also a genius element felt throughout this release, and this is prominently found within “Stairway to Heaven.” This song would go on to become their most popular, and it featured a complex twelve-string acoustic riff accompanied by vocals touching on a mystery woman who essentially took everything from Plant. About halfway through the song, Bonham kicks the drums in, increasing the build, and eventually an epic guitar solo ensues. Trust me, you’ve heard it — even if you don’t remember it.
Led Zeppelin IV is an essential part of rock ‘n’ roll and will outlive us all. I don’t think I could ever adequately portray the true creative genius that every member of the band contributed to this album. It is by far the most exciting album they have released, and if you haven’t played it in a while, give it a listen for the anniversary of the release, because I’m sure you’ll add a few songs to your playlist.
– Ian Randall
In the three years following the release of her debut album, Tidal, Fiona Apple became one of the biggest and most controversial breakout stars of the late ‘90s. Musically, her debut was a huge success. The album was certified 3x platinum by the RIAA and its biggest single, “Criminal,” garnered Apple her first ever Grammy. Her “heroin-chic” look and infamous “This world is bullshit” speech at the 1997 VMAs, however, made her quite divisive to the public.
Nov. 9, 1999, brought the release of Apple’s sophomore album, When the Pawn…. The full title, comprised of 90 words, once held the title for longest album title in music history. While not as commercially successful as her debut, the 10-track When the Pawn… proved Apple was here to stay. Her elevated lyricism and production by Jon Brion mixed to create a masterpiece that only becomes better with time.
The track list is filled to the brim with some of Apple’s best work ever. Most recognizable is “Paper Bag,” the album’s third and final single, but the album’s highlights can be found in the deeper cuts. “Limp,” “Get Gone” and “Love Ridden” are career highlights, but “I Know” is the album’s real centerpiece. The five-minute ballad is heart-wrenching and closes the album off on a depressing yet excellent note. Every song is distinct and unique, but Apple still managed to create a sonically cohesive experience.
It is a testament to Fiona Apple’s talent and legacy that now, 24 years after the release of this album, people are still discovering and falling in love with it. There is an argument that could be made for each of Apple’s albums being her best, but When the Pawn… is a clear standout in a discography full of perfect albums. It is an artistic high that all artists should attempt to reach.
– Ryan McMillan
When it comes to women in music, nobody has been quite as influential as Madonna. The album that truly pushed Madonna to become a music icon was Like a Virgin, released Nov. 12, 1984.
Prior to release, the album had already garnered much controversy due to her iconic performance of the song “Like a Virgin” on Sept. 14, 1984, at MTV’s VMAs. The legendary performance featured Madonna on a wedding cake wearing a wedding dress topped off with a veil and belt buckle with the words “boy toy” on it.
To round out the performance, Madonna began to touch herself and roll around the stage. For the time period, the VMAs performance was something never before seen and received much backlash from older generations. Conversely, young women of the time ate up Madonna’s music and performance as the album Like a Virgin soon would top the charts.
On Feb. 9, 1985, Like a Virgin hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and, in July of 1985, went on to be the most successful album ever released by a woman in the United States, being certified 10 times platinum.
It’s hard to deny the impact this incredible album had on music and culture. It has inspired countless women to become musicians themselves, also helping many women express themselves in different ways. With selections like “Material Girl” and the title track, Like a Virgin has had a lasting impact on how we see women in music. To this day, it remains one of the most groundbreaking albums of all time.
– Alex Jimenez-Vega
Detroit has been home to many rock icons. It’s the first place that loved the band Kiss, and legends like Alice Cooper came from it. Rock is rooted in the city’s history.
Iggy Pop, a legend of the genre, also originated from the Motor City. The Stooges made Iggy Pop famous, but their beginning started at a Halloween party played in Michigan on Oct. 31, 1967. The group originally was dubbed “Psychedelic Stooges,” which is unknown to many. Parties may start many bands’ careers, but unlike most parties, this one was attended by legends.
MC5, another Detroit rock group that already had a large amount of success, witnessed the Stooges play at this party. MC5 was Iggy Pop and The Stooges’ way into the music industry, as they would go on to be signed to Elektra with MC5’s help. In 1969, they released their first album under the record label.
Iggy Pop and the Stooges may have started at a house party, but their success is still felt in rock and alternative music today. The band would become known for their unique punk sound that was so different from anyone else at the time. Showmanship from Iggy Pop also set them apart, as he was known to be very interactive with the crowd and straight-up weird. Influencing the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sex Pistols and Nirvana, Iggy Pop and the Stooges were eventually inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, which was a testament to their success that all rooted in the party they decided to play on Halloween.
~ Alex Jimenez-Vega
After experiencing pressure from groups like the National Parent Teacher Association and the Parents Music Resource Center, the Recording Industry Association of America agreed to print “Explicit Lyrics – Parental Advisory” labels on records containing explicit lyrics on Nov. 1, 1985. This decision came nearly seven months after the formation of the PMRC, headed by Tipper Gore. Gore had growing concerns about the type of content available to young Americans. This was not the final decision of the RIAA, as the label would later be switched to say the familiar “Parental Advisory: Explicit Content.”
In September of the same year, musicians Frank Zappa, John Denver and Dee Snider testified before the U.S. Senate on the side of creative liberty. The PMRC had rejected the RIAA’s original proposal in favor of a rating system much like those printed on movies. Such a requirement would result in stricter contracts between artists and record labels. This could have resulted in many musicians producing content that was stifled or censored, or so Zappa argued. In his testification, he said, “The methods [the PMRC] propose have several unfortunate side effects, not the least of which is the reduction of all American music, recorded and live, to the intellectual level of a Saturday morning cartoon show.” The interpretation of a song comes from the individual listener, and it is not determined by Middle-American morality.
This week marks a monumental decision that has profoundly impacted the way Americans experience music.
~ Robbie Sullivan
On Nov. 4, 1991, My Bloody Valentine released their classic album Loveless. Prior to the album’s recording, the band gained prominence in the U.K. indie scene for being a major pioneer of the shoegaze sound, which is characterized by ethereal soundscapes resulting from heavy distortion and guitar feedback. Shoegaze received its name from performers often staring at their feedback pedals to create the distinct sound.
Loveless is notorious for its tumultuous recording process, with production costs estimating up to £250,000, nearly bankrupting Creation Records. Guitarist and vocalist Kevin Shields was a perfectionist during production, resulting in a prolonged, nearly three-year recording process in which the band hopped from studio to studio. Shields also worried about critical reception, fearing that the album would be panned by critics. Little did he know that Loveless would become one of the most enduring cult classics in music history.
Loveless captures shoegaze at its most extreme, sounding like an indie pop album enshrouded in layers of noise. Shields achieved this sound through creating the “glide guitar” technique, which involved wavering a tremolo bar as he strummed the guitar. The album’s cover is highly indicative of its sound, showing a picture of a guitar that’s fuzzed out in pink as if the guitar feedback made that effect. Another notable component to the album’s sound is Bilinda Butcher and Shields’ unintelligible vocals, which are drenched in effects. Shields and Butcher would often arrive at recording studios without writing lyrics: Shields improvised his singing while Butcher wrote down possible lyrics.
After all that meticulous effort, the result is a wholly unique album that transports listeners to another universe. The songs’ washes of noise are absolutely gorgeous and are greatly complimented by the band’s melodic songwriting. Loveless is truly timeless: It is the gold standard for shoegaze and has become a highly influential work for future acts. There will never be another Loveless.
~ Jack Domenicucci
On Oct. 23, 1995, Def Leppard played three concerts on three continents in one day. Def Leppard traveled more than 6000 miles, playing shows in Morocco, England and Canada, thus covering the continents Africa, Europe and North America.
Each concert lasted at least one hour, serving as promotion for the band’s new release, Vault Greatest Hits 1980-1995. This feat is an official world record, recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records.
All three of these concerts were fully acoustic — deviating from Def Leppard’s typical performance style — but with their obligations that day, this move was certainly an understandable one.
~ Mike Merucci
Emo music never was paid much respect during its time in the mainstream. An album quintessential to emo is The Black Parade, which released on Oct. 23, 2006. The project showed why My Chemical Romance was truly musical genius, being critically acclaimed and wildly loved by many to this day. The Black Parade is a truly theatrical concept album, shifting moods as it goes on to tell the story of a cancer patient dying and reliving their memories in their head. It is a truly heart-wrenching concept but done to perfection by My Chemical Romance.
The rock opera was wildly successful, debuting at No. 2 on the U.S. and U.K. Top 200. 3 million copies were sold worldwide, and soon after, My Chemical Romance were rock superstars selling out any venue they wanted. This album had a large impact on more than music though, as The Black Parade would be so popular that culture was affected largely. Waves of emo kids emerged and dressed different than the average kid. They also thought differently. This project helped propel the subculture of emo to new heights.
All in all, The Black Parade was more than just an album — it was a huge event for alternative subculture and its members. Featuring tracks about teen violence, a dying cancer patient and more, this album has everything. The project can be loud and angry, with tracks like “Teenagers,” but it also features go-to rock epics like “Welcome to the Black Parade.” This album is one of the most complete of its time and genre, having stood the test of time, with My Chemical Romance still playing these tracks in sold-out arenas.
~ Alex Jimenez-Vega
On Oct. 29, 1969, the “Paul Is Dead” theory gained international prominence through New York City underground newspaper Rat after they compiled all the “facts” regarding the theory.
The urban legend follows that on Nov. 9, 1966, Paul McCartney drove off in a rage following an argument during a Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band recording session. A meter maid diverted his attention away from the changing traffic light, causing him to crash his car and die. There was also a funeral, with George Harrison and Ringo Starr giving eulogies and John Lennon officiating. To prevent a public outpour of grief, the rest of the band secretly replaced McCartney with the winner of a look-alike contest by the name of William Campbell — or Billy Shears. Additionally, the Beatles supposedly got away with the coverup because of their new image and retirement from performing live.
Fans cited evidence from the band’s lyrics, because another popular part of the theory was that the surviving Beatles left messages out of guilt for deceiving the public. Belief was that they were possibly forced to work with a replacement under instructions by the MI5. For instance, fans heard Lennon faintly say, “I buried Paul” in “Strawberry Fields Forever,” which played into the part of the theory where he officiated the funeral. On top of the lyrics, fans thought the cover of Abbey Road was a reference to the funeral procession, and they also frequently searched for backmasking messages.
The theory traces back as far as 1966, but its popularity originated from Detroit’s WKNR-FM and became a growing topic of discussion across college campuses and radio stations, later spreading to mainstream media. However, it quickly lost steam after McCartney refuted the claims that he was a look-alike.
CBS News and Life Magazine later invaded McCartney’s privacy, intruding on his farm, with the latter being met with swearing and a bucket of water. McCartney and his family later posed for a photo for Life in exchange for the magazine not releasing unflattering photos that could have hurt his career. The photo was on the front page of the magazine’s Nov. 7 issue with the caption “Paul is still with us.” Over 50 years later, the “Paul Is Dead” theory continues to be one of the most popular conspiracies out there.
~ Jack Domenicucci
On Oct. 16, 1968, The Jimi Hendrix Experience dropped the gravity-defying album Electric Ladyland. This would be the band’s most successful release, and it was also their only No.1 album. This would be their third and final studio album, and it was actually produced by Hendrix.
The album peaked at No. 1 on the U.S. charts for two weeks, and it reached No. 6 on the U.K. charts, remaining there for about 12 weeks. This was a double album which also featured live recordings and improvisations from the man himself.
Electric Ladyland’s leading song was Hendrix’s cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower,” which reached the No. 6 spot in the U.K. and No. 20 in the US. This is widely considered to be one of his best works; critics and fans alike agree that this song shatters Dylan’s original version.
Another notable song was “Voodoo Child (Slight Return),” which blew every guitar enthusiast’s mind at the time and left musicians scrambling to figure out what Hendrix was doing and how to mimic him.
Hendrix is among the greatest musicians of all time, and is widely considered to be the greatest guitarist of all time. There are countless musicians that have successfully left their mark upon music, but there are only a handful who completely changed the face of music and culture. This is what he did, and his works will go on as legendary installments in our culture for a long, long time.
Electric Ladyland is by far my favorite Hendrix record, as it has uplifting and crushing emotions and ideas flowing throughout. It has something to offer everyone, and should be an essential part of anyone’s thirst for expanding their musical palette.
~ Ian Randall
On Oct. 19, 1984, Talking Heads released their seminal concert film, Stop Making Sense. Directed by Jonathan Demme, filming took place on four consecutive nights between Dec. 13-16, 1983, at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles. These four shows included material from the band’s first five albums, as well as David Byrne’s solo career and Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth’s band, Tom Tom Club.
Outside the four Talking Heads members, backing singers Ednah Holt and Lynn Mabry, percussionist Steve Scales, guitarist Alex Weir and keyboardist Bernie Worrell were part of the shows’ lineup. The film starts with Byrne on a bare stage singing “Psycho Killer,” but with each additional song, more members join. As the film progresses, it becomes increasingly grand.
Stop Making Sense is perhaps best known for its elaborate staging and performances, which made it a cult classic. For instance, Byrne wore a comically large suit during “Girlfriend Is Better,” which perfectly captured his unique stage presence and, as a result, is possibly his most well-known look. The film is also singled out for being digitally edited and mixed instead of being released as analog recordings, which was uncommon at the time.
This year, A24 premiered a new restoration of the film on IMAX at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was followed by Talking Heads’ first reunion since their 2002 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. The restoration has been in theaters worldwide since Sept. 29, 2023. Hopefully, more people will discover Stop Making Sense’s genius: It is absolutely essential for any Talking Heads fan.
~ Jack Domenicucci
Lynyrd Skynyrd is widely known for their smash hit “Sweet Home Alabama,” although many might not realize their impact on music as a whole. An event that greatly impacted that legacy was the plane crash that the band suffered. On Oct. 20, 1977, Lynyrd Skynyrd boarded a plane set to make its way to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, having just finished playing a show in Greenville, South Carolina the night before.
All was well until the plane’s pilots found out that there was insufficient fuel to make the full trip. The pilots tried to make a stop at McComb Airport in Mississippi, but they ran out of fuel before making it. In a last-ditch effort, the crew attempted an emergency landing in an open field that would lead to the plane crashing into trees and falling to pieces. Those lost in the plane crash included lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zandt, guitarist and vocalist Steve Gaines, backing vocalist Cassie Gaines and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick.
Following the crash, drummer Artimus Pyle was able to make his way through a creek to look for help, eventually ending up at a farmhouse where the owner was alarmed by his bloodied appearance. The farmer fired a warning shot in the air, as he thought Pyle could have been a criminal, but eventually helped him, as Pyle explained there had been a plane crash.
After this tragedy, Lynyrd Skynyrd disbanded. Ten years later, in 1987, the group reformed with Ronnie Van Zandt’s younger brother, Johnny Van Zandt, as the lead singer. Johnny Van Zandt would continue the legacy that his brother and all the members lost in the crash had started years before.
Johnny Van Zandt and the remaining members of Lynyrd Skynyrd have been touring for years, with some line-up changes along the way. In 2023, the band confirmed they would continue touring throughout the year and finish their farewell tour, even in the wake of founding member Gary Rossington’s death.
I write this piece in remembrance and to show how large of an impact the band had on rock as a whole. Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote some of the most influential Southern rock music of all time, with such tracks as “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Free Bird” and “Simple Man.” The group’s music has stood the test of time, influencing bands like Metallica, who even snuck one of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s riffs into their iconic song “The Four Horsemen.” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s legacy still lives on to this day, even through the catastrophe the group suffered. From musicians still inspired by the band’s music to people yelling “play ‘Free Bird’” at concerts, their impact will never be forgotten.
~ Alex Jimenez-Vega
On Oct. 22, 1966, legendary Motown group The Supremes became the first all-female group to top the Billboard 200 chart with their album The Supremes A’ Go-Go. The pop and soul group from Detroit — composed of lead singer Diana Ross, Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson — were known for their style, elegance and signature performances.
During their peak in the mid-1960s, their worldwide popularity rivaled that of British gods, The Beatles, and on this day in music history, they dethroned The Beatles’ Revolver to claim No. 1 album in the U.S. The album includes No. 1 hit single “You Can’t Hurry Love” and No. 9 hit single “Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart.”
The Supremes disbanded in 1977, but their commercial success paved the way for other African American groups to thrive in the music industry.
~ Gabby Nelson
April 25, 1974 saw music help to overthrow a fascist dictatorship. The Carnation Revolution, named as such because there were almost no shots fired and carnations were offered by a restaurant worker to soldiers participating in the revolution, led to the overthrow of the Estadio Novo regime in Portugal. The revolution itself led to the eventual decolonisation of the Lusophone world, and led Portugal to become one of the most stable democracies in Europe.
Two songs were broadcasted on the Portuguese radio to signal the beginning of the operations: “E depois do adeus” by Paulo de Carvalho and “Grândola, Vila Morena” by Zeca Afonso. “E depois do adeus” was already a popular song in the nation, having won the prestigious Festival da Canção in a landslide, and subsequently representing the nation at the Eurovision Song Contest held in Brighton, England. The song didn’t fare nearly as well in Brighton, where it tied for last in the contest as ABBA won for Sweden and Olivia Newton-John represented the UK at home. Zeca Afonso was quite a controversial figure to the Estadio Novo censors, as he was considered to be a communist. While several of his songs were banned by the censors, “Grândola, Vila Morena” was not one of them.
The chief strategist of the coup needed a signal that could be transmitted by radio across the nation to announce the beginning of the operation. Initially, the chief strategist wanted a different song by Afonso, “Venham Mais Cinco,” to be the signal. However, on the advice of a radio host, playing “Venham Mais Cinco,” which was one of many Afonso songs to be censored, wouldn’t be the best idea as it would raise suspicion.
At 10:55 p.m. on April 24, the Emissores Associados de Lisboa — which translates to Lisbon Associated Issuers, a popular radio station located in the Avenidas Novas district of Lisbon — played “E depois do adeus.” This was the signal to synchronize movements across the nation. At 12:20 a.m. the next day, Rádio Renascença — which translates to Radio Renaissance, one of the most popular radio stations in the nation, located in the Campolide district of Lisbon — played the words of “Grândola, Vila Morena.” The song itself was banned from air, but the words themselves were not by some measure. This song was the main signal to launch the operation. The radio stations were not aware of what these songs meant. The coup was a resounding success, and Portugal has remained one of the most stable democracies since, as well as a powerhouse in the musical world.
~Ashe Burr
On April 28, 1982, the California General Assembly gathered for a hearing on “backmasking” in the popular music of the time. “Satanic panic” was sweeping the nation, despite seemingly little actual satanic operation. Allegations and rumors of devil worship were rampant, no one was safe, including Led Zeppelin. “Stairway to Heaven” had the honor of being played forward and backward, and William Yarrol deciphered aloud the “satanic messages.”
Rumors of hidden messages had been gaining traction after an evangelical television special played the song backwards on air. The rumored satanic messages are under the fourth verse, the “If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow” verse. Played backwards the “hidden lyrics” are:
“Here’s to my sweet Satan /
The One whose little path would make me sad, whose power is Satan /
He’ll give those with him 666 /
There was a little tool shed where he made us suffer, sad Satan.”
The proposed backmasking warning law was never passed, and singer Robert Plant would publicly dismiss these claims, as would the band’s audio engineer Eddie Kramer. Luckily “Stairway to Heaven’s” reputation as a rock ‘n’ roll classic precedes its reputation as a satanic anthem, but at least it was probably one of the more fun days at the California General Assembly.
~Claudia Braesch
In a different, tragic week in music history, rock legend Freddie Mercury passed away in 1991. This week, however, had the music industry coming together in their grief. On April 20, 1992, some of the biggest names in entertainment joined together at the Freddie Mercury Concert for Life. The concert was organized by Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon to both remember their bandmate’s legacy but to also bring awareness to the epidemic that had taken Mercury’s life: AIDS. According to the website of the Mercury Phoenix Foundation, the charity set up in his honor, they have raised millions of dollars to fight AIDS, which they estimate affects nearly 40 million people around the world.
The line up for this event 31 years ago was absolutely stacked. Aside from Queen themselves, there was Elton John, George Michael, Liza Minelli and David Bowie, to name a few. Shown in a documentary on Queen’s official YouTube channel, Wembley Stadium was packed with 80,000 cheering and grieving fans, with countless more on television. The artists sang a mix of Queen’s greatest songs and some of their own. Elton John and Axl Rose sang a triumphant rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Elton John, who also has his own prominent AIDS foundation, played the piano and handled the melodic beginning while Axl Rose sang the loud rock ending, all to raucous applause. My own favorite performance is George Michael’s version of “Somebody to Love,” though I don’t know if it’s because it makes me think about Michael’s own premature death, or that he sang this powerful ballad about searching for love as a closeted gay man in the height of the AIDS epidemic. Things that make me cry aside, this concert brought together countless people — from the rock star to the average fan — to celebrate and to mourn, and to leave an impact felt throughout music history, not just this week.
~Madison Reinhold
They may have been, in the words of John Lennon, “more popular than Jesus,” but that is something the Vatican didn’t particularly vibe with. It took the Vatican 34 years to forgive the Beatle for those words. Sadly, Lennon wasn’t alive when this happened. In his stead, Ringo Starr rejected the forgiveness from the Vatican in 2010.
In an article in the Vatican’s L’Osservatore Romano newspaper, the editors wrote that the Beatles said they were bigger than Jesus and put out messages that bordered on Satanic, but what would pop music be without them? Ringo rejected their forgiveness, pointing out their Satanic callouts, and that they have more to talk about than the Beatles.
~Ashe Burr
On April 22, 1989, Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. A controversial music video and a dropped $5 million Pepsi sponsorship not only propelled the song to the top of the charts, but helped it achieve a legendary status many could only dream of.
Her seventh of 12 No. 1 singles, “Like a Prayer” was a very important moment in Madonna’s career. Her ability to mix religious symbolism and iconography with topics of racial discrimination and sexuality was highly praised and perfectly showcased her outspoken nature when it came to taboo subjects. She is a true artist, unafraid to use her art to stand for what she believes in — even if it gets her into trouble. Without her and the risks she took with “Like a Prayer,” the pop culture landscape would be a completely different place.
~Ryan McMillan
All hail our Commander of the Order of the British Empire, who also like running up hills, or something like that. On April 10, 2013, Kate Bush was given that title. While today she’s best known for “Running Up That Hill” because of Stranger Things, she became a star when her debut song, “Wuthering Heights,” topped the UK singles chart for four weeks, where she became the first woman to achieve a UK chart topper with a self-written song. Not only that, but nine of her 10 albums managed to chart in the Top 5. The resurgence of “Running Up That Hill” managed to break several records, including surpassing the song’s initial peak in 1985, the longest time between chart-topping songs at 44 years, the oldest woman to top the charts and the longest time for a song to reach No. 1.
As a way to honor the legacy of Bush, she was given the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire, or CBE, by Queen Elizabeth II. The title of CBE is the second-highest civilian award that can be given by the crown. Some notable people who have also been awarded a CBE include; Stephen Hawking, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kate Winslet, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Helena Bonham Carter.
~Ashe Burr
On April 11, 1952 MGM’s Singin’ in the Rain was released to the public. The film was an instant success, being nominated for two Academy Awards; Best Supporting Actress for Jean Hagen and Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture. The film is set in 1920s Hollywood, following the transition from silent film to talkies. While the intention was to avoid classic musical clichés, the film managed to completely revolutionize the movie musical, setting in place many tropes that became genre standards. The titular song has been referenced in numerous musicals in the years since the release, such as La La Land and Spamalot.
~Karson Sims
This week in music history, a celebrated soul singer became a legend. “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding became the first posthumous No. 1 hit. The song was recorded shortly before Redding died in a plane crash on Dec. 10, 1967. Redding was traveling to a concert in Madison, Wisconsin, when the private plane went down in a small lake three miles shy of the runway. A month later, co-writer Steve Cropper released the single, which was technically unfinished. It topped the Billboard charts in March and stayed there for four weeks.
“Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” is about finding peace in times of despair. Redding’s soulful voice brought me comfort when I felt bogged down with preparations for the future last summer. Surely, it’s comforted millions of people over the last 56 years. “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” has left a legacy greater than Redding could’ve ever imagined.
~Gabby Nelson
Today, all Little Monsters are in the holiday spirit. On March 28, 1986, Lady Gaga was born. Ever since her debut in the mid-2000s, the singer and actress has been a nonstop success. Born in New York, Lady Gaga slowly found success performing throughout New York City and perfecting her performances. According to Biography.com, she got her name from the Queen song “Radio Ga-Ga.”
Her first hit was the party anthem “Just Dance,” which reached No. 1 on Billboard in January 2009. Following was the album The Fame and the even more acclaimed The Fame Monster, which includes some of my personal favorites of hers, “Bad Romance,” “Alejandro” and “Telephone.”
Lady Gaga’s success is not limited to recording phenomenal music. She has won a Golden Globe for her appearance in American Horror Story, performed at the Super Bowl, had a residency in Las Vegas, and was nominated for multiple Academy Awards for the movie A Star is Born, winning one for Best Original Song.
In recent times, she has released numerous new albums, as well as starred in another movie, House of Gucci. A few weeks ago, she attended the Oscars again and performed her song from the new Top Gun movie, “Hold My Hand.” People Magazine noted how she performed in a $7 plain T-shirt, showing off the duality of the glamorous pop superstar.
Lady Gaga turns 37 this week, and I can’t wait to see what other accolades will be added to her spectacular career in the next year.
~Madison Reinhold
This week in music history, singer, songwriter and producer Jack Antonoff turns 39. On March 31, 1984, the Bleachers frontman was born, and his many contributions to the sound of modern pop music are celebrated.
Other than his work as the lead singer in Bleachers, Antonoff is known for his role as guitarist and drummer in pop group Fun., lead singer in indie rock band Steel Train, and his many albums with songwriting and producer credits.
During his time writing, he has received eight Grammy awards, including Producer of the Year in 2022 and 2023, and produced and wrote for artists like Taylor Swift, Lorde, Lana Del Rey, St. Vincent, Florence and the Machine and more.
His mark on the music industry has been made, and pop music has Jack Antonoff to thank, in part, for evolving the sound of today’s top hits.
~Arden Vanover
While “Entry of the Gladiators” blasts in our faces on this day, at least you haven’t the unfortunate trouble of having to pronounce Björk’s name in the proper Icelandic form to her face. Speaking of Björk, did you know that in 2009, she offered her skills to Led Zeppelin?
The legend of the eclectic Icelandic singer began in 1986 when she became the frontwoman of the Sugarcubes. The year after the band disbanded, she began her illustrious solo career. But where does Led Zeppelin come into the picture?
In 2009, Led Zeppelin held a one-off concert at London’s O2 Arena, where 20 million people were vying for 20,000 tickets. The success of the concert prompted the band to be on board with a reunion tour. All except for the lead singer Robert Plant. Plant was overwhelmed by the reunion, and didn’t want to relive the memories, no matter how much money was offered. Plant turned down $800 million to go on the tour. That is when Björk offered her services. Sadly, it was nothing more than a fun little April Fools Day prank. Sadly, we probably will never see Björk leading a band again, but that doesn’t mean that anything won’t happen just yet.
~Ashe Burr
On March 21, 2004, rocker Ozzy Osbourne was selected as the U.K.’s favorite alien ambassador.
Following the discovery of water on Mars, the news site Yahoo! held a poll to decide who would be the ideal person to welcome hypothetical alien visitors. Competitors included U.S. President George Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, game-show host Simon Cowell and media personality Katie Price. Osbourne beat out the competition with 26% of the vote. At the time of the vote, Osbourne was still in the process of recovering from a nearly fatal quad bike accident that left him with several broken bones.
Osbourne is no stranger to the extraterrestrial. His son, Jack Osbourne, has shown strong belief in the possibility of cosmic neighbors in programs such as Jack Osbourne’s Night of Terror: UFOs and The Osbournes Want to Believe. Ozzy himself revealed on his SiriusXM show Ozzy’s Boneyard that he believes the government is hiding evidence of extraterrestrials. In the same spiel, he also claimed that historical incidents of religious experiences were actually alien encounters described with the wrong terms.
~Karson Sims
This week in music history, the emo world stood still. On March 22, 2013, My Chemical Romance announced their breakup in a statement on their website. Every emo kid remembers where they were on this day. I remember being in middle school and watching the weird kids’ lunch table erupt in wails and sobs (I was at the table wailing so it’s fine that I call it the weird kids’ table). I walked back to art class in tears and painted myself crying with Gerard Way holding a wilted rose in watercolor.
Their goodbye message said in part: “Being in this band for the past 12 years has been a true blessing… We’ve shared the stage with people we admire, people we look up to, and best of all, our friends. And now, like all great things, it has come time for it to end. Thanks for all of your support, and for being part of the adventure.” According to an interview with The Guardian, Way simply said it no longer felt fun to create music anymore. After 12 years and four albums, I would start to feel tired too.
But rejoice! In 2019, the band had a reunion. They released an absolute banger of a track, “The Foundations of Decay,” in May 2022. They also went on tour in late 2022. While their split may have altered the lives of emo kids around the world, their reunion has restored balance in the universe.
~Norene Bassin
With the Oscars having happened last week, we look to previous Oscars to compare the events to one another. This week in music history, Stevie Wonder was awarded the Oscar for Best Original Song for “I Just Called to Say I Love You,” which was written for The Woman in Red. The song would go on to become Wonder’s best selling song, but that was not what stole the show on March 25, 1985.
In his acceptance speech for the award, Wonder dedicated the award to Nelson Mandela, the then-imprisoned anti-apartheid fighter, before thanking Dionne Warwick and Gene Wilder. At the time, Mandela was imprisoned in South Africa, having been incarcerated for the previous 21 years, and would remain incarcerated for another 5 years. The apartheid government, at the time led by P. W. Botha, did not take kindly to Stevie Wonder’s comments. So, they took the only logical step that a government propped up by the systemic oppression of the vast majority of the population could do; they banned his music from the airwaves.
This was not the first time that apartheid South Africa banned artists from the airwaves. Numerous South African artists, including most notably Miriam Makeba, were taken off the air for their outspoken anti-apartheid views. Makeba actually met Mandela when he was a young lawyer, who said she would become someone. Eventually known for her song “Qongqothwane,” Makeba was one of the faces of the fight against apartheid, with her music being banned outright later in her career.
That comment wasn’t the only thing Wonder contributed to his fight against apartheid. He would go out and hired exiled South African musicians to feature on his track “It’s Wrong,” and he denounced the regime at his 35th birthday party where he was honored by a UN committee. Hewas arrested earlier in 1985 for protesting apartheid outside the South African embassy in Washington D.C. The regime would only last for 5 more years, and both Wonder and Makeba’s airway bans were lifted. Mandela would eventually be elected president of South Africa, marking an end to apartheid.
~Ashe Burr
On March 5, 2000, MC Hammer decided to hang up his legendary hammer pants and became a preacher.
The former batboy for the Oakland Athletics turned rap pioneer was launched into superstardom with the help of his 1990 track, “U Can’t Touch This.” Sadly, all that glittered was not gold, as Hammer filed for bankruptcy in 1996. Hammer later took up the pulpit at the Jubilee Christian Centre in San Jose.
There’s a whole subgenre of YouTube videos that are Christian covers of pop songs, including the “Cha Cha Slide.” Now imagine MC Hammer making one of these with his own music. Can’t get that image out of your head? Yeah me neither. Never doubt who can touch the Holy Spirit, cause U Can Touch This.
~Ashe Burr
Moving away from glam rock and experimenting with R&B and soul, Young Americans is an amazing addition to David Bowie’s legacy. Released on March 7, 1975, Young Americans is the ninth studio album by the London-born musician. Young Americans presented a new musical direction for Bowie. Although songs on Diamond Dogs like “Rock ‘n’ Roll with Me” and “1984” exhibited a funk and soul direction, no one expected the full-blown, blue-eyed soul of Young Americans. Paired with Carlos Alomar, who went on to collaborate with Bowie for his next five albums, he dives headfirst into a total stylistic change that Bowie himself refers to as “robotic” or “plastic” soul. After becoming friends with John Lennon, the two collaborated on a session in January 1975 at Electric Lady Studios, with Harry Maslin producing. With Alomar, they recorded “Fame” and a cover of a Beatles song “Across the Universe.”
Surrounding himself with first-rate musicians, Bowie creates a set of songs that approximate the sound of Philadelphia soul and disco, yet remain detached from their inspirations. Bowie ended up befriending many Black artists and surrounding himself with Black collaborators; Bowie is a great example of respecting and being inspired by a culture without stealing or whitewashing it. Upon its release, Young Americans was very successful in the United States, reaching the Top 10 on the Billboard’s LPs and Tape Chart, with the single “Fame” becoming Bowie’s first No. 1 hit single on the Billboard charts. Young Americans highlights the genius of David Bowie as he experiments with a different genre and still maintains top level musicianship.
~Logan Juncaj
“We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.”
Twenty years ago this week, these words echoed around the country music world and caused one of the most successful bands on the scene to lose everything in seconds. During a concert in London on March 10, 2003, The Chicks member Natalie Maines boldly criticized President George W. Bush in the lead up to his invasion of Iraq.
Overnight, according to Billboard, fans of the chart-topping trio denounced them. They began burning their albums and concert tickets, and called into country radio stations all over America to get them taken off the air. All of the listener complaints worked, and soon The Chicks disappeared from the airwaves. Their new album, which was extremely popular and featured their famous cover of “Landslide,” dropped from the charts.
The Chicks and the 43rd president are all natives of Texas. Bush was born in Connecticut and went to Yale (but that is not my circus nor my monkeys), but either way he promoted the image of a homegrown Texan cowboy who represented the American people. He clearly appealed to the country music listening populace, fanning the flames of The Chicks’ comments. In such a patriotic genre, it would never be the most popular decision to criticize the President. But after 9/11? On the eve of going to war with Iraq?
I think it is important to note that country music has never been free of politics, from Johnny Cash’s criticisms of the prison system to Loretta Lynn’s inflammatory song about abortion. The Chicks released a song on their 2006 album called “Not Ready to Make Nice,” about how they will not back down and they will not apologize. They declare that they do not regret what they did and believe it would be wrong to take it back and let their critics win.
“And how in the world can the words that I said /
Send somebody so over the edge /
That they’d write me a letter /
Saying that I better /
Shut up and sing or my life will be over?”
The last line refers to a documentary about the group released soon after their 2006 album, Shut Up and Sing. The film was well received and was shown at multiple film festivals and won eight awards, according to IMDb. As the title implies, the documentary focuses on the fallout of the comments and a criticism of how they were expected to be apolitical. Almost two decades after being blacklisted, The Chicks made a strong comeback with their 2020 album Gaslighter. In an NPR interview promoting the album, they note that they are glad the times have changed and that the backlash was trivial. After all, the political climate of today is much different than twenty years ago, when just a few critical words stopped one of the biggest country acts of all time to stop in their tracks.
~Madison Reinhold
Bad Brains’ self-titled debut album was released on Feb. 5, 1982, and changed punk rock forever. The group, who originally formed as a jazz fusion ensemble named Mind Power, soon changed their name to Bad Brains upon being introduced to punk rock and hearing the Ramones track “Bad Brains.” When Bad Brains broke onto the D.C. nascent punk scene in late 1979, they were truly groundbreaking. Not only were the members of the band all Black, but they were pioneering a completely new sound. Like most punk rock acts, Bad Brains sang about injustices they faced in their daily lives, but as Black men and Rastafarians, their outlook on oppression came from a much different place than the white teenagers making up the majority of the genre. Their rage was more purposeful and their lyrics preached positivity and inclusiveness, which was a stark contrast to the already established nihilism of punk rock. They were brash, loud and unapologetic, and their musicianship was phenomenal. They seamlessly merged the genres of funk, punk, metal and reggae, a feat that no other band had ever attempted. Their lightning-fast performances and breakneck speed rhythms made their raucous performances legendary and are the reason that many credit Bad Brains as being the earliest hardcore punk rock band.
Their early repertoire was laid to tape a few times during the late 1970s and early ‘80s, but they didn’t release a full-length album until 1982, after the band had been banned from several venues in their hometown of Washington D.C. and had relocated to New York. This was immortalized on their track “Banned in D.C.” In 1982, Bad Brains released their self-titled debut album, which was originally a cassette-only release on ROIR records. It became known as the “yellow tape” because of its yellow packaging. This album is stylistically important, as it features some of the earliest examples of punk rock breakdowns in songs such as “Right Brigade” and “Banned In D.C.” This album is widely regarded as one of the greatest punk albums ever made. Bad Brains is a transcendent act that broke the color barrier of punk rock and greatly contributed to the creation of the hardcore genre as we know it today.
~Logan Juncaj
On Feb. 6, 1945, a musical pioneer was born in northern Jamaica. This artist helped to launch Jamaican music and Rastafarianism to the forefront of the global consciousness, and helped us learn to not worry about a thing.
Bob Marley was a legend within the reggae genre, and began his legendary career in 1963, when the track “Simmer Down” from the band he was a part of, The Wailers, topped the charts in Jamaica. That song helped to inspire a shift in the Jamaican music consciousness. When the ska-esque rhythms began to slow down around 1969, The Wailers took these new rhythms and ran with it. The band went on tour in the United States for the first time, where they opened for Sly and the Family Stone, but were fired after only four of their 17 shows because they became more popular than Sly and the Family Stone. Sadly, the band disbanded in 1974, with each member pursuing a solo career.
Marley reformed the Wailers as his backing band, and he had his first hit outside of Jamaica with “No Woman, No Cry” in 1975. In the next year, Marley was to perform at a concert to ease tensions between two political factions in Jamaica, but two days before, he was shot, along with his wife, Rita, and his manager. Despite this, he went on to perform in front of a crowd of over 80,000. After that, he moved to England, where he recorded a pair of albums.
In 1977, Marley was diagnosed with melanoma, and he tragically succumbed to this disease in 1981, at the age of 36. In his short life, he managed to have such a massive impact on the international musical landscape. He would have been 78 years old this week.
~Ashe Burr
This week in music history, the 46th Annual Grammy Awards started out with a bang.
Prince and Beyoncé opened the 2004 ceremony with a medley of their songs, including “Purple Rain,” “Baby I’m a Star,” “Let’s Go Crazy” and “Crazy in Love.” The dynamic duo tore up the stage with Prince jamming on his iconic purple Cloud guitar and Beyoncé harmonizing effortlessly with breathtaking vocals.
Beyoncé was one of the big winners of the night, winning five awards. Outkast won three awards including Album of the Year for Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, making history as the first hip-hop act to win the award.
~Gabby Nelson
This week in music history: disco domination. Or, at least, a reminder of popular genres past. Forty-three years ago this week, Kool and the Gang’s upbeat hit “Celebration” began its two week stint at the top of the charts. Last.fm describes how the song, while long from its chart prominence, is still a staple, and mostly heard nowadays at weddings and in commercials. However, no history exists in a vacuum. Music will always be a reflection of the culture at large and is a valuable source of information for understanding the past. “Celebration” reached its peak at the beginning of 1980.
The previous summer, in a ballpark in Chicago, disco had died. The cultural sound of the ‘70s had taken over radio stations across the country, an upheaval of the rock genre. Disco had gained popularity in nightclubs dominated by the Black and LGBTQ communities. The genre had been influenced by the music played in underground gay dance clubs, where music straight from records was played instead of having a band. Disk jockeys were influenced by progressive soul, Latin dance music, African pop music and deep cuts pulled from the depths of record stores from almost every genre, according to “The Untold History of Disco” from Youtube channel Polyphonic. They would mix these together to try to create a new sound that fit the mood of the dance clubs. Records started being made explicitly for discotheques, featuring staples of the genre like droning ambient voices, strings, orchestral woodwinds, brass and runtimes double the average song.
Disco went mainstream, and with it, controversy. NPR described how a growing movement of disgruntled disk jockeys and rock fans declared that “Disco Sucks.” This movement culminated in the infamous July 12, 1979 riot that practically ended the genre in its tracks. Disco haters stormed Comiskey Park in Chicago after a baseball game and began blowing up and smashing disco records. A pattern emerged: white rioters, Black records. It is no coincidence that the biggest names in disco– Donna Summer, Sylvester, Earth, Wind & Fire, CHIC and Kool and the Gang– were Black.
Did disco die? Six months later, “Celebration” was No. 1 on the charts. Disco tracks finding chart success after the riot was a rarity. While maybe not the disco-iest disco song, it still is disco. Disco had not died. In 1980, Kool and the Gang found tremendous success in a widely-hated and fledgling genre and continued the music history legacy of the disco movement.
~Madison Reinhold
This week in music history needs no introduction. Feb. 3, 1959, is a day that lives in infamy in pop culture, known as “The Day The Music Died.” On this day, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J.P. Richardson AKA “The Big Bopper” and pilot Roger Peterson were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa.
Frustrated with road conditions at the time, Holly decided to charter a plane to reach the next part of his band’s “Winter Dance Party” tour in Minnesota. The plane allegedly crashed shortly after takeoff, and wreckage was found less than six miles from the airport, according to the FAA report of the crash. The day was later memorialized in 1971 in Don McLean’s classic “American Pie.” Various songs were written to honor the crash, but McLean’s song is credited with the name “The Day The Music Died.” Songs such as Tommy Dee’s “Three Stars,” Mike Berry’s “Tribute to Buddy Holly” and Waylon Jennings’ “A Long Time Ago” commemorate the crash.
This tragedy went on to change accident reporting in the United States. According to TIME, Holly’s wife, Maria Elena Holly, learned about his death on TV with the rest of the world. Unfortunately, she suffered a miscarriage the day after learning of her husband’s death due to the severe psychological trauma. After this event, policies were passed that now prevent the release of victims’ names in accidents before families are notified.
Music history was never the same after this day 64 years ago this week.
~Norene Bassin
I don’t want to be dramatic, but one album that was released 46 years ago this week changed the course of music history. Rumours has literally everything. Break-ups. Divorce. Adultery. Rage. Cocaine. Rage again. Some sick guitar tracks. Stevie Nicks witchcraft. Some more rage. Where to begin?
Some of the band’s most iconic songs come off this album. Classics include “Dreams,” the only song of theirs to reach No. 1 in America according to Rolling Stone, the upbeat “Don’t Stop” and “You Make Loving Fun,” and timeless heartbreak songs “The Chain,” “Go Your Own Way” and the secret stealth operative “Silver Springs.” “Silver Springs,” written by Stevie Nicks, is a grueling song about her breakup with band member Linsday Buckingham. It is absolutely criminal that this song was left off of the original album. The reasoning was that at almost five minutes, it was too long to fit on the vinyl. It’s now included in greatest hits compilations and the deluxe version of the album. It was also the B-side of “Go Your Own Way,” a song written by Buckingham about the end of the relationship according to Genius Lyrics. The band tried to appease Nicks by including her song “I Don’t Want to Know” on the album, which she hated to perform, writes Rolling Stone. Twenty years after the album’s release, the band performed the song and during the last chorus and emotional climax of the song, Nicks turns to Buckingham and screams the lyrics at him, really hitting the point of the song:
“I follow you down /
Til the sound of my voice will haunt you /
You’ll never get away from the sound /
Of the woman that loved you.”
This album was built from multiple other crises: including the divorce of Christine and John McVie, an affair between Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood, creative differences and copious amounts of drugs. Rumours is easily one of the best albums of all time, the genius of so many flawed and angry yet insanely talented people coming together to make something beautiful, glamorous, heartbreaking and forever historic.
~Madison Reinhold
On Feb. 2, 1977, one of the biggest pop stars of the 2000s and early 2010s was born in the city of Barranquilla, Colombia. Shakira began her illustrious career in 1991 after being signed to Sony Music Colombia at the age of 13 to record three albums. Her first two albums were commercial failures, but her third, Pies Descalzos, managed to have the success that eluded her in her two previous album releases. This album launched her to fame across Latin America, which was corroborated with her next album, Dónde Están los Ladrones?
Thanks to some pressuring from singer Gloria Estefan, Shakira began to work on her first English crossover album, Laundry Service. Laundry Service spawned a pair of smash hits in “Whenever, Wherever” and “Underneath Your Clothes.” In the following decade, Shakira would hold the American consciousness captive, as releases like “Hips Don’t Lie,” “She Wolf,” “Waka Waka” and “Can’t Remember to Forget You” were seemingly inescapable.
In the current decade, Shakira was one of the headliners of the Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show alongside Jennifer Lopez, and her recent collaboration with producer Bzrp that takes jabs at her former partner, Spanish footballer Gerard Piqué, has gone viral. She will celebrate her 46th birthday this week.
~Ashe Burr
This week in music history, prosecutors from New Jersey warned US record dealers that if they sold John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s experimental album, Two Virgins, they would be charged with distribution of pornography.
On January 24, 1969, Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins was put under fire. The cover proudly showed Lennon and Ono standing, holding each other, completely nude. However, distributors were far from proud to sell this album because it was censored very quickly.
LPs of Two Virgins were sold in brown paper bags to cover up the nude photos like it was contraband. It was controversial enough for New Jersey to impound 30,000 copies for the obscene photos.
This cover was not an act of protest or malintent. The artists simply said that these photos explained how they felt and portrayed the title, as its true vision was to display “two innocents, lost in a world gone mad.” The art was much like the genre of music: avant-garde at its core. But, not everyone, especially the state of New Jersey, shared the couple’s appreciation for blunt displays of identity.
~Arden Vanover
Like many other British bands from the era, Joy Division was born from one fateful night. On Jan. 25, 1978, Ian Curtis, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris made their live debut as Joy Division at Pip’s Disco in Manchester, initially being billed as Warsaw. The band’s previous name, Warsaw, was inspired by the track “Warszawa” off David Bowie’s 1977 album Low. However, this name was too similar to another band at the time, Warsaw Pakt, so the group decided to change their name to Joy Division. Their new name was sourced from groups of Jewish women who were used as sex slaves in a Nazi concentration camp featured in the book House of Dolls by Ka-Tsetnik 135633. Joy Division headlined with support from two other local acts, Connection and The Stance.
The performance almost ended in catastrophe before it began, as Ian Curtis was thrown out for kicking glass during The Stance’s set and didn’t regain entry until 15 minutes before Joy Division was slated to perform. However, things only grew more frantic from there, as a fight broke out almost immediately as the band began to play. Frustrated by this, bassist Peter Hook jumped off the stage and joined the melee, which almost resulted in the band being thrown offstage. Nevertheless, they persevered, and enough order was restored for them to get through their fateful first set. This performance would not prove to be disastrous, as it allowed the band to shape their future identity. Joy Division decided to move away from the violence of the punk scene and toward a more progressive literary territory, which would provide the foundations for the post-punk genre. A night that could’ve so easily ended in disaster ended up birthing a timeless band that would influence generations to come and arguably the beginning of the post-punk genre.
~Logan Juncaj
This week in music history, The Phantom of the Opera took its first step into a decades-long journey that encapsulated almost 14,000 performances on Broadway. According to the Internet Broadway Database (or IBDB, IMDb’s theatre kid cousin), the show will close after 34 years on April 16 of this year. The musical adds a beautiful score to the 1911 French novel by Gaston Leroux and previous Hollywood adaptations. The music is an interesting but amazing combination of classical opera and more contemporary sounds and slight rock influences. It’s the story of a disgraced-but-sexy sewer dweller who becomes obsessed with the Paris Opera’s newest soprano and kills people about it. He also drops a chandelier on the audience which is objectively pretty epic. The musical is such a spectacle of music and dance and costumes and setting it is no surprise that it is currently the longest running Broadway show in history. Back in 1988, the show was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, and won seven, according to Playbill’s statistics. The show also pulls in millions of dollars a week with eight shows a week in a nearly full capacity theater. The past 34 years have included numerous special concerts and anniversaries, strong impacts on popular culture as well as a 2004 movie adaption. Sadly, the musical will close this spring. However, it has already contributed plenty to music history.
~Madison Reinhold
This week in music history, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame held its 10th annual induction ceremony. The class of ‘95 inductees include Al Green, Neil Young, Martha and the Vandellas, Frank Zappa, The Allman Brothers Band, Janis Joplin and Led Zeppelin. Some of the performance highlights of the night were Melissa Etheridge’s rendition of Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart,” Neil Young and Pearl Jam rocking out to “Fuckin’ Up” and Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith jamming together with “Train Kept a Rollin’.”
All the inductees of 1995 remain rock ‘n’ roll icons. Al Green’s soulful vocals are some of the best of all time. Rolling Stones ranked him No. 10 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. Neil Young, the “Godfather of Grunge,” has had a long, successful career and is still playing and performing today.Martha and the Vandellas formed in Detroit and rose to fame with Motown Records in the 1960s. Frank Zappa was a trailblazer in the music industry, experimenting with every genre from rock to classical. Producing 60 albums, Zappa brought new life into rock ‘n’ roll.
Forging their own way in the music industry, The Allman Brothers Band fused rock, country and blues into magic. “One of the most exciting live bands to ever hit the stage,” according to Willie Nelson. Janis Joplin’s passion, powerful vocals and refusal to conform made her an icon. She died at age 27 but remains one of the top-selling musicians in the United States. Led Zeppelin doesn’t need much introduction. They’re one of the best-selling music artists of all time with iconic songs like “Stairway to Heaven” and “Whole Lotta Love.”
The 1995 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony recognized some of the biggest names in the music industry. All of the artists are legends, and their music has surely endured the test of time.
~Gabby Nelson
On Jan. 11, 1992, Nirvana’s Nevermind would reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Nevermind debuted at a not-so-strong No. 144 on its release, mostly due to the lack of supply from a very limited initial release of 50,000 albums. The album would slowly crawl its way to the top over the course of three months as supply grew to meet demand and the iconic music video was put into MTV’s rotation. It would eventually step over Michael Jackson’s Dangerous and many of the hair metal bands that had made their home in the upper echelons of the charts. Nevermind would spend a total of 252 weeks on the charts in a constant ebb and flow for the highest spots.
While Nirvana wasn’t the only band marking a change in the public’s musical consciousness at this point, they were laying the groundwork for the sound of the ‘90s. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” became the anthem of the generation through its use of esoteric lyrics and a high energy, catchy formula, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Meanwhile songs like “Something In The Way” and “Come As You Are” proved the band was more than a one-hit-wonder.
Overall, the band sold around 17 million copies of the album, proving itself as a cultural cornerstone and cementing the band in the annals of rock history. While Cobain may be gone, his contribution to rock, and music in general, is likely to never be forgotten.
~Shay Gale
31 years ago, grunge royalty Nirvana made their first of two appearances on Saturday Night Live. Their sophomore album Nevermind had come out just a few months earlier in September of ‘91, and with its significant commercial success SNL almost seemed like a rite of passage. The episode was hosted by Rob Morrow who introduced them before they played “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Territorial Pissings.” Nevermind was at the top of the Billboard 200, and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was in its peak No. 6 position on the Hot 100. Nirvana played with their usual energy and vibrance, balanced with the grit of Kurt Cobain’s rasp and his dark, surreal lyrics.
The performance is widely thought of as one of their best performances of “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” and viewers could assume the band felt the same way — during goodbyes, the trio kissed, a lot. I like the idea of Lorne Michaels sighing to himself backstage during this part, but he couldn’t have been too mad because they were invited back next year after the release of In Utero.
~Claudia Braesch
What do you do if you want to sing at the Grand Ole Opry and you happen to be country music icon Patsy Cline? You simply ask. This week in music history, Patsy Cline became the first (and only) person in the history of the iconic show to perform without an invitation, just by simply asking to join. The Opry is known as the premier place for all famous country acts, their website declaring them “The show that made country music famous.”
Since its inception in 1925, the radio show has been synonymous with the most popular names in country music, broadcasting them to the far reaches of America with the growing popularity of radio. In 1960, Patsy Cline’s career was rather tumultuous. She had performed and gained some acclaim locally. In 1957, she recorded the iconic “Walkin’ After Midnight.” Cline was fortunately on the upswing when she approached the Opry, and the next years would bring much more success and many more hits for her.
While only having one hit at the time of her membership, she was accepted and is now remembered as one of the most prominent voices in country music. The Country Music Hall of Fame notes that she is the most popular female country singer ever, and is also the first woman inducted there. Her promising career in music and at the Opry would be tragically cut short in 1963, when she died at the age of 30 in a plane crash. Among her many accomplishments, her boldness and her irreplaceable talent is remembered in music history by the simple question she asked the Grand Ole Opry 63 years ago this week.
~Madison Reinhold
This week in music history, one of the biggest influences for an entire genre of music was born. On Nov. 28, 1929, Motown founder Berry Gordy was born in Detroit. Before music, Gordy had been a boxer, a soldier and worked at a car factory. He first found success in songwriting, according to the Motown Museum, writing hits for singers such as Jackie Wilson and Etta James. While he was a talented writer, the museum explains he had an entrepreneurial spirit and wanted to do more in the entertainment industry. He signed more and more acts as the ‘60s began, officially incorporating Motown Records in 1960. He converted a house in Detroit into a studio, and began producing some of the biggest stars of the era. He worked with new talent like the Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder and The Supremes, among many others.
Motown continued making hit after hit and superstar after superstar for years. The label had created a signature R&B sound from these stellar musicians, according to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He was inducted there in 2017, and is the only person to have received their Pioneer Award while still alive. He’s also been inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame, given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was honored at the Kennedy Center last year. This year, he was added to the Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame, which was started last year in Atlanta. He celebrates his 93rd birthday this week.
41 years ago this week in McComb, Mississippi, music history was forever changed. Britney Spears was born on Dec. 2, 1981. In the spotlight since childhood, Britney has continued to be an icon in the midst of many highs and lows. At the age of 11, she was cast on the All-New Mickey Mouse Club, a children’s variety show. A few years later, in 1998, she released the single “…Baby One More Time.” The song quickly became No. 1 and launched the teenage singer into superstardom. The new millennia brought hit after hit for Spears, including “Oops! I Did It Again,” “I’m a Slave 4 U” and “Toxic.” Spears spent years crowded by paparazzi and endless criticism, culminating in a grossly-reported-on breakdown and a conservatorship that didn’t end until last year. According to the New York Times, Spears told the court the arrangement with her father had “traumatized and exploited” her. Spears still released many albums and toured during this period, despite claims she was too mentally unwell to take care of herself. In the time since she’s regained her freedom, she’s gotten married, released a new single with Elton John and has made numerous posts on her social media relishing her newfound freedom, including one from Nov. 13 where she says she had just been able to use her credit card on her own for the first time in 15 years. With so many events in music history under her belt, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Britney Spears.
~Madison Reinhold
On Nov. 28, 1999, Rage Against The Machine’s The Battle Of Los Angeles would go No. 1 on the US album charts. With it, their place in music history was cemented. Beautifully evading genre and classification since their inception, the fusion of punk, funk, metal and rap makes Rage Against The Machine’s music only definable as extreme. Extreme music has always had a political edge to it, but this band made politics the focus of their art, refusing to compromise or give any ground on their stances. Staunchness in their left-wing, revolutionary beliefs is what garnered them criticism from centrists and conservatives alike, as well as praise from punks, metalheads and rap fans.
The Battle Of Los Angeles could be easily seen as the apex of Rage’s musical career. On their penultimate studio album, they crystalised the raw fury of their sound while maintaining the richness of their influences. All four of their studio albums hold a unique place in history, but this one stands alone as their most widely successful, going platinum in and hitting No. 1 in more countries than any of their albums before or since. There is a long list of people with opposing beliefs that enjoy Rage Against The Machine’s music, with some people not knowing the politics of Rage and some even purposefully ignoring them. However, its success on the charts proved that no matter the extremity of their politics, their music was hopeful, their music was for the people.
“What better place than here? /
What better time than now? /
All hell can’t stop us now.”
~Nick Sanchez
On Nov. 29, 2001, the world lost a legend. Singer-songwriter George Harrison died of lung cancer at age 58. Born in Liverpool in 1943, Harrison gained global fame as the lead guitarist for the Beatles — arguably the most influential band of all time. At 15 years old, he joined the band, then known as the Quarrymen. The Fab Four — John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and Harrison — revolutionized the rock music industry. Harrison, known as “the quiet Beatle,” propelled the band to incorporate new styles into their music, including psychedelia, folk and Hindustani. Beatles songs written by Harrison include “Here Comes the Sun,” “Something,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “I Me Mine.”
Yet, Harrison’s legacy goes beyond what he accomplished with the Beatles. His triple album All Things Must Pass proved his songwriting talent and musical genius. “My Sweet Lord” topped charts worldwide. Beyond producing music, Harrison organized the first celebrity benefit concert, Concert for Bangladesh, with friend and Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar. The event and best-selling live album captured the world’s attention, raising awareness and $12 million for refugee relief in Bangladesh. The George Harrison Fund for UNICEF continues to raise money for the education and health of children in Bangladesh.
Harrison wasn’t just a Beatle. He was a musical innovator, movie producer, collaborator, lifelong Hare Krishna devotee and humanitarian. With his wife Olivia and their son Dhani by his side, Harrison’s final words were, “Everything else can wait, but the search for God cannot wait, and love one another.”
~Gabby Nelson
This week in music history, Wham! made it big. On Nov. 17, 1984, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” peaked at No. 1, starting its three week run on top the charts. The song was on Billboard’s Hot 100 for a total of 24 weeks. It came off of the duo’s second and most popular album, Make it Big. Songwriter George Michael used inspiration from ‘50s pop to create an upbeat and catchy song that took over the world. According to George Michael’s website, he and Andrew Ridgeley went to school together, and released this song when they were just 21. Right in the beginning of the MTV era, the music video was everything, especially for such a fresh and modern act. The video has everything ‘80s, from feathered hair to neon fingerless gloves. The video is fun and light to match the song, with dance breaks and Wham!’s slogan T-shirts reading “Choose Life.” They chose that slogan to spread a message preventing drug use and suicide. The band released their last songs as a duo just a few years later as George Michael started his solo career, leading to more number ones such as “Careless Whisper” and “Faith.” The two did not break up on bad terms. “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” is the band’s second longest on the charts, beat out only by their iconic holiday ballad, “Last Christmas.” They’d go on to perform it as the first Western band to play in China in 1985. Though the band was short-lived, their chart-topping song from 38 years ago this week left a huge impact on the ‘80s and music history.
~Madison Reinhold
It’s the most wonderful time of the year — commemorating Starship’s two-week run at No. 1 on the charts with “We Built This City” in 1985. This legendary song has struck a controversial cord throughout history as being notoriously bad, though somehow played at every hockey game you go to. Released on their album Knee Deep in the Hoopla, “We Built This City” is a song about rebellion in a corporate world, particular to the decline of rock concert scenes in Los Angeles during the ‘80s. The irony behind this is notable, as the anti-corporate theme is painted in thick coats of corporate rock. Because of this, “We Built This City” has been scorned and placed on various abhorred lists including No. 1 on Rolling Stone’s Top Ten Worst Songs of the 1980s in 2011, and GQ’s Worst Song of All Time in 2016. Though in its prime, if you can believe it, “We Built This City” received a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group in 1986.
Thus, does the curse of the past ignite cringeworthy remarks from modern-day music fans? How many people does it take to decide if a song is truly bad? When the fierce cry of Mickey Thomas and his recollection of Marconi playing the mamba can be heard in the frozen fruit aisle at Meijer, I take pity on such hatred. The charm of a nostalgic ‘80s sound remains and can be replaced with another bad song in the next 30 years, just give it some time.
~Mary Johnson
On Nov. 18, 1993, Nirvana would record their MTV Unplugged concert session in New York. Widely regarded as the best Unplugged performance, and one of the best live performances ever, the show was shot in a single take, with rhythm guitarist Pat Smear and cellist Lori Goldston, as well as most of the members of Meat Puppets, joining Nirvana for more dramatic renditions of the bands usual setlist. Although recorded in November, the show wouldn’t air until Dec. 16, less than four months before Cobain would take his own life in his Seattle home. The live album MTV Unplugged in New York would release almost a year later after the original performance, debuting at No. 1 on the US Albums chart.
The Unplugged performance strays away from the bands usual high-energy and fast paced shows, instead opting for a slower, more methodic approach to both the bands original material and covers of other artists music. Highlights include songs like “Something in the Way” and “All Apologies,” which are brought to a haunting new light through the use acoustic only instruments, while covers of songs like “The Man Who Sold The World” by David Bowie and “Lake Of Fire” by Meat Puppets emphasized the bands ability to take any song and make it their own. The night ended with a powerful cover of Leadbelly’s “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?,” cementing Cobain as one of the greatest live vocalists of the time.
~Shay Gale
Oops! She did it again. And again. And again. This week in music history, Britney Spears attended her first MTV Video Music Awards in Europe and left with four awards in 1999. The teenage pop princess won for Best Female, Best Pop, Breakthrough Artists and Best Song for “…Baby One More Time.” After being nominated for two categories at the American version of the VMAs, Spears left Europe highly decorated. The year prior, she released the song that would not only land her all these awards, but change the landscape of pop for an entire era. In Entertainment Weekly’s oral history of “…Baby One More Time,” the 16-year-old girl from Louisiana was a rarity; few producers knew what to do with teenage girls or what kind of music they listened to. Britney proved to be a talented singer who offered insight to what would work for her audience. At the end of the nineties and the era of more edgy grunge, the song and video were practically doing something brand new. It was Britney’s idea to have the iconic video set in a school, with boys and girls dancing around her in her equally iconic outfit. The outfit was also her idea and it caused a lot of controversy for the young girl in addition to influencing pop star looks for the new millennia. Her first single and video became an immediate success, it spent 103 weeks on the Billboard 200, debuting at No. 1 in January 1999. 23 years later, it’s still clear how this song had the 17-year-old come home with four awards. It’s iconic. It’s music history. It’s Britney, b*tch.
~Madison Reinhold
On Nov. 7, 1995, Alice In Chains released their third studio album, self-titled Alice In Chains. Known among fans as “tripod” due to the album cover featuring a three-legged dog, the album would combine a mixture of the hard rock precedent set by Facelift and Dirt and a new focus on acoustics not previously seen by the band. While Tripod has a distinct lack of the guitar solos and bass lines that the first two albums had been prized for, the album instead focuses more on the bleak, hopeless depths of drug addiction, which lead singer Layne Staley battled throughout his career.
Layne’s battle with drug addiction had taken its toll at this point, both musically and creatively, leading guitarist Jerry Cantrell to take up the mantle as head of the band for this album specifically. The three singles off the album, “Heaven Beside You,” “Over Now” and “Grind” were all written and sung by Cantrell. While he had been the writer for a majority of the band’s discography up to this point, his vocals had always taken a backseat, usually being used as an echo of harmonization behind Layne’s. However, this album showed that Alice In Chains could indeed still produce haunting musical pieces without Layne at the forefront, a sort of unintentional foreshadowing towards the band’s future.
Notable tracks off the album include all of the aforementioned singles and “Again,” which quickly became a fan favorite, despite not being used for marketing at all. “Heaven Beside You” highlights the use of plucky acoustics that would quickly become a mainstay with the yet to be released album Jar Of Flies, with Cantrell singing a story of love lost, all the while a catchy riff carries into a distortion-filled chorus. “Over Now” describes the almost certain fate of those who have been dragged down by addiction in what feels like a heartfelt cry for Layne’s recovery. “Grind” serves as a testament to the bands continuing survival, which at the time was called into question by the media, and a return to form with a catchy, however repetitive guitar riff, and the iconic harmonization between Cantrell and Staley. “Again,” perhaps one of the most iconic songs off the album, is full of the fast-paced, heavy guitar of Facelift, combined with the visceral vocals of Dirt.
While a couple of the tracks are obvious throwaways, bringing attention to the creative burnout the band was experiencing at the time, the whole album is worth a listen if you’re a fan of Alice In Chains or heavy metal in general.
~Shay Gale
On Nov. 10, 1975, Patti Smith released her debut album. Horses is widely considered one of the most influential albums of the early punk scene, and a record universally adored by musicians of all genres. Horses is an intensely satisfying album. The lyrics are dark, angry and often surreal. Touching on themes of escapism, suicide and sin, Smith was one of the first to find the balance of poetry and punk. The instrumentation, three-chord rock with some theatrical elements, is perfectly emblematic of its time. The album is artful, featuring chants and slam poetry elements that were really innovative. “Land” perfectly encapsulates what I love so much about this record. Dynamic changes, high energy, surrealist storytelling and shouted choruses.
Horses peaked at No. 47 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 17 weeks. It was certified gold in the UK and Australia. It’s No. 44 on Rolling Stone’s list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Smith’s artistry inspired acts like REM, Hole, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Slits and many more. Horses is an insanely impressive debut where Patti Smith proved, 47 years ago, that a woman’s place was in punk rock.
~Claudia Braesch
This week in music history, we did the mash. Wait, which one? 60 years ago this week, the “Monster Mash” began its two week stint at the top of Billboard’s singles chart. In October 1962, the novelty song by Bobby “Boris” Pickett and The Crypt-Kickers grew in popularity as the Halloween season approached. At this time, the kitschy and childish aspects of the holiday were just hitting the mainstream in America.
In a timeline provided by History.com, when Halloween came to the U.S. via European immigrants in the 1800s. It mostly focused on autumnal celebration, but many rigid Protestants did not celebrate the holiday. By the turn of the century, the American version of the holiday wanted to focus less on the witchcraft and chaos that came from other countries. Superstition and more ghoulish aspects were replaced with more tame community celebration, with an emphasis on children. By the middle of the century, trick-or-treating and costumes became the hallmark of the American version of Halloween. With the holiday heavily watered down and commercialized, we needed one absolutely amazing novelty song about having a graveyard smash.
The song also takes influences from early Hollywood horror flicks, with Pickett taking inspiration from the original Frankenstein actor, Boris Karloff. After it caught on in a flash, this song is still a mainstay of the Halloween season six decades later, being played at practically every spooky event one could think of. So in the name of music history, celebrate the season properly.
~Madison Reinhold
Note to self: no more house parties. pic.twitter.com/4VmeJbnnoZ
— menace. (@BlaccThanos44) October 21, 2018
This week in music history, rap icon Chief Keef inadvertently caused thousands of dollars in property damage. While the event occurred only four years ago, the severity of the damage and injuries makes it notable to this day. Chief Keef released Back from the Dead 2 on Oct. 2, 2014. One of the album’s hottest tracks, “Faneto,” was played at a Clemson University frat party on Oct. 20, 2018. “Faneto” was written and produced entirely by Chief Keef — which is probably why it goes so hard. While partygoers jumped and danced to the track, a video posted to Twitter shows the dance floor collapsing beneath them. At least 30 people were injured in the incident according to XXL, but no injuries were life-threatening. Besides a few broken bones, this story definitely gave the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity a legendary reputation at Clemson University.
On Oct. 17, 1972, music would change forever. Marshall Bruce Mathers III was born in St. Joseph, Missouri. Mr. Mathers is known as a founding father of modern rap, having been raised near the heart of the blossoming Detroit rap scene. His 2002 film 8 Mile tells his story of how he came to enter the rap game and change the course of history. This film also earned him an Oscar for Best Original Song with the classic “Lose Yourself.”
His lyricism has been widely criticized over the course of his career, from his days in D12 to his time as Slim Shady. His storied career is rife with controversy, with a heavy emphasis on the graphic subject matter of his earlier work. His more recent projects seem to show change in this aspect, namely the album Recovery made under his current stage name. This album, made after his rehab stay in 2008, shows a man willing to get better for not only his art, but for his children as well. Nevertheless, the king of 8 Mile celebrates his 50th birthday this week. Here’s to many more, Mr. Mathers.
~Norene Bassin
This week 19 years ago we were introduced to arguably the most iconic eyeliner in pop culture with the release of Amy Winehouse’s debut album, Frank. Seeping with style reminiscent of the album’s eponym Frank Sinatra, each track provides its own story. Whether or not Frank is of any personal importance to you, this collection of songs brings such a powerful atmosphere that any listener can feel.
Winehouse’s experiences with men, UK nightlife in the early 2000s and her life as a young woman create an incredible tracklist that has inspired some of today’s most influential female artists; this includes Florence Welch, Adele, Lady Gaga and Lana Del Rey. The list continues to grow as we watch the music scene evolve.
Some of the most known songs on Frank include “Stronger Than Me” and “What Is It About Men,” but I hope that you decide to give this album a listen and discover some new favorites. I’m personally a huge fan of what I will refer to as, for a lack of profanity, “the one about the pumps.” Here’s to another year of Amy.
~ Gracie Oldenburg
This week in music history, Fleetwood Mac released their most experimental album, Tusk. This was the band’s twelfth studio album, and it was released on Oct. 12, 1979; at the time, it was the most expensive rock album with production costs coming in at over $1 million.
Following an extremely memorable and popular album, like Rumours, is not an easy feat, especially while overcoming the drama detailed in the iconic album. Tusk manages to defeat the expectations of living up to their former albums by producing memorable tracks like “Tusk,” “Sara” and “Think About Me,” which are still on playlists and the radio today.
Tusk wasn’t intended to benefit off of the huge success of the band’s previous album. In fact, Lindsey Buckingham did not want this album to be anything like Rumours because continuing to ride the hype of that album would be continuing to drag on the drama it was about.
One thing that kept this album on brand with Fleetwood Mac is the diversity among songs. The album has 20 songs, and some songs seem like they would belong on a completely different album. But the beauty of this jumbled sound is one of the reasons Fleetwood Mac is so iconic. It is a group of people, all very different, with a love for music. That is reflected in Tusk — the songs, all very different, come together to create something beautiful and historic — which is why the release is still celebrated over four decades later.
~Arden Vanover
Picture it, Detroit: Oct. 12, 1969. You’re cruising along one of those new fangled interstate highways listening to Russ Gibb’s show on WKNR when you hear a peculiar listener call in — Paul McCartney is dead. That is so not groovy, man.
According to the listener, the Beatle had been decapitated in a car accident in 1966 and the other band members had been so wracked with guilt that they decided to replace him with a lookalike. All you’ve got to do is listen to your new Beatles records backwards.
In a list compiled by British radio station Radio X, some of the “proof” of McCartney’s death included: Paul wearing a black armband on the cover of Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, as well as being the only one facing backwards on the back cover, playing “Revolution 9” backwards to hear the secret message “turn me on dead man,” Lennon supposedly singing “I buried Paul” at the end of “Strawberry Fields Forever,” McCartney not wearing shoes on the cover of Abbey Road to represent his being a corpse, as well as a license plate in the background reading “28IF” meaning Paul would be 28 years old IF he were not decapitated in 1966.
The story goes that any photo or appearance of Paul after his fatal 1966 accident is a man who was given plastic surgery and taught to act like Paul, because The Beatles wanted to keep the death a secret at the height of their success.
Unfortunately for all of the conspiracy theorists, Paul McCartney was (and still is) alive and well. If he seemed distant, it would make sense to fans when he announced his departure from the band a few months later. He would go on to start the band Wings with his wife, Linda. History.com explains how the band was already on the verge of breaking up at this point in time, with or without a member’s death. Between manager conflicts, creative differences and interpersonal drama (Yoko Ono apologists rise up), McCartney and the rest went their separate ways by the beginning of the ‘70s. But that’s another week in music history. This week we’re talking about that time 53 years ago this week when listeners in Detroit witnessed the birth of a massive conspiracy.
~Madison Reinhold
On Oct. 10, 2007, Radiohead would digitally self-release In Rainbows, perhaps one of the band’s most impressive albums. Using a “pay-what-you-want” model — being one of the only major bands to do this at the time — the album was free to download. Instead of charging for the album, fans had the option to pay however much they could afford directly to the band rather than a label. The album ended making $3 million almost immediately while utilizing the “pay-what-you-want” system. That’s a pretty nice chunk of change for a completely free album.
The album set itself apart from Radiohead’s previous discography with its noticeably “positive” sound, taking a step back from the doom and gloom of the bands previous record Hail To the Thief and returning to the melodic formula found in the band’s early albums. Every song has a distinct personality and sound, with none of the tracks sounding too closely alike. Standouts include “Bodysnatchers,” an existential, distortion-filled masterpiece with an urgency unlike anything else. “Weird Fishes/ Arpeggi” is a melodic and haunting track about loneliness and moving on. Finally, “Reckoner” might have some of the best instrumentals in the band’s entire catalog, with Thom Yorke’s echoing falsetto riding over a tidal wave of noise. While these are some of my favorites, I would highly recommend listening to the entire album. It’s truly one of a kind.
~ Shay Gale
Who would’ve thought that a song about dying would be so successful? “Another One Bites the Dust” is a notable sensation of a song, prominent in films, TV shows and even sports commercials. This week in music history, Queen’s legendary anthem went No. 1 on Oct. 4, 1980. Released on the group’s eighth album The...
It’s time to celebrate, all of you sk8ers, it’s a very special holiday. This week in music history, the pop-punk princess herself was born. Avril Lavigne was born on September 27, 1984, turning 38. When she was just a teenager, she blessed the world with hits such as “Complicated” and “Sk8er Boi,” off of her...
This week in music history, a series of concerts were held and organized by the Musicians United for Safe Energy, also known as MUSE. The shows were held at Madison Square Garden in New York from Sept. 19 to Sept. 23, 1979. MUSE was founded after the Three Mile Island accident in March 1979 near...
This week in music history, country music lost a legend. In 2003, singer Johnny Cash passed away at the age of 71. The “Ring of Fire” singer succumbed to complications of diabetes at the end of a decades-long career, according to the New York Times report on his death. Cash became one of the foremost...
This week in music history, a musical icon recorded a heartbroken goodbye that would resonate with generations of listeners. 49 years ago, Dolly Parton recorded “I Will Always Love You.” According to legend, Dolly Parton wrote this song and another heartbreak anthem “Jolene” on the same night. According to a CNN interview from 2020, the...
This week in music history, an iconic show hits Broadway, the course of rock history changes, records are broken and memes are made. 26 years ago this week, the reason why all cringey theater lovers — who? Me? — celebrate the strike of 9 PM, Eastern Standard Time on Christmas Eve opened on Broadway. After...
This week in music history, Michael Jackson catches fire. Literally. Like his head caught on fire. 38 years ago this week, the singer went into surgery after his hair was set ablaze while filming a commercial for Pepsi. The incident, shown in the video below, left Jackson in pain, without hair and stricken with migraines,...
This week in music history, Peter Green leaves Fleetwood Mac. 52 years ago this week, he left one of the best bands of all time, the one he co-founded. The British native and guitarist formed the band with drummer Mick Fleetwood in the late ‘60s, their first album initially called Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, but...
This week in music history, the winner takes it all. On April 6, 1974, 48 years ago this week, the ABBA won first place at that year’s Eurovision contest with their song “Waterloo.” The song was written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, performed by them and the two other band members, Agnetha Fältskog and...