1993’s Top Songs: R.E.M., Billy Joel, Duran Duran, Whitney Houston & Blind Melon
Coming up…What may be the last good year for mainstream music…There were about 10 crappy songs for every great one. But don’t worry, the 11 good ones in today’s countdown could compete with most any year... including one song that one of rock’s greatest lyricists, REM's Michael Stipe, could not figure out. The music was perfect, the melody was there, but he was fighting horrible writer’s block until he walked into the studio and came to him right then... Man on the Moon. Stipe recorded it seconds after in 1 take, and it became a classic. Then there was River of Dreams, the last big hit by Billy Joel, who at the age of 44 swore he was done with music. Sadly, it would turn out to be true. River of Dreams came in a dream and was written in the shower. Then there was the massive 80s band Duran Duran that was written off by everyone in the new decade; in fact, their record label wouldn’t even fully fund their album, but in the middle of grunge, they created Ordinary World, a song so personal it hit the top of the charts and still brings a tear to the eye. Plus Whitney Houston, who had recorded her greatest vocals even though she was sick as a dog, and Blind Melon's No Rain, a deceptively happy-go-lucky sing-along song that had a devastating secret that no one understood till it was too late. It’s all next on POR.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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5 Unsolved Rock Mysteries: The Strangest Lost Songs Ever Found
Coming up, we’re counting down 5 of the most compelling cold cases in rock… songs that were recorded back in the day, but then fell into obscurity… only to resurface online decades later. But without a name or band attached to them. No one really knows where these songs came from. Among them is a mysterious banger that was found on a mysterious documentary, that was hidden on a Little Rascals VHS tape that a girl found in a thrift store. Seriously. Then there’s a sultry pop number that soundtracks a forgotten adult film… but the singer refuses to come forward and identify herself. There’s also a haunting ballad that some say is a lost track by George Harrison. Only the subject matter is a little too provocative. Plus, the most mysterious heavy metal song ever that even the greatest rock historians can’t identify. This one’s going to be crazy. Will these lost tracks ever be ID’d? Let’s solve these whodunnits? Let’s dive headfirst into the strange sonic rabbit holes… NEXT on the Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Nick Kershaw’s “Wouldn’t It Be Good”: The 80s Anthem That Live Aid and Pretty in Pink Reimagined
In 1984, a rookie named Nick Kershaw put out a song that became a teenage anthem called Wouldn’t It Be Good for the outcasts and the have-nots, and it earned him a ticket to play one of the biggest gigs ever. LIVE AID, which put him in front of 2 billion fans. Then the next year, one of the biggest movies of the year, Pretty In Pink, used the song but had it re-recorded by another band that included a lead from the classic rock band Three Dog Night: Danny Hutton Hitters from 20 years before… We find out why next, as we have both the original singer and the legend who remade it. It’s the story of an underappreciated song that every 80s kid adores next on Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Styx's “Renegade”: The Accidental Hit That Made Tommy Shaw a Rock Legend
Coming up an interview with one of the defining voices of 70s and 80s rock: Tommy Shaw. He joined Styx after they already had a couple of hits, but they weren’t exactly established. But after Tommy came aboard, they were unstoppable with a two-singer attack that made them twice the threat... especially with today’s song Renegade... an all-time classic rock magnum opus. It came from images in the singer’s head from old westerns he watched as a kid, and he came up with a famous a cappella part that wasn’t planned. The producer just pulled the music out after it had been recorded, and the band all looked at each other in disbelief. Then Renegade was tacked on as the B-side to a song the label thought would do well, but DJs loved Renegade and turned it over and made it a classic. Up next, Tommy Shaw breaks down his most famous song. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Improv Magic: The Untold Stories Behind Pink Floyd, The Who, and More
Improvisation is the X factor behind some of the greatest tracks of the Rock Era—moments of spontaneous genius nborn from gifted talent and instinct. On this episode, we’ll get ninto the captivating stories of how a teenager walking down the street decided to visit a studio that caught his eye. His name was Barrett Strong and he laid down a scratch vocal on a song he improvised… That scratch vocal became Money (That's What I Want), the first big hit for a label that npretty much became it’s own genre… Then a fiddle player got a random invite to a session and the band, The Who, had no idea who he was but he started playing and it was so powerful it put the finishing touches on 1 of the greatest rock anthems ever... Baba O'Riley. Plus the 16 year old opera singer who was supposed to sing a small part in a lower octave but decided to sing it much higher and it became thedefining vocal of the famous hit The Lion Sleeps Tonight… Plus the unknown singer Clare Torry who was supposed to sing a couple of notes over a musical bed but just belted out a wordless display of sounds that astonished Pink Floyd and became a crucial part of The Dark Side of the Moon, an album that spent 18 and a half years on the charts. Improv Magic…Part 2, is NEXT on Professor of Rock!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The ultimate rock music history podcast for fans of the greatest era of music. If you’ve ever wondered about the true stories behind your favorite songs, or wanted to hear directly from the legends who made them, Professor of Rock is your new go-to podcast. Hosted by music historian and superfan Adam Reader, this show brings the golden era of music back to life with exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes stories, and deep dives into the songs that shaped our lives. This podcast uncovers how timeless tracks were made, the creative breakthroughs, the near-breakups, and the powerful moments that defined music history. Each episode is a masterclass in rock culture and nostalgia—whether it's a chart-topping ‘80s anthem, a one-hit wonder with a wild backstory, or a candid conversation with the legends themselves. Hear the Stories. Relive the Music. Only on Professor of Rock.
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