-
Maggie May: The B-Side Nobody Wanted That Became Rod Stewart’s Biggest Hit
Maggie May: The B-Side Nobody Wanted That Became Rod Stewart’s Biggest Hit In the summer of 1971, Rod Stewart released a single. The A-side was “Reason to Believe” — a Tim Hardin song, carefully chosen, professionally produced, the obvious hit. The kind of song record companies love: tasteful, radio-friendly, safe. The B-side was “Maggie May”…
-
The Wedding Song That Wasn’t: How Kevin Cronin’s Heartbreak Wrote REO Speedwagon’s ‘Keep On Loving You’
The Wedding Song That Wasn’t: How Kevin Cronin’s Heartbreak Wrote REO Speedwagon’s “Keep On Loving You” It is one of the most-played wedding songs in American history. Couples have chosen it for their first dance for four decades. They sway to it, they cry to it, they call it “their song.” And Kevin Cronin, the…
-
We Will Rock You / We Are the Champions: The Night Queen’s Audience Wrote the Song
We Will Rock You / We Are the Champions: The Night Queen’s Audience Wrote the Song The show was over. The lights had come up, the band had walked offstage, and the road crew were already thinking about the trucks. But in Bingley Hall, Stafford, on the night of May 29, 1977, the audience would…
-
When Doves Cry: The Last Song Written for Purple Rain, the Missing Bass Line, and the Night Prince Did It All Alone
When Doves Cry: The Song Prince Built Alone, Then Dared to Leave Empty Put on “When Doves Cry” and listen for what’s missing. A screaming guitar opens the record — alone, echoing, with nothing underneath it. Then the Linn drum machine kicks in, then the keyboards, then Prince’s voice, soaring and wounded. And underneath it…
-
I’m So Excited: The Song That Flopped, Then Came Back and Conquered the World
I’m So Excited: The Song That Flopped, Then Came Back and Conquered the World Most hit songs get one chance. “I’m So Excited” got two — and the second one made history. In September 1982, the Pointer Sisters released a song they’d written themselves — a burst of pure dance-pop joy, all pounding piano and…
-
\”Wish You Were Here\”: The Day Syd Barrett Walked Back Into Pink Floyd’s Life
“Wish You Were Here”: The Day Syd Barrett Walked Back Into Pink Floyd’s Life On Thursday, June 5, 1975, Pink Floyd were at Abbey Road Studios in London, putting the finishing touches on a mix of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” — a twenty-minute lament for their lost founder, Syd Barrett, the brilliant, broken genius…
-
In the Air Tonight: Divorce, a Drum Machine, and the Most Famous Drum Fill in History
In the Air Tonight: Divorce, a Drum Machine, and the Most Famous Drum Fill in History There is a moment, three and a half minutes into “In the Air Tonight,” when the song explodes. For three minutes, it’s been all atmosphere: ominous synthesizer chords, a ticking drum machine, a voice filtered through electronics, singing about…
-
Robbed at Knifepoint, Down to Three Men: The Wild Lagos Sessions Behind ‘Band on the Run’
Robbed at Knifepoint, Down to Three Men: The Wild Lagos Sessions Behind “Band on the Run” In August 1973, Paul McCartney flew to Nigeria to make an album. He had chosen the location the way other people choose holiday destinations: he asked EMI for a list of its studios around the world, ran his eye…
-
From Pillow-Punching Therapy to Rock Immortality: The Wild True Story of ‘Hit Me with Your Best Shot’
From Pillow-Punching Therapy to Rock Immortality: The Wild True Story of “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” Few songs in rock history have survived as many near-death experiences as “Hit Me with Your Best Shot.” Before Pat Benatar ever sang a note of it, the song was born in a bizarre therapy session involving pillows,…
-
Let’s Get Physical: How Olivia Newton-John’s Banned, Rejected Song Became the Biggest Hit of the 1980s
Let’s Get Physical: How Olivia Newton-John’s Banned, Rejected Song Became the Biggest Hit of the 1980s In the autumn of 1981, the unlikeliest sex symbol in pop music released the most sexually explicit number-one single of the decade — and then tried to stop it. She was Olivia Newton-John: the wholesome Australian-British songbird of “I…