MUSIC HISTORY

To rock snobs, art-school students, and dads everywhere, the Velvet Underground are the cornerstone of rock and roll. Here are 11 facts on their background and influence.

With the Cable Music Channel, Ted Turner tried to take on MTV and failed—but somehow still managed to win.

The groundbreaking artist made history in 1999 with his album ‘Hours’ when he sold it as an internet download before it hit stores: “Mark my words … we are not going back to record companies and through shops.”

From a heartfelt spiritual, to a children’s campfire song, to a powerful protest anthem, to a derisive phrase, “Kumbaya” is certainly a bit of a musical chameleon. 

From Milli Vanilli’s “Girl, You Know It’s True” to Technotronic’s “Pump Up the Jam,” these songs all made it to the Billboard Hot 100—and they all had something to hide.

Long before he was Calvin Coolidge’s vice president, Charles Dawes wrote an instrumental piece called “Melody in A Major” that later became a #1 hit.

The animated rapping cat helped propel “Opposite’s Attract” to No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1990—and he still occasionally pops up in some surprising places.

From Leonard Cohen’s “Chelsea Hotel #2” to Jesse Jo Stark’s “Chelsea Hotel,” these songs capture the mythos of the inimitable Hotel Chelsea.

How Living Colour fought their way to the top of the charts—and is still going strong.

You’ve hummed along to them in the car, belted them out in the shower, and performed them on karaoke night. But do you really know what the lyrics to even some of your favorite songs are talking about?

Behind the bands Pink Floyd, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Hootie & the Blowfish were their less-famous namesakes.

“Pomp and Circumstance,” also popularly known as “The Graduation March,” is typically used during graduation processionals. Here’s why.