Mental Floss

MUSIC

Janis Joplin in Columbus, Ohio in the summer of 1970.

Janis Joplin didn’t have a long or prolific career. The freewheeling Texas blues-rock howler recorded just four albums between 1967 and 1970. But in that short time, she left an indelible mark on rock ’n’ roll history.

Kenneth Partridge
A 2018 Kidz Bop performance in New York City.

Unfortunately, there’s no official Kidz Bop version of “WAP.” But there’s no shortage of other comical covers to amuse yourself with.

Ellen Gutoskey


BrAt_PiKaChU/iStock via Getty Images; MTV Networks, Public Domain // Wikimedia Commons

Although MTV has more recently become synonymous with reality TV and cheap clip shows, there was a time when the network truly did live up to its name. And it all began at 12:01 a.m. on August 1, 1981.

Jon O'Brien






Lisa Loeb in 1994.

You may not remember some of these songs from the films for which they were recorded; you may have forgotten about some of these songs (or movies) entirely. But each one captures a very specific moment in the life cycle of the films, the artists, the deca

Todd Gilchrist


Brothers Russell and Ron Mael in Edgar Wright’s The Sparks Brothers (2021).

Over the past 50 years, brothers Ron and Russell Mael—a.k.a. musical duo Sparks—have been on the forefront of popular music trends, from glam rock to power pop to electronic music to new wave and beyond. Now they're the subject of Edgar Wright's first doc

Chelsea Spear






Bruno Vincent/Getty Images

Napster forever changed the way we listen to music. Here are 11 facts about this industry-changing computer software.

Kristy Puchko


Led Zeppelin lead singer Robert Plant performs at New York City's Madison Square Garden on September 3, 1971.

In the pantheon of classic rock songs, there are none more classic than “Stairway to Heaven.” Led Zeppelin’s 1971 opus has it all: mystical lyrics, memorable riffs, a monster guitar solo, and crazy urban legends involving Hobbits and the Devil.

Kenneth Partridge






David Bowie, a.k.a. Ziggy Stardust, poses for the cover of his 'Pin Ups' album in 1973.

In showbiz, personality goes a long way. Personalities go even further. From Ziggy Stardust to Sasha Fierce, artists have used alter egos as a means of stepping outside of themselves, if only momentarily.

Kenneth Partridge
Dr. Demento makes a live appearance in Los Angeles in 2014.

Radio personality Dr. Demento spent four decades curating weird novelty songs for an enraptured audience—including a young "Weird" Al Yankovic.

Jake Rossen