MUSIC

Music History #15: "Enola Gay"

“Enola Gay” Written by Andy McCluskey (1980) Performed by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (better known as OMD) The

Music History #14: "Marie Provost"

“Marie Provost” Written by Nick Lowe (1978) Performed by Nick Lowe The

Music History #13: "Midnight Rambler"

“Midnight Rambler” Written by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards (1969) Performed by The Rolling Stones The

Music History #12: "Vagabond Ways"

“Vagabond Ways” Written by Marianne Faithfull and David Courts (1999) Performed by Marianne Faithfull The

Music History #11: "The Ballad of Ira Hayes"

“The Ballad of Ira Hayes” Written by Pete La Farge (1963) Performed by Johnny Cash The Music Folk singer and songwriter Peter La Farge packed a lot into his thirty-four years on Earth. The son of a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist was a Korean War vet, a

Music History #10: "Biko"

“Biko” Written and performed by Peter Gabriel

The Night The Beatles Rocked Shea Stadium

Though the Fab Four found it hard to remember the second occasion, the Beatles actually played Shea Stadium twice. When he was later asked about the "second Shea Stadium concert," George Harrison replied, "Did we play Shea twice?" Ringo Starr was asked th

Jonathan Dore, Flickr // CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

11 Songs Inspired by Literature

Many great rock songs have been the result of a lyricist finding inspiration in the pages of a book.

The Stories Behind 15 Albums Named After Numbers, Featuring a Lot of Van Halen

When you think about it, most album titles are a little cryptic (Fiona Apple, I love you, but that's a lot of title). But there’s something especially intriguing about a record that goes by nothing but a few digits. Those digits are usually anything but r

The Late Movies: The First 7 Videos on MTV

MTV turns 31 today. It launched one minute past midnight on August 1, 1981, with footage of Space Shuttle Columbia and Apollo 11 launches, then the words "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll," spoken by John Lack, one of the creators of MTV. An extended

How "The Power" Literally Rocked the House

Turbo B and Penny Ford, featured performers on "The Power" On July 5, 2011, the 39-story "Techno-Mart" mall in Seoul, South Korea shook for ten minutes, causing a two-day evacuation and an investigation. The cause of the tremors? Seismic experts conclu

Who Wrote "Happy Birthday to You" (and Who's Collecting the Millions in Royalties)?

“Happy Birthday to You” has been used in hundreds of movies, countless advertisements, an estimated 1,500,000+ singing telegrams, and been the basis for pieces by classical composers like Igor Stravinsky and Aaron Copland. It’s arguably the most recognize

Rihanna and Madonna attend the Tidal launch event in New York City.

The Full Names of 37 One-Name Celebrities

From A-Z, here are the full names of some of your favorite mononymous stars—and the reasons they dropped the rest of their names.

The Bass Man: A Tribute to Bob Babbitt

Think about "Tears of a Clown" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. Think about "Cool Jerk" by The Capitols. Or "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" by Stevie Wonder. Or "Rubberband Man" by The Spinners. All those mighty soul songs share a funky undercurrent, a four

11 Popular Songs That Reference Shakespeare

1. "Romeo and Juliet" – Dire Straits Dolly Parton, Steve Forbert, Elvis Costello, Michael Penn... These are just a few of many artists who've referenced the name Romeo in their songs. But this beautiful tune from Mark Knopfler stands out for its streetwis

Why Were CD Boxes So Big in the Early 1990s?

Image credit: Daniel R. Tobias/Wikimedia CommonsI was working at Tower Records back in the late 1980s, when the compact disc started replacing the vinyl LP. Beyond the arguments over the analog vs. digital sound (which continue to this day) and the higher

"Rainbow Connection," 33 Years Later

33 years ago yesterday, The Muppet Movie made its silver screen debut. Over the opening credits, Kermit played his banjo in the swamp, singing the now-iconic theme song, "Rainbow Connection." The song was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Glob

"Man of Constant Sorrow," the Blind Fiddler's Tune Everybody Knows

Bob Dylan's first national TV appearance came in March of 1963 on a program called "Folk Songs, and More Folk Songs!" He performed three songs, including "Man of Constant Sorrow," a folk tune from circa 1913, originally recorded by the partially blind fi

11 Problems Music Can Solve

Music can cheer you up when you're sad, make you dance like a fool, and allow you to drown out the world when you need to. But music has its scientific uses, too.

I Love Uke: 100 Years After Its First Wave of Popularity, the Ukulele is Back

Zooey Deschanel plays one. So do William H. Macy and Mr. Schuester on Glee. Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder accompanies himself exclusively on one for his latest album, Ukulele Songs. Meanwhile, every third TV commercial seems to feature a soundtrack of a s

The Craziest Hall & Oates Video Ever

Sometimes there's a music video that changes everything -- a video that makes your bad day turn good, turns your frown upside down, and confuses the everliving hell out of you. Today, I bring you that video. In 1976 1973, Hall & Oates made a "promotiona

11 Musicians Who Overcame Disabilities

1. Ludwig van Beethoven At age 26, the great German composer and pianist began to lose his hearing. His problems began with a severe form of tinnitus, and it's thought they may have been complicated by syphilis, lead poisoning, typhus, or possibly his hab

The Beatles Cartoons

In September of 1965, the Beatles were the hottest act in the history of show business. In addition to their millions of record and album sales and their sold out concerts all over the world, the Fab Four garnered record-high ratings on their TV appearan

The Day John Lennon Became a Disc Jockey

When John Lennon visited WNEW’s Dennis Elsas in 1974, he brought along some of his favorite records to

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