Professor of Rock

It’s one of the most well-known classics of the 80s but… it wasn’t actually a hit. It stopped just sort of the top 40. #41 in fact…New Wave classic Tempted by The Squeeze was an interesting one... the band recorded it with their longtime lead singer Glenn Tilbrook and then when Elvis Costello came in to produce the record, he didn’t like the lead singer's approach so he had the whole thing re-reco...

Coming up, we’re going to go behind the Top 10 songs of this same week from the year 1984. But we’re not stopping there. After we count them down, we’re re-ranking them according to all-time streams and views, to find out which one has left the biggest mark on history. This time around we’ve got some of the greatest hits from the 80s all duking it out for that coveted #1 spot. But who will be the...

Coming up, two legends and world-class storytellers share the story of one of the biggest radio songs ever. These Eyes was the first big hit written by Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings of the Guess Who. Guitarist Randy Bachman went to pick up a girl for a date and she wasn’t ready, so he sat downstairs waiting, and there happened to be an old piano there, so he wrote this little song in a few min...

For over a decade, Led Zeppelin ruled rock with an iron fist. I mean, no one else even came close. With the release of eight epic, life-altering records including the blockbusters Zeppelin IV, Houses of the Holy and Physical Graffit...they changed the landscape of rock forever… kicking out classic rock standards left and right… it all came crashing down one morning in the fall of 1980 when their D...

Up NEXT the story of one of the most mysterious, otherworldly songs of the 80s. It’s a song that absolutely hypnotizes you as a listener Eyes Without a Face by Billy Idol. Written by Billy Idol and Guitar Hero Steve Stevens for the 1984 New Wave classic album Rebel Yell. With an exotic chorus that’s sung in french. The song STARted out as a ballad but then Steve Stevens who’d written the music wal...

Coming up. It’s the story of a song that never really got its due when it was released as a single. My Best Friend's Girl by the Cars… Yeah, sure it was a Top 40 hit… but not by much. And yet I don’t think anyone today could deny that this song is an absolute classic rock staple. It’s also a signature song from a debut record so strong that honestly, it could have been released as a greatest hits...

Up next one of the coolest stories of a one hit wonder ever…This artist dropped out of high school to follow his rock and roll dreams, he scratched and clawed for 10 years before a chance meeting in an elevator gave him a shot at a record deal. Grayson Hugh arranged and helped finish a song that he knew would be a hit, but then couldn’t release it because an Icon got first dibs on releasing her ve...

Every now and again in an interview with an artist, a story is told that is so unique, Poignant and heart felt that the story enhances the song to an unparalleled level. It seems to deepen with every listen. This is the case with Marc Cohn’s hit Walking in Memphis... Most people thought this massive hit was a made up homage to an artist, poetic license on steroids, but as we’ll find out in the exc...

"In 1967, a brilliant concept album was recorded that shattered the boundaries of song arrangement, and forever changed the art of recorded music. The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Maybe Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr created a concept record about an imaginary band. They were in a race with the Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys to create the greatest r...

Today, it’s the song that drove one of the UK’s biggest bands The Cure kicking and screaming out of obscurity into the Mainstream Thematically, Robert Smith’s Lovesong was completely out of character for the pope of mope… It was an unexpected bright spot on Disintegration.. the 1989 album that makes you feel like you might never see daylight again. Don’t get me wrong, it’s easily one of the most d...

Coming up, a tale of identical twin brothers who were told by everyone in the music industry that if they wanted to make it in show business, they had to lose their thick Scottish accents. The Proclaimers had a lot against them before they hit with I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles). For example...famous British TV host Paul Yates called them “weird” on their national television debut… But they didn’t care....

Conflicting stories, throat surgery, destitution, overblown egos, and cartwheels across sports cars. It’s all part of today’s #1 80s rock anthem Here I Go Again by Whitesnake. Singer David Coverdale first recorded this song in 1982 and it went nowhere… then he was on the cusp of a break through record when he had to have throat surgery and didn’t think he’d ever sing again. He was 3 million in deb...

This is such a cool 80s story. The band the Hooters formed in 1980. they released an album independently and then took some time off when two of their principal members were hand picked to work on the 1984 blockbuster album Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual including helping with Girls Just Wanna have Fun and co-write the 1984 #1 hit Time After Time. Then they were signed by Columbia Records and rel...

IN 1983 in the midst of the 2nd British Invasion, a new wave band with a cool name almost no one could pronounce rocketed up the charts with a one-hit wonder for the ages. Kajagoogoo with the mind-blowing bass infused 1983 ditty Too Shy. They were led by a singer with one of the decade's most iconic hairstyles with one name, Limahl! The group seemed poised to be a lot more than a one-hit outfit bu...

Coming up, it’s a landmark album that is all killer and no filler. Def Leppard Hysteria… This 80s hard rock masterwork was so epic that not even two car crashes, the brave drummer who lost his arm, and millions of dollars of debt could stop it from dominating the airwaves. Actually, when today’s band got started on it, they were intentionally trying to beat out the biggest selling album of all tim...

Standing at the crossroads of her career, Stevie Nicks traded in the surefire success of Fleetwood Mac after Rumors and Tusk for a shot to prove she could do it on her own. But solo success wouldn’t come easy. Especially when two tragedies affected the progress of her album. The first of these would shake us all. The death of Beatle John Lennon The other was more personal, but still just as devast...

"One evening in the early 70s, a trio named the Bee Gees took the stage to play to a hometown crowd It was supposed to be a fun show but it turned out to be a demoralizing indicator of where their career stood at that moment. The attendees were more interested in getting drunk, then listening There was no question about it…the Bee Gees were at a crossroads… With 3 straight albums that were commerc...

Up next an interview with one of the greatest rock vocalists ever Sammy Hagar on a song that changed everything. Right Now by Van Halen. After joining of the the mighty Van Halen and having back to back #1 albums with 5150 and 0U812, the band needed to evolve with the changing times. Sammy had the lyrics to this song in his head for months but his cowriter Eddie Van Halen wasn’t on board. one nigh...

Coming up next an exclusive interview with one of the founding fathers of New Wave. Singer and snazzy dresser Martin Fry of ABC He helped the brits battle it out in the second british wave in the 80s. He tells us about his band’s signature hit, the elegant synth pop masterwork The Look of Love. It lit up both sides of the Atlantic. Most think it’s a happy song because of the music but it actually...

When hot shot rookie Terrence Trent Darby arrived on the scene, he was hailed a rival to the biggest names in music history. but there’s a catch, he was the one who started the rumor. With his eyes firmly fixed on rock immortality not only did he declare himself a musical genius, but he claimed his debut was better than the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper. However, the self-hype started to get so big that pe...

The story of the desolation of the Police and the birth of Sting’s first solo hit, If You Love Somebody Set Them Free, as song he wrote as a remedy to the disturbing stalker #1 hit of 1983, Every Breath You take. After 4 straight #1 albums in the UK, their first #1 Album in America, and first #1 Single… the Police were on top of the world. No one was bigger than they were at the time. Which made w...

Visit https://iolo.com/professorofrock and use code PROFESSOROFROCK to get 60% off System Mechanic Ultimate Defense with 30 Days of FREE 24/7 Live Tech Support. Thanks for Sponsoring the video iolo! Today’s song contains one of the most iconic opening riffs of all time… from one of the most notorious and dangerous bands of the 80s: Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses. Learn more about your ad cho...

Shrouded in the intrigue of an urban myth about a deadly acid trip, and cryptic lyrics, many shared that this 70s classic was about a suicide. American Girl by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers etched the superstar onto the Mt. Rushmore of rock n’ roll storytellers. The fact & fiction surrounding one of the greatest rock songs ever. IN hindsight it’s actually this Tom and his band the Heartbreak...

Coming up and interview with a musical genius, one of the word’s greatest living guitarists Carlos Santana. This interview blew my mind. He’s such a guru. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Coming up the last great power Ballad of the 80s, I Remember You by Skid Row. And it almost didn’t make it onto the record because the band thought it was just okay. In fact, their exact thinking is that it was cheesy even though it rocked harder than most ballads… Well, their label and management both felt it would be a smash as did the band’s friend John Bon Jovi. So Dave the Snake Sabo, Rachel...