Behind The Song: Classic Rock Chronicles

Every year from August 1st to August 9th, Deadheads mark the “Days Between" — the span between Jerry Garcia's birth and death. In this bonus episode of the Behind The Song podcast, Janda digs into how a deep-cut song title that was only played 41 times by the band became the name of what has evolved into a high holy week for an entire community of Grateful Dead fans.

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Don Henley's “The Boys Of Summer” is a song with lyrical roots that trace back to the poet Dylan Thomas, but it got its musical start from a demo Mike Campbell played for Tom Petty -- who passed on it!  In an updated episode of the Behind The Song podcast, Janda takes a look at how “The Boys OF Summer” fits into the Eagles' story as the band winds down its farewell tour.  With Henley hinting this could be the Eagles' final year, this song about looking back has never felt more timely.

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Janda recaps night one of Rush's Fifty Something tour in Chicago on July 16, 2026— a show few fans thought they'd ever see after Neil Peart's passing in 2020. The episode covers drummer Anika Nilles winning over skeptics with a show-stopping "Tom Sawyer," the emotional Peart tributes, a full 2112 suite, a surprise nod to founding drummer John Rutsey, and the joy of watching Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson carry the band's legacy forward.

Part concert review, part love letter to five decades of Rush fandom — a reminder of why live music still hits like magic.

Spoiler alert: full setlist and show details discussed.

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Sixty-plus years in, the Rolling Stones return with Foreign Tongues — fourteen tracks featuring Paul McCartney, Steve Winwood, and a surprise turn from The Cure's Robert Smith, plus previously unheard drumming from the late Charlie Watts. Janda goes track by track through the record, digging into its riffs, ballads, and covers, and makes the case for why it's the Stones' best album in years. 

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In 1972, Led Zeppelin traded the studio for Mick Jagger’s driveway and the Rolling Stones' recording truck, after a detoured trip to Bombay reshaped their sound. Join Janda on the new episode of Behind The Song as she dives into the making of "Dancing Days," from its Eastern-tinged riff to the lyric that's baffled fans for 50 years: the lion standing alone with a tadpole in a jar. Plus: the critics who hated the Houses Of The Holy album, the tour that broke box office records anyway, and the unlikely afterlife this song had in 90’s. 

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In this episode of the Behind The Song podcast, Janda remembers the legendary Clive Davis, the music icon who almost single-handedly dragged the music industry into the rock revolution. He was a lawyer with no musical training whatsoever but with truly magic ears when it came to signing the cream of rock’s crop: from Janis Joplin to Aerosmith, The Grateful Dead to Springsteen, Santana to Billy Joel. Hear the story of how his legacy unfolded in this episode! 

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Roll the windows down and crank the volume up! In the new bonus episode of Behind The Song Janda tracks the arc of a summer day through three classic albums that vibe with the season in very different ways. From Van Halen to the Eagles to Chicago, these albums rock your glorious summer days and nights.

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How did Peter Frampton go from an industry underdog to an absolute stadium-packing global phenomenon? In the new episode of Behind The Song, Janda tracks the incredible "grind-it-out" story behind the 1976 double-album smash, Frampton Comes Alive! Did you know there was a real-life muse behind “Baby I Love Your Way,” one of the hit songs he wrote in a single day while sitting on a beach in the Bahamas? Listen to the story in this episode!

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In this episode of the Behind The Song podcast with Janda Lane, step inside Freddie Mercury’s London mansion to meet the pampered clowder of ten felines who truly ruled his world. From mandatory long-distance phone calls to check in while Queen was on the road to the song inspired by his favorite calico, Delilah, Mercury truly went above and beyond typical pet care. In fact, he was so loyal to his beloved companions that he put it in his will that they would inherit his sanctuary, long after the music stopped.

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In this bonus episode of the Behind The Song podcast, Janda shares the incredible story behind how the late, great “saxophone colossus” Sonny Rollins came to record the sax solo on the Rolling Stones hit, “Waiting On A Friend.” 

Following the passing of the jazz legend at age 95, this awesome recording remains as proof that when talented musicians respect each other, the lines between genres can completely melt away.  As Mick Jagger said: "He just blew his horn and it was beautiful."

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