Coming up, we’re counting down the most Haunting female vocal performances of the 70s, including Donna Summer with a vocal on “Love to Love You Baby” that was stimulated by an explicit action in the recording studio… so explicit that when she performed the #1 hit live, it got men in attendance so worked up, she feared for her life when they rushed the stage. Then there was an oldies hit by a legendary singer — “Gloria” by Them — that was covered by Patti Smith, who added some of her own lyrics to the classic that were so provocative and blasphemous, it completely changed the meaning of the original song. Plus the mysterious song — “Angie Baby” by Helen Reddy — about a strange girl who was visited by an evil boy who then up and vanished. The song left such an eerie feeling with fans that they’ve berated the singer for years about the song’s real meaning and origin, but she’s been radio silent. Plus, the #1 hit from 1977 — “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac — that came back with a vengeance due to a viral video that gave the iconic band their biggest streaming week ever and sent sales of a boring beverage through the roof. It’s next on POR.

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On this day in 1962, Ringo Starr played his first show with The Beatles, marking the start of the classic Fab Four lineup. To celebrate, we revisit the wild story behind one of their loudest, most chaotic songs.

After Pete Townshend bragged to Paul McCartney that I Can See for Miles was the dirtiest, loudest rock song ever, Paul took it as a challenge. The Beatles responded with Helter Skelter, pushing their sound to the limit. Ringo played so hard his hands were covered in blisters and blood.

Named after a kids’ ride, the song became a heavy metal precursor—until it was tragically hijacked by Charles Manson.

The full story of a song that rocked the world… next on Professor of Rock.

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Coming up… I said I was done, but then I got overwhelming feedback to keep going, so let’s take it one by one. Today, we unravel the story of a classic sing-along #1 hit — “Big Bad John” by Jimmy Dean — whose creator quit music to make sausages… and made a fortune from it. Then there’s the song that was reconstructed from an African hunting call — “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by The Tokens — that became an all-time classic, but its original creator died young without making a dime. Fifty years later, his family and country sued Disney and finally got what they rightly deserved. And then there was the legend who wrote a scathing singalong classic ripping a two-timing, cheating girlfriend — “Runaround Sue” by Dion — that hit #1, and in the ultimate twist, the legend married this girl. Plus, the ultimate ‘kiss-off tune’ — “Hit the Road Jack” by Ray Charles — sung by a genius and written by his best friend, who was pronounced dead after a severe car crash and miraculously came back to life. And finally, our #1 song has the most haunting climactic vocal in rock history — “Crying” by Roy Orbison. We’re gonna have a blast with our countdown of the Top 10 Songs of 1961, NEXT on Professor of Rock!

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They had the fame. They had the fans. They had it all… until one decision brought it all crashing down. You loved the first one, so here’s part 2, counting down the most infamous self-inflicted wounds in rock history… career killing choices that left fans stunned, and musicians on the wrong side of history. Some of these are full-on swan dives into disaster. One Rookie hitmaker named Terence Trent D'Arby got taken down by both fans and critics after he boasted that his debut album was better than the greatest album of all time. Another musician, MC Hammer, was making $30 million a year, but couldn’t figure out his musical identity and then spent himself into bankruptcy. Going from an album that sold 18 million to one that sold 1000. That’s right…1000. Then there was The Knack that overhyped themselves so much that one fan started a grassroots campaign to destroy them, and it worked… And finally, there was The KLF that fired a machine gun on stage and then literally burned the equivalent of 1.5 million bucks as a PR stunt… Today, we’re sifting through the wreckage to bring you the stories of the dumbest decisions of the rock era… NEXT on the Professor of Rock.

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Coming up next, Supertramp, a rock band that may be the most under-appreciated of the classic rock era… We just talked about them in a countdown, and we got so many requests for a deeper dive, we went for it… This band created a classic album that plays like a greatest hits album…Including today’s focused song, The Logical Song… a song where the singer came up with 20 different similar-sounding adjectives and combined them with the sound of a famous 70s handheld video game. In fact, to this day, most people don’t know the sound is from this nostalgic game…and the sax solo was recorded in a men’s room. It all culminated in a song that Paul McCartney lists as one of his favorites, but a key band member, the co-lead, hated it. And that made the main singer and writer wonder if it would be a blessing or a curse, but the drummer knew it was a smash. In fact, this drummer bet the unsure singer 10 bucks it would be a top ten hit… He was happy to lose the bet when the record sold 20 million copies. Next up, the story of a 70s classic. On the Professor of Rock.

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Coming up, an interview with Neil Giraldo, one of the best guitarists and producers of the 80s, on a true classic from the decade. Here's how it went... Two of the best hitmakers of the time, Mike Chapman and Holly Knight, wrote a song they knew would be a smash: Love Is a Battlefield. They knew the perfect person to record it would be a legendary female rocker, Pat Benatar, who was married to Neil Giraldo, who produced and co-wrote her biggest hits. It was supposed to be the slow, methodical ballad. Neil listened to the song and, of course, he heard its hit potential. But he thought it was a little boring. So Neil decided to speed it up and turn it into an anthem… The original songwriters were pissed… They hated it at first. But I also have one of those famous songwriters, Holly Knight, here in the interview today, and we’ll find out what changed their minds. Coming up next, the story of an 80s anthem that broke MTV.

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On this day in 1977, Bachman-Turner Overdrive announced their breakup, marking the end of a remarkable run by one of the most powerful rock acts of the '70s.

In this classic interview, Professor of Rock sits down with legendary guitarist and songwriter Randy Bachman, the force behind not one but two iconic bands: The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive. One of only a handful of artists to score #1 hits with two different bands (a feat matched only by Paul McCartney), Randy shares unforgettable stories from his career.

He reveals how one of BTO’s biggest hits was never meant to be a hit at all—it started as a joke to tease his brother. But when their label didn’t hear a single on the new album, a bandmate convinced them to play the joke song... and the exec immediately knew it was gold. The only person who didn’t want to release it? Randy himself.

Hear the hilarious and surprising origin of a classic rock anthem, straight from the man who wrote it—only on Professor of Rock.

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In a world that is way too serious, we all need a lot more humor in our lives. In this episode, we’re going to spotlight 7 of the funniest non-parody songs of the Rock Era, including a Flaming Lips song about a woman who cooks with nothing but vaseline, as well as an unhinged rant about modern life that became a hilarious and accidental protest song for Gen X, plus the classic song Mellow Yellow that we’ve all been singing along to for years that has a chorus that we all thought was silly but is actually about a female uh…a word I can say on here. But you’ll find out next. And on the opposite end of the spectrum is a song by Kip Addotta that seems really dirty at first listen but is actually about FISHES. And finally, a classic song by the most underrated metal band of all time that borrowed every cliche in the book to create a song that makes us bust a gut, every time we hear it, or… even when we don’t… It’s our countdown of the Funniest Non-Parody Songs of the Rock Era, NEXT, on Professor of Rock.

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Known to many as hard and heavy rockers, Led Zeppelin has written some of the greatest pulse-pounding classics of the past half-century. But at one point they were actually called out by George Harrison for rocking too much. Challenged to bring it down a few notches, guitar virtuoso Jimmy Page composed a sonic soundscape so lush and surreal that one of rock’s premiere producers said it defied classification.

WHEN Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bohnam wrote the 70s album track The Rain Song, they put the greatest poets on notice.

Next on Professor of Rock!

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Coming up…What may be the last good year for mainstream music…There were about 10 crappy songs for every great one. But don’t worry, the 11 good ones in today’s countdown could compete with most any year... including one song that one of rock’s greatest lyricists, REM's Michael Stipe, could not figure out. The music was perfect, the melody was there, but he was fighting horrible writer’s block until he walked into the studio and came to him right then... Man on the Moon. Stipe recorded it seconds after in 1 take, and it became a classic. Then there was River of Dreams, the last big hit by Billy Joel, who at the age of 44 swore he was done with music. Sadly, it would turn out to be true. River of Dreams came in a dream and was written in the shower. Then there was the massive 80s band Duran Duran that was written off by everyone in the new decade; in fact, their record label wouldn’t even fully fund their album, but in the middle of grunge, they created Ordinary World, a song so personal it hit the top of the charts and still brings a tear to the eye. Plus Whitney Houston, who had recorded her greatest vocals even though she was sick as a dog, and Blind Melon's No Rain, a deceptively happy-go-lucky sing-along song that had a devastating secret that no one understood till it was too late. It’s all next on POR.

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