How Gordon Lightfoot Turned Heartbreak and History Into Rock Classics
Writing songs that felt like letters from a lonely highway or the deck of a sinking ship, Gordon Lightfoot turned heartbreak and history into chart-topping hits. And sometimes, the stories behind the songs were just as intense as the ones he told through lyrics. On this episode, we’re telling the story of one of Canada’s finest through five defining songs. Including the chart-topping hit Sundown, fueled by jealous obsession over a passionate relationship with a woman who would later be jailed in connection with the death of a major icon.. And there is also The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a song that stopped radio listeners cold—a six-minute ballad about a doomed freighter. It became one of the most haunting songs of the 70s. Plus, If You Could Read My Mind, a song that was so commercially successful, the artist’s label changed the name of the album to match it. We’re tracing the evolution of one of the premier troubadours of the rock era… NEXT on the Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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30:09
The Accidental Genius Behind “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” with Rupert Holmes
Coming up, possibly the most likable person I’ve ever interviewed. Rupert Holmes…He’s Such a great storyteller… Well it’s a special one today as he tells the story of a beloved song that was the final #1 Hit of the 70s and would’ve been the first #1 of the 80s but Payola ruined that… Escape (the Pina Colada Song) Although he did hit #1 a week into the new decade but it’s ironic that this song was the last #1 of the 70s and one of the first of the 80s because the song itself has one foot in both decades and to think it’s singer and creator had a completely different lyric when he went into the recording booth but in a split second he changed the main lyric from one unique phrase to another that was completely off the wall and the split second decision changed everything. He was freaking out because he had to some crazy word play to make the syllables fit and the song had to have a second drummer to make it all fit but it became one of the most famous songs ever… The story is next on Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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19:58
The Forgotten Legacy of Adam Ant: 7 Chart Hits and a Pop Culture Icon
Coming up, the story of the nearly forgotten rockstar Adam Ant… He should be remembered more than he is… He started out destined for the top of the charts… His mother was Paul McCartney’s housekeeper, so he ended up walking McCartney’s Dog and later got the guts to sneak into his music room. Later, he formed a band, and they actually had 7 songs in the top 40 charts at the same time… He got so big he was voted World’s Sexiest Man in an MTV poll, which may have been the strangest choice, as he beat out everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran. But it was his odd style and persona that won over everyone and influenced the biggest stars of the time, including the King of Pop. Adam Ant's music dominated the new romantic new wave landscape of early MTV. He really was the face of early MTV with Goody Two Shoes that many confused as a critique of righteous living. But as you’ll find out today, it was actually about him in a way. And later, we’d find out that he made his bandmates sign an agreement they wouldn’t drink or smoke! It’s a story that has rarely been told. Next on Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Top 5 Misheard Lyrics: From John Fogerty’s Joke to FBI Confusion Over “Louie Louie”
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25:39
Surprise Hits of the 80s: From Rush to Bowie and Mercury
Up next, we celebrate a magical year in our culture. See if you can guess the year. A wide-eyed alien named E.T. captured our hearts on the big screen, and the alien the Thing filled our hearts with fear—but over the airwaves, some of the most unforgettable songs of the Rock Era were blasting out of our speakers! Including New World Man, the only hit Rush ever had, and it was kind of a fluke. They had 3:57 of dead space on their finished album, so even though they never wrote short songs, they set a goal to write one in less than a day. Then there was Jackson Browne, who had his biggest hit ever: Somebody's Baby. But he thought it was fluff, so he refused to put it on his new album. And it may have cost him #1 and at least a million sales. Then there was Phil Oakey, who begged his label not to put out his catchy song Don't You Want Me. So, of course, it became the biggest song of the year! And finally, there was the duet Under Pressure that Freddie Mercury and David Bowie declined to sing in the same room. Crazy stories with Iconic guests…NEXT on Professor of Rock. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
A podcast celebrating the power of music - featuring stories of the greatest songs and artists of the Rock Era, as told by the artists themselves. Find the Professor of Rock on YouTube, ProfessorofRock.com or wherever you get podcasts.
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