Pat Benatar has something of an adversarial relationship with one of her biggest songs… the Top Ten 10 hit “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” It broke her career wide open. There’s a few reasons for this, but ultimately, even though she made it famous, it wasn’t her song to begin with. That distinction goes to a struggling songwriter who wrote it after punching pillows in a new age therapy session. Yeah, you can’t make this stuff up. Even though Pat doesn’t care for it, there’s no doubt that generations of fans haven’t been able to get enough of it. It’s an 80s classic rock radio staple for sure, oozing confidence and bravado, putting Pat Benatar forward as the 80s premier female rocker that would be followed by plenty of great hits like Love Is a Battlefield and We Belong.

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I can’t believe I initially stopped doing these yearly countdowns at 1994 because today’s yearly top 10 is truly great. These 10 songs were certainly surrounded by some of the worst songs ever, but they shined like the song that Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan wrote about an important landmark date in his life, 1979 but he had to use a different year than the actual one because it had better rhymes. But his hardcore producer deleted the song from the final album track list because it wasn’t good enough. This frontman was livid. He argued for it so passionately that the Producer gave him 24 hours to go back and rework it, or it was going in the trash bin. So he stayed up all night and perfected it. The next morning, it was undeniable.. It would make the album, but not only that it became the Smashing Pumpkins’ biggest hit and one of the best songs of its time. Plus, No Doubt's Don't Speak the song that was the most played song of the year, but due to a crazy technicality, the Billboard charts wouldn’t let it be included in the charts. So it was never a hit, but 30 years on, it has over 3 billion streams, plus the most Haunting Instrumental of the rock era, Children by Robert Miles. Plus Champagne Supernova by Oasis and Missing by Everything but The Girl as well as Journey Singer Steve Perry and his final song with the band When You Love a Woman. It’s all coming up on a star-studded year-end countdown.

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Today’s song Forever Young by Alphaville is a classic that every 80s kid knows by heart… But here’s the kicker… some know it as a slow methodical ballad and some know it as an up-tempo anthem. That’s because the song was released in 2 iterations, and depending on how and when you heard it, one of those versions is your memory of it. And the other crazy thing is that, even though it’s one of the most well-known songs of the 80s and it’s been used dozens of times in film and television, it was not actually a hit. Not in America. In fact, it was released 7 different times, and not one of those times did it become a hit, though we all swear it was. But when it hit #1 across the sea, the band didn’t even know how to play their instruments. Up next the story of a classic that was a disaster until the band’s engineer accidentally slowed the tempo down. Let’s do it...

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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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Today’s episode is a bottled lightning two for one. Singer Freddy Curci had Two chart dominating tracks though his bands vanished into thin air shortly after. One with the band Sheriff called When I’m With You that went to #1 in 1989 and one with Alias called More Than Words Can Say that hit #2 the very next year in 1990. So two massive hits with the same singer but two completely different bands.. He also set a Guinness World Record when he held the last note out for nearly 20 seconds. #1 hit and the second was a runner-up the very next year. It’s a lot to unravel, but it’s really cool. We’re bringing you the rare story of two bands, one singer, and two-1 hit wonders, coming up... NEXT on the Professor of Rock.

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"In 1971, up and comer Jackson Browne was working on his ‘all important’ debut album, and decided he needed to get out of LA, and take a road trip to visit the Hopi Reservation in Northern Arizona, to clear his head and discover inspiration for new material. He got as far as Winslow, Arizona, when his old Willys Jeep broke down- stranding him for two days. It could’ve been a frustrating ordeal, but instead, Jackson turned an engine-troubled adventure into an American Rock standard called Take It Easy. With a little help from a future hall of fame buddy named Glenn Frey, who lived upstairs in the same apartment complex, it became the Eagles first huge hit. With one of the greatest opening lines in rock history, as soon as radio played it, the 70s officially kicked off. With the smooth harmonies of the other band members like Don Henley. Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon, country rock was born.. The story of this endearing rock classic is coming up NEXT on Professor of Rock"

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Robert Smith of the Cure created a masterpiece in 1989 called Pictures of You after he found an old photograph of his wife Mary when there was a house fire. He immediately wrote the lyrics on what would turn out of be a stand out track on the Cure's masterwork album Disintegration along with Fascination Street, Lovesong, and Lullaby. The record label didn't believe in the album thinking it was too dark and willfully obscure. It became the band's biggest selling album ever and Pictures of You was a major reason as it was the most heart wrenching song of the late 80s. The story of a masterpiece.

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Like sonic light cutting through the darkness, listening to this track is guaranteed to take you to a higher plane. It has been called one of the of the greatest guitar songs ever written. And it contains one of the greatest solos ever played. Steve Vai’s For The Love of God came about in an instinctive moment after this virtuoso picked up his guitar and everything just started to flow. He had fasted for 10 days to gain the spiritual intuition to get to a higher vibration. But amazingly, it would sit on the shelf years before it ever made it to record. In this episode I sit down with the legendary guitar hero himself and discover the origin story of one of the most powerful and inspirational rockers of all time. Oh ya and he also tells us about losing to his son when they play this on guitar hero. It’s a good one coming.

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Description When Legendary singer guitarist Lindsey Buckingham wrote the bitter cut throat rocker Go You Own Way calling out his ex girlfriend Stevie Nicks, accusing her of sleeping around it was caustic and blatant. She had to sing it with him every single night! Fleetwood Mac had the biggest rock and roll Soap Opera ever documented. and it was all in the music we heard on the 30 million selling album Rumours. Produced by Ken Caillat Rumors had multiple dramas going on at the same time … from Mick Fleetwood to John and Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. Stevie would have her own take on the album with Dreams which had the scathing line Players only love you when they’re playing. With special guests Kenny Loggins and Neal Schon of Journey, we break down this 70s rock classic and hear the true story.

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At a massive show at Wembley Stadium, the headliner Stevie wonder was all set to play in front of 72K people and a television audience of over 600 million. When all of a sudden his main instrument with all of his pre recorded backing music was gone… He could’t play so the promoters asked a little known artist named Tracy Chapman with only an acoustic guitar to fill in. She played her song Fast Car, a stark folky acoustic song about tough times and poverty. in less than 4 mins she blew the audience away and a few weeks later due to word of mouth her debut album went from selling a few hundred thousands to over 2 million. Up next the story of a song that didn’t sound like anything on the radio and how it somehow dominated radio in 1987.

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For once on our show…A song that came from no real inspiration at all.. Just a Jingle writer forcing himself to write a song on a lazy day where he was about to sneak off to the beach or go home. Mark Foster of Foster the People wrote Pumped Up Kicks in an afternoon just messing around. He pretty much just pushed himself to write a song that would become a masterpiece. He recorded a rough demo playing every instrument . He played that rough recording for people and in the end he actually released the demo. It would become the #1 song of the year. It actually went to #1 on alternative, dance, rock and pop charts collectively. Some would even try to ban or hate on it due to it’s controversial subject, claiming it was a violent gun song but as Mark Foster explains in the interview no one bothered to really listen to the lyrics which shows that no violence occurs at all. A deep dive interview about the best song of this century thus far.. This Interview blew my mind and changed the way I look at the world as we discuss song from Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Johnny Cash and how Taylor Swift and Weezer covered it.

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Voted the greatest #2 hit in the history of Britain, this song is simply one of the finest singles of the 1980s armed with a spirit of mystery and noir by a new wave band who were kept out of #1 by one of the worst hits of it’s time… Vienna by Ultravox was an 80s phenomenon. Up next Midge Ure who wrote and sang this classic tells the story of creating this classic with it’s perfect Vilola solo. He explains that technically it was a nightmare and it took every last bit of patience and endurance to finish recording it. Midge Ure also co wrote Do They Know It’s Christmas and is one of the most under appreciated artist of the time. Middle also explains the feelings the band had as one of the dumbest songs ever was at #1 keeping Vienna from topping the charts. A blow by blow account of how Midge Ure helmed this sonic masterpiece is up next.

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Bette Davis Eyes was recorded several times and didn’t go anywhere… Then 5 years later it was re recorded with a completely different arrangment with a voice so raspy everyone mistook the singer for Rod Stewart…With Kim Carnes distinct voice, the song spread like wildfire. Bette Davis Eyes had become a quintessential 80s synth classic. It got so big its success was impossible to duplicate. It eventually took home the record of the year grammy. It went to #1 on the billboard Hot 100 for 9 weeks and it outsold almost every other single in the decade. A true bottled lightning classic. The Writers of the song patterned it after the revered movie star Bette Davis who didn’t listen to the radio. The only way She only found out when her grandchildren finally thought she was cool and told her about it.

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Former Beatle Paul McCartney was trying to establish his band Wings when he flew to Nigeria to record Band on the Run. 2 key members quite right before and then when they arrived equipment in the studio was dismal and one day when Paul and Linda were walking the streets they were threatened at knifepoint by a gang of terrorists… Paul had to keep calm if he was going to save he and wife’s life. So along with his wallet, he handed over a bag containing two of his most prized possessions... a notebook of lyrics and a demo tape of songs for his new album. Neither of which he had copies of. These thieves, having no idea who was standing in front of them, stole one of the 70s greatest #1 hits. Band on the Run alone with 70s classics Jet and Helen Wheels. After surviving the ordeal this musical genius knew he either had to track down the stolen lyrics and tape or try to remember it and recreate it… Find out what happened 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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It’s one of the most recognizable songs EVER and one that had DOMINATED Pop Culture as much as any piece of music in the modern era. Africa by Toto has been a part of a long list of tv and film placements and covered by hundreds of artists, this classic rock standard has become an immortal entry in the pages of music history. And yet the band called it a “wildcard song,” THEY ABSOLUTELY never Expected it would do anything close to what it did. Band members Steve Lukather, David Paich and Steve Porcaro tell the sensational story of a #1 hit that came from reading about a continent they’d never been to in National Geographic to the all time pop culture punchline it’s the definitive story on the making of this #1 80s hit from Jimmy Fallon to Weezer.

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In the mid-50s, a school-teacher, and a former dishwasher repairman collaborated on writing a song allegedly inspired by the suicide note of a despondent man that was included in an article published by the Miami Herald. It would turn out to be for the King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley… The song? Heartbreak Hotel. In fact the schoolteacher named Mae Axton vowed to Elvis that she would write his first #1 million seller and she did. Although Presley’s label RCA thought the song was a disaster. They hated it and predicated it would fail. It went to #1 for 7 weeks and was the biggest song of the years. Years later the school teacher who wrote it, would have a song Hoyt Axton who would write a #1 hit for Three Dog Night called Joy to the World making them the only mother and son to do so in history. Over the years the writing of Heartbreak Hotel from a newspaper article has become a mystery. Curiously, there is no evidence of such an incident in the public records of the State of Florida, nor is there any proof of a news article that was published on the alleged suicide by the Miami Herald. It’s the conflicting and mystifying story of the first #1 pop song by the King of Rock ’N Roll…NEXT on Professor of Rock.”

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This legendary singer songwriter woke up with a massive hangover after a night of partying. Multiplatinum singer songwriter Peter Frampton vaguely remembered some cool chords he’d been messing with the night before.. so at the studio a few hours later he was trying to recall the song and as he started playing his band members were ecstatic saying you have to put lyrics to that song…To which the singer replied . I can’t I have really bad hangover.. so they were like… write the song about that.. Out came one of the great 70s classic rock tunes. Do You Feel Like We Do from the classic record Frampton Comes Alive. Up next that legend tells the story on professor of rock .

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70s and 80s Legend Steve Miller was on the ropes before his career really took off.. He was still in his twenties when his label told him that after 7 straight poor selling albums, if his next one didn’t have a hit he was being kicked to the curb. Some time later he would Write that hit… a 70s classic rocker called the Joker with a timeless vernacular that defines the era Space Cowboy, Pompatus of Love, Maurice… This Rocker thought the song was just ok whereas the suits from his label were predicting it would be a smash… and for once they were right! How one of rock’s good guys stole #1 with a song that would go to #1 again 16 years later… find out next of Professor fo rock.

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After their 1995 album failed to capture the momentum that their breakdown album Blood Sugar Sex Magik did, Red Hot Chili Peppers were in a tailspin so they fired Dave Navarro and recruited original guitarist John Frusciante back into the band. At that time singer Anthony Kiedis and Flea made up with John and started their comeback album… Californication . It started out as song that Kiedis felt was his best ever lyrics but he couldn’t get the music to work. Tried 10 different arrangements but couldn’t get it. Just when they were about to finish the record John ran in and had it! the perfect music to put with lyrics. Having just relearned to play the guitar after kicking drugs, he saved Anthony’s song from the cutting room floor to return the band to #1 in 1999.

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It was one of the biggest breakups in rock history. After creating a catalog of desert island albums, Pink Floyd was torn apart by bitter feuding, behind-the-scenes schemes, and as one band member described it, “borderline megalomania.” Sadly, the inability of its two principal members Roger Waters and David Gilmour to put their differences aside made it impossible to continue. Roger Waters said that Pink Floyd was all him and tried to dissolve the band to go solo… David Gilmour and Nick Mason kept the outfit going while Waters scoffed that they couldn’t survive without him.. they answered with the 1987 record a Momentary Lapse of Reason that returned them to #1 on the rock charts with Learning to Fly and On the Turning Away. The story of the battle of Pink Floyd.

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In the 80s an up and coming band was looking to create the best album of their time. They finished half the album and took a break to gain some perspective on what they’s just written. From that break came a massive hit that started as a fast song but when it was slowed down and played on a piano instead of a guitar it became one of the most heart wrenching rock ballads of the late 80s. Michael Hutchence and Andrew Farris and Andrew Ferriss wrote most of the band hits including Need You Tonight, New Sensation, Suicide Blonde, and What You Need but they took the 4th single from their legendary 1988 record Kick called Neve Tear Us Apart to a whole new level! Which has only grown in status since Michael Hutchence’ untimely death.. It was played at his funeral. In this exclusive interview. founding band member and songwriter Andrew Ferriss tells the story of this hit and of the album from 1988. How Michael Hutchence was once complimented by Ray Manzarek of the Doors said Michael was the closest thing he’d seen to Jim Morrison. and how Michael took the vocal from Never Tear us Apart from 0-10 in seconds and made it legendary. and how when Andrew had grown sick of the song, 80,000 sports fans singing it in unison changed him…

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Up next iconic singer-songwriter Johnny Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls tells the story of one of the worst points of his life. Going through a Torrid Divorce, he had excessive Writer’s Block, and was on the verge of quitting his own band when he ran away to LA and hid away in a hotel… a major movie exec wanted him to write a song for the film City of Angels and poof--Inspiration struck! Then while composing it he broke 2 strings on his guitar, but he just kept playing and out fell a song... Called IRIS. He knew would be a hit… boy was it ever. 18 weeks at #1 on the airplay chart. He beat writer's block with perseverance. Years later he would play Iris in front of fifty thousand fans in New York when it starting pouring down rain. He was told to stop playing by the venue, afraid he risked electrocution. He kept playing making the song even more legendary. Then Taylor Swift asked John to play it with her live. All of these things have made Iris an all time classic. The way he came up with the title is hard to believe. Up next, it's the story of a classic from the man himself.

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Coming up one of the best songs of the 80s came to Tony Lewis and John Spinks of the Outfield when they were hanging out in their flat. The second they wrote down the first sentence or opening line of the song they knew they had a smash hit. The song came effortlessly in less than 20 mins from that point forward and they were exactly right… Your Love ruled radio in the summer of 1986.. A couple of working class buddies were soon hanging out at the top of the charts with Madonna, Whitney Houston and ZZ Top with their song becoming one of the all time cheating songs ever but was the girl named Josie from the song a real person? We’ll Find out next as the late singer Tony Lewis, in one of his last interviews tells us the definitive story of an 80 rock classic.

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Coming up….this artist had dabbled in a lot of different styles to great effect but then he rolled out of bed one day with an awesome song idea… Tommy James and the Shondells would go through the ringer to get Crimson and Clover done. With some serious musical experimentation that regulated in a vocal that sounded like it was underwater. No one had heard anything like. it. He did the whole thing in a couple of hours merely putting his two favorite words together which people thought had a profound message even though it meant nothing. He had the artistic freedom to do this because the Mafia or Mob ran his label and let him do whatever he wanted! As he created layers of immaculate sounds and off the wall lyrics it all came together around cool guitar effect that’s grand result was a sound unlike anything of the radio ever. It was played without consent… without permission by a DJ that Tommy had showed a rough mix of the demo to privately. Well the DJ had recorded it, unbeknownst to Tommy and played it within minutes of tommy leaving the station. It went crazy, hitting #1 instantly. Tommy James tells the story of this incredible 60s #1 Psychedelic record.

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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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Whenever anyone talk about the greatest movie soundtrack of the 80s you hear the usual suspects… Top Gun, Footloose, some might say Dirty Dancing.. or any of the soundtracks from John Hughes films from Some Kind of Wonderful to the Breakfast Club to Pretty In Pink… but the soundtrack to Rocky IV is worthy of consideration... Up next I talk to several artist who participated the franchise defining film soundtrack. Eye of the Tiger was great but Rocky IV was a better overall soundtrack album with Burning Heart by Survivor, No Easy Way Out by Robert Tepper and of course Hearts on Fire by John Cafferty of the Beaver Brown Band!. Sylvester Stallone flew John Cafferty down to where he was filming Rambo First Blood part 2 and dressing full Rambo garb asked John to sing the song that would go over the 80s greatest movie montage. He was a big fan of John’s work from Eddie and the Cruisers… and so it was that he recorded the legendary song played at the end of Rocky IV and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say the song stopped the Cold War.. Ok I’m being funny now. Here is the definitive story of the Rocky IV soundtrack with interviews with John Cafferty and Jim Peterik of Survivor who co-wrote Burning Heart that went to #2… it’s an 80s marathon coming up…

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This song came hit the top 10 in America in 1980 and sounded like it was 100 years a head of it’s time..It came on pop radio where Kenny Rogers and Christopher Cross and Olivia Newton John were the norm. Gary Numan and his 80s synth pop masterwork sounded like it was from mars. It was the instigator of new wave, of dark wave, of industrial music of Electonica or EDM. GARY NUMAN IS a pioneer of every genre just mentioned , He even looked and sounded like an android. It was awesome. With a song that came from expressing the fear he felt as a victim from a bout of road rage. He wrote the song on a bass guitar in about 15 minutes…Up next he actual pioneer tells us the first hand account of creating a song that defined the 80s and a video that defined MTV up next on professor of rock.

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Up next New Wave 80s duo Wang Chung tell the story of writing one of the quintessential pop culture hits of the 80s. singer Jack Hues was worried about using the band’s name in the chorus of the song thinking it would be cheesy instead it became a part of the lexicon of the decade. The catchphrase of the 80s. Everybody Have Fun Tonight (everybody Wang Chung Tonight ) with a video that now has to have a warning on it do to it’s whacky cinematography that could cause medical issues, the story behind a song that takes you back to the best of the 80s as both Jack Hues and Nick Feldman relate the making and recording of the song that would make them a permanent part of 80s lore.

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This multi-million record-selling artist isn’t exactly known for taking suggestions. But that hasn’t stopped legions of fans from sending him ideas for his next song. In fact, Weird Al Yankovic is bombarded with so many pitches that he has called it the bane of his existence. However, that being said... there was one time that he did make an exception. Afterall, when an 80s Icon Madonna told a friend that she wished that Weird would make fun of her smash #1 hit from 1984. Weird Al Obliged with one of his funniest take ups ever. The video and song Like a Surgeon would land the comedy genius or Sonic comic back on the billboard hot 100 and drive his album Dare to be Stupid to the top of the charts. So, get ready, it’s the completely unexaggerated, absolutely true story about one of the greatest songs of our time. Am I being sarcastic? Find out next Coming up… NEXT on the Professor of Rock.

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After starting the 80s off with a bang these historic pioneers of New Wave had been through the ringer entering the final year of the decade. The B52s were looking at slumping sales and the tragic loss of their guitarist Ricky Wilson in 1985 Kate Peirson, Cindy Wilson, Fred Schneider and co had been in decline for years. They wrote their biggest hit ever, Love Shack! They would set mainstream radio on fire with one of the most UNLIKELY party hits ever and after 13 years as a band with not one top 40 hit, they had two top 3 hits back to back…Love Shack contained the most mispronounced phrase of the decade. Up Next Cindy Wilson sets the record straight on some long held urban legends behind the one of 1989’s biggest hits and says there’s no way it should’ve been a hit. It’s a celebration of the late 80s classic Cosmic Thing.

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The 60s rock classic White Room by Cream was at least 5 years ahead of it’s time and the amazing lyrics came from one of those ‘gut check’ moments in life, when a person faces great adversity, or despair. It’s at that moment you have to make a decision to fight through the pain to get to a better place,..or.. just give up and fall into the abyss forever.. This episode is about one of those critical life-changing events...With one foot in the grave, poet Peter Brown used a flophouse to be his sanitarium to get rid of a lethal drug addiction, and turn his life around. He wrote a poem about this watershed period of his life, but mostly about his Apartment. The members of Cream Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton shortened the poem and added their heavy touch to the song to make a smash in the late 60s influencing Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath with their dynamic approach that pretty much invented heavy metal. Even though the trio only last 3 years because Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker were about to kill each other. Peter Brown was shocked when it became a hit and all time classic. the story is next on Professor of Rock,

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"On this episode, one of the greatest composers of the Rock Era, Mr. Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo wants to invite you to a party….Not just any party… "It will a party unlike any that you’ve ever attended….a party where no one’s still alive. When you arrive….please leave your body and soul at the door. Don’t run away….It’s only the story of an 80s macabre thriller called Dead Man’s Party inspired by the tragic history of a haunted hotel where 7 murders happened all at once. Danny Elfman stayed on the 11th floor where many have reported seeing the ghost of the 7 murdered. He turned it into an Oingo Boingo classic but it just missed the top 40 as did his 1985 hits weird science. the band had at least 20 classics but not one top 40 hit. Then Elfman quit too focus on composing some of the most famous scores ever such as the simpsons, Batman, and the Nightmare Before Christmas. the story is ….NEXT on Professor of Rock.”

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How does one try to break down the Led Zeppelin standard Stairway to Heaven? It’s the constitution of Rock! It’s been talked about a million times. People have been trying to figure out what it means for ages.

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Coming up the story of an all time 70s #1 hit that has as much drama and intrigue as any song every recorded an an example of everyone trying to force a song to be something it wasn’t. In the end the song won the battle. I’m talking about Papa Was A Rolling Stone by the Temptations...First of all it was 12 minutes long with the first four minutes recored as an extended instrumental section that had the legendary group furious that their vocals were being increasingly pushed to the background by an off the wall producer. Then the producer had the Dennis Edwards the singer record dozens of takes to the point of exhaustion. He also didn’t want to sing it. it got so bad that after the song was finished he was fired and it would be the last massive hit So many urban legends have been thrown around about the song and we’ll get the real story from the last remaining member of the this hall of fame group. the interview with Otis Williams set the record straight.

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After more than a decade of paying their dues on the road, nine studio albums of mixed success, and eleven singles that mostly struggled on the Hot 100… The J Geils Band was way overdue for their big break.. As luck would have it they entered the 80s just as a new sound was storming the airwaves, they finally figured out what listeners were looking for. Led by a semi risqué #1 hit, Centerfold about the singer finding out his once girlfriend is posing in magazine this song punctuated with some of the catchiest pop hooks known to the 80s, enabling this band to finally break through years after battling it out on the charts. They paid their dues for 14 years.. They ruled 1982 with Centerfold going to #1 for 6 weeks and the Title track Freeze Frame going to #4, they they pretty much vanished. It was so popular, I sang it in church as a 7 year old kid and got in huge trouble. The story of the song is . . NEXT 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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The First 3 studio albums from KISS that taught us how to rock, were actually, commercial disappointments. It was so bad Their record label Casablanca was circling the drain. It was a desperate time for Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, the principal songwriters of Kiss create a song that would vault them to superstardom and keep the band going for the long haul… So they reached deep within themselves and generated the perfect 70s rock anthem Rock and Roll All Nite and it died on the charts. Desperate to prove themselves, the head of the record label Neil Bogart hatched a plan to take their live show and bring it inside the bedroom of every teen in america… Kiss Alive would change music history and give the band theirs first huge hit an anthem of rebellion that should’ve been a #1 Hit!

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For years this rock legend had been fighting a losing battle against alcoholism and substance abuse. Ozzy Osbourne is of course FAMOUS for having an extreme on-stage persona, but in the late 80s his personal demons started to take the spotlight. In a drunken act he would forever regret, this musician went completely off the rails and assaulted his wife. Next thing he knew, he was waking up in a jail cell charged with attempted murder. How can anyone come back from something like that? Well, today we’re telling the unbelievable story of how he did. And how it all relates to a hit song he wrote for his wife called Mama I’m Coming Home. Written with guitarist Zak Wylde and Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead, this 1991 power ballad from the album No More Tears returned him to prominence in the charts.. The story is NEXT on the Professor of Rock.

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Against all odds, and against better judgement, today’s artist wrote a song that went to #1 on the Hot 100 and sold over 6 million copies…AND IT’S the WORST SONG EVER WRITTEN. To prepare for this episode, I scoured a every valid list of ‘Worst Song Ever Polls’ and was surprised to find that this 70s hit rarely made the cut… I alway try to be positive but you have to trust me, this is TRULY the worst song of all time. I don’t think there is a person living who would say otherwise. and yet is isn’t included in any of the worst songs list I’ve looked atSo, what’s the deal? Is this actually some kind of a ‘worst song hidden gem?’ I had to wonder if there are there listeners who secretly like this sort of ear poison? Today we discuss Disco Duck by Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots and how the song went from a really bad idea to a #1 hit in the middle of the disco era of the 70s. How Rick was fired for even talking about the song as it was making it’s way up the charts…

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This Legendary Rock band knew that this song would be really big. So It was perplexing when it finished in 3rd place out of the four singles released from their 1981 blockbuster album Escape. I’m talking about Don’t Stop Believin’ By Journey. It was a strange song in that Steve Perry’s immaculately sung chorus doesn’t show up until the last 30 seconds of the song and Neal Schon has a blazing solo in the first 30 seconds but it’s promise would grow over the decades after it was released and when Glee wanted to cover it in their landmark episode the Neal Schon in our interview said he was pretty nervous that it would ruin the song and turn it into Mary Poppins, taking all of the Heaviness out of it. Instead it helped turn it into the biggest selling digital rock single ever. In a star studded episode including Carlos Santana, Toto, Sammy Hagar and Panic! at the Disco, we get the story from the principal band members of Journey including Co-writers Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain and current lead singer Arnel Pineda…

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Coming up, an all time anthem by AC/DC that was completely misunderstood by the critics and haters. Thinking that Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap was evil and meant to influence children to follow Satan the 70s tune was actually inspired by a cartoon character the band members watched on the telly as little children. It was released on an album that wasn’t released in America for almost 5 years until Back in Black blew up in the early 80s. By this time their incredible singer Bon Scott had already passed away. the album went on to sell 6 million copies ever 5 years after it was recorded. The band’s label didn’t believe in Bon Scott early on and refused to push AC/DC in the states but the band proved them wrong with sold out stadiums and over 100 million records sold and has been the ultimate kryptonite to cancel culture with their no holds barred, no apologies brand or hard rock!

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When these guys were still in high school, they were late for class because they were up all night doing recording sessions with Some of the most legendary bands of the 70s… Steve Lukather and David Paich as well as the Late Jeff Porcaro formed Toto soon after and David Paich wrote the riff of the 70s classic Hold the Line in his first apartment so loud and so many times that he was evicted after other renters complained but in the end the song sold a million copies and put the band on the map. IN this exclusive interview with Steve Lukather and David Paich we get the story first hand as well as the story of 99 and how their classic logo came to be.

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He wrote and performed one of the most eartastic hook laden classics of the 80s. I Can Dream About You, the underrated top 10 hit from 1984 is true sonic time machine.. over it’s 4 minutes it transports you back the greatest year in music history. Sadly it’s singer, the great Dan Hartman would only live for another few years after it was a hit Dying at only 43 from a brain tumor… today’s story is an interesting one… He wrote this song as a demo for Daryl Hall and John Oates only they weren’t able to record it.. So he pretty much recorded the way he thought they would’ve done it imitating their sound with reverence and it was brilliant. Used for the cult classic film Streets of Fire it became a smash of the summer of 1984. Including exclusive interviews with John Oates from Hall and Oates and his former bandmate, Edgar Winder from the the Edgar Winter group, this is a cant miss.

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"Coming up, the evolution of a universal rock standard that was rescued from obscurity by a 17 year old, future icon, who happened to see a live performance of the song while watching TV in a hotel room in London. Joan Jett was touring with the Runaways when she saw the Arrows perform I Love Rock and Roll on TV. Joan made a pact to cover the song no matter what. She Knew it would be a #1 hit. It took 6 years after her band rejected it and it was released as a B-side not once but 2 times. When She finally covered it as Joan Jett and the blackhearts including Ricky Byrd on guitar it was a #1 smash. topping the billboard hot 100 for 6 weeks. The story of perseverance and destiny…is NEXT on Professor of Rock.”

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This all time rock classic appeared on the biggest selling album of all time. Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975… Already Gone was the most rocking single that Glenn Frey and Don Henley and the Eagles ever did.… It came out of funny situation…while in the backroom of a place he used to gig at Hall of Fame songwriter Jack Tempchin was thirsty and searching for something to Drink. when he opened an old fridge and found a jug full of a strange liquid. He was so thirsty he drank it… it ended up being very heavy as in no time he was three sheets to the wind. … about 20 minutes later he had written a song that would bring him Millions. Find out this and more in our new interview with Jack next.

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For a lot of US listeners, today’s band is a well-kept Canadian secret. And that’s not a good thing, because these classic rockers have turned out a killer catalog that includes multiple Top 40 hits... just not on this side of the border. It’s Tom Cochrane’ and his band Red Rider. Their classic rock battle cry: Lunatic Fringe is continually cited as one of the best one hit wonder of the 80s only it was never a hit on the charts. It missed the top 40 completely thought it did go top 20 on the rock charts IN fact Red Rider never had a top 40 hit in America. Even so Lunatic Fringe has become a classic of rock radio.... It’s a haunting battle cry, burning with righteous indignation. A call to defend the downtrodden and stand against hate. Tom’s management actually tried to talk him out of even recording it and he nearly listened to them but a devastating tragedy motivated him to see it through.. This is the story of a singer who never gave up and found redemption in the chart later on because of it… his band barely missed the U.S. top 40 for almost 20 years but his first solo single Life Is A Highway hit the top 5 everywhere.

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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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When anyone thinks of the baddest rock stars on the planet, Billy Joel would likely be at the back of the line because they judge his work and persona off of a few radio hits. Uptown Girl, Just the Way You Are, We Didn’t Start the Fire... Well that bias has caused many to miss out on one of the greatest back catalogs of songs in history and one of baddest cats in the business… Mr. Billy Joel the Piano Man. Truth is he’s one of the baddest dudes in the game and one of the greatest artists in rock history and he’s been hiding in plain site all these years. Let me just give you some starters…

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Coming up an icon of the 80s was using a urinal when a fan recognized him and came up midstream and pitched him his demo. He gave him the tape when he was finished. the icon was Rick Springfield mourned the times Jessie’s Girl was a hit. Part of the music on that demo became his top 10 hit Affair of the Heart. Then a few years later another 80s icon (Steve Kilby of the Church) was using the bathroom of a woman he had come home with and heard a strange noise in the adjacent bathtub.. He pulled back the shower curtain and found a huge Lizard lurking which inspired another great 80s song, 80s hit Reptile. These interviews as well as one with John Oates and Colin Hay of Men at Work from the stories of the 5 best underplayed hits of the 80s including One hit wonder, The Captain of her Heart by Double and the amazing Electric Blue by Icehouse. . Urinals inspiring big hits… Anxiety keeping one artist up at night… Its all hear in the best of 80s hidden gems.

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