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Yacht Rock Essentials: “What You Won’t Do for Love,” the Massive Debut Single...
There was a bit of mystery and sleight of hand at play when Bobby Caldwell hit it big with his single “What You Won’t Do for Love” in 1978. But that has long since faded, and the charms of the smooth...
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Behind the Meaning of Sheryl Crow’s “Everyday is a Winding Road”
The great (and bad) thing about life is you never know what you’re gonna get. Somedays it feels like nothing could go wrong. Other days it feels like getting something to go right is an impossible...
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Post-Millennial Classic: “00000 Million,” the Mournful Closing Track from Bon...
Bon Iver‘s Justin Vernon is one of those artists who refuses to rest on his laurels, preferring to push the boundaries of his music with each new release. His 2016 album 22, a Million represented a...
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Behind the Meaning of Sabrina Carpenter’s Cinema-Inspired “Juno”
In “Juno,” Sabrina Carpenter is so in love that she’s dreaming about starting a family with her partner. Though she has many sexually charged tracks, few are as committed as this one. What screams...
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The Story Behind Funkadelic’s Unifying Hit “One Nation Under a Groove”
To the uninitiated, the whole concept of Parliament-Funkadelic can seem a bit confusing. It’s not a band but rather a collection of recording acts with George Clinton as the organizing force. During...
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The Story Behind How Kris Kristofferson Would Do Things According to Tim...
I’m gonna grab my old guitar, take a pencil from the jar, fill in the empty space … Like Kristofferson would do, sings Tim McGraw on his 2007 hit “Kristofferson.” Written by Anthony Smith and Reed...
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Behind the Changing Meaning of “Where You Lead” by Carole King
Though it wasn’t a featured song on Carole King‘s Tapestry, “Where You Lead” made enough of a splash to become one of her most memorable songs. A large part of its prestige is due to its inclusion on...
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The Meaning Behind “Mountain Song” by Jane’s Addiction and the Tragedy that...
Coming down the mountain! That’s how Perry Farrell begins “Mountain Song,” Jane’s Addiction’s alternative national anthem. When Jane’s Addiction released their debut studio album Nothing’s Shocking in...
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How Bob Dylan Changed New York’s Folk Scene with One Song
In David Browne’s new book Talkin’ Greenwich Village, the writer details the transformative history of Bob Dylan’s ’60s anthem “Blowin’ in the Wind.” Browne, a senior writer for Rolling Stone, uncovers...
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How ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ Gave New Life to Jimmy Webb’s Epic “MacArthur...
There’s a troubling moment in “MacArthur Park” where someone leaves a cake out in the rain and the singer laments he’ll never again have the recipe. Jimmy Webb’s 1968 epic, originally recorded by...
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Behind the Meaning of Katy Perry’s Eye-Opening “Chained to the Rhythm”
For a while, Katy Perry was not known as an artist who delved into politically-charged material. She wrote songs tailor made for a good time. That all changed in 2017 when she released “Chained to the...
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“He Was the One Who Would Write a Hurtful Song”: The Story Behind “How Do You...
The divisions within The Beatles were evident long before they split up. When the band stopped touring and focused only on making recordings, they began splintering and moving in different directions....
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The Electric Light Orchestra Classic That Jeff Lynne Had Some Regrets Over,...
Shortly after the release of Electric Light Orchestra‘s sixth album A New World Record, Jeff Lynne went to work on the band’s next release and locked himself inside a chalet near Lake Geneva in...
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Behind the Meaning of Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac’s “Crystal”
Sometimes lovers can grow apart. It can be hard to keep up with someone else’s changes. However, there are the love affairs that stand the test of time and hardship. That’s the driving force behind...
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The Story and Meaning Behind Deep Sea Diver’s New Single “Billboard Heart”
In 2020, Seattle-based indie rockers Deep Sea Diver emerged with their first national hit, “Impossible Weight.” After a four-year wait since the release of Impossible Weight and its title track, fans...
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The Story and Meaning Behind “What It Takes,” Aerosmith’s Hit Almost-Country...
Aerosmith made a stunning comeback in the late ’80s, rising from the has-been bin to once again stake their claim as one of the world’s finest rock bands. They were so hot that even stylistic detours...
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The Story and Meaning Behind “Hard to Say I’m Sorry,” Chicago’s Comeback Hit...
Chicago returned from a commercial slump in a big way in 1982 with “Hard to Say I’m Sorry,” which shot to the top of the pop charts. Little did most fans know the song was mostly the product of the...
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The Story and Meaning Behind “It’s a Mistake,” the Last Big Hit by Men at...
Sudden success can be as traumatic as it is joyful. Men at Work knew this conundrum all too well. In a stunning stretch of two years, the band churned out four Top-10 singles, the last of which, “It’s...
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How John Lennon’s Broken Home Led to The Beatles’ Classic “Help”
If one is a Beatles historian and fanatic, one knows that John Lennon grew up without a mother or father. Growing up Lennon was raised by his aunt and uncle, however, heartbreak didn’t stop there as...
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Yacht Rock Essentials: “Moonlight Feels Right,” the Starbuck Classic with All...
The yacht rock genre is so loosely defined that great arguments can be had about whether certain songs belong to it. But you’d find few to argue “Moonlight Feels Right,” the 1976 hit by Starbuck, isn’t...
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