How the Song Came to Be
Creedence ‘Green River’: Admit It, You Don’t Know the Lyrics
John Fogerty’s lyrics have a creative imagery and he has a unique way of pronouncing them. You’ve sung along dozens of times but do you know the words?
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Pilot’s ‘Magic’ Trick: Never Believe It’s Not So
The Scottish band’s one great hit was the type that you might not hear for years, but when you do, it’s instantly familiar.
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Zager & Evans’ ‘In the Year 2525’: The Gloomiest #1?
It was, to be sure, one of the bleakest songs ever to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. And then Zager and Evans never charted again.
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The Grand Funk ‘We’re An American Band’ Backstory
The song’s author, GFR drummer Don Brewer, explains how the 1973 all-time classic rock hit came about while the band was on tour. Sweet, sweet Connie…
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When Brownsville Station Were Smokin’
Back in 1973, lots of high school students took extra bathroom breaks since that was generally the only place they could light up. The backstory of a classic
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The Gentrys’ ‘Keep on Dancing’: Behind the ’60s Garage Classic
The Memphis septet took an obscure R&B tune and turned it into a top 5 rocker in 1965. The story behind the recording–and the band–is fascinating.
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Friend & Lover ‘Reach Out of the Darkness’: So Groovy Now
The peace-and-love message of the song resonated in 1968, a relic of its time
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Iron Butterfly’s Classic ‘In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida’
The single and album signaled a shift from the psychedelic sound toward something more aggressive, loud and primal. Rock fans either loved it or hated it.
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‘Brandy’ by Looking Glass (It’s a Fine Song)
For one week only, in the summer of 1972, it was the best-selling, most often played single in the United States of America.
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‘Love Me Do’: The Beatles’ 1st Single Was the Sound of Identity
We don’t talk about it as one of the great debut singles, but perhaps that’s because it transcends the normal categories.
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