How the Song Came to Be
‘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 Glory of ‘Gloria’: Behind Van Morrison’s Most Resilient Rock ’n’ Roll Anthem
One of the most beloved and oft-covered songs in the garage-rock canon started life as a single’s B-side. We take a look at the wonders of ‘G-L-O-R-I-A.’
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‘It’s the Real Thing’: When a Coke Ad Inspired 2 Hit Singles
In 1971, the creative director for the beverage’s ad agency wrote down the words “I’d like to buy the world a Coke.” His vision for a new campaign took off
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Ray Charles’ ‘What’d I Say’: An Accidental Classic
A consummate, road-tested professional, Charles sat down at his Wurlitzer electric piano and improvised a blues-based boogie-woogie riff.
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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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Sonny & Cher’s ‘The Beat Goes On’ (& On & On)…
A breakdown of the way things used to be vs. the inevitable winds of change, it gave them their third major hit. But some things, it seemed, never changed.
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John Fogerty Talks About Writing ‘Proud Mary’
50 years after he began writing one of his most-beloved songs, the musician shared how he first started writing it and how the title came to be
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New ‘Wichita Lineman’ Book: Exclusive Excerpt
The Jimmy Webb favorite, as sung by Glen Campbell, is the subject of a new book by author Dylan Jones, who has written books on David Bowie and Jim Morrison
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Queen’s Homage to Space Exploration: ’39’
The band’s guitarist, Brian May, can do many things well, one of which is to write songs. This one, about time travel, presaged his PhD in astrophysics
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Remember Nelson? Twin Brothers are Turning 50
Less than 5 years after the untimely death of their father, Ricky Nelson, Gunnar and Matthew were on top of the music world themselves
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