Classic Tracks: John Cougar Mellencamp’s “Cherry Bomb”
John Cougar Mellencamp’s 1987 hit came from the classic album that reinvented his sound, 'The Lonesome Jubilee.'
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John Cougar Mellencamp’s 1987 hit came from the classic album that reinvented his sound, 'The Lonesome Jubilee.'
In April 2009, at a party inside Capitol Studios in Hollywood honoring his late friend George Harrison, Gary Wright found himself chatting at a...
Few songs have defined an artist, an era and an attitude quite like Jimmy Buffett's "Margaritaville," released in January 1977.
Decades later, it's difficult to put into words just how bold and fresh and affecting those opening lines were in 1969.
How Martina McBride recorded her passionate, powerful, CMA-winning anthem.
Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes and legendary producer David Kershenbaum share how they hot-rodded "Hungry Like The Wolf"—and half the 'Rio' album—to appeal to American...
Folk singer Al Stewart reinvented his sound when he met producer Alan Parsons, resulting in the classic "Year of the Cat."
Steve Earle’s ode to the city of New Orleans had a surprising start, as engineer Jason Wormer shares.
“You know, Eddie, there’s never been a blues song written about the summertime. Let’s write a song called ‘Summertime Blues.’"
Legendary producer Glyn Johns shares how The Who’s “Baba O’Riley" came together and became a classic rock staple.
A Classic Among Classics: “Blue Suede Shoes”
“Just Another Day” Turns Out to be More Timeless Than One Might Have Imagined in 1985
Observations From Early ‘80s Sound Eerily Relevant Today
Whitney Houston’s First Platinum Single, Produced by Narada Michael Walden
Stan Ridgway’s Noir-Style, Lo-Fi, High-End Sound
Musing on life and the afterlife, Iris Dement arrives
Paul Davis’ Unexpected Hit Turns Into One for the Record Books
The Tubes’ Anthemic, Zany, Crowd Favorite
Unity, Passion and Commitment Reveal the Power of Music
Leo Sayer’s Number 1 Hit, With a Fresh Groove and Memorable Hook
Pat DiNizio reworked the title of an H.P. Lovecraft short story, “Beyond the Wall of Sleep,” and the rest is rock history.
Lucinda Williams’ Breakthrough, Grammy-Winning Masterpiece
Soft Cell’s Synth-Pop Dance Hit and the Emergence of Sampled Sounds
Behind the Scenes of Bonnie Tyler’s Classic Earworm
Trying to Tone Down Prince’s Live-in-the-Studio Track
Chicago’s Horn, Vocal, Guitar-Riff Masterpiece
Live in the Studio, With Arrangements on the Spot
By 1975, British rockers Be-Bop Deluxe had recorded and released two albums on EMI’s Harvest label without much notice in the States. The first,...
In 1966, pop music was changing drastically, and so were The Moody Blues.
Blondie included “Denis” on the album "Plastic Letters," the second LP the band made in Plaza Sound, New York City, with Richard Gottehrer and...
Carl Reiner was pulling together a television special called "Wonderful World of Pizazz," which celebrated the hippie styling of the day, and wanted The...
If it had not been for producer Steve Lillywhite, Semisonic’s "Feeling Strangely Fine" and its hit single “Closing Time” would never have seen the...
“I’ll Be You,” became The Replacements’ biggest hit.
In this month’s Classic Tracks we take a look at sessions for the entire album, which included not only the Top 10 title track,...
By Matt Hurwitz. Though he no longer recalls precisely where or when “Give a Little Bit” was written, Hodgson explains, “I’ve always known that...
"Master of Puppets," Metallica’s third album, was released in March 1986 as the band’s major-label debut. Five years into their careers, they were maturing...
Everyone’s favorite hip hop anthem was the third single released off A Tribe Called Quest’s debut album, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, released on Jive...
“Punk Rock Girl,” is a tale of two musical cities—the Dead Milkmen’s hometown of Philadelphia and Austin, Texas, where producer Brian Beattie is based.
The now-classic 1980s take on a 60s soul stomper didn't find its groove (literally) until the drums were re-recorded and the track got a...
In August 1977, Cheap Trick had the lead review in Rolling Stone magazine—the same issue marking Elvis’s death—for their new album, In Color. Though a...