Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Sinéad O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U”
Sinéad O’Connor took a forgotten album track by The Family—that just happened to be written by Prince—and turned it into one of the biggest...
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2007
Classic Tracks: John Cougar Mellencamp’s “Pink Houses”
Early one summer morning in 1983, a 32-year-old John Mellencamp, dba John Cougar, drove himself home to Bloomington, Ind., from the Indianapolis airport.
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Classic Tracks: Elvis Costello & The Attractions’ “Pump It Up”
Conceived during a night of "assisted insomnia," Elvis Costello's "Pump It Up" has become a signature song for the artist, with its erudite wordplay...
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Classic Tracks: The Romantics’ “What I Like About You”
Sometimes the rock 'n' roll myth of using music to get out of a dead-end life actually comes to pass—much as it did for...
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Classic Tracks: Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power”
Potent to this day, the sonic assault of Public Enemy's "Fight The Power" mirrored the frustration and energy of its lyrics.
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Classic Tracks: En Vogue’s “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)”
Painstakingly built in the studio—except for the lyrics, written nearly on the fly—En Vogue's "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" is an RnB...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: David Crosby’s “Laughing”
At the dawn of the 1970s, David Crosby was on top of the rock world, as 'If I Could Only Remember My Name' and...
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Classic Tracks: Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight”
The story behind Phil Collins' classic "In The Air Tonight" and arguably the most famous drum fill of all-time.
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Classic Tracks: Van Morrison’s “Moondance”
Legendary engineer Elliot Scheiner and others look back at capturing Van Morrison's most famous album, Moondance.
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Classic Tracks: Paul McCartney’s “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey”
Only an artist with the confidence and musical genius of Paul McCartney could write a song with 12 sections and make it a hit.
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Classic Tracks: The Mamas & The Papas’ “California Dreamin'”
"Lou Adler said it best when he said to me, ‘Bones, it's not a ham sandwich and a cheese sandwich; it's a ham and...
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Classic Tracks: The 5th Dimension’s “Aquariaus/Let the Sunshine In”
The 5th Dimension's smash hit that ended up being the best-selling single of 1969 was taken from two songs at opposite ends of the...
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Classic Tracks: Bruce Springsteen’s “The River”
Take a deep dive into The River, and how 16 months of sessions resulted in Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's classic.
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Classic Tracks: Kim Carnes “Bette Davis Eyes”
Well-respected as a songwriter for hire, Kim Carnes hit it big with someone else's song...which originally sounded like a beer-barrel polka until Val Garay...
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Classic Tracks: The Police’s “Every Breath You Take”
Stewart Copeland and Hugh Padgham recall the turmoil and frustration that led to capturing the Police's classic.
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Classic Tracks: Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game”
Between that brooding, melancholy, impossibly romantic voice and languorous guitar, how could "Wicked Game" not become a hit?
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Classic Tracks: Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass’ “A Taste Of Honey”
Legendary engineer Larry Levine was so crucial to Herb Alpert's era-defining "A Taste of Honey" that it literally wouldn't have been recorded if not...
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Classic Tracks: Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love”
Tom Dowd recalls recording "Sunshine Of Your Love" as an exercise in "protecting" Ginger Baker's drums from Eric Clapton's Marshall stacks.
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Classic Tracks: Bob Seger’s “Night Moves”
'Night Moves' was a good move for Bob Seger—both the Number One single and the title track of his album released in 1976.
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Classic Tracks: Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration”
When's the last time you heard Kool & The Gang's triumphal, anthemic, R&B smash "Celebration"? At your cousin's wedding last summer?
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Classic Tracks: The Clash’s “London Calling”
For the mix of the track "London Calling," Strummer described an image of the London fog swirling off the river Thames...
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Classic Tracks: The Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive”
Written while on vacation in Bermuda and recorded on a terrible console, the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" became a disco classic.
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Classic Tracks: T. Rex’s “Bang a Gong (Get It On)”
Though many American rock fans are familiar with T. Rex's "Bang A Gong (Get It On)," which made it to Number Ten in the...
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Classic Tracks: Heart’s “Barracuda”
The first time I saw Heart perform, in 1975, they were second or third on the bill at a show headlined by the recently...
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Classic Tracks: Blondie’s “The Tide Is High”
"The Tide Is High" may be a cover of The Paragons, but the song is now firmly Blondie's own; here's how it came to...
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