Bruce Springsteen wrote "Blinded By The Light," which was a #1 hit for Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The "Madman Drummers" line is a reference to Springsteen's first E-Street drummer, Vinnie "Mad dog" Lopez.
The instrumental "YYZ" by Rush got its title from the transmitter code for Toronto's Lester B. Pearson International Airport, near where the band is from.
At the end of "Love Bites" by Def Leppard, there are some vocals that are hard to understand. It was rumored that they were: "Jesus of Nazareth, Go to Hell." It is actually producer Mutt Lange saying "Yes it does, Bloody Hell," with a thick British accent.
The Split Enz song "Six Months In A Leaky Boat" is about the journey explorers made from Europe to colonize Australia and New Zealand, where the band is from.
"Strawberry Letter 23" by The Brothers Johnson was written by Shuggie Otis, whose girlfriend would send him letters written on strawberry scented paper.
The seemingly inoffensive song, "Deep In The Heart Of Texas," was banned by the BBC when it was released in 1942. They deemed the song too catchy, with authorities in wartime Britain concerned that factory workers would be distracted if they heard it during a shift.
When you free your mind, your ass may follow, but you have to make sure someone else doesn't program it while it's wide open.
Ian talks about his 3 or 4 blatant attempts to write a pop song, and also the ones he most connected with, including "Locomotive Breath."
Some album art was at least "inspired" by others. A look at some very similar covers.
Gary Lewis and the Playboys had seven Top 10 hits despite competition from The Beatles. Gary talks about the hits, his famous father, and getting drafted.
How a country weeper and a blues number made "rolling stone" the most popular phrase in rock.
MTV, a popular TV theme song and Madonna all show up in this '80s music quiz.
