Professor of Rock

Sometimes the deepest cuts leave the most lasting marks. I’m talking about songs that never dominated the airwaves, but are worthy of regular rotation in our lives. Today we're celebrating 7 female hidden gems that deserve way more love than they ever received. We've got the story of Sandy Denny, the only female vocalist ever to appear on a Led Zeppelin studio album. She went toe-to-toe with Robert Plant to create a bona fide Zeppelin classic. Then there's the heartbreaking tale of an under-the-radar vocalist named Eve Cassidy who gave her final public performance while battling terminal cancer. Her haunting rendition of an iconic track became her devastating farewell to the world. Then there was the prolific male songwriter from ABBA who wrote a song about his brutal divorce… just so happens that the woman he was divorcing was the singer in his band and she had to sing this song next to him for years... and hear it for the next 45 years when it became a classic. Add to that stalker survivor Sarah McLachlan, and Kate Schellenbach, the only woman to ever be called a Beastie Boy, and you know this is going to be a must-watch episode. Let’s get started. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Despite its eventual historic significance, there was a moment when the band’s iconic lead singer contemplated scrapping one of the greatest albums ever recorded, because he had second thoughts about the quality of the record. The story of what led to the creation of U2’s astonishing achievement The Joshua Tree NEXT on Professor of Rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up, some perfect songs that came out during the great downturn in mainstream music when rock was becoming extinct including Everlong, the greatest rock song of the last 30 years by Dave Grohl, a man who was in the shadow of one of the most revered frontmen in history, but he stepped out of the background and shocked the world with a one man band that I believe has superceded his original band. Then there’s the band Chumbawumba that had whose massive hit Tubthumping was flying off the shelves at record stores. But then a band member told fans she didn’t care if they shoplifted their new album…There were so many stolen copies that their label had to force stores to stop carrying the record! Then there’s the sappiest song of its time, Butterfly Kisses, that actually cost me my marriage. Plus, the haunting classic Silver Springs that was unfairly pulled from one of the biggest albums ever Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, only to end up as a hard-to-find B-side. But it made the ultimate comeback when it was recorded as part of a live album 20 years later. Sweet revenge came when it not only charted but became one of the legendary band’s most-streamed songs. Plus Mark Morrison who wrote Return of the Mack a song about a comeback while he was in prison, and the song hit #1.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up the story of a classic song from one of our most precious singer-songwriters who has a debilitating disease and won’t be with us much longer… the great Neil Diamond. We hope for a miracle, but for the time being, we can celebrate his genius as one of the most beloved icons of the 60s 70s and 80s. Today we honor his classic song "I am... I Said," that was inspired by the experience of a failed screen test for a film about one of the most controversial comedians of the 20th century. It was the most personally challenging song of his illustrious career. And it took him 4 long months to write. It was a daily battle to put the song on paper, and it truly drained him emotionally. But when it was finished, it turned out to be one of the most fulfilling songs he had ever written. In fact, it came from therapy sessions he was having at the time. However, one lyric about a chair inspired a famous journalist to write a scathing book about Bad Songs, wherein he ripped this 70s classic to Shreds… However, the fans struck back with bags and bags of hate mail, and it was so insurmountable the journalist had to write a public apology, and he very nearly retired! The story of the most ridiculed song of it’s time and a tribute to a beloved icon next on Professor of Rock. Look for the new movie about Neil Diamond's music "Song Sung Blue" with Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today we're returning to our Taboo Songs countdown, where we cover the most controversial tracks that either sparked outrage back in their day or that some modern audiences have tried to cancel…We’ve done many episodes on this and it’s become one of our most popular series. So today we’re at it again. And this time around, we’re turning up the heat… with a truly strange story. The legendary guitarist Link Wray whose distorted guitar tune Rumle became the only song in American history to be all-out banned from radio despite having zero lyrics. It was just too sinister for listeners! Then there’s the story of Cher, who was banned by the US Navy after recording a near-nude music video on a naval ship. Not only did she receive a Naval ban, but she got everyone else banned as well. Then there’s the story of a controversial track Dear God by XTC, that inspired a radio station B-O-M-B threat and a high schooler to take his principal hostage and forcibly play the song over the school’s PA system. They’re the songs that provoked outrage and were deemed too dangerous for the public. Find out which one tops the list... NEXT on the Professor of Rock.34 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.