Behind The Song

By 1981, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were barely talking, having differing opinions on the direction of The Rolling Stones. Making new music together seemed out of the question, but they were booked on a world tour, and needed an album to tour behind. That’s when engineer Chris Kimsey stepped in to save the day, poring over forgotten outtakes from the band’s previous sessions to cobble together what would become the Tattoo You album. The lead track, “Start Me Up,” was the biggest surprise to Keith Richards, who had written it as a reggae song but never liked what he heard when it was recorded. But, Kimsey found a diamond in the rough: when Richards and Charlie Watts briefly went into the rockin’ version we fans have come to know in one of those forgotten sessions. That outtake, after a little polishing, became one of the biggest hits of the Stones’ career, and it’s a miracle it was ever found to begin with. Get into the story in this episode of the Behind The Song podcast.

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He was the first former Beatle to release a Christmas single after the band broke up, and he found a way to make a Christmas song carry a message of peace and unity without being overly saccharine. But then again, he was John Lennon. Get into the story of how his and Yoko Ono’s 1971 single “Happy XMas (War Is Over)” arrived just in time for Christmas in this episode of the Behind The Song podcast.

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Neil Young’s second solo album, 1969’s Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, marked the first time he made an album with Crazy Horse as his backing band. Created in a rush of musical output from Young, concurrent with his work with Crosby, Stills, and Nash, it set the stage for the type of sound Young wanted to make as a solo artist: stripped back, without any fancy studio-created bells and whistles. Three of the songs on that album were written while Young had a fever from the flu, and one of them, “Cinnamon Girl,” led to Young earning the nickname “The Godfather of Grunge” decades later when bands like Nirvana embraced the the innovative way he downtuned his guitar. But who is the subject of this gritty, hypnotic tune? Find out in this episode of Behind The Song.

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By the time INXS released their sixth album, 1987’s Kick, the band were perched on the edge of international superstardom, a gig that the late Michael Hutchence seemed born for. Kick turned out to be their biggest success, but it was rejected at first by their US label. It may not have come out at all if it weren’t for a devilishly clever plan put into place by their wily manager. Dig in to the story of how this album overcame a major hurdle and made this band of brothers and friends into one of the biggest acts of the late 1980’s, in this episode of Behind The Song.

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By the time Bachman Turner Overdrive were ready to record their third album, Not Fragile, Randy Bachman had sent demo tapes to almost two dozen record labels, all met with rejection letters. Finally, a twist of fate led to inking a contract with Mercury Records…but they were told they were one song short of “that magic element” the label thought they needed for the album. In this episode of the Behind The Song podcast, find out how “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” was begrudgingly added to the track listing and became a number one smash for B.T.O. even though Randy Bachman had intended for the song to be nothing more than a brotherly inside joke!

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Temple Of The Dog’s short-lived status as a Seattle rock supergroup got its start as a tribute project for the late Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone, and ended up yielding one self-titled album that became a platinum seller. The idea to record songs for Wood, who died of an overdose at age 24, was the late Chris Cornell of Soundgarden’s way of coping with the grief of losing his friend, and the band he recruited as the songs became a full album included not only fellow Seattle musicians who would go on to form Pearl Jam, but a then-unknown singer who had flown up from San Diego, Eddie Vedder. Unpack the touching history of this classic tune in this episode of the Behind The Song podcast.

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“One Way Or Another” by Blondie is based on an experience frontwoman Debbie Harry had with a stalker ex-boyfriend. In an incredible turnabout of power, the song ended up being one of the major hits on the band’s commercial breakthrough album, Parallel Lines. It’s an inspirational tale about making something positive out of a very negative experience. Find out more in this episode of the Behind The Song podcast. 

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“Live And Let Die” marked some important firsts for the James Bond film franchise. It was the first 007 film to star Roger Moore as James Bond, and when it came to the music, it had a little help from some key players with Beatles pedigrees. Paul McCartney’s title theme was the first rock song ever for a Bond film, and the entire score was created by producer Sir George Martin, the fifth Beatle. Find out how it all came together in this episode of the Behind The Song podcast. 

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Eddie Money seemed to burst onto the national music scene fully formed when his self-titled debut album was released in 1977 and “Two Tickets To Paradise” climbed up the charts, but he had already traveled a long and unlikely road to get there. His journey begins in a New York City police family, quitting the force himself to travel to California, where he realized his dream to become a rock star with the help of legendary promoter Bill Graham. Let’s unpack the incredible journey of this cop-turned-rock’n’roller in this episode of Behind The Song.

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A favorite among Dead fans and casual listeners alike, “Casey Jones” has a super catchy melody and an origin story that goes back to early 1900’s Americana. It all started with a real-life train engineer whose heroic act inspired a ballad that eventually became the album closer on the Workingman’s Dead album, released in 1970. As with all things Grateful Dead, there’s a story here, and so let’s get into it in this episode of Behind The Song. 

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By the time Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers set out to record their third album, Damn The Torpedoes, they were in a legal mess with MCA Records over a contract sale which resulted in Petty losing all of his publishing rights, among other issues. In a drastic strategy to get the label off his back, he filed for bankruptcy and hid the master tapes of the material he, the band, and co-producer Jimmy Iovine were working on every day. That strategy worked, which resulted in a rare triumph for artists in the music business. When Damn The Torpedoes was released, it became their breakthrough, led by “Refugee,” a song Petty crafted the lyrics for in about 10 minutes. Dig in to the incredible story in this episode of the Behind The Song podcast.

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Without the music, the 1983 cult classic film Eddie & The Cruisers just wouldn’t be the same. And without the film, the real-life bar band band who wrote many of the songs for its multi-platinum soundtrack wouldn’t have recorded the Top Ten single from it, “On The Dark Side.” Get into the story of how John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown band got the gig of a lifetime in this episode of the Behind The Song podcast. 

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By the time David Bowie wrote the songs for his Aladdin Sane album, which was released in April of 1973, it was his first time writing as an actual rock star. Inspired by the people and places he saw in America while touring as his Ziggy Stardust concept, he called Aladdin Sane his “Ziggy Goes To America” album. Two people in particular that he met in New York City became the muse for its first single, the glam rock bop “The Jean Genie.” Get into the story in this episode of the Behind The Song podcast.

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By the time U2 recorded their seventh album, 1991’s Achtung Baby, they were exhausted from nonstop touring, going through personal struggles at home in Ireland, and were at odds with each other about which direction to take musically. So, they headed to Berlin for a fresh start, landing on the day of the German Unification after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was there that they wrote the song that put them all on the same page as a band again, the timeless “One,” a song about division that actually helped the band transition into a new decade. Get into the whole story in this episode of the Behind The Song podcast.

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The late Peter Green was one of the early guitar heroes in England, alongside names like Eric Clapton. He formed Fleetwood Mac in 1967, and their early records during his time leading the band yielded songs that were transcendent, psychedelic, and rooted in the blues music that he loved. Before quitting the band and spending many years afterward battling schizophrenia, he wrote “Black Magic Woman,” a song popularized by Santana when he covered it for his Abraxas album. Get into the whole incredible story in this episode of the Behind The Song podcast.

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“Lady” was the first of several hit Styx songs that Dennis DeYoung wrote for his longtime wife, Suzanne. It became the first hit song for the band, and it is largely held to be the very first power ballad in rock. Get into the inspiring story in this episode of the Behind The Song podcast.

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“In The City” is best known as an album cut on 1979’s The Long Run, an album the Eagles cobbled together after many months and on the heels of their epic Hotel California album and tour. But it was first co-written by Joe Walsh for the soundtrack to the cult classic film The Warriors, and it’s his version you hear in the unforgettable end scene. Find out how this song came to be recorded by both Joe Walsh and the Eagles after the film was released in this episode of Behind The Song! 

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"Right Now” by Van Halen is an inspirational song about living in the moment, but it took a long time to come together. Released on 1991’s For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, their third after Sammy Hagar joined as frontman, it was purposefully written without a trace of reference to fast cars, girls, or partying. The video for the song was so ahead of its time - dealing with world issues and cultural hot button topics - that Hagar was afraid that the lyrics he had so painstakingly penned would get lost in the concept, at first. And of course, there’s the incomparable Eddie Van Halen playing piano on “Right Now,” a musical note that has its own backstory. Unpack it all in this episode of Behind The Song! 

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In 1981, the launch of MTV coincided with the rise of Billy Squier, and the two were a match made in pop culture heaven. The year ended with a singalong performance of his holiday single, “Christmas Is The Time to Say I Love You,” filmed at the MTV studios in New York City and aired as MTV’s first Christmas special. All five original MTV VeeJays were a part of the choir: Mark Goodman, Martha Quinn, Nina Blackwood, Alan Hunter, and the late J.J. Jackson, and the moment captured both the energy of those early MTV true believers and the spirit of the season. In a twist of irony, it was another video released a few years later that got Squier into hot water with his fans! Unwrap the history in this episode of the Behind The Song podcast. Watch the video episode and subscribe to the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@behindthesongpodcast

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“Bad Reputation” is a song Joan Jett wrote while being rejected over and over by people in the music business, after realizing that she herself had gotten a bad reputation simply by being in her scandalously young former band, The Runaways. She and her producer, Kenny Laguna, were turned down so many times by record labels in the US, in fact, that they finally decided to take matters into their own hands to release her debut solo album. Dig into the very rock ‘n roll story of Joan Jett’s rise from LA teen rocker to a platinum-selling member of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in this episode of the Behind The Song podcast. Watch the video episode and subscribe to the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@behindthesongpodcast Host: Janda Lane Music Producer: Christian Lane

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“Give A Little Bit,” the opening track on Supertramp’s 1977 album, Even In The Quietest Moments….is a song that appeals to our better angels, with an idealistic message of unity and generosity. Written by Roger Hodgson when he was still a teenager, the song went on to become one of many worldwide hits for the band, has been used to represent charities ranging from UNICEF to The Red Cross, and even ended up being a princess’s favorite song. Take a closer look at this singalong song and its unifying beauty in this episode of the Behind The Song podcast. Watch the video episode and subscribe to the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@behindthesongpodcast Host: Janda Lane Music Producer: Christian Lane

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When you think about Def Leppard, country music is probably the last thing that comes to mind. This band helped usher in the second wave of British heavy metal and made it appealing to the masses with a polished, pop element to their songs that are all a far cry from the country genre. But on their fourth album, 1987’s Hysteria, an album created after the horrifying car accident that took drummer Rick Allen’s arm, the band said yes to recording a little song that their producer Mutt Lange brought to them, an acoustic number he had originally written as a country tune that became “Love Bites,” their first chart topper in the US. Unpack the lyrics and history of this song and the incredible triumph of the Hysteria album in the new episode of the Behind The Song podcast. Watch the video episode and subscribe to the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ Host: Janda Lane Music Producer: Christian Lane

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Pink Floyd’s 1979 double album, The Wall, stands tall as a body of work. A true rock opera, it tells a tale of a war orphan who grew up to become a jaded rock star, growing increasingly isolated behind a mental wall…which closely mirrors Roger Waters’ own life experiences. This epic undertaking may very well never have happened without producer Bob Ezrin, who was brought in to help the band flesh out the concept, and he’s responsible for pushing for the release of “Another Brick In The Wall Part II” as a single, one of the few songs released outside of album form by Pink Floyd. Find out more about Ezrin’s part in building The Wall in this episode of Behind The Song. Watch the video episode and subscribe to the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ Host: Janda Lane Music Producer: Christian Lane

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When David Bowie wrote “Moonage Daydream,” he didn’t actually write it for himself. Yet, the song became the pivotal hinge on which the rest of his ingenious album, 'The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars' swung. A deep cut on the album, it is the title that director Brett Morgen took for the documentary film about Bowie’s kaleidoscopic career, and for good reason: when Bowie freaked out in a moonage daydream, we all did after his fashion. Find out why this song is an important star in Bowie’s constellation of music in the 100th episode of the Behind The Song podcast. Watch the video episode and subscribe to the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ Host: Janda Lane Music Producer: Christian Lane

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“All Apologies” by Nirvana is the last song on the band that rocked a generation’s third and last album, In Utero. If the last song on an album is an indication of what might come next in musical terms from a band, fans may have had many more textured, beautiful, dynamic songs like it to look forward to, had Kurt Cobain not died at age 27 just months after it was released. Like many of his songs, the lyrics are often misheard, and even those misheard lyrics seem to make sense when he sang them. Unravel the lyrics and story of this haunting and timeless song, forever a reminder of a once-in-a-lifetime talent gone too soon, in this episode of the Behind The Song podcast. Host: Janda Lane Music Producer: Christian Lane Watch the video episode and subscribe to the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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The song "Angie," released on The Rolling Stones' Goats Head Soup album in 1973, has been the subject of much debate over the years. Is there an actual "Angie" and if so, who is she? Unravel the many rumors about the namesake of this classic tune in the new episode of the Behind The Song podcast. Watch the video episode and subscribe to the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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When the band Queen set out to make Sheer Heart Attack, their third album, much was at stake. They were embroiled in a battle over royalties with their management, and guitarist Brian May had become extremely ill while on tour as the supporting act for Mott The Hoople. Broke and finding themselves working under pressures that could have dashed their rock star dreams, Freddy Mercury somehow wrote “Killer Queen.” The whimsical song about a high-class call girl ended up being their first smash hit in the US, and its success finally helped propel the band to headliner status. Take a closer look at this killer song in the new episode of the Behind The Song podcast. Watch the video episode and subscribe to the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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When Men At Work wrote their 1982 hit, "Down Under," little did they know that it would become a worldwide smash. They were the first Australian band to have a simultaneous number one song on both the Billboard album and singles charts in the US, and the enormous success of this song introduced the world to very Australian things...vegemite spread, what it is to "chunder," and more. Unpack the meaning of this Aussie hit in the new episode of the Behind The Song podcast. Watch the video episode and subscribe to the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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When Bruce Springsteen decided to double up on songs for his 1980 album, The River, he also decided to keep its biggest hit for himself instead of giving it to the punk rock band he originally wrote it for. With a title inspired by a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, this song about the wanderlust of a traveling man resonated with fans so much that it became his first chart-topping hit, going all the way to number five on the Billboard Hot 100. Unpack the history of “Hungry Heart” in the new episode of the Behind The Song podcast. Watch the video episode and subscribe to the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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They’re not exactly as wholesome as apple pie, but they have been anointed “America’s Greatest Rock Band” for good reason. Aerosmith have sold more hard rock albums than any other American band, and they went from being an opening act to stadium headliners with the release of their third album, Toys In The Attic, released in 1975. The lead single from that album, “Sweet Emotion” marked important firsts: it was their first song to hit the Top 40 chart, and it was the first co-write credit that bassist Tom Hamilton got on the scoreboard. Steven Tyler’s lyrics are full of daggers aimed at Joe Perry’s then-girlfriend, and there is even a hidden message buried in the song. Dig in to the history of this classic tune in the new episode of the Behind The Song podcast. Watch the video episode and subscribe to the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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Bob Dylan wrote “All Along The Watchtower” for his 1967 album, John Wesley Harding, after realizing he was getting swindled by his own management and record label. Jimi Hendrix immediately covered the song for his final album, Electric Ladyland, and did such a mind-blowing job of interpreting it musically and lyrically that Bob Dylan has long admitted it to be the better version. Find out the history this classic in the new episode of the Behind The Song podcast. Watch the video episode and subscribe to the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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Straight out of Detroit Rock City, The Romantics made their first entry into the Billboard chart with a high-energy tune sung by their drummer. That song, “What I Like About You,” later became the subject of a high-profile lawsuit when it was used in a TV commercial…which made the band even more popular than when the song first was released in 1980. Get into the story of this great Motor City band in the new episode of the Behind The Song podcast. Watch the video episode and subscribe to the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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When Judas Priest released their classic British Steel album in 1980, it paved the way for metal music to really hit the mainstream, and is one of the reasons the band were finally given the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction honor. “Living After Midnight” exemplifies the greatest thing about metal to metal fans: providing an escape from the norm for a fist-pumping few powerful minutes. Get into the story behind it in the new episode of the Behind The Song podcast. Watch the video episode and subscribe to the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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“Drive” by The Cars was their biggest hit, with a video that sparked a long marriage for Ric Ocasek and supermodel Paulina Porizkova, but the song touches on unusual questions. Cruise through the history of this classic tune in the new episode of the Behind The Song podcast. Watch the video episode and subscribe to the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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Van Halen’s rip-roaring “Panama” from their classic album 1984 is a song about a car, and a girl, and it represents a joyful, pedal-to-the-metal breakout moment for the band just before frontman David Lee Roth left to find his own groove on another track. Take a ride through the history of this song in this episode of the Behind The Song podcast. Watch the video episode and subscribe to the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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Elvis Costello’s first song to chart in the US was “Watching The Detectives,” a song born out of a night spent listening to The Clash with lyrics that tell two tales. Find out all about it in this episode of the Behind The Song podcast. Watch the video episode and subscribe to the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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“Smoke On The Water” by Deep Purple is a true account of a horrific fire that the band witnessed in Switzerland while waiting to record the Machine Head album in 1971. Find out the insane story of how the band’s most well-known song came to rise out of those flames in the new episode of the Behind The Song podcast. Watch the video episode and subscribe to the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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The new episode of the Behind The Song podcast is about the lyrics and history of “Love Stinks” by The J. Geils Band. An anti-Valentine’s tune that we can all sing along to, it was written just after singer Peter Wolf divorced Faye Dunaway, one of the most famous actresses in the world. It has just enough swagger to be a fun antidote to love’s downside, and it was their biggest hit in a decade when it was released in 1980. Watch the video episode and subscribe to the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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“Don’t You (Forget About Me)” made its debut in the opening and closing credits for the 1985 movie that it was written specifically for, The Breakfast Club, and it has since made its way permanently into popular culture by being such a huge part of the classic John Hughes teen drama. It became an instant hit for the band Simple Minds, going all the way to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 Chart, but it almost wasn’t recorded by the very reluctant band at all. Find out how Jim Kerr and the rest of Simple Minds were finally convinced to do it, and the surprising number of other artists who passed entirely on recording this bonafide hit, in this episode of the Behind The Song podcast. Watch the video episode and subscribe to the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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In 1975, Paul Simon released his fourth solo album. The title track, “Still Crazy After All These Years,” was inspired while Simon was going through a rocky period in his life the year before, and it ended up being a song that so perfectly speaks to working through the beginnings and the endings of life that it has been heralded as the “Auld Lang Syne” of popular music. From when he first shared the song while he was still in the process of writing it on the Dick Cavett show, to his famous performance of it on Saturday Night Live dressed in a turkey costume, find out the backstory of this tune by one of music’s most masterful writers in the new episode of the Behind The Song podcast. Watch the video episode on the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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Over the past year, the Behind The Song podcast has explored some of the most interesting backstories and lyrics in classic rock. From Tom Scholz’s fantastic caper in making Boston’s debut album to the accidental lyrics in Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” here’s a look back at the most revelatory moments in 2021’s lineup of Behind The Song episodes. Watch the video episode on the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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Written in less time than it takes to light up the yule log, Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime” continues to be played around the world during the holiday season more than 40 years after it was released. It’s a song that showcases McCartney’s remarkable talent for creating ear candy, and it earns the former Beatle a surprisingly hefty paycheck every year. Find out all about this festive tune’s origins in the new episode of Behind The Song. Watch the video episode on the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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“Thank You” by Led Zeppelin, released on their incredible second album, shows the softer side of Robert Plant. Written for his wife at the time, Maureen, it says the heartfelt things that we often find difficult to express, and it came at a pivotal time for the band. Listen to the story of one of the greatest classic rock songs about gratitude in the new episode of Behind The Song. Watch the video episode on the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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“Eminence Front” by The Who was recorded at a crucial time for the band, after the death of drumming legend Keith Moon and during a very rocky period in songwriter Pete Townshend’s life. Listen to the story in the new episode of Behind The Song. Watch the video episode on the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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“Lunatic Fringe” by Red Rider is perfectly spooky-sounding for Halloween season, but the song is actually about something much scarier than ghosts and goblins. Find out more about how songwriter Tom Cochrane found the courage to write the lyrics after the untimely death of John Lennon in this episode of Behind The Song. Watch the video episode on the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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“Maggie May” by Rod Stewart catapulted his solo career when it was released in 1971, and it's based on a real life event that happened to the rock star. Find out more about this timeless tune in this episode of Behind The Song. Watch the video episode on the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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“Wind Of Change” by Scorpions has the rare distinction of being a history lesson within a huge rock ballad, released after the Berlin Wall came crashing down in 1989 in the band’s native Germany. In the years since, it has become a unifying theme song for the circumstances around that event, and singer Klaus Meine has surprisingly had to debunk conspiracy theories that the song was actually written by the C.I.A. as propaganda to end the Cold War. The fascination people around the world have with this song - and its iconic whistle - is a testament to the power of music. Watch the video episode on the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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“Heart Of Gold” by Neil Young is his only #1 hit, a song that was recorded in just two takes with an assembly of artists in Nashville including James Taylor and Linda Rondstadt on backing vocals. It is a song that stands the test of time, written for the Harvest album when Young was just 26 years old, and its lyrics open a window into the enigmatic inner workings of one of rock’s greatest songwriters. Watch the video episode on the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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“Silver, Blue and Gold” by Bad Company is a fan favorite from the supergroup, but it was never released as a single. Written by Paul Rodgers for the Run With The Pack album in 1976, it offers a unique look into the mindset of the private rock star, and is one of the reasons why fans can’t believe this multi-platinum arena rock band has still never been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Watch the video episode on the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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“The Boys Of Summer” by Don Henley is one of the quintessential end of summer songs, and it has a surprising history. With music written by Mike Campbell and intended for Tom Petty to sing, it ended up being the lead single on Henley’s 1984 solo album, Building The Perfect Beast, and it draws its title from both a Dylan Thomas poem and a book about baseball. Dive into the lyrics and history of this song about the girl who got away at summer’s end - and that Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac - in this episode of the Behind The Song podcast. Watch the video episode on the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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In 1976, Tom Scholz engineered one of the greatest capers in music history when he devised a plan to record Boston’s debut album his own way, contrary to how the record label executives thought it should be done. The result was one of the best-selling albums in rock and roll history, and it all started with an instrumental track that Scholz wrote while studying at MIT years before. That track grew into “Foreplay/Longtime,” one of many hits on Boston’s triumphant first album. Host Janda Lane digs into the incredible story of Boston in this episode of the Behind The Song podcast.

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In episode 71 of the Behind The Song podcast, Janda dives into the history and lyrics of "Sweet Child O' Mine" by the band once called the most dangerous in rock, Guns 'N Roses. The song, written by Axl Rose for his then-girlfriend, was a departure from the rest of the material on the band's multi-platinum 1987 debut album, and is a key factor into how the band made it successfully from LA's rock scene to the mainstream. Listen to Behind The Song where ever you get your podcasts, and subscribe to the Youtube channel at https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ. You can also follow @behindthesongpodcast on TikTok.

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In this episode of Behind The Song, Janda takes a closer look at the lyrics and surprising history of "Philadelphia Freedom" by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Written in 1975 as a tribute to John's friend, tennis legend and fellow equality icon Billie Jean King, this funky hit song plugged into the spirit of America when it was released before the Bicentennial. Watch the video episode on the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ

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Behind the Song - WDRV-FM Chicago

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Behind the Song - WDRV-FM Chicago

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Behind the Song - WDRV-FM Chicago

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Behind the Song - WDRV-FM Chicago

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A closer look at the history of Led Zeppelin's signature song.

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Behind The Song - WDRV-FM Chicago

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WDRV-FM Chicago

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