Britney Spears | Toxic Three Rejections and a Masterpiece Rolling Stone’s #9 song of the 21st century was turned down by Janet Jackson, Kylie Minogue, and nearly killed by Britney’s own label, and yet it became the consensus greatest pop single of its generation. Rolling Stone’s ninth-greatest song of the twenty-first century was turned down […]
Nobody Wanted “Toxic” (Then It Won Everything) Read More »
Stevie Wonder | Songs in the Key of Life The Cowboy Who Almost Left Stevie Wonder showed up to his record-breaking Motown contract signing dressed as a cowboy, just months after publicly announcing he was quitting music and moving to Ghana. Songs in the Key of Life is what poured out when he changed his
Stevie Wonder Almost Quit. Then He Made History. Read More »
Prince | Purple Rain The Song That Scared Stevie Nicks Prince sent Stevie Nicks a ten-minute instrumental cassette hoping she’d write lyrics for it. She sent it back, saying it scared her, that it was too much for one person. She turned out to be right, but not in the way either of them expected.
Prince Wrote a Country Song. It Became Purple Rain. Read More »
The Police | Every Breath You Take The Most Dangerous Love Song “Every Breath You Take” is the most-played song in radio history and one of the most misunderstood, a surveillance anthem routinely mistaken for a wedding ballad by the millions who love it most. Imagine telling Sting that you played his song at your
The Police Were Falling Apart. Then Came the Riff. Read More »
Michael Jackson | Billie Jean You Already Know This Song Bruce Swedien said you can identify “Billie Jean” from three or four drum hits. But a song that sounds like pure instinct was actually ground out through months of obsessive, contentious work, ninety-one mixes, fights over the title, an intro nobody could agree on. Every
91 Mixes and They Picked Number Two Read More »
Eminem | Lose Yourself The Shot He Almost Missed Barbra Streisand read the winner’s name at the 75th Oscars, and the man who wrote the song was asleep at home. That detail pretty much explains how “Lose Yourself” ended up bigger than hip-hop. Barbra Streisand read the winner’s name at the 75th Academy Awards, and
One Take in a Lunch Break Changed Everything Read More »
Stevie Wonder | Contusion Stevie Wonder: The Visionary Virtuoso Behind ‘Contusion’ Explore the multifaceted artistry of Stevie Wonder, the genius behind ‘Contusion’ and his pivotal role in the music landscape of the 1970s. Stevie Wonder, one of the music industry’s most legendary figures, is known for pushing the boundaries of sound and creativity. Born Stevland
Unmasking the Magic of Herbie Hancock’s “Chameleon”: A Deep Dive into the Jazz Fusion Masterpiece Revisiting Jazz Greatness: A Deep Dive into Herbie Hancock and His Iconic Track
“Diving into the depths of Jazz: Unraveling Herbie Hancock’s leg…
