26 Karaoke Cover Outcharted Kid Rock
When Kid Rock kept his 2008 hit “All Summer Long” off iTunes, karaoke company Hit Masters offered its own cover for download. Rock’s recording reached No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 through radio airplay, while downloads pushed the Hit Masters version to No. 19. Rock began selling new music on iTunes in 2012; his earlier albums followed in 2013.
27. American composer Kevin MacLeod lets people use his music for free under a Creative Commons license, provided they credit him. Creators who cannot include a credit can buy a separate license. MacLeod says this approach has put his music in thousands of films and millions of YouTube videos.
28. Stevie Nicks became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. She entered with Fleetwood Mac in 1998 and was inducted again for her solo career in 2019. She is no longer the only woman to hold that distinction: Tina Turner and Carole King both received second inductions in 2021.
29. The Beatles were all still in their 20s when their breakup became public in April 1970. George Harrison and Paul McCartney were 27, while John Lennon and Ringo Starr were 29.
30. American singer Cass Elliot disliked the “Mama Cass” nickname that followed her from the Mamas & the Papas into her solo career. In a 1968 interview, she said she hoped her Las Vegas marquee would simply say “Cass Elliot,” though some early solo releases still used the old name. She made her preference unmistakable in 1973 by naming both a live album and a television special Don’t Call Me Mama Anymore.
31 SpongeBob’s Sweet Victory Download Surge
For the 2001 SpongeBob SquarePants episode “Band Geeks,” the writers considered several marching tunes for the Bubble Bowl finale. They chose “Sweet Victory” instead and built the triumphant performance around it. Co-writer Bob Kulick later said the song reached more than 300,000 downloads.
32. When Jack Gillis married Meg White in 1996, he took her surname. They formed the White Stripes the following year and divorced in 2000 but continued to tell the public they were siblings. Jack later explained that the story helped keep attention on their music instead of inviting questions about their relationship.
33. Michael Jackson once showed Rolling Stone reporter Gerri Hirshey a photograph of a woman who claimed he had fathered her child. He said she sent him a weapon and instructions to kill himself and that he kept her picture to memorize her face in case she even appeared near him. Jackson called her the real “Billie Jean” at the time, although he later wrote that the song’s character was a composite of people who had troubled his family.
34. At Hawthorne High School, Brian Wilson received an F from music teacher Fred Morgan for a composition that later became “Surfin’.” The Beach Boys released it as their first single in 1961. When Wilson returned to the school in 2018, principal Vanessa Landesfeind changed his grade to an A.
35. Robert Plant’s five-year-old son, Karac, died of a stomach infection in 1977 while Led Zeppelin was on tour. Plant and John Paul Jones wrote “All My Love” in his memory, and the band released it on In Through the Out Door in 1979. Plant recorded his vocal in one take.
36 Hurricane Benefits Funded Carter’s Defense
Bob Dylan and Jacques Levy wrote the song “Hurricane” about boxer Rubin Carter, who had been convicted of murder in New Jersey. Dylan’s performances at benefit concerts drew attention and funds to Carter’s defense, but Carter and co-defendant John Artis were convicted again at a 1976 retrial. A federal court set aside their convictions in 1985 because of racial prejudice and concealed evidence; New Jersey dismissed the charges in 1988.
37. In 2006, “Weird Al” Yankovic recorded “You’re Pitiful” after, he says, James Blunt approved the parody of “You’re Beautiful.” Yankovic planned to make it the lead single from Straight Outta Lynwood, but Blunt’s label, Atlantic Records, objected to a commercial release. Yankovic’s label left it off the album, so he offered it as a free download instead.
38. In 1969, the occult rock band Coven released Witchcraft Destroys Minds & Reaps Souls, an album steeped in Satanic themes. Its opening song was called “Black Sabbath,” and its bassist was credited as Oz Osborne. The following year, a different band called Black Sabbath released its debut album with Ozzy Osbourne as its singer. Coven’s Oz and Black Sabbath’s Ozzy were different musicians.
39. Michael Jackson’s 1985 purchase of ATV Music included publishing rights to Little Richard songs such as “Tutti Frutti.” A CNN reporter who spoke with Little Richard said Jackson offered to give him control of his music, but the arrangements were never completed.
40. While filming 14 music videos back to back, Ed Sheeran used his one day off to fly out and perform “Stan” with Eminem at the rapper’s 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. Sheeran said he flew back that night. When Eminem learned about the trip, he told Sheeran, “Anything you ever need,” and Sheeran asked him to appear at his upcoming Detroit concert. Eminem joined him at Ford Field in July 2023 for “Lose Yourself” and “Stan.”
41 Aretha Franklin’s Emergency Grammy Aria
At the 1998 Grammys, Luciano Pavarotti withdrew from a planned performance of Puccini’s “Nessun dorma” because of a severe sore throat. Producer Ken Ehrlich asked Aretha Franklin to fill in: she had sung the aria at a dinner honoring Pavarotti two nights earlier. Aretha Franklin filled in for him at “literally a moment’s notice” and sang an acclaimed rendition of the aria and received a standing ovation.
42. In 2004, Eminem dissed Michael Jackson in the video for “Just Lose It,” prompting Jackson to object publicly and consider legal action. Three years later, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, a venture co-owned by Sony and trusts formed by Jackson, bought the Famous Music catalog. Its 125,000 works included Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady.” So he ended up making money off it every time Eminem performed it.
43. In 2003, Rihanna and two school friends auditioned for American producer Evan Rogers while he vacationed in Barbados. They sang together and individually, but Rogers wanted to help Rihanna pursue a solo deal. He later recalled, “The minute Rihanna walked into the room, it was like the other two girls didn’t exist.” She went on to record a demo that included her first hit, “Pon de Replay.”
44. Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” video opens with all four band members appearing to sing in harmony. On the recording, Freddie Mercury sang all five parts of the opening harmony, layering his own voice to create the effect. Brian May and Roger Taylor joined him for the song’s later operatic section.
45. Led Zeppelin planned to play an outdoor concert in Singapore on February 14, 1972, while traveling to Australia. Singapore’s “Operation Snip Snip” immigration policy denied entry to men with long hair unless they got haircuts. Officials refused the band entry, and the concert was canceled. According to biographer Stephen Davis, the musicians were not even allowed off their plane.
15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
46 Brian May Discouraged Concert Smoking
Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May grew up with a father who smoked heavily. May said Harold smoked about 40 cigarettes a day and attributed his death from cancer to smoking. In 2005, Queen and Paul Rodgers asked audiences not to smoke at their concerts, ahead of England’s 2007 indoor smoking ban.
47. Soul Asylum’s 1993 video for “Runaway Train” showed the names and photographs of missing children and asked viewers to report sightings. Different versions featured 36 children in total. Director Tony Kaye said 21 were eventually found, and the video was updated as cases were resolved. Some discoveries were tragic, so “found” does not mean every child returned home.
48. In 1988, British indie and punk musicians released ‘Til Things Are Brighter, a Johnny Cash tribute album benefiting the Terence Higgins Trust’s HIV/AIDS work. Cash welcomed the younger artists’ interpretations; his daughter Rosanne later said the album renewed his enthusiasm. It also introduced his music to alternative audiences ahead of his 1994 comeback with producer Rick Rubin and American Recordings.
49. Michael Jackson wanted to play Willy Wonka in the 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. According to his former collaborator Marc Schaffel, Jackson recorded an original soundtrack in hopes of winning the role. Warner Bros. wanted the music but declined to cast him, so Jackson shelved it. Johnny Depp played Wonka, and Danny Elfman composed the film’s soundtrack.
50. Brian Wilson abandoned the Beach Boys’ Smile, the planned follow-up to Pet Sounds, in 1967. On February 20, 2004, he finally performed a completed version at London’s Royal Festival Hall and received a ten-minute standing ovation. Bandmate Darian Sahanaja recalled Wilson rocking back and forth backstage afterward, exclaiming, “Darian! Darian! We did it! We did it!” Wilson recorded and released the studio album later that year.
RE: Fact #4 (ABBA Declined Disney’s Lion King) – Of course! Because when I think of Africa, the first person who comes to mind is Elton John.
RE: Fact #8 (Sum 41’s Chuck Honored Pelletier) – They named that album All Killer No Filler because every track was a hit with zero dead weight.
RE: Fact #11 (Raincoats’ Nirvana Tour Never Happened) – They did an incredible cover of “Lola.” They are such a fantastic band. Kurt was a Riot Grrrl through and through.
RE: Fact #27 (Kevin MacLeod’s Free Music License) – Wow, I’ve used his site for graph paper for years and never knew about the music license.
RE: Fact #46 (Brian May Discouraged Concert Smoking) – One of my favorite things about him, other than his physics degree, is that he built his own guitar from an old fireplace mantel with his dad. The guy is seriously cool.
RE: Fact #3 (Michael Jackson’s Posthumous Album Deal) – Those songs must be bottom-of-the-barrel if Sony hasn’t found a way to squeeze more money out of the fans yet.
RE: Fact #37 (Yankovic Released “You’re Pitiful” Free) – I liked it when artists threatened to leave Spotify over Joe Rogan’s misinformation, and James Blunt threatened to release more music instead.
RE: Fact #21 (Beat It Cast Rival Gangs) – If we could all just come together and “beat it, ” the world would be much better.
If we could all beat it and unite, the world would definitely be a better place.
RE: Fact #23 (Brenda Lee’s 47 Sixties Hits) – Lee is actually the only woman inducted into both the Rock and Roll and Country Music Halls of Fame. She stood only 4’ 9”, which is how she earned the nickname “Little Miss Dynamite.” Her biggest pop hits were in the early 60s, right before the Beatles took over. She set a record for a female solo artist with nine consecutive top 10 Billboard hits between 1960 and 1962, a record that wasn’t touched until Madonna in 1986. While her last top ten hit in the US came in 1963, she kept charting for a long time and found plenty of success as a country artist in the 70s and 80s.
RE: Fact #12 (Rick Astley Rickrolled Macy’s Parade) – You wouldn’t believe the backlash it got from certain groups of people.
RE: Fact #26 (Karaoke Cover Outcharted Kid Rock) – Does anyone know WHY he refused to sell his music on iTunes in the first place? I’m genuinely asking.
RE: Fact #50 (Brian Wilson’s Smile Premiere Ovation) – Was the original stress of that ordeal part of what led him to fall under Landy’s abusive control?
No, that didn’t happen until about a decade later. This was, however, the first time Brian’s mental health struggles were really brought into the public eye.
RE: Fact #45 (Singapore Turned Away Led Zeppelin) – People often overlook that while Singapore is wealthy, it is also pretty authoritarian and has some very strict laws. They are incredibly harsh on drugs and the system is fairly biased against anyone without Chinese heritage.
RE: Fact #29 (Beatles Broke Up Before Thirty) – It’s wild to think about what they achieved by 26. What do you even do with the rest of your life after that?
RE: Fact #45 (Singapore Turned Away Led Zeppelin) – It wasn’t just them. South Korea had the Minor Offenses Act in the 70s to limit hair and skirt lengths, with police cutting hair on the spot. Albania under Hoxha banned beards and long hair. Czechoslovakia harassed long-haired men as western dissidents. Iran cracked down after the 1979 revolution. Japan had strict grooming standards in schools. In the US and UK, schools and workplaces often enforced short hair as a sign of conformity. West and East Germany, France, China, and Vietnam all had periods where long hair on men was seen as a sign of western, rebellious, or capitalist influence. It didn’t matter the political system; the 1970s were just a rough decade for anyone with long hair.
RE: Fact #11 (Raincoats’ Nirvana Tour Never Happened) – His liner notes for their record are incredibly touching. For those who haven’t read them: > “I don’t really know anything about the Raincoats except that they recorded some music that has affected me so much that, whenever I hear it I’m reminded of a particular time in my life when I was extremely unhappy, lonely, and bored. If it weren’t for the luxury of putting that scratchy copy of the Raincoats’ first record, I would have had very few moments of peace. I suppose I could have researched a bit of history about the band but I feel it’s more important to delineate the way I feel and how they sound. When I listen to the Raincoats I feel as if I’m a stowaway in an attic, violating and in the dark. Rather than listening to them I feel like I’m listening in on them. We’re together in the same old house and I have to be completely still or they will hear me spying from above and, if I get caught , everything will be ruined because it’s their thing.”
RE: Fact #10 (Tracy Chapman Replaced Stevie Wonder) – I’m not sure if he “refused” to play. I read that he left the stage in tears, and it seemed more like he just wasn’t in a state to perform.
RE: Fact #31 (SpongeBob’s Sweet Victory Download Surge) – I love that song, but I was so let down by Maroon 5. They completely ignored why people wanted them to perform it. I honestly would have preferred they just ignored the petition entirely rather than teasing a few seconds of the video and then not actually playing the song.
RE: Fact #25 (Hans Zimmer’s Lion King Requiem) – The opening lyrics are ‘Look, it’s a lion, father, yes, it’s a lion.’ I’m pretty sure that’s just a metaphor for a guy seeing a lion.
RE: Fact #20 (Silverstein’s Country And Children’s Grammys) – Don’t bother with the follow-up sequel to “A Boy Named Sue” that’s sung from the dad’s perspective. It gets pretty disturbing by the end.
RE: Fact #36 (Hurricane Benefits Funded Carter’s Defense) – There’s a pretty good movie about this too, featuring Denzel Washington as Hurricane.