The year opened up on a very controversial note from KISS front man/Bassist Gene Simmons over his claim that “Rock is Dead”, which we covered previously in our article, “Kiss and Makeup”. Quickly The Godfather of Shock rock, Alice Cooper, jumped in on the conversation to dispute Simmons’ claim. Taking his stance that rock is exactly where it should be and will be on the rise again, Cooper shut down “The Demon’s” pessimism. Taking things one step further was Simmons’ fellow KISS member Paul Stanley, who publicly disagreed with the statement but seemingly brushed the claim to the side and continue on with the 2021 KISS tour.
Months later and the debate still rages on in the rock world as the famous outspoken front man of Twisted Sister, Dee Snider, has made his thoughts on the matter Crystal clear. Snider told Consequence, “I wish he would just shut the hell up on all of this but he doubles down on it.” Snider goes on to say, “All that shit, it’s so self-serving and self absorbed. It’s selfish!” Dee Snider is currently promoting his new single, I Gotta Rock (Again), which can be heard below!
Dee Snider Vs. PMRC
For those unaware, Dee Snider is no stranger to standing up for what he believes in. In 1985 Dee appeared before congress to state his claim opposing the PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center) for their efforts to control and censor music they deemed offensive. Snider dressed in your stereotypical torn black 80s rock attire, minus his usual drag makeup, appealed to congress in one of the most shocking and badass instances in music history. The well spoken and educated Snider floored the panel as well as lookers on as he gave his fluent and compelling speech as to why the censorship of music is damaging to the industry. In it’s long extensive history of live events, festivals, collaborations, and rebellion, Dee Snider’s testimony to Congress may be the most badass thing to ever happen in the history of Rock. You can check out the full video of Dee’s appeal below, and check out more articles like this one right here!
Notably one of the most notoriously famous songs for it’s interesting title and lyrics, Iron Butterfly’s In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida was the product of a night of over-indulgence. Originally intended to be titled “In The Garden of Eden”, the story goes, Vocalist Doug Ingle wrote the title on the demo copy as we see it appear now while heavily under the influence. Ironically enough, the record company tasked with producing the 17 plus minute track decided to keep the name as it sounded, “Exotic” according to SongFacts, which would help them stand out to the public alongside The Beatles and Rolling Stones who had been drawing from Indian influence.
Uneasy Rider
There’s no doubt in our minds Charlie Daniels is a hell of a musician and one of, if not the best, to ever pick up the fiddle! Now as far as a mathematician goes, maybe not so much. Let’s break down the set up to the Uneasy Rider fight scene for a second, “Jes’ when I thought I’d get outta there with my skin These five big dude come strollin’ in With this one old drunk chick and some fella with green teeth” so okay not five but… Six guys right? But hey, the benefit of the doubt, maybe one of those five just deserved some more explanation due to the natural color of his teeth. Now let’s fast-forward a few verses, “Now the last thing I wanted was to get into a fight In Jackson Mississippi on a Saturday night ‘Specially when there were three of them and only one of me”, so now it’s three guys? Charlie, buddy, I don’t want to call you a liar here but your epic tale of how you escaped hillbilly hell maybe a bit of a stretch, seeing as there are so many inconsistencies. Then again, math was definitely my worst subject.
Wish You Were Here
While not exactly an unintended “lyric” this iconic piece of Pink Floyd history definitely deserves to make the list. If you’ve ever sat down and listened to the popular, Wish you were here, you may have noticed a pretty audible cough around the :44 marker. You’re not alone and you’re not crazy, the cough was left in the final track much to the disdain of the one responsible for it, front man David Gilmour. Allegedly, according to SonicScoop.com, this is what prompted Gilmour to give up smoking.
Hey Jude
Prepare your ears for this one! Near the 2:55 mark of The Beatles famous Hey Jude, should you listen closely you can audibly hear one Sir Paul McCartney, uttering “fucking hell” upon messing up a chord. Now while this clearly was unintentional, the decision to keep it in was not! The story goes that Lennon and the others found it so funny and being it was rather quiet under the music, just to leave it in the final cut. So, next time your local oldies station decides to spin the acclaimed track, keep your ears open to see if the station heads have caught on, or if you need to have a talk with the FCC.
Polly
Never the prototypical musician, Kurt Cobain was well documented for his unique approach to his music. From his throat-centric singing to his self-taught guitar techniques, Kurt could turn what some would call being “untrained” into pure gold. During the recording of Nirvana’s Polly, Cobain is audibly off on his timing coming into the third verse of the song resulting in him getting in a quick “Polly Said” before catching himself. While thia can easily be mistaken as a quick refrain before the final verse, it was completely unintentional. However, after recording fellow bandmates Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic allegedly liked how this little slip-up sounded so much they kept it in the final cut! Unintentional? Could’ve fooled us!
Cover songs have been a staple of the music industry for its entire existence. If a song is popular enough, you already know a cover will soon be on the way from any and all artists who think they can sell a few copies. With covers as popular as Elvis Presley’s entire library to Led Zeppelin’s Dazed and Confused, many of your favorite tunes are in fact covers even if you didn’t realize it! However, on the flip side of that, with so many artists synonymous with a particular sound you’d never expect them to venture out into covering something totally out of their genre wheelhouse. That’s where you’d be wrong. We’ve complied a collection of artists who covered some unexpected songs that may take you by surprise!
Purple Haze- Dion
YouTube: Modpants
Yes that’s right, the American Doo-op singer responsible for such hits as Runaround Sue and The Wanderer ventured into Hendrix! In an odd twist, Dion adopted Purple Haze into his library in 1968, just one year after Hendrix released it! The psychedelic rock anthem was slowed down and turned into more of a balled under Dion but somehow remains to be, if not becomes even more, trippy. Certainly and unexpected track from the heartbroken oldies singer, but not an unwelcome one by any means!
Faith- Limp Bizkit
YouTube: JulianOBlink
Believe it or not there are people who enjoy Limp Bizkit! Alright, jokes aside the controversial rap rock group found their success in the early 2000s with tracks like “Rollin’” and “Break Stuff” and were even used as The Undertaker’s entrance theme during his stint as The American Badass. Unfortunately for us, nobody told front man Fred Durst that rap rock and George Michael don’t mix. For reasons unbeknownced to us Limp Bizkit decided to include Michael’s 1987 Faith on their 1997 album “Three Dollar Bill, Y’all”. The kicker? While bordering on the creepy side, Durst’s opening to the song isn’t the worst thing in the world. Fret not however, just wait for the chorus and sit back as Fred and the boys ruin this classic.
Jolene- The White Stripes
YouTube: The White Stripes
The White Stripes can do no wrong! The iconic 2000s Faux Brother/Sister, Husband/Wife duo left their mark on the music industry with memorable rock tracks such as Fell In Love With A Girl, We’re Going To Be Friends, and Icky Thump. However the song that will ensure The Stripes live on forever has to be Seven Nation Army, a staple of any high-school football game or workout playlist. Always the artist, front man Jack White is no stranger to experimenting with covers, as is the case with The White Stripes rendition of the 1965 #2 hit Love Potion No.9. However it’s their iconic cover of Jolene we’re focusing on for this list. The echoing live guitar and raw emotion in the voice of Jack White coveys the emotion behind the classic Dolly lyrics. The rock rendition may be one of the finest live covers of the era and is definitely deserving of a listen if you have yet to hear it!
Heartbreaker- Nirvana
YouTube: Nirvana
Kurt, Dave, and Krist were certainly no strangers to borrowing from some of their favorite artists. With a library containing the likes of Bowie, The Meat Puppets, Lead Belly, and many others it’s no shock the band fiddled around with other cover ideas. Dating all the way back to 1987, The legendary trio broke into Zeppelin’s Heartbreaker during one of their very first live performances. Unfortunately this rendition never made it to the studio but did become available to the public courtesy of With The Lights Out and Sliver: The Best Of The Box which features early recordings, demos, live tracks and unreleased music! But the best part about this cover, “I don’t know how to play it!”
Smells Like Teen Spirit/ Wonderwall/ Etc.- Paul Anka
YouTube: PaulAnkaTV
Oh yes, that is correct. The mind behind “Puppy Love” and “Put Your Head On My Shoulder” proved he could still hang when he released his album 2005 album “Rock Swings”. The album included lounge and swing covers of the likes of Bon Jovi, Nirvana, Oasis, Survivor, Van Halen, Chris Cornell, and more! Anka undoubtedly knocked it out of the park earning himself a long deserved star on Canada’s Walk of Fame! Having the ability to take Smells Like Teen Spirit and make it easy listening even your Grandparents would call quality music is a true sign of a multitalented artist! Step aside Richard Cheese!
With a vast and ever growing world library of cover songs, these are just a handful of renditions that may have taken you by surprise! Let us know what you think down below and who’s cover caught you off guard! Be sure to check out more music related articles here and keep on rockin’ on!
Over the years there have been countless bands to climb the rock ranks to legendary status and become household names. But have you ever actually stopped to think about some of these household names? Compiled below are 6 legendary rock bands and how they got their names!
1. AC/DC
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella)
The Scottish/Australian rock group originated from brothers Angus and Malcolm Young who, upon seeing their brother George Young joining popular Australian group The Easybeats, decided to form a rock group of their own. The two would take on the name AC/DC upon a suggestion from their sister Margaret, who had seen the lettering on their home sewing machine. In case you’ve never found yourself in a situation where you needed to know, AC stands for alternating current while DC stands for Direct current when referring to electrical flow. Bonus fact time! In Australia the band is also commonly referred to as “Acca Dacca”
2. Cream
Ultimate Classic Rock
The english rock band comprised of Eric Clapton, Jake Bruce and Ginger Baker were destined for greatness right off the bat. With Clapton fresh off a run with The Yardbyrds, Baker earing an elite reputation for himself as the drummer for The Graham Bond Organisation alongside future future Cream-mate Jake Bruce. The band was formed as a gathering of the elite of the elite, the name Cream derives from the idea they are the “Cream of The Crop” in the music industry, a statement i’m sure Macho ManRandy Savage would definatelt agree with.
3. Golden Earring
The Math factor Podcast
Golden Earring, one of the most underrated bands of all time in my opinion, originally went under the name The Tornados before realizing the name had already been in use. The band would rename themselves “The Golden Earrings” after an instrumental piece by The Hunters of the same name. Eventually the band would settle on just simply Golden Earring.
4. Journey
journeyworld.com
Forming in 1973 under the name The Golden Gate Rhythm Section the band decided to hold a radio contest and allow the fans to select their new name. Not thrilled with any of the results that came back, it was a roadie who had been traveling with the band that suggested the name Journey. The band all agreed and have been rocking with us ever since!
5. Led Zeppelin
Tone Deaf
Led Zeppelin… Really think about that for a second, a household name most of us say on a regular basis without even batting an eye. The story goes that Robert Plant was ready to start a musical supergroup and was kicking around this idea with Who drummer Keith Moon who supposedly told him his idea would go down like a lead balloon. Balloon, Zeppelin, same thing right? Well Plant sure seemed to think so anyway.
6. The Foo Fighters
Mojo Magazine
Not one, not two but three legendary rock bands lace Dave Grohl’s historic career! How does the drummer from one o if not THE most over band of the 90s step out and begin a band of his own outside of that shadow? Nevertheless one with as clever and catchy name as the simply titled Nirvana. Two words, Foo Fighters. Admit it if you’ve ever heard the name Foo Fighters on the radio, fan or not, you’ve wondered where the hell that name could come from! Really it’s quite simple, UFOs. That’s right, Foo Fighters is allegedly a name that was given by allied aircraft pilots for unidentified flying objects. Meaning the Foo Fighters are quite literally out if this world!
Regardless of how they acquired these names one thing is always going to be for certain. If the word, object, or idea your band was named after takes a backseat to your band in terms of word association or recognition, you’ve made it.
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