Dolly Parton wrote both the music and lyrics to “9 to 5” by herself. She also performed the original recording,…
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Who Wrote “Respect” Before Aretha Franklin Recorded It?
Otis Redding is the officially credited songwriter of “Respect.” He recorded and released the original in 1965, two years before…
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Where Did Reggaeton Come From?
Reggaeton came from a musical exchange connecting Jamaica, Panama, Puerto Rico, New York, and the wider Caribbean. Jamaica supplied crucial…
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How Gospel Shaped R&B and Soul
Gospel shaped R&B and soul by giving singers and musicians a powerful musical language: call-and-response, improvised vocal runs, close harmonies,…
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Where Did the 808 Sound Come From?
The 808 sound came from the Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, a programmable analog drum machine introduced in 1980. Roland developed…
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Aretha Franklin: Ten Songs That Tell Her Story
Aretha Franklin’s story begins in the Black church and travels through blues, soul, pop, funk, and contemporary R&B without ever…
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Where to Start With Stevie Wonder
Start with Talking Book. Released in 1972, it is the clearest single-album introduction to Stevie Wonder’s musical world: intimate love…
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Where to Start With Prince
Start with Purple Rain. It is the clearest meeting point between Prince’s pop songwriting, electric guitar, electronic production, funk rhythms,…
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The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” at 60
Sixty years after its October 10, 1966, release, “Good Vibrations” remains a landmark because Brian Wilson made radical studio experimentation…
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My Chemical Romance’s “The Black Parade” at 20
Twenty years after its release, The Black Parade endures because My Chemical Romance made death feel communal rather than solitary.…
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