Dave Grohl joined AC/DC for “Highway to Hell” because he personally asked to perform the song with them after Foo…
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Who Wrote “Nothing Compares 2 U”?
Prince wrote “Nothing Compares 2 U.” U.S. copyright-registration records identify Prince Rogers Nelson as the author of the words and…
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Who Recorded “Hound Dog” Before Elvis Presley?
Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton made the first known recording of “Hound Dog.” She recorded it in Los Angeles on…
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What Did “Under Pressure” Give to “Ice Ice Baby”?
“Under Pressure” gave “Ice Ice Baby” its central musical hook: the repeating bass figure, rhythmic phrasing, sparse piano accents, and…
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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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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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Taylor Swift’s Debut Album at 20
As Taylor Swift’s self-titled debut approaches its twentieth anniversary on October 24, 2026, it matters because it established the method…
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“Back to Black” at 20
Twenty years after its original UK release on October 30, 2006, Back to Black endures because Amy Winehouse made musical…
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