Kenneth Partridge
Joined: Jul 4, 2016
Kenneth Partridge is a music and pop-culture writer based in Brooklyn. He's written for such publications as Billboard, The AV Club, Pitchfork, and Refinery29. His hobbies include reading, running, shopping for records, and attempting to justify his love of ska.
“I Want It That Way”: How Max Martin’s ‘Melodic Math’ Led to This Enduring (and Confusing) Backstreet Boys Hit
The Surprising Name Origins of 20 Famous 1980s Bands
The Great Milli Vanilli Hoax: The Truth Behind the Music Scandal That Rocked the 1990s
The Romantic Rivalry Behind Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’
The 50-year-old song has remained relevant because, according to Dolly Parton, “Most of us have actually had a Jolene or a Joe in our lives at one time or another.”
If You Knew: The Short, Brilliant Life—and Lasting Legacy—of Jeff Buckley
If the only thing Jeff Buckley ever did was record his 1994 cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” he would still have a permanent spot in music history.
The Long, Contentious History of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U”
The winding tale of “Nothing Compares 2 U” begins in 1984, when Prince wrote the song, and continues through to 2021, when Sinead O’Connor declared it “my song.”
The Surprising Name Origins of 20 Famous 1990s Bands
Limp Bizkit did it all for the nookie ... and the chance to make people not want to listen to their music?
How Nelson Mandela Helped Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” Become a Hit
Tracy Chapman’s 1988 classic “Fast Car” might never have risen to the near top of the charts if it wasn't for a technical mishap.
The Greatest Night in Pop: 10 Facts About the Making of “We Are the World”
In the ’80s, pop music decided to take on the world’s problems. There was Band Aid, Live Aid, Farm Aid, and of course, USA for Africa's “We Are the World.”
Why Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh Turned Down the Chance to Play Doc Brown in ‘Back to the Future’
Mark Mothersbaugh—frontman for Devo, the band behind the 1980 mega-hit “Whip It”—could have also played a role in one of the biggest movies of the '80s.
1999 in Review: 25 Songs Everyone Was Listening to 25 Years Ago
From TLC's “No Scrubs” to Limp Bizkit's “Nookie,” 1999 was both a good year for pop music and a weird one.
The Complicated, Controversial History of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”
Each December, "Baby, It’s Cold Outside"—a ’40s-era American standard that some modern listeners hear as a depiction of sexual misconduct—invites a barrage of controversies, radio bans, and think pieces.
Not the Same: How Creative Strife Led to the Creation of U2’s “One”
U2 was at a breaking point when “One,” which has been repeatedly named one of the greatest songs of all time, brought the band back together.
25 Non-Christmas Things That Have Happened on December 25
Other momentous events have happened on December 25, like Washington crossing the Delaware and the birth of Jimmy Buffett.
The Truth Is Out There: The 25-Year Mystery of a Song From ’The X-Files’ Has Been Solved
For 25 years, a segment of 'The X-Files' fans have been wondering about the creative origins of a country song that played in the background of a scene in season 6. Finally, they have their answer.