MUSIC HISTORY

When Tina Turner Set a Guinness World Record

On January 16, 1988, Tina Turner performed for approximately 188,000 fans at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—and made history.

He's mad as hell and he's not going to take this anymore.

“Which Side Are You On?”: How Florence Reece Gave Strikers a Theme Song

The classic labor song "Which Side Are You On?" was born during the Harlan County Wars of the 1930s.

There are two sides to every story—and every song.

Layla in Real Life: 10 Songs Written About Pattie Boyd

The former model and ex-wife of music legends George Harrison and Eric Clapton made music history in her own right.

Johnny Cash (left) in 1969 and Elvis Presley in 1958.

Watch Johnny Cash Impersonate Elvis Presley For a 1959 Rendition of ‘Heartbreak Hotel’

Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley occasionally impersonated each other in concerts—here’s the proof.

10 Facts About The Police's 'Synchronicity'

With their fifth and final album, 1983’s 'Synchronicity,' The Police were on the verge of something big.

DNA Analysis of Beethoven's Hair Reveals New Clues About His Death

The composer suffered from hearing loss and a number of mysterious ailments before his death at age 56. His hair is providing some answers.

Posters from a Jeff Tweedy concert (left) and Lotus concert (right).

Higher Ground—Burlington, Vermont’s Beloved Music Venue—Is Releasing a Book Full of Its Iconic Concert Posters

Burlington, Vermont’s Higher Ground has a long history of producing iconic concert posters in collaboration with local arts organizations.

Illustration to Robert Burns' poem "Auld Lang Syne" by J.M. Wright and Edward Scriven.

A Brief History of "Auld Lang Syne"

On New Year’s Eve, after the ball has dropped, revelers queue up "Auld Lang Syne"—that song that makes you cry, even though you don’t understand it and know almost none of the words.

7 Christmas Songs Banned in the Past

The debate about banning “Baby It’s Cold Outside” rages on, but it’s not the only problematic Christmas carol to land on the do-not-play list.

Protestors or carol singers? The answer's not so simple.

Carol of the Bells: How a Ukrainian Protest Song Became a Christmas Staple

"Carol of the Bells" was adapted from the Ukrainian composition “Shchedryk,” a New Year’s ballad that doubled as a cry for independence in the aftermath of World War I.

Bob Geldof (L) and Midge Ure (R) outside a London recording studio while working on "Do They Know It's Christmas?" on November 25, 1984.

Band Aid: The Charitable—and Controversial—History of “Do They Know It's Christmas?”

Band Aid's charity song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" enlisted everyone from Sting to Bananarama, but its efforts to help the Ethiopian famine didn't go exactly as planned.

A Rare Recording of Stephen Sondheim’s 1948 Musical Satire ‘Phinney’s Rainbow’ Was Just Unearthed

When he was an 18-year-old sophomore at Williams College, Stephen Sondheim satirized college life with a musical about a fraternity that tries to swap out philanthropy for more parties.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono, photographed in 1980.

The Final Days of John Lennon

Shortly before 11 p.m. on Monday, December 8, 1980, John Lennon was gunned down in front of his New York City apartment building by an obsessed fan. This is the story of the days leading up to that tragedy.

Unraveling the Many Mysteries of New Order's "Blue Monday"

Equal parts happy accident and technological triumph, “Blue Monday” is a supremely weird and brilliant song that continues to pack dance floors and transfix listeners 40 years after its original release.

Swedish rockers Rednex perform in Hamburg, Germany.

The Murky Origins and Controversial History Behind the Song “Cotton Eye Joe”

Rednex's fiddle-fueled '90s hit “Cotton Eye Joe” was a reworking of an old American folk song that do-si-doed all the way to No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Punk rock fans are about to have a museum to call their own.

Vegas Calling: The World’s Only Permanent Punk Rock Museum Is Set to Open in Las Vegas in Early 2023

The museum will feature a bar, wedding chapel, and tattoo parlor.

Tablecloth featuring doodles by The Beatles.

A Tablecloth Covered in The Beatles’ ’Acid-Inspired’ Doodles Is Headed to Auction

Before their final concert, The Beatles splattered a tablecloth with food and marked it up with doodles. Today the item is worth at least $15,000.

Lizzo plays Madison's crystal flute at the Library of Congress.

How Lizzo Came to Play James Madison’s 200-Year-Old Crystal Flute During a D.C. Concert

“I want everybody to make some noise for James Madison’s crystal flute, y’all!” —Lizzo, international pop star and classical flautist.

Nirvana might have led the grunge movement, but other bands helped define the era, too.

10 of the Most Influential Grunge Artists of the ‘90s

Bands like Nirvana, Mudhoney, and Pearl Jam helped bring grunge to the mainstream in the ‘90s and defined the era.

Things went a little off the rails at times for these hard rock performers, but sometimes that's how it goes on tour.

Sympathy for the Devils: 8 of the Wildest Tour Stories in Rock Music History

From Ozzy Osbourne biting the head off a live bat during a show to Keith Richards nearly burning down the Playboy Mansion, these tour stories are some of the most notorious in rock music history.

Aerosmith and Run-DMC broke down walls—and musical barriers—with "Walk This Way."

How Aerosmith and Run-DMC's "Walk This Way" Forever Altered the Landscape of American Music

In the '80s, the destruction of two walls changed the course of human events. One was the Berlin Wall, which came down on November 9, 1989. The other was the wall separating Aerosmith from Run-DMC in the 1986 music video for "Walk This Way."

When Motley Crue became Mötley Crüe, they had no idea the umlaut "was a pronunciation thing."

From Motörhead to Mötley Crüe: A History of the Umlaut—Rock's Most Peculiar Punctuation

Where did the gothic garnish that became a trademark of rock bands like Mötley Crüe and Blue Öyster Cult get started?

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy performs during the halftime show at 1999's Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami.

Flipping Out: Revisiting the 1990s Swing Revival

In the late ’90s, young people across America fell hard for swing, a musical genre that hadn’t been popular since before their parents were born.

Picture this: A punk rock icon who wasn't even a natural blonde.

10 Facts About Blondie's Debbie Harry

Debbie Harry became a rock icon as the lead singer and co-founder of the band Blondie, but here are some things you might not know about this natural redhead.