MUSIC HISTORY

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.