MUSIC HISTORY

Britney Spears performing at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards.

12 Surprising Facts About Britney Spears

Britney Spears’s songs, music videos, and live performances defined an era and inspired an entire generation of future pop stars.

The Backstreet Boys in a late ’90s portrait session.

“I Want It That Way”: How Max Martin’s ‘Melodic Math’ Led to This Enduring (and Confusing) Backstreet Boys Hit

The Backstreet Boys’ 1999 smash “I Want It That Way,” which celebrates its 25th anniversary in April 2024, is among the definitive songs—if not the definitive song—of the ’90s teen-pop explosion.

Still from 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' (1951) beside illustration of a theremin.

Audio Invasion: How the Theremin Went From Soviet Labs to Hollywood

The theremin—a spooky instrument that scored the biggest sci-fi films of the 1950s—was invented by accident.

Give into superstitious, narrow-minded flights of paranoia? Lemmy would never.

Hail ... Santa? 10 Songs That That May (Or May Not) Include Hidden Messages

The Beatles helped bring backmasking to the mainstream, but here are a few classic tracks that may (or may not) feature hidden messages, too.

How Phil Collins Accidentally Created the Sound That Defined 1980s Music

You may have never heard the phrase “gated reverb,” but you've most definitely heard the effect. And you can thank Phil Collins for that.

“An Erotic Motorcycle”: The Surprisingly Surreal Subtext Behind Celine Dion’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now”

It involves one man’s obsession with Peter Pan, the Emily Brontë novel ‘Wuthering Heights,’ and Meat Loaf.

Johnny Cash had a violent encounter with a dangerous bird.

Angry Bird: When Waldo the Ostrich Tried to Kill Johnny Cash

An ornery bird once tried to disembowel the Man in Black.

(Not the actual insects who rained on Elton John's parade.)

Thirty Years Ago, Elton John Was Forced Offstage By a Swarm of Crickets

In 1993, Elton John had to abruptly end a concert in Melbourne 30 minutes early due to an uninvited swarm of insects.

25 of the Most Covered Songs in Music History

If there were an award for most covered artists of all time, The Beatles would undoubtedly be a top contender.

10 Operatic Facts About Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Nearly a half-century after its release, Queen’s classic “mock opera”—a favorite of Wayne and Garth’s—is still regularly cited as one of the greatest songs ever recorded.

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.