Music History

The numbers don't lie.

It's been 50 years since The Beatles' iconic album was released, and the conspiracy theories about Paul McCartney’s bare feet are still alive.

Spice up your life with a trip to London.

The lost single was rejected by a record company.

Before the 20th century, concert musicians might tune their instruments to wildly different pitches, depending on where they were playing.

To Louis Armstrong's millions of fans, every note the legendary musician let loose made the world feel a bit more wonderful.

Equestrian Portrait of King Philip II (Michael Jackson) by Kehinde Wiley

From man in the mirror to man on the wall.

Not even a lineup of the world's biggest artists could save "We Are The World" from annoying listeners.

If you don't want to spend the rest of the day humming "We Built This City," "Who Let the Dogs Out," or "We Are the World," stop reading this article right now.

They found a lot of beer can pull tabs.

Dennis Oulds, Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

As the saying goes, "Great oaks from little acorns grow."

One of the most prolific—and generous—songwriters of all time was born on this day 130 years ago.

He might have made it famous, but Jackson was far from the first to perform what street dancers called the "back float."

Where did this quirky song come from? It's complicated.

Side note: he wore blue suede shoes.

Mamma mia!

Library of Congress (LOC), Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

The First Lady of Song, who once got some help from Marilyn Monroe, was the first African American woman to win a Grammy.

Theresienstadt concentration camp was an oddity, even by Nazi standards.

The long and winding road ...

The crystal-covered glove is a leftie: Jackson wanted to keep his wedding ring visible on his right hand.

Listen closely ...

Slash had no idea what it was about. Axl Rose insisted it be based on a short story. At roughly nine minutes, it stretched the patience of MTV’s viewers.