Mental Floss

MUSIC

Run-DMC pictured in 1987.

It took a little convincing, but in 1987—fresh off their smash hit album 'Raising Hell'—Run-DMC agreed to record a holiday song for the star-studded charity album 'A Very Special Christmas.' And a Christmas classic was born.

Kenneth Partridge








Madonna in 2016.

Madonna has been an innovator in music for four decades and counting, but doesn't mean she still doesn't get called for jury duty.

Jake Rossen








No Halloween party is complete without a spooky playlist.

Your house is decorated for Halloween and your jack-'o-lanterns are lit; now all you need is a spooky party playlist. We have a few song suggestions—and fun facts to drop while you listen.

Tasia Bass
Jim Morrison and his The Doors band mates—Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, and Robby Krieger—pose for their first album cover in 1967.

Jim Morrison was the self-styled Lizard King, a leather-pants-loving rock deity who fronted the Doors and represented the dark and druggy flipside of the utopian ’60s dream.

Kenneth Partridge






We apologize in advance for getting "Macarena" stuck in your head.

Los del Río's “Macarena” became the second longest-running number one in Billboard history, shifted 14 million copies, and sparked a dance craze that spread everywhere from the Olympics to the Democratic National Convention.

Jon O'Brien


Janis Joplin in Columbus, Ohio in the summer of 1970.

Janis Joplin didn’t have a long or prolific career. The freewheeling Texas blues-rock howler recorded just four albums between 1967 and 1970. But in that short time, she left an indelible mark on rock ’n’ roll history.

Kenneth Partridge
A 2018 Kidz Bop performance in New York City.

Unfortunately, there’s no official Kidz Bop version of “WAP.” But there’s no shortage of other comical covers to amuse yourself with.

Ellen Gutoskey