Mental Floss

MUSIC

Al Bello, Getty Images

From Indiana Jones to an Elvis-impersonating magician, the Super Bowl halftime show has featured some truly strange performers.

Michele Debczak
L to R: Depeche Mode members Martin Gore, Dave Gahan, Alan Wilder, and Andrew Fletcher in Berlin in July 1984.

Few bands inspire faith and devotion like Depeche Mode. Over a career spanning four decades, the boys from Basildon, England, have redefined what electronic music can look and sound like.

Kenneth Partridge








Leonard Cohen in London in June 1974.

In the 35 years since its release, Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" has been covered by more than 300 artists in a variety of genres and become a staple of TV singing shows. Not bad for a song that Cohen's own record label hated.

Kenneth Partridge








INXS's Michael Hutchence in Mystify: Michael Hutchence (2019).

Over the course of the 1980s, INXS went from fledgling Australian pub rockers to global superstars. Then tragedy struck when, in 1997, lead singer Michael Hutchence was found dead.

Kenneth Partridge
Beastie Boys via YouTube

With their raucous mix of rock and hip-hop, the Beastie Boys were a band everyone could love. They also made killer music videos, and “Sabotage” is arguably one of the best in the history of the medium.

Kenneth Partridge


JuliScalzi/iStock via Getty Images

What keeps us coming back to old cartoons, movies, and the '90210' reboot? The same reward system in the brain that responds to eating great food or winning money.

Jake Rossen




Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation

Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen, a.k.a. "The Boss," is the patron saint of the working man, the protector of all that is holy and righteous on E Street.

Matt Soniak


AFP/Getty Images

Though he’s widely considered one of the most iconic musicians of the 20th century, Jimi Hendrix passed away as his career was really just getting started.

Jennifer M Wood
Keith Brofsky/iStock via Getty Images

Ted Nugent once called Muzak an “evil force causing people to collapse into uncontrollable fits of blandness.”

Ellen Gutoskey
John Downing/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

FX’s ‘Fosse/Verdon’ has captivated viewers with its behind-the-scenes look at the careers of Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon, but there’s always more to know.

Ellen Gutoskey