Everyone loves going to a concert. There is a certain thrill to seeing your favorite artist live and up close in front of your very eyes. Even in the biggest of stadiums, you can feel completely at home surrounded by people who share a love and appreciation for something.

But what happens when gigs go wrong? It can be an embarrassment for the artist, a shock for the audience, and an absolute gift for social media. Here, we’re going to discuss the top 10 live music mess-ups, falls, and fails!

10 Michael Jackson
Oslo (July 15, 1992)

When it came to live shows, the king of pop was known for his energetic stage presence and complex dance routines. Unfortunately, such an active stage show means that a live vocal isn’t always going to sound the best. That’s why MJ employed the use of playback—where he would lip-synch to a prerecorded vocal. This is all well and good . . . until it’s not.

During his one and only night in Oslo, Michael started to lip-synch to his opening song, “Jam,” but found the playback vocal wasn’t there. The crew had to hastily switch to Michael’s somewhat wobbly and out-of-breath real live vocal until the playback issue was fixed a little further into the song.^[1]

9 Justin Bieber
Glendale, Arizona (September 29, 2012)

Love him or hate him, it can’t be denied that Justin Bieber is a music sensation. Midway through a performance of “Out Of Town Girl” during the opening night of his tour, Bieber turned from the audience and doubled over before vomiting all over the stage.^[2]

He rushed off while the backing dancers professionally continued on as if nothing was wrong. Sheepishly, Bieber returned a few moments later. After the show, he took to social media and blamed drinking too much milk before the concert for his unsettled stomach. Nice!

8 The Foo Fighters
Ullevi, Gothenburg (June 12, 2015)

During a particularly enthusiastic rendition of “Monkey Wrench” with his band, The Foo Fighters, lead singer Dave Grohl made for the edge of the stage but tripped and stumbled forward, spectacularly nose-diving from the 2.4-meter-high (8 ft) platform. He tried to stand. But unfortunately, his leg was broken and he had to abandon the show.

Medics rushed in and put him on a stretcher. But before being whisked away from the stadium, Grohl said to the crowd, “I’m gonna go to the hospital, I’m gonna fix my leg, and then I’m gonna come back and we’re gonna play for you again!”

He was carried to an ambulance to wild cheers and the audience chanting his name. Rock ‘n’ roll!^[3]

7 Paul McCartney
Quebec (July 20, 2008)

Positioned two-thirds of the way into the ex-Beatle’s mammoth live set, “Live and Let Die” was supposed to be a highlight of a concert containing over 30 songs. However, things didn’t go quite as rehearsed one night in Canada!

Having obviously missed playing a note during a quiet section, McCartney looked to his drummer and took the wind out of the song’s sails by audibly laughing during the final word of the lyric “makes you give in and cry, say live and let die.”^[4]

Seconds later—as if to compound this goof-up—the people in charge of the pyrotechnics also missed their cue, with the spectacular fireworks coming in several seconds late. Live and let d’oh!

6 Oasis
Toronto (September 7, 2008)

Mistakes are not always the fault of the band, artist, or crew, as happened with Oasis while performing their smash hit song “Morning Glory” at Toronto’s 2008 Virgin Festival. Midway through the song, a man ran up behind lead singer and guitarist Noel Gallagher and forcefully pushed him off the stage.^[5]

Of course, the show was brought to a halt as security tackled the assailant and Gallagher limped into the wings. A few tense moments later, a band member came out and addressed the concerned audience: “Thank you for your patience. Just give us five minutes, and we’ll be right back!”

Much to the delight of the fans, the concert soon resumed without further incident!

5 U2
Vancouver (May 14, 2015)

We’ve all done that thing where we’ve tripped over something or walked into something when we’re not looking where we’re going. Well, a similar thing happened during U2’s performance of their smash hit “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” in Vancouver.

It seemed The Edge was concentrating more on looking out over the expansive crowd than looking where he was going . . . and he stepped right off the edge of the stage. He fell several feet from the platform where he was quickly attended to by staff at the venue.

Luckily, this was the final song of the show. U2 lead singer Bono kept the crowd going and the energy up during the mishap as the rest of the band left the stage in the planned fashion.^[6]

4 Metallica
Abu Dhabi (April 19, 2013)

Performing in front of so many people puts a lot of pressure on an artist as Metallica’s Kirk Hammett discovered while strumming the subdued intro to “Nothing Else Matters.”

After hitting several bum notes, he stopped playing, stepped up to the microphone, and addressed the metal-loving audience: “My hands are really sweaty, and it’s just really hard for me to play. So I’m going to do it one more time, okay?”^[7]

The audience roared their approval, and he performed the intro flawlessly the second time around!

3 Pink
Nuremberg (July 15, 2010)

Pink is renowned for her super energetic and gymnastic-filled live performances. The encore of her 2010 tour consisted of her being whirled around the venue on cables while performing “So What” like some sort of glamorously amazing musical pinata.

Unfortunately, she was not properly secured into her harness in Nuremberg and ended up being dragged off the stage and into the pit below. Clearly in pain and complaining that she couldn’t feel anything in her back, Pink was rushed to the hospital for X-rays.

Luckily, she avoided any serious injuries.^[8] She just had a few bruises to both her body and her ego!

2 Ed Sheeran
London (July 12, 2015)

A huge draw to Ed Sheeran’s live shows is that he is pretty much a one-man band. With the help of his loop pedal, he can do amazing things and sound so much bigger than just one man and his guitar.

But one evening while performing “You Need Me” in London, the loop pedal^[9] went haywire and stopped working. Insisting that the pedal be quickly fixed by the crew so that he could re-perform the song, he told the audience, “We do have a curfew, but I’m not having this!”

1 Paul McCartney
London (July 13, 1985)

This is possibly one of the most widely seen mess-ups in live music history! During his solo performance at Live Aid, Paul McCartney took to the stage to serenade Wembley Stadium (and approximately 1.5 billion people watching live around the world) with The Beatles’ classic “Let It Be.”

However, when McCartney started to sing, he found the microphone wasn’t working.^[10] It turns out that a technician for the band that played before McCartney had accidentally unplugged the mic, meaning that no one in the arena or at home could hear him.

It took over a minute, but the problem was identified and fixed. The very next day, McCartney went to a studio to rerecord the missing vocals for all subsequent broadcasts and releases.

So which of these was your favorite live mess-up? Have you seen musicians mess up, fall, or otherwise fail at any concerts you’ve attended? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below!

I am Josh Gill from Barnsley in the UK. I studied journalism and English literature/language at Coventry University before going on to work as a freelance writer. I love music, sci-fi movies, and dark humor. I also daily vlog on my YouTube channel JoshAndLaurensWanderWorks.

Classical music: It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But there are certain performances that have appeared on YouTube that receive special attention from a wider audience. This is a list of those such performances as selected by me.

I was studying to be an opera singer at the prestigious Royal College of Music in London. While I ultimately started a business focused mainly on writing and the internet (hooray!), my foray into the world of opera and classical music generally, continues to bring me great joy to this day. I hope you enjoy this small selection from me . . . with love to you.

Top 10 Truly Disturbing Classical Pieces

For the sake of clarification, I will say that the title here refers not to the “Classical Era” of classical music (from roughly 1730–1820 and comprising the work of Mozart, early Beethoven, and Haydn), but uses the term in the broader sense in which it is most well known: music based upon the forms, instrumentation, and styles of the great eras (Classical, Baroque, Renaissance, 20th Century etc.)

If you want to keep up to date with my personal life and loves when it comes to music and other arts, feel free to add me as a friend on Facebook.

10 Spontaneous Audience Eruption

Let’s start with something unexpected and exciting! Classical music is rather structured in form and audiences tend to behave in a certain expected manner. But here, in this live performance by the astonishing virtuoso Cecilia Bartoli, the audience is so awestruck by her opening bars that they erupt into a totally spontaneous applause garnering an adorable reaction from Miss Bartoli which is extremely pleasing to watch. It is a very human moment.

At 34 seconds we hear what may perhaps be a recording of one of the most perfect sounds produced by a human being. For further listening here is a moving rendition of Voi Che Sapete from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro.

9 Spiegel im Spiegel, Arvo Pärt

This piece requires metronomic perfection from the piano and intense concentration from both performers. It may seem basic but the highly exposing nature of the composition makes it incredibly difficult. Here we see a stunning rendition. Arvo Pärt, the composer, is from Estonia and uses a minimalistic compositional style that calls to mind much religious music of the Renaissance era. The title means “mirrors in the mirror” and refers to the myriad reflections seen when one reflects a mirror in another mirror: this is represented in the music by repetitive rising and falling tunes. Spiegel im Spiegel has proven to be incredibly popular with film makers and it has been used dozens of times in that setting.

8 Adagio for Strings

Okay now for something a little sadder. This is Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings and it was played at the funeral of President John F. Kennedy, the announcement of which we covered on our list of amazing audience reactions as a bonus item (thanks HM8432). It is one of the most widely loved and played classical pieces in the world and is particularly popular music for funerals. Its popularity can be seen in the many tens of millions of views that the various recordings of it have on YouTube. It is transcendent in its beauty. This is a week of birthdays of the departed and death anniversaries for me, so I am including this entry especially in memory of my late mother Lois, my late father Adam, and my late brother Stewart.

7 Rosenkavalier Trio

Behold one of the possibly worst dresses ever to appear on the stage of the Metropolitan opera in New York! What was Frederica von Stade thinking in that chocolate-box getup? It may have been the eighties but that’s still no excuse! Anyway, this song is not here for the fashion. These are three of the greatest voices of the twentieth century performing together at an anniversary concert for one of the greatest opera companies in the world . . . with one of the greatest conductors of opera in our time. This trio by Strauss from his opera The Rosenkavalier is beautiful in its own right, but the combination of talent here takes it to a whole other dimension. It is, in a word, Angelic.

An interesting sidenote on this one is that the black singer above, Kathleen Battle, was (and maybe still is) such a difficult woman to work with that she was fired by the Metropolitan opera for bad attitude and very publicly chastised by the company. It was a great shame as Battle, originally an elementary schoolteacher, shot to opera superstardom with her incredible vocal talent.

6 International Accord

Pandemics, economic disasters, and geopolitical tensions are on all of our minds at the moment. Here is a performance that can give us some hope for the future. Here we have my personal favorite baritone, the late Dmitry Hvorostovski (with the white hair), singing the famed Pearlfisher’s duet with the accomplished tenor Kauffman. Why is this so special? We have a German and a Russian man singing a duet by a Frenchman. It also happens to be one of the most loved pieces of classical music outside of the classical music world (I guarantee you’ve heard this song).

For additional pleasure you might like to listen to Hvorostovsky performing Rodrigo’s Aria at the Singer of the World Competition (which he won) in which he demonstrates what I would consider one of the most perfect vocal breathing techniques ever. Watch here.

Top 10 Horrifyingly Difficult Opera Arias

5 Akhnaten

Sung in Ancient Egyptian, this minimalist opera by the great Philip Glass is really the single best opera in the modern minimalist style. Watch for yourself: it is hard not to love it. Gentle tunes repeat over and over while slow delicate movements are performed in time by the singers. It is hypnotic. Akhnaten is the third in a trilogy of operas with the first being based on part of the life of Albert Einstein (we featured that, amusingly, on our recent list of Truly Disturbing Classical Pieces,) and the second being the South African portion of the life of Gandhi.

Minimalism is often the closest thing we get these days to a truly harmonic sounding classical style. What is particularly beautiful in this section of the opera is the way the male singer (a countertenor—see item 1) often has to sing a higher part than the woman playing his wife. It makes for an unusual and eerie, but attractive sound.

4 In Paradisum, Fauré Requiem

A Requiem is a musical setting of the Catholic funeral mass. It has set pieces that are included in all requiems and while they are primarily for public performance, they do occasionally get used in actual Catholic funerals. The most famous requiem is probably the setting by Mozart featured prominently in the film Amadeus. Verdi also wrote a very famous requiem and his Dies Irae (Day of Wrath) is known by most people from movies or TV programs. But the most beautiful, I think, is the Requiem of French composer Gabriel Fauré.

You will probably recognize the part I have selected to show here, In Paradisum, as it was used as part of the soundtrack to the zombie film 28 Days Later. It is glorious and the music reflects the words: “May the angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs receive you at your arrival and lead you to the holy city Jerusalem. May choirs of angels receive you and with Lazarus, once (a) poor (man), may you have eternal rest.” For your edification I have included the entire Requiem, just drag the player position to 0 to start it over.

3 Symphony of Sorrowful Songs

This piece (Polish composer Henryk Gorecki’s third symphony) actually hit the pop music charts it was so internationally loved. It may have even been the first piece of classical music to do that since the popular music charts were invented. It is a set of three songs in the form of a symphony and this one (the most popular) is the second song. It is sung in Polish and the text is a prayer to the Virgin Mary inscribed on the wall of a Gestapo cell during World War II. The words being sung are: “Oh, Mamma do not cry. Immaculate Queen of Heaven, support me always.”

2 I hate and I love

Jóhann Jóhannsson, the Icelandic composer of this piece died in 2018 at the age of 48 from an overdose of cocaine and cold medicine. It is a profound loss to classical music and the film industry (he wrote most of his music for films including the most outstanding recent science fiction movie Arrival which you have to see if you haven’t already). I may be taking a small liberty including this on a list about classical music, but my reason is that it includes a vocal part and lyrics, albeit performed by a computer, and was not intended specifically as film music. To complete the very modern take on classical music, it is written for strings and tape recorder and the ensemble includes a synthesizer and electric guitar. Jóhannsson himself is seen in this live performance controlling the vocal recording, conducting, and playing the piano.

The lyrics are by Catallus who wrote the famous sexual poem known as Catullus 16 which bears the famous opening line: “I will sodomize you and face-fuck you”; we have covered it before. Odi Et Amo is the first line of his two line poem Catullus 85: “I hate and I love. Why I do this, perhaps you ask. / I know not, but I feel it happening and I am tortured.” The setting of this Latin lyric is profound, beautiful, and out of this world. If you wish to hear another beautiful piece by this composer, I recommend his haunting “The Sun’s Gone Dim” with Lyrics by the indomitable Dorothy Parker from Jóhannsson’s 2006 album entitled IBM 1401, A User’s Manual.

1 Ombra Mai Fu

I want to end this list with a performance that is both surreal and beautiful. Beautiful because the piece “Ombra mai Fu” is one of the most extraordinarily beautiful pieces of vocal music ever written, and surreal in that the male singer is a counter-tenor, which means he sings in a feminine register. His rendition is certainly one of the best. The piece is from Xerxes by Handel. In this day and age its words speak volumes to us. Yesterday we published a list about entering a new dark age, let us look at these words now while listening to this beautiful aria and remember that the world is full of wonder. They may be 300 years old, but I sincerely wish these words upon all of us today.

“Tender and beautiful fronds
of my beloved plane tree,
let Fate smile upon you.
May thunder, lightning, and storms
never disturb your dear peace,
nor may you by blowing winds be profaned.”

Top 10 Classical One Hit Wonders

The rock and roll lifestyle is not known for following the rules. Usually, this amounts to merely trashing a hotel room. A few musicians took it a bit further. These hardened criminals impacted some of the most celebrated music ever recorded while committing heinous acts. Their talent is undeniable it, but these 10 composers would have been better off spending more time in the studio than the jailhouse.

10 Infectious Diseases That Changed History

10 The Cult that Created Fleetwood Mac

Before Fleetwood Mac made cocaine imbued sundrenched pop, they made cocaine imbued gritty blues. Cofounded by Jeremy Spencer, Fleetwood Mac had early success in America with their single “Albatross.” While promoting the record, Spencer left to pick up some groceries. He never returned.^[1] On the way to the store, he started talking to members from the infamous cult, the Church of God. Converted to the organization, he abandoned the band. In subsequent years both the sect and Spencer were exposed as rampant child abusers.^[2]

In 1971, the band had more pressing concerns. Down a member, the group recruited Bob Welch to finish the leg of the American tour. The Welch helmed years were a transitional moment for the act. Discarding their bluesy sounds, the band shifted to a more polished style. The new vibe landed them their first Top 40 album. Disagreements and fall out eventually led to Welch’s ouster. In his spot, Mick Fleetwood hired old friends Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, the lineup that conquered the 1970’s.

9 When Hall Met Oates

Hall and Oates are rarely associated with gangland violence. Based on their hits, the biggest threats they face are man-eating flings. Before they were the most successful duo in American chart history, they were two separate musicians scrounging for gigs.

In 1967, each independently entered their respective acts into the Adelphi Ballroom’s Battle of the Bands.^[3] Daryl Hall sang doo-wop vocals for the Temptones. John Oates played with the Masters. Not grasping that Battle of the Bands was just a metaphor, rowdy fans assaulted each other in the stands. Rival gang affiliated fraternities pulled out knives and guns. As shots rang out, Hall and Oates collectively decided that neither could go for that. The two ducked into a service elevator. They got to chatting about music and their studies at Temple University. By 1971, they were churning out blue eyed soul masterpieces together.

8 Motörhead’s Revenge

Hawkwind did a lot of drugs. One does not write meandering futuristic prog rock without a little help. Including playing on the first four albums, bandmember Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister was the band’s supplier. After being busted for transporting amphetamine over the Canadian border, he was unceremoniously kicked out of both roles.^[4]

For hours, Kilmister stewed in a holding cell. He anxiously waited for his fellow bandmates to bail him out. Eventually, they sprang him. It was not out of any comradery; they just could not find a replacement in time for a Toronto show. Kilmister quit the band to seek revenge.

His sabotage plan was twofold. First, he would sleep with his former bandmates’ wives and girlfriends.^[5] Except for lead singer Dave Brock’s wife, mission accomplished. Second, he would start his own band. That subsequent band, Motörhead, became one of the quintessential bands in heavy metal history. He got his revenge.

7 The Fightin’ Side of Merle Haggard

Outlaw country was more than merely a name. For Merle Haggard, it was a self-defeating lifestyle.^[6] Haggard spent his adolescence in and out juvenile facilities. His ever-expanding rap sheet of petty crimes culminated in a botched robbery. Set out to steal a diner after hours, Haggard mentally prepared by drinking. While the restaurant was filled with customers, he staggered in drunk. He was promptly arrested. After unruly behavior with other inmates, he was transferred to San Quintin.

At the notorious Californian prison, Haggard befriended fellow inmate James “Rabbit” Kendrick. Kendrick confided in Haggard he had concocted an escape plan. Haggard was gung-ho to bust out. Kendrick dissuaded Haggard from tagging along. Instead of risking it all on a doomed venture, Kendrick convinced Haggard to commit to his musical aspirations. When Kendrick broke out, he shot an officer. Upon capture, Kendrick was executed. If he had accompanied Kendrick, a seminal country artist would have died unrecorded. Instead, he took Kendrick’s advice and resorted to only singing about felonies.

6 A Family Affair

The Black Mafia Family had enough money. Through their three main hubs of cocaine traffic, they raked in millions of dollars annually. Kingpin brothers, Demetrius “Big Meech” and Terry Flenory, needed a front for their operation. To hide the true source of their income and raise a little extra dough on the side, they founded record label BMF Entertainment. With that accidental decision, they created a new genre of music.^[7]

BMF Entertainment only had one legitimate client, Bleu DaVinci. The rest of its roster was burgeoning rappers in the Atlanta area, including future breakout stars Fabolous and Young Jezzy. The drug trade bankrolled promotions for acts associated with the label. The premiere of Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101, Jeezy’s debut record, was equally a showcase for the rapper and a chance to build up connections in the community. Despite their intentions, Let’s Get It became the foundational text for Trap music, an offshoot of southern hip-hop. Popularized in Georgian crack dens, the style has become the dominant sound of hip-hop in the decades since.

10 Controversial Artifacts That Could Have Changed History

5 Charles Manson Freaked Out

In July 1969, following Charles Manson’s orders, Bobby Beausoleil broke into music teacher Gary Hinman’s house. For three days, Beausoleil tortured Hinman until he fatally stabbed him. Days before the Tate murders, Hinman was the first death of the Family’s killing spree.^[8]

Before the murder, Beausoleil was a guitarist in psychedelic rock band the Grass Roots with Arthur Lee, (not to be confused with the more successful Grass Roots). Beausoleil was kicked out and replaced with Bryan MacLean. In a reference to Beausoleil, Maclean and Lee changed the band’s name to Love. Beausoleil’s departure fostered Lee and MacLean’s partnership to create one of the most influential rock groups of the 1960’s, most notably with the highly celebrated album “Forever Changes.”^[9]

Falling out with Love, Beausoleil befriended Frank Zappa. He sang backup on Zappa’s first record, “Freak Out!” “Freak Out!” is applauded as establishing the idea of a rock concept album. It was the record that most inspired the Beatles to record Sgt. Pepper’s. So, while the Manson Family members were listening to Beatles’ songs, the Beatles were listening to a song from a Manson Family member.

4 The Samurai Hijackers

Everything Les Rallizes Denudes did was mysterious. The lead singer Takashi Mizutani is an enigmatic hermit who only occasionally makes public appearances. Refusing to release proper albums, their songs exists as rare bootlegs. Even their music is a structureless, equal parts chaotic and ethereal. Only two facts are certain. The first is that their music inspired leagues of imitators. The second is that their bassist Moriaki Wakabayashi hijacked a plane and headed for North Korea.^[10]

On March 31, 1970, the Red Army seized Japan Airlines Flight 351 heading to Fukuoka. Brandishing samurai swords and pipe bombs, the communist faction took the 122 passengers and 7 crewmembers hostage. The 9 hijackers stormed the cockpit to force a flight to Cuba. With just enough fuel to travel the initial 45-minute route, the hijackers allowed the plane to land. On the tarmac, authorities swarmed the plane. For three days, the captors held the aircraft until they promised to release all the hostages in exchange for passage to Pyongyang, North Korea.

The national coverage drew attention to their bandmember’s former discography. As a strictly underground group, most people had never heard of the band. The hijacking exposed the group to legions of new fans internationally. Alternative acts like Sonic Youth and LCD Soundsystem grew to appreciate the band’s influence.

3 The Mynah Jailbirds

The Mynah Birds shaped music history without releasing a single album. Like any great rock n’ roll story, this one starts with a drunken street fight. 15-year-old Ricky James Matthews, an expatriate from America, fled to Canada to dodge the draft. Three hooligans cornered him in a botched mugging. Levon Helm and Garth Hudson, soon members of the legendary Canadian group The Band, rescued him. Endeared by Matthews’ gregarious personality, Hudson and Helm introduced him to other members of Toronto’s music scene, including the Mynah birds.^[11]

With Matthews as their frontman, the band found middling success. Piqued by their R&B infused rock ‘n’ roll, struggling folk artist Neil Young joined the band. In 1965, The Mynah Birds traded bassists with local band The Sparrows. In exchange, Bruce Palmer joined The Mynah Birds. After Nick St. Nichols joined The Sparrows, they changed their name to Steppenwolf.

This final lineup hired Morley Shelman as their manager. Shelman secured an audition for Motown records. Matthews, worried about crossing into Detroit, told Shelman he was a fugitive. Producer Berry Gordy signed the group. When the Mynah Birds did not receive the label’s advance, they confronted Shelman. Shelman blew all the funds on heroin. They fired him. In retaliation he told, Gordy that Matthews was on the run. With Matthews arrested, the band broke up. Palmer and Young left for Los Angeles to start the protest folkie outfit Buffalo Springfield. After he left prison, Matthews returned to work as a Motown songwriter. In-house genius Stevie Wonder proposed that Mathews needed a punchier stage name. Wonder suggested Rick James.

2 A Colonel of Truth?

Colonel Tom Parker was undeniably a crook. The only question is for what crimes. With manipulative contracts, Parker exploited Elvis Presley throughout the famed career. Controlling every aspect of the King of Rock and Roll’s life, Parker’s backroom deals scammed millions of rightful profits. Parker always got by on bluster.

Parker’s first started entertaining as a carnival barker. He made his name touring the country with a sadistic routine where he shocked chickens with electric wires. He had to keep moving. He was on the lam.^[12]

Born Andreas van Kuijk, Parker illegally entered the United States. An immigrant from the Netherlands, Parker never sought naturalization in America. Some speculate his hesitation was due to guilt from a murder. The evidence is scant. In the days before van Kuijk abandoned his homeland, a local shopkeeper was beaten to death. The only real clue tying van Kuijk to the cold case was an anonymous letter written decades later asserting his role in the slaying. The identity of the killer will likely never be solved. Neither will the mystery of why van Kuijk fled that same month in 1929 without telling his family or friends or traveling with his identity papers. He landed on America’s shores with no money. Whatever his motivation to desperately get out of town, he would soon find riches only attainable through nefarious means. Perhaps he already had experience.

1 Lead Belly Shaped and Took Lives

Music literally saved Lead Belly’s life. In 1918, he killed a man in a fight. Sentenced to thirty years in state prison, he petitioned Governor Pat Neff for a pardon through song. Neff, so stirred by Lead Belly’s musicality, freed him.^[13] As a freedman, Lead Belly made his name in Jim Crow markets performing to predominantly black venues.

In 1930, Lead Belly landed himself back in prison after another fight gone wrong. Touring folklorist Alan Lomax visited the infamous Angola Farm prison during Lead Belly’s tenure. On behalf of the Library of Congress, Lomax distributed Lead Belly’s songs to national acclaim. Artists as varied as Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Credence Clearwater Revival, Van Morrison, ABBA, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, were inspired by the bluesman. George Harrison bluntly summarized that “no Leadbelly, no Beatles.” Lead Belly murdered his way into the history books.

10 Screwups That Changed The Course Of History

About The Author: Nate Yungman is neither a musician or a criminal. If you have comments, you can email him. If you want to read more of his stuff, you can follow him on twitter @nateyungman.

The music to come out of the small island country of New Zealand is as eclectic, varied and unique as the people themselves. Influenced by rock, pop, jazz, blues, hip-hop and the Maori people, New Zealand’s music inevitably gets its own creative kiwi interpretation.

Here are ten tracks, some well-known, others not so much, to give some insight into what musicians in the antipodean nation have produced.

Top 20 Cool Facts About New Zealand

10 Keith Urban “Blue Ain’t Your Color”

“Blue looks good on the sky
Looks good on that neon buzzin’ on the wall
But darling, it don’t match your eyes
I’m tellin’ you
You don’t need that guy
It’s so black and white
He’s stealin’ your thunder
Baby, blue ain’t your color”

Keith Urban is a New Zealand born country singer who released his self-titled debut album in Australia in in 1991, before moving to the US the following year. First working as a session musician in Nashville, Urban formed a band, “The Ranch”, who released one album and charted two singles before breaking up.

Urban released his solo debut album in 1999. The second single “Your Everything” made him the first New Zealand male performer to reach the Top 10 in the American Country Musicchart.

At the 48th Grammy awards, he earned his first Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for the song “You’ll Think Of Me”. To date he has released 11 studio albums and has had 20 Number 1 singles on the US Billboard Country Chart , with over 40 tunes making it into the Top 10. .

“Blue Ain’t Your Color” was the fourth single off Urban’s eighth studio album “Ripcord” and has proved to be his biggest single to date. It spent 12 weeks at Number 1 on the Hot Country Chart and earned the country singer American Music Awards for Favorite Male Country Artist, Favorite Country Song and Favorite Country Album.

Urban is also known for his roles as a coach for one season on the Australian version of the singing competition “The Voice” and as a judge for four seasons on “American Idol”. The popularity of these shows increased his profile across a wider segment of the television audience.^[1]

9 Flight of the Conchords “Ladies of the World”

“Oh you sexy hermaphrodite lady-man-ladies
With your sexy lady bits
And your sexy man bits too
Even you must be in to you
All the ladies in the world
I wanna’ get next to you
Show you some gratitude”

Comedic Kiwi duo Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie formed The Flight of the Conchords after meeting at Victoria University in Wellington.

After doing the rounds of various comedy circuits and festivals, the BBC commissioned a six-part radio show starring the duo, which first aired on BBC Radio Two in Sept 2005. The series followed The Conchords in their capacity as “New Zealand’s fourth-best folk guitar-based jazz, techno, hip-hop duo”, trying to break into the music scene in England. Their manager, Brian (played by Rhys Darby), made regular calls to Neil Finn (see Crowded House and Split Enz) who played a patient mentor and advisor, giving advice on how to succeed in the music industry in England. Comedian Jimmy Carr also featured throughout in the series, playing a passionate fan called Kipper.

This was followed by the quirky HBO series, that ran for two seasons. Along the lines of the radio show, the plot revolved around a fictional version of the comedic duo as they try to achieve success as a two-piece folk band in New York City.

The popularity of both the radio show and the HBO series saw the band release their “The Distant Future” EP in2007. Rolling Stone magazine scathingly dismissed the EP as “a souvenir of the show” and being “hard to imagine wanting to play it over and over”. However, in Feb 2008, Flight of the Conchords became the first non-American act to win Comedy Grammy. This was an achievement that put them alongside legends of comedy such as The Smothers Brothers and National Lampoon.

For Bret McKenzie, more musical success came in 2012 when he won an Academy Award for the best original song in a film. The song ‘Man or Muppet’ was one of four he contributed to the 2011 feature film “The Muppets”. Amongst many other acting roles, Jemaine Clement went on to voice the psychopathic cockatoo Nigel in the hit movie ”Rio”, also writing and performing the awesome track “Pretty Bird”.^[2]

8 Hayley Westenra “Who Painted the Moon Black?”

Did you see how hard I’ve tried?
Not to show the pain inside
Just as you walked away from me
Who painted the moon black?
Just when you passed your love back
Who painted the moon black?

First reaching international attention as a teenager, classically trained singer Hayley Westenra released the cross-over album “Pure” in 2003. The album went on to be certified 12x platinum in New Zealand, double platinum in the UK and platinum in Australia. “Pure” went straight to Number 1 in the UK classical music chart, and entered the pop charts at a respectable number 8.

The album itself was an eclectic mix of classical, hymns, cheesy light Euro pop and re-worked traditional Maori songs.

Promoted by a somewhat cringeworthy video of the singer grooving uncomfortably in front of a green-screen, “Who Painted The Moon Black” appeared more like a New Zealand tourism commercial. Unflattering video aside, the album remains fastest selling classical debut album of all time.^[3]

7 OMC “How Bizarre”

“Destination unknown, as we pull in for some gas
Freshly pasted poster reveals a smile from the past
Elephants and acrobats, lions, snakes, monkey
Pele speaks “righteous, ” Sister Zina says “funky”
How bizarre
How bizarre, how bizarre”

Outside of New Zealand, OMC’s 1995 track “How Bizarre” is generally regarded as a one ‘hit wonder’. The infectious pop-rap single from OMC (in full the Otara Millionaire’s Club, a tongue-n-cheek reference to their humble beginnings in one of NZ’s poorest suburb) was featured on their debut album of the same name.

The song appeared on US Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart and went on to spend 36 weeks their Hot 100 airplay charts, peaking at number 4. It also featured in music charts in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Ireland and throughout Europe. It reached number five in the UK, and it made the Top 10 in popular music charts everywhere from Portugal to Israel.

Record label owner, Simon Grigg, described OMC’s unique sound as being a fusion of the mishmash of sounds that New Zealanders are exposed to. It’s the classic Kiwi strum meets punk rock meets disco meets a South Pacific beach party meets classic soul meets reggae and everything in between.” It culminated in a song that “was everywhere. It was so huge. New Zealanders don’t realise how massive it was. It was such a ubiquitous radio record. It was the number one radio record in New York City that year – bigger than the Spice Girls.”

While OMC went on to find some further international success, they never stormed the charts to such an extent as “How Bizarre” had done, resulting in the song being listed as the 71st greatest one-hit wonder of all time by VH1. Sadly, charismatic frontman Pauly Fuemana died in 2010, aged just 40, due to complications from a rare neurological disorder.^[4]

6 Shihad “Comfort Me”

“Back up, evolution here
All the sick fucks being born to kill
They just need someone to tell them they’re safe again
They all need someone to tell them that somebody cares
What have we become
Could you comfort me, comfort me?
The whole world’s come undone
Could you comfort me, comfort me?“

For me personally, picking a favourite Shihad track is like picking a favourite bag of potato chips – many are favourites, most I genuinely like and only a rare few do I turn away from. Shihad put on a high energy, tight sounding, engaging show and have put out some very solid albums in their almost 30 years together.

Formed in the late-1980’s, Shihad were a well-established rock act throughout New Zealand and Australia. Through the festival circuit, they were also gaining a foothold in Europe. Off the back of their critically acclaimed fourth album “The General Electric”, many in the music industry felt that they were poised for commercial success in the lucrative Americal market, but then the Sept 11 terrorist attacks occurred. “Impeccable timing,” singer Jon Toogood later commented. “All the ducks were lined up. Then the war happened – in 2001 the name Shihad wasn’t going to fly.”

The band had chosen their name after seeing David Lynch’s 1984 cult classic film ‘Dune’, which repeatedly uses the Islamic term ‘Jihad’. Founding member and drummer, Tom Larkin, explains that “When we were 15, we were all into this sci-fi movie Dune. See, Dune uses all these Arabic words throughout the movie and the end battle is a Jihad. We were stupid and thought it’d be a great name for a band so we called ourselves Shihad ’cause we couldn’t even spell it.”

In the wake of the terror attacks, the band’s American record company and management pressured them to change their name and reluctantly, they became “Pacifier”. Unfortunately, in the tense and uncertain political climate, the timing was off and commercial success evaded the band. Two years later, they became Shihad once more.

In 2012, the band released a 102-minute long documentary “Beautiful Machine”. Described as “a wild ride from anonymity to being the next ‘It’ band, and into the present day, Shihad: Beautiful Machine is an unflinching look at the elusive reality of a true rock dream.”

Although they have yet to achieve the acclaim that many might have expected, after thirty years and nine solid albums, fans are hopeful that Shihad will keep on rocking, putting on their legendary shows for the next generation of fans. Who knows, with a little luck and better timing, they might just achieve the success and acclaim that they so rightfully deserve.^[5]

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5 Shona Laing “(Glad I’m) Not A Kennedy

“The family tree is felled
Bereavement worn so well
Giving up on certainty
Wilderness society

Wearing the fame like a loaded gun
Tied up with a rosary
I’m glad I’m not a Kennedy”

Songstress Shona Laing found fame in New Zealand as a teenager in the early 1970’s when she finished runner-up in a television talent show. Perhaps Laing’s most well known song “(Glad I’m) Not A Kennedy” was released twice, first from her 1985 album “Genre”, then re-mixed and re-released on her album “South” two years later.

The song itself was inspired by a television appearance, when Senator Ted Kennedy announced his intention to become a presidential candidate. His on screen presence did not make a favourable impression on Laing, who later explained “I actually just said those words out loud: ‘God, glad I’m not a Kennedy.’ And bells went off, whistles rang and I went straight out to the shed to write it, and it was done and dusted in half an hour. It poured out.”^[6]

4 Lorde “Royals”

“And we’ll never be royals
It don’t run in our blood
That kind of lux just ain’t for us
We crave a different kind of buzz”

Singer Lorde, aka Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor, leapt to international stardom with the 2013 release of her critically acclaimed album “Pure Heroine”.

The song describes the lavish and decadent lifestyle of contemporary stars with a edgy sarcasm. “What really got me,” she explained “is this ridiculous, unrelatable, unattainable opulence that runs throughout. Lana Del Rey is always singing about being in the Hamptons or driving her Bugatti Veyron or whatever, and at the time, me and my friends were at some house party worrying how to get home because we couldn’t afford a cab. This is our reality!”

The song spent nine weeks at the top of U.S. Billboard 100, making the 16-year old Kiwi the youngest artist to do so since Tiffany in 1987. Her reaction to the achievement was that “It feels like a combination of my birthday, Christmas and washing my hair after a month of not doing so.”

It also topped the charts of New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, and the UK. To date, it has sold over 10 million copies globally. In 2014, the song won a Grammy for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance.^[7]

3 Split Enz “Six Months In A Leaky Boat”

“Aotearoa
Rugged individual
Glisten like a pearl
At the bottom of the world
The tyranny of distance”

Released in 1982, “Six Months In A Leaky Boat” was the second single off their album “Time and Tide”. The song, written by band member Tim Finn, is usually interpreted as being a homage to the often perilous six month sea voyage that settlers took to come to New Zealand.

The single reached a dismal number 83 in the UK singles chart, largely due to the airplay ban by broadcasters at the BBC, who felt that the reference to “leaky boats” might have a negative impact on morale of the British Royal Navy while they were fighting the Falklands War against Argentina. They implied that the song was too provocative and was a thinly veiled criticism of the war, despite the fact that the song had in fact been written and recorded months earlier.

Split Enz members, brother Tim and Neil Finn have since confirmed that in addition to the theme of colonial settlement, the song also served as a metaphor for Tim’s relationship breakup and subsequent mental breakdown. “I was going through a lot of stuff. I had broken up after a long relationship and I was feeling a mixture of guilt and terror and sadness and whatever you go through. It was a hard time.” Tim later explained.

“Time & Tide” went on to become the band’s third number one album in both New Zealand and Australia, while eventually clawing its way to number 71 in the UK.^[8]

2 Mi-Sex “Computer Games”

“I fidget with the digit dots and cry an anxious tear
As the XU-1 connects the spot
But the matrix grid don’t care
Get a message to my mother
What number would she be
There’s a million angry citizens
Looking down their tubes at me”

How the heck can this track be forty years old???

“Computer Games” was the second release off their iconic debut album “Graffiti Crimes” (1979). The song peaked at number one in Australia, number two in Canada and number five in New Zealand. It also gained some traction in Europe and North America, although it was felt that their ‘risqué’ band name did not help them gain airplay in more conservative markets.

The video that accompanied the song was considered to be very cutting edge at the time. It starts with the band breaking into the data centre for then super-computer mainframe at Control Data in Sydney, Australia. As the band performs, the old school graphics projected behind them include a driving game and Star Wars-esque tie fighters, while data tapes spin and printers spew out a river of paper.

The synth-pop electro new wave band formed the year earlier, by frontman Ian Gilpin, keyboard player Murray Burns, Don Martin on bass, Kevin Stanton on lead guitar, and drummer Richard Hodgkinson.

Principal songwriter, Murry Burns later recalled that when Mi-Sex arrived in Australia in late 1978, bands were “still wearing white flares”. He added that “They were great but they hadn’t jumped into the edgy sound of the 80s. . . think we paved the way for a certain style of music, the likes of INXS and Icehouse . . . We got a great following very quickly.”

Following the tragic death of singer Ian Gilpin in January 1992 following a car crash, the band felt that they would never perform again, despite a nostalgic surge in popularity for 80’s pop music. But when faced with the opportunity to reunite for several gigs around Australasia, they went for it and “it’s really, really good fun”, confirms Burns.

“Computer Games” solidified their place in New Zealand music history. “It was unusual, one of those not-repeated songs . . . We got labelled with that song quite strongly, ” Burns says. The band’s unique sound, tight musicianship and futuristic imagery earned both the single and the album platinum status.

Advance one level on green!^[9]

1 Crowded House “Don’t Dream It’s Over”

“Now I’m towing my car, there’s a hole in the roof
My possessions are causing me suspicion but there’s no proof
In the paper today, tales of war and of waste
But you turn right over to the T.V. page
Hey now, hey now
Don’t dream it’s over”

Like the often bitter long-standing debate over the true origins of the humble pavlova, internationally acclaimed band Crowded House has been claimed by both New Zealand and Australia.

Fronted by former Split Enz member, New Zealand born Neil Finn (currently a member of Fleetwood Mac), who is vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter, clearly and unequivocally, this in my humble opinion is a New Zealand band!

Admittedly, Neil Finn told an Australian newspaper that Crowded House was a proud Australian band and most of its songs were inspired in Melbourne. Finn went on to state that Melbourne was the “birthplace of Crowded House and was always the town we chose to return to. It’s forever deeply ingrained in our collective psyche and was the backdrop for many of our best musical moments.” Sorry Neil, Crowded House is a Kiwi band and that’s that.

Their self-titled debut album, released in 1986, featured the single “Don’t Dream It’s Over”, which became an international hit, peaking at Number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Band frontman Neil Finn has described the lyrics of this song as “on the one hand, feeling kind of lost and, on the other hand, sort of urging myself on”.^[10]

Top 10 Wacky Things New Zealanders Love To Eat

Beatlemania and go-go boots were the ‘in-thing’ in the 60s. Not to mention miniskirts and lava lamps. The 70s were all about bell bottoms, David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs, Space Invaders, and tubes socks. When the 80s rolled around, everyone was rocking to The Clash on their Walkmans while carrying around trapper keepers and sporting slogan t-shirts. By the time Walkmans were ‘so eighties’ with an eyeroll, teens were bragging with their Sony Discman into which they stuffed CDs featuring Alanis Morrissette or Pearl Jam. Younger (and older) teens tried to skip classes to feed their Tamagotchis while weekends were all about finding the perfect Doc Martens, Play Station and trying to convince parents that an iMac G3 was an absolute necessity of living in the 90s.

Hardcore music fans think of these four decades as the ‘golden age’ of music. It marked the rise of influential bands and artists such as The Beatles, Queen, Michael Jackson, Van Halen, Prince, Whitney Houston, John Denver, Percy Sledge, Blondie, Lionel Ritchie, Nirvana, and so many more.

A study has even shown that music from the 60s through to the 90s are far more memorable than modern songs, even among millennials. Scientists tested a group of millennials on their ability to name hit songs from different decades and the 643 participants consistently remembered songs that came out between 1960 and 1999. Songs that became popular between 2000-2015 faded from their minds much quicker. Those who participated in this study in 2019 were between 18 and 25 years old.

On this list are some interesting facts about just a few of the popular bands that made an indelible mark on the music industry during what is commonly referred to as the ‘golden age’.

10 Beatles Innovations that Changed Music

10 Cetera has no time for Chicago

The Chicago Transit Authority, established in 1967, changed their name to Chicago in 1969. The band has sold more than 40 million albums in the U.S. alone and have had five consecutive No 1 albums among a myriad other successes. In 1974 Chicago’s entire catalog of seven albums (at that time) was circulating on the Billboard 200.

Peter Cetera was co-founder and frontman of the band until 1984, after the release of their highly successful Chicago 17 album. Cetera went on to enjoy a famed solo career. He was thrust into the spotlight in 2016 after refusing to perform with Chicago at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. He said during an interview that one of the reasons he refused to perform with the band was because they wouldn’t lower the key of the song “25 or 6 to 4” and that “nothing about the event sounded like fun.”^[1]

Co-founder Robert Lamm responded to the controversy by saying that Cetera could have at least stood with them, even if he didn’t want to perform.

9 The amp, the amp, the amp is on fire

You probably won’t be able to picture the band AC/DC without hearing Brian Johnson in your head, screaming out the lines of “Thunderstruck” or “Highway to Hell.”

The band was named after Malcolm and Angus Young’s sister saw the initials AC/DC on a sewing machine. Their sister was also instrumental in coming up with Angus’ school uniform after he tried a Superman, Spider-Man and even a gorilla costume.^[2]

In 1977, the guitar amplifier used by Angus caught fire during a studio recording of “Let There Be Rock”. Malcolm urged his brother to keep playing regardless, and Angus complied. It happened again during “Rock or Bust” and Angus once again just kept playing, thinking the glow was from a cigarette. This has long been considered a myth but was confirmed by Angus during an interview in 2014.

8 Led Zeppelin and Aleister Crowley

It’s impossible to imagine Thor: Ragnarok without the fight scenes set to the inimitable Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin. (There is a YouTube video in which the last battle scene plays out to Britney Spears’ Toxic, but that is a story for another list.) Immigrant Song is perfect for Ragnarok however, as it references Valhalla which ties in with Thor’s Norse background.

Led Zeppelin’s music has long been fodder for conspiracy theorists who claim that founder and guitarist, Jimmy Page, sold his soul to the devil for long lasting fame and fortune. This conspiracy gained traction after Page bought occultist Aleister Crowley’s former Scotland home in 1971. Page was a Crowley fan and had Crowley’s “Do what thou wilt” and “So mote it be” inscribed in the run-off groove of the Led Zeppelin III vinyl records.^[3] It is believed that Jimmy Page asked his bandmates to join him in a ‘magick’ ritual inspired by Crowley’s writings. All participated except for bassist and keyboardist, John Paul Jones.

In 1972, Page signed up to do the soundtrack for the movie, Lucifer Rising. Page and the filmmaker, Kenneth Anger, allegedly had a very ‘intense’ relationship but the two parted ways in 1975. Rumors abounded that Anger, who was a ‘magick practitioner’, put a curse on Led Zeppelin and Jimmy Page. This curse was blamed, in part, for the trouble that befell the band’s members soon after. This included a car accident involving Robert Plant, illness, rioting fans, and several fights.

7 Heart & Van Halen

Heart was formed in 1970. Sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson were the vocalists, alongside musicians Steve Fossen, Roger Fisher, David Belzer and Jeff Johnson. The group has had a rocky road to success and had to launch a comeback in 1985. Heart disbanded in 1998 but resumed performances in 2002. The band is still performing today, with concerts planned into 2021 depending on what happens with the current Covid-19 pandemic.

The Wilson sisters released a biography in 2012 titled Kicking & Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul, and Rock and Roll. In the book they relate encounters with other bands, including the time they played Stairway to Heaven in a small club and the members of Led Zeppelin walked in during the performance. The night ended with Jimmy Page passed out cold.

The sisters also recount meeting Eddie and Alex Van Halen and being propositioned by them in 1979. Ann and Nancy declined and the conversation between the foursome turned to music. Nancy learned that Eddie didn’t own an acoustic guitar and she gifted him her own. Overcome with emotion and gratitude, Eddie took the guitar and then called her room at 7am the next morning to serenade her over the phone with a song he had written in her honor.^[4]

6 Airplay thanks to student

Roxette was formed in 1986 and enjoyed massive successes including 19 UK Top 40 hits, a host of US Hot 100 hits and four number one songs. Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle were both established artists when they recorded “Neverending Love” under the name Roxette. The song was a hit in Sweden and the rest, as they say, is history. Roxette has sold over 75 million records worldwide and have become Sweden’s second best-selling music act, right behind ABBA.

The duo’s first global hit song, The Look, was only played on the air after an American exchange student by the name of Dean Cushman heard it and gave it to his local radio station. It soon became a massive hit and reached number one on the US charts.^[5]

One of Roxette’s most popular songs, “It Must Have Been Love”, was not written for the movie Pretty Woman, contrary to popular belief. When Touchstone Pictures approached Roxette about contributing a song to the movie’s soundtrack, they didn’t have enough time to write something new. Instead they chose a song they had written two years prior.

Top 10 True Rock Music Stories

5 The band who outsold The Beatles

The Monkees’ original band members consisted of Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork and Davy Jones. The group was a made-for-TV band and formed specifically for the sitcom, The Monkees, which saw airplay between 1966 and 1968. After the sitcom was cancelled, The Monkees recorded music until 1971 at which time they disbanded. Some of their most well-known hits include “I’m a Believer”, “Daydream Believer”, and “Last Train to Clarksville.”

What some fans may not know is that the band has been banned from the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame after co-founder Jann Wenner insisted that they cannot be included since the band members were first hired as actors and not musicians. This is despite the fact that they have had incredible success as a band and even outsold The Beatles and The Rolling Stones in 1967. Their album sales topped both of these popular British bands’ sales combined that year.^[6]

4 The Animals’ influence

The Animals were known for their distinctive sound as showcased in their only number one hit in 1964: “The House of the Rising Sun.” The Animals consisted of vocalist Eric Burdon, keyboardist Alan Price, bassist Chas Chandler, guitarist Hilton Valentine and drummer John Steel. The band’s sound even inspired Bob Dylan’s decision to work with musicians playing electric instruments.

Bruce Springsteen gave a shoutout to the band in 2012 when he performed at the South by Southwest Festival. He said that he had never related to another band as much as he had to The Animals and that a lot of their work was reflected in his music. After The Animals disbanded, Chas Chandler discovered Jimi Hendrix and helped him form The Jimi Hendrix Experience. He financed their first single and gave Hendrix the idea to set his guitar on fire.^[7]

3 A band of trouble

Oasis was formed from a previous group called the Rain and originally consisted of 5 members including brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher. The band has sold more than 75 million records and holds the distinction of being one of the best-sellling bands of all time.

The feud between the Gallagher brothers became almost more prominent than the band’s music when Noel quit in 1994 after Liam threw a tambourine at him. In 1995, Noel hit Liam over the head with a cricket bat. The bad blood continued in 1996 when Liam pulled out of an MTV Unplugged show and instead heckled the band from the crowd.

On top of all the sibling troubles that lasted several more years, Oasis were also sued for ripping off a member of a Beatles parody band as well as ripping off a Coca-Cola jingle. Soon the band engaged in a full on ‘war’ with English alternative rock band, Blur, and things got so heated that Noel told a reporter that he hoped Damon Albarn and Alex James would “catch AIDS and die.”^[8]

2 First choice for Friends’ opening song

R.E.M will arguably forever be known as the band whose song “Shiny Happy People” was almost the opening song for Friends. And, of course, for the song “Everybody Hurts”, which has been rated as one of the 1001 best songs ever, with its music video directed by Ridley Scott’s son, Jake. “Shiny Happy People” became one of their biggest hits but vocalist, Michael Stipe, eventually started hating the song because of the peppy lyrics. He stated that “It’s a fruity pop song written for children.” He also said that if ever there was one song sent into outer space to represent R.E.M. for eternity, he would definitely not want it to be “Shiny Happy People.”

R.E.M.’s song “Monty Got a Raw Deal” was inspired by actor Montgomery Clift, even though most fans assumed it was about Monty Hall who was the host of the game show Let’s Make a Deal. Stipe wrote the song about Clift after R.E.M. was visited in studio by a photographer who had worked on one of Clift’s last films, The Misfits, and looked at photos from the movie set.^[9]

1 Cobain and Vedder slow dancing

Eddie Vedder was the last member to join the band first known as Mookie Blaylock and now known as Pearl Jam. The band was formed in 1990 and had sold more than 85 million albums worldwide by 2018. They are considered one of the most influential bands of the 90s.

Pearl Jam have cited many bands as influences for their music, including Led Zeppelin, The Ramones and The Who. The band were labelled ‘sell-outs’ by Nirvana after their album ‘Ten’ became a hit and soon there were rumors of a feud between Nirvana and Pearl Jam, including some trash-talk in public.
Eddie Vedder and Kurt Cobain confronted one another backstage at the 1992 VMA’s, but then the unexpected happened. As Eric Clapton played ‘Tears of Heaven’ on the stage above them, Vedder and Cobain shared a slow dance, setting aside their differences.^[10]

Top 10 Musicians Who Were Ahead Of Their Time

Regardless of the absurdity of conspiracy theories, it seems there is always someone asking: “what if?” What if Elvis really is still alive? What if Tupac faked his own death? What if the Illuminati really is in charge over the entire music industry and we’ve all been duped into buying music from specific artists for obscure and evil reasons? Whether you’re a believer or not; below are 10 more music industry rumors to argue over or secretly believe.

SEE ALSO: 10 Bizarre Celebrity Conspiracy Theories

10White lighters

Think 27 Club and Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain come to mind. Other members of this fictional club include Jonathan Brandis, Amy Winehouse and Anton Yelchin. What do all these celebrities have in common? They all died under extremely tragic circumstances at the age of 27. Kurt Cobain committed suicide as did Jonathan Brandis. Janis Joplin injected herself with heroin in her hotel room, fell over and hit her head on a table. Her body was found the next day.

Rumors started making the rounds about celebrities “timing” their deaths so that they could join 27 Club. Another rumor had it that those who had already joined the club all had a Bic white lighter in their pockets at the time they died. This led to a wide-spread belief that white lighters were harbingers of bad luck. The white lighter myth is still going strong despite factual evidence that Bic didn’t even start producing white lighters until several years after the deaths of the original 27 Club members.^[1]

9 Mysterious album cover

The cover art for Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut album released in 1970 was meant to scare fans. It was released on Friday the 13th of February to increase the creepy factor. The cover photo depicted a watermill built during the 1400s and an eerie female figure dressed in black standing before it. While it is known that the woman was an actress hired specifically to pose for the cover, this fact did nothing to quell the multiple rumors that sprouted soon after the album was released.

One of the creepier stories stated that the woman was a witch and that the photo depicted her during an actual ‘black sabbath.’ A satirical claim was thrown out there that it wasn’t a woman at all, but rather Ozzy Osborne in drag. Yet another theory claimed that there was no woman to begin with; instead the figure in black appeared after the photo was developed.^[2]

8 Fire and Rain

Fire and Rain is a popular folk-rock song written by James Taylor. The song was inspired in part by Taylor’s childhood friend, Suzanne Schnerr, who committed suicide. He only found out about her death six months after the fact.

Despite Taylor confirming this as well as revealing other details about the song during an interview in 2005, rumors still have it that the song was written for Taylor’s girlfriend, Suzanne. It is claimed that Suzanne was going to surprise him by showing up at one of his concerts, but her life was tragically cut short when the plane she was traveling in crashed en route. Several websites have debunked this claim, but it is still going strong around the internet.^[3]

7 Where did the ashes go?

Sid Vicious was a member of punk rock band, the Sex Pistols. Unfortunately, he was known also for being a suspect in the murder case of his girlfriend, his extreme drug use and eventual overdose on heroin.

It is said that after his death, Vicious’ mother travelled from New York to England to scatter his ashes over his girlfriend’s grave. However, she had a stash of heroin hidden in the urn. When she realized there were a lot more security at Heathrow than she anticipated, she began to panic and promptly dumped the entire contents of the urn into the nearest air conditioning vent. Another rumor has it that she accidentally dropped the urn on the tarmac at the airport, spilling the contents everywhere. This led to another persistent urban myth that Sid Vicious’ spirit hasn’t been able to leave the airport after being disposed of in such a disrespectful fashion.^[4]

6 Cocaine request

Much the same as Sid Vicious, Stevie Nicks is not only known for being part of a band. It is well known that she snorted loads of cocaine back in the ’70s and ’80s and eventually ended up with a hole on the inside of her nose.

As if the facts weren’t horrifying enough, people wasted no time in adding a tall tale to them. Considering that her nose was messed up and couldn’t take anymore coke snorting, it is alleged that she got some of her people to blow the coke up her rectum, since apparently doing it that way allows you to still get high. So persistent was this rumor that Nicks had to eventually publicly deny it.^[5]

5 Love Rollercoaster

Some theories are creepier than others. The one about the song Love Rollercoaster by Ohio Players is an example of this. During editing of the song, the sound engineers failed to remove a woman’s scream in the middle of the track. About a year after the song was released to the public, a couple of crazy theories started making the rounds.

Some say the Playboy model, Ester Cordet, who is featured on the cover of the album, was burned by hot honey and as she screamed her voice was recorded in the studio. An extended version of this tale says that she suffered permanent injuries from the honey and was going to sue the band. The band manager couldn’t get her to change her mind, so he stabbed her to death. Since he killed her just outside the studio, her dying screams were recorded over the mics.
There are several more theories surrounding the scream, including that it was the sound of mental patients in an asylum being subjected to terrible torture, or even a rabbit being killed and screaming as it dies.

It was later revealed that Billy Beck, one of the members of Ohio Players, is the one who produced the scream. However, many people refuse to believe this explanation.^[6]

4 The Monkees and Charles Manson

Charles Manson is synonymous with murder, mayhem and psychosis. The last thing one would expect to associate with Manson, is music. However, he wrote songs that were eventually covered by The Beach Boys, Guns N’ Roses and Marilyn Manson.

It is therefore not surprising that there exists a music-related conspiracy theory involving Manson and the Monkees. In 1965, literally hundreds of young men answered a casting call to be part of The Monkees. One of them was said to be none other than Charles Manson himself. This is also a particularly persistent rumor, even though it is a fact that Manson at that time was too old to audition (he was thirty and they were looking for young men between the ages of 17 and 21). Also, he was in prison at the time.^[7]

3Duane Allman’s strangely timed death

The story about the death of Duane Allman, leader of the Allman Brothers Band, is certainly one of the stranger ones out there. On 29 October 1970, Allman overdosed and was rushed to a hospital in Nashville. Doctors were not hopeful that he would pull through.

It is at this point where the story turns strange. It is claimed that Berry Oakley, bass guitarist of the band, entered into a pact with God. He pleaded for Allman to live for another year so that he would be able to continue his music career and carry on doing what he loves.

Allman survived. However, on 29 October 1971, Duane Allman drove his Harley down Hillcrest Avenue in Macon. Approaching Bartlett Street, a flatbed truck stopped unexpectedly in front of him, causing Allman to swerve sharply. He hit the truck anyway and was thrown from his motorcycle. The bike landed on him, crushing his internal organs. Allman died in hospital hours later, exactly a year to the date that his bandmate allegedly made his bargain with God.^[8]

2 Elvis and the aliens

Elvis Presley unknowingly contributed to a myth (one of many) about his own death. When he was born, his family doctor claimed that a strange, unexplained light shone over the house that baby Elvis was in. Adult Elvis eventually claimed that he had had been telepathically visited by aliens at age 8, who showed him his future in music. He also claimed to have seen many UFOs.

It is therefore no surprise then that following hot on the heels of the “Elvis is alive” theory, came the “Elvis has been abducted by aliens” theory. Claims were made that he was not dead, but instead had been abducted by aliens. The reason: The aliens had heard his music and simply could not pass up the chance to meet their idol in person. In addition to this madness, not long after Elvis’ funeral, rumors of the singer being an FBI mole who had to go into hiding began swirling.^[9]

1 Axl Rose’s dogs

Axl Rose, lead singer of Guns n’ Roses and more recently AC/DC, has been hailed as one of the greatest singers of all time. He has also been a very controversial celebrity; from accusations of being homophobic and racist being hurled at him in 1988 to pitching up hours late for several shows rising the ire of thousands of fans. He decided to include a Manson-written track on an album, resulting in even more controversy.

As if all the above wasn’t bad enough and didn’t make him seem like the worst famous person on the planet there was also a rumor (apparently started by the media) that Axl Rose ran over his own dogs and then proceeded to eat them. This terrible story gained so much traction that Rose had to publicly deny that he had ever done such a thing.^[10]

On 25 March 1983, Michael Jackson was performing his new song ‘Billie Jean’ for the TV programme Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever. Gliding across the stage, he performed his legendary moonwalk to the delight of the live audience. Two months later the rest of the country got to see the special moment when the TV special was broadcast.

What would today’s music be without the influences of boundary-pushing music artists throughout history? Those of us who grew up during the 70s, 80s and even 90s, cannot imagine a world in which there is no David Bowie, Prince, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner or Elvis Presley music.

On this list are just some of the world’s biggest stars and their iconic moments that will live on in the years to come.

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10 The greatest cultural force in the 20th century

Elvis Presley set hearts aflutter worldwide with his golden voice and sexy moves. Even towards the end of his short life, he still had the ability to draw vast crowds at concerts and mesmerize them with his performances. Composer and conductor of the New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein, called Presley “… the greatest cultural force in the 20th century.” He went on to say that Presley “introduced the beat to everything and he changed everything – music, language, clothes, it’s a whole new social revolution – the 60s come from it.”

This photograph shows Elvis Presley on stage at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show in 1956. The crowd went wild then and continued to go wild at his future concerts and shows.

9 Moves like Jagger

Tina Turner has taken credit for teaching Mick Jagger his infamous dance moves, even though Jagger has never publicly confirmed this and instead credited his own mother with teaching him how to dance. The frontman of The Rolling Stones also credited some of his early moves to James Brown. Jagger strived to be like Brown because they “were both in tune to the rhythms of their music.”

The Rolling Stones was (and still is) a defining force in hard rock and were named second greatest band of all time by Billboard magazine in 2019.

In this photo Jagger is striking one of his signature poses during a Rolling Stones concert at Wembley Empire Pool in 1973. He is wearing one of his most iconic on-stage outfits consisting of a velvet unitard and a tailcoat.

8 The Queen of Soul

Throughout her illustrious career, Aretha Franklin, rubbed shoulders with a host of other stars including Oprah Winfrey, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, The Rolling Stones, and the list goes on. She was a civil rights activist and donated money for civil rights protests and performed at protests.

Aretha has sold more than 75 million records worldwide and received a multitude of honors, including 18 Grammy awards. She had 20 number one hits on the R&B charts and became the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 1964 Aretha was crowned ‘Queen of Soul by Pervis Spann, a WVON disc jockey, who placed a crown on her head during a performance at Chicago’s Regal Theatre.

She spoke of this moment in her book ‘Aretha: From These Roots’ saying: “… The only queens I had known of were Dinah Washington and Elizabeth I and II. To be considered worthy of the same title held by Dinah was an honor of the highest order… It was the last thing I expected when he walked out with that crown and actually put it on my head.”

7 The hillbilly Shakespeare

Rufus Payne, an African American blues musician gave Hank Williams guitar lessons and had a huge impact on what Williams’ musical style would become. Williams recorded 35 singles of which 11 ranked number one of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart. He is regarded as one of the most influential singer/songwriters in history and was given the nickname ‘hillbilly Shakespeare’ in honor of his unique and lingering lyrics.

This iconic photograph depicts Williams’ debut at the Grand Ole Opry on 11 June 1949. After his performance he was encored 6 times and the audience had to be beseeched to stop to allow the rest of the show to continue.

Unfortunately, Hank Williams didn’t have a happy ending and he died at the age of 29 on New Years’ Day 1953 after a long struggle with alcohol abuse and addiction to prescription drugs.

His musical legacy, however, lives on.

6 Eurovision heroes

ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974, ensuring Sweden’s first win in the competition and the rest, as they say, is history.

Between 1974 and 1983, the pop supergroup topped charts around the world with songs including Waterloo, Dancing Queen and Mamma Mia. Waterloo is the song that won them the Eurovision crown, while Dancing Queen became the group’s only American number one single.

ABBA’s final performance happened in 1982 and they reunited in 2016.

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5 A song of protest

Like Hank Williams, Jimi Hendrix had a short but extremely influential career. He had only a 4-year run but is still considered one of the best electric guitarists in the history of rock music as put eloquently by The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame who described him as “arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music.”

On 18 August 1969, Hendrix performed The Star-Spangled Banner at Woodstock and his performance would later be called the most electrifying moment of the festival.

Wearing bell-bottom jeans, a white shirt and a red headband, Hendrix unleashed his Fender Stratocaster in what could be interpreted as a protest against the government during a time of war in Vietnam.

4 Reginald Kenneth Dwight

Growing up in a house where his father wasn’t at all interested in building a relationship with him, Reginald Kenneth Dwight focused on his junior scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music which he was awarded at the age of eleven. However, he left the Academy before taking the final exams. After his parents’ divorce, his mother married again and in their new home, Dwight wrote several songs that would launch his fantastic career. Dwight legally changed his name to Elton Hercules John on 7 January 1972. He made elaborate costumes a part of his shows and bold eyeglasses became one of his signature fashion pieces. Known for playing the piano, John sometimes also played the guitar as is evident in this rare snap of him doing just that.

Elton John went on to win five Grammy Awards, Five Brit Awards, Two Oscars and two Golden Globes among others and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998. One of his most famous songs, Candle In The Wind, was adapted in 1997 for Princess Diana’s funeral and sold more than 33 million copies worldwide.

3 Funny Girl

With more than 150 million records sold worldwide, Barbra Streisand is one of the best-selling recording artists of all time. And she is not only a singer, but also an actress and filmmaker. She has won several awards, including 2 Oscars, 10 Grammys and 5 Emmy Awards and became the first woman to write, produce, direct and star in a major film when Yentl was released in 1983. (Link 8)

She won her first Oscar in 1969 for Best Actress in the critically acclaimed Funny Girl, alongside Katherine Hepburn who won Best Actress for The Lion In Winter. Their tie for Best Actress Oscar is one of only 6 ties at the Academy Awards throughout its history.

Barbra picked the less conservative of two outfits for the awards ceremony: a pantsuit sporting plastic sequins and a white collar and cuffs. What she didn’t realize beforehand however, was that when bright stage lights fell over the outfit, it would become practically see-through.

She said afterwards: “I had no idea that when the lights hit the outfit, it would become transparent!”

Barbra won her second Oscar in 1977 for Best Song in A Star Is Born.

2 What a comeback

Almost unknown in 1981, Prince was slated to be the opening act for the Rolling Stones. He appeared on stage wearing thigh-high boots, a trenchcoat and bikini briefs. The Stones fans were exceptionally intolerant and started hurling insults, homophobic slurs and even food and drinks. Prince left the stage in tears after 15 minutes.

Fortunately, the star didn’t let this terrible experience dissuade him from pursuing his music career. By the end of the 80s he was one of the most successful artists of that decade and today he is celebrated as one of the best music artists of all time.

By 1991 there was no trace of the humiliation that caused him to flee the stage 10 years earlier. All there was were screaming fans who couldn’t get enough of the star. AT the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards, Prince was performing Gett Off when he turned around and revealed that his butt was covered only by illusion netting.

The incident became known as Prince’s defining VMA moment, even though some fans argued that what the audience saw was flesh-colored fabric and not Prince’s actual behind.

1 Freddie stole the show

In 1984 Bob Geldof and Midge Ure wrote “Do They Know It’s Christmas” after Geldof travelled to Ethiopia and witnessed the ongoing horrors of a famine that had killed thousands of Ethiopians. The proceeds of the song totalled $44 million. However, Geldof wanted to do more, so he came up with the Live Aid benefit concert which was held in 1985. The concert line-up consisted of more than 75 acts including Bryan Adams, Neil Young, David Bowie, Madonna, Sting, Phil Collins, and Santana.

The performances happened at Wembley Stadium in London and at Philadelphia’s JFK stadium and $127 million was raised for famine relief in Africa.

The most memorable moment from the concert, however, was the 20-minute performance by Queen. Freddie Mercury held the audiences’ attention as he and the band powered through “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “We Will Rock You” and “We Are The Champions.” Queen’s popularity was declining at that point, but with that rocking performance the world was reminded just how unique a talent Mercury was..

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The music industry is filled with larger-than-life figures and tales of debauchery and eccentricity, and the public is usually ready to lap up every juicy detail that they can find in tabloid magazines, interviews, autobiographies, and, more recently, social media. 

It’s not really surprising, then, that the secretive and scandalous nature of the music world has given rise to loads of outlandish myths and urban legends. And today, we’re taking a look at ten of them.

10. John Denver the Sniper

John Denver built an image for himself as a friendly, lovable, and harmless folk musician who cared about nature and his fellow man. But was it all a lie? Was John Denver actually a cold-blooded killer who once served as a sniper for the US Army?

Well, no, but that hasn’t stopped the story from spreading online. It’s true that he came from a military family and his father was an officer with the US Air Force. Denver might have wanted to follow in his footsteps, but that was never in the cards – his eyesight was too poor for him to become a pilot. He was also missing two toes, having lost them in a lawnmower accident when he was a teenager. So even though John Denver did receive an Army induction notice in 1964, his health problems got him classified as 1-Y, meaning that he was only qualified for service in times of war or national emergency. So John Denver never served in any branch of the military. And even if he had, the fact that he was blind as a bat meant that the one position he would never, ever fill was that of a sniper.

9. In the Air Tonight

Fans often argue over the true meaning behind some of their favorite songs, especially when that meaning is not made apparent either by the lyrics or by the artist. Take that overenthusiasm and uncertainty, mix them together, and you get a foolproof recipe for rumors to appear. Take, for example, the song In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins. It was his first single as a solo artist and became one of his signature songs, but some of his fans are still unclear on what the song is actually about.

There are a few variations on the story, but the most common version claims that Collins once witnessed a man drown while a third man watched on impassively, refusing to help the dying person. Phil himself was either too far away, too drunk, or too young to help, depending on which version you prefer. But that’s not all, because the most outlandish retellings go a step further and claim that Collins hired a detective to track down the mysterious man who callously let another person drown. The musician then sent him tickets to one of his shows and, during the concert, put the spotlight on him and exposed him to the world at large.

All of this is nonsense, of course, as made clear by Phil Collins himself years ago. He wrote the song following the collapse of his first marriage, but here is what Phil had to say:

“When I was writing this I was going through a divorce. And the only thing I can say about it is that it’s obviously in anger. It’s the angry side or the bitter side of a separation. So what makes it even more comical is when I hear these stories which started many years ago, particularly in America, of someone come up to me and say, ‘Did you really see someone drowning?’ I said, ‘No, wrong’.”

8. Avril Is Dead

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAKrBCFYTh0

You’ve probably heard of the “Paul Is Dead” myth – the idea that the real Paul McCartney died decades ago and was replaced by a lookalike and, for whatever reason, the Beatles decided to leave clues to their little switcheroo in the album cover for Abbey Road. That urban legend is too well-known, so we decided to focus on a different celebrity doppelgänger story – that of Canadian pop rocker Avril Lavigne.

According to this particular conspiracy theory, the real Avril died all the way back in 2003, not long after she struck it big with her debut album Let Go. But even before her demise, Lavigne wasn’t a fan of her newfound fame, so she sometimes used a body double named Melissa Vandella for various events. Then, after the singer died, her record company didn’t want to let go of a good thing, so they “upgraded” Melissa to a full-time Avril Lavigne. And, of course, the new Avril started leaving clues to her true identity in her songs and even wrote the word “Melissa” on her hand once in a publicity shot.

Confronted with this “irrefutable proof,” the singer had no choice but to come clean and admit that she was not the real Avril Lavigne…Just kidding. No, for the most part, she ignored the story, although she has acknowledged it more in recent years, dismissing it as a “dumb internet rumor” made up by bored people needing something new to talk about.

7. Jim Is Alive

This one is pretty much the exact opposite of the previous entry – a rumor that claims that a dead musician is, in fact, still alive after faking their own death. Undoubtedly, Elvis is the king of this particular urban legend, with dozens, possibly even hundreds of sightings over the years. Once again, we are not going to focus on the most obvious choice and, instead, examine the idea that Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors, faked his death and started a new life.

The unclear circumstances surrounding Morrison’s death made it ripe for rumors and conspiracies. The musician died unexpectedly in his apartment in Paris in 1971, joining the dreaded 27 Club, but more on that later. The likely cause of death was a drug overdose, but his partner, Pamela Courson, fearing that she might be arrested and charged, gave a false statement to the French police, telling them that Morrison died of a heart attack. With no signs of foul play, the authorities dismissed the need for an autopsy, and Jim Morrison was hastily buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery, with his fans informed of the singer’s death after the funeral.

Over the years, conspiracy theories claimed that Morrison had been the victim of various assassination plots, or that he actually OD’d in a trendy Parisian nightclub and his body was brought home to avoid unwanted publicity. And then, of course, there was the idea that Jim faked the whole thing and started fresh, leaving his old life behind. Oddly enough, some of his close friends also believed this, including Ray Manzarek, the keyboard player of The Doors who co-founded the band alongside Morrison.

6. Monkees > Beatles & Stones

If you ever dare to besmirch the good name of the Monkees, you will probably find at least one fan who will huffily inform you that actually, in 1967 the Monkees sold more records than the Beatles and the Rolling Stones combined. So there… what do you have to say to that? Well, you could tell them that, although their passion is commendable, they are slightly misinformed. Although this “fact” has often been repeated over the decades, it was completely made up by Monkees member Mike Nesmith, who later referred to it as a “complete fabrication, totally bogus, class-A mendacity lie.

It wasn’t until 2015 that Nesmith set the record straight in a podcast, and then again in his own autobiography. It all went back to 1977, to an interview in Australia. Bored with media appearances and a bit weary of the press, Nesmith flat-out warned his interviewer that he would tell him lies and that he would have to do some research to separate the fact from the fiction. But here it is in Nesmith’s own words:

“Then came a point where he asked me about the sales of the Monkees records, and I saw the chance. It isn’t too well known, I said flatly, that we sold over thirty-five million records in 1967. More than the Beatles and the Rolling Stones combined … he diligently wrote all this down, and I wondered for a moment if I had chosen too outrageous a lie to tell, but it turned out it had been just right.

The next day in the paper, there it was, printed as fact.”

5. Jimi’s Parakeets

You might not be aware of this, but Great Britain has a feral parakeet problem, particularly the ring-necked variety. They are a non-native species and they’re also a non-migratory species. This means that they didn’t just fly from Africa or India on their own. Someone brought them to Britain and released them into the wild where they thrived and multiplied. And if the story is to be believed, then the blame rests squarely on the shoulders of one man… Jimi Hendrix.

Why was it his fault? Because, apparently, in 1968, while on a trip to London, he released a pair in Carnaby Street. This may or may not have happened, nobody knows for sure, but even if it did, Hendrix would still not be responsible for their introduction as a non-native species. Occasional parakeet sightings in Britain date back to the 19th century, and the first large-scale release of these birds might have occurred in the early 1930s, during an outbreak of “parrot fever” which prompted many parrot owners to release their feathered friends into the wild. 

Experts believe there were several such instances where parakeets were released in large numbers that ultimately led to them becoming a feral species in Britain, with the most significant one possibly being the Great Storm of 1987, which saw birdhouses being damaged throughout the country.

4. Getting High at Buckingham Palace

The Beatles were a quintessential part of the counterculture movement of the 1960s and, according to legend, they enacted one of their most infamous acts of rebellion in 1965 when they got high at Buckingham Palace.

Like the aforementioned claim made by Mike Nesmith, this was a rumor started by one of the band members. In 1965, the Beatles went to Buckingham Palace where Queen Elizabeth II presented them all with MBEs, which stands for Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. However, according to John Lennon, the Fab Four got ready to meet the queen by sneaking into the bathroom and smoking a joint to steady their nerves.

So were the Beatles high when they met the queen? The other bandmates dismissed Lennon’s claim, with both McCartney and Harrison pointing out that they just smoked regular cigarettes. And, eventually, Lennon himself walked back his statement, so it seems that this controversial moment in their careers was only a fanciful story.

3. The Rollercoaster Scream

It all started with a scream. There are innumerable songs that have screams in them but, for whatever reason, the Ohio Players’ 1975 hit Love Rollercoaster proved to be different. A rumor started going around that the funk band had unwittingly captured the last cry of a woman being murdered.

How could this even happen? Well, apparently, the woman was killed just outside the studio, or maybe in a different room, or even in the neighboring apartment, just as the band was recording Love Rollercoaster. The scream appears around the halfway point of the song and it is barely audible and quite easy to miss, which further convinced people that it had been recorded accidentally. 

In other variations on the urban legend, the woman wasn’t killed, just badly scalded by hot honey. In this instance, the scream belonged to model Ester Cordet who posed for the album cover naked while dripping honey over herself. It’s a bit unclear how it ended up on the recording, though.

The truth was far more obvious and mundane. The scream wasn’t unintentional and it didn’t even belong to a woman. It was made by Ohio Players keyboardist Billy Beck who just wanted to add a little something extra to the track. And, to give him credit, he did, just not what he intended.

2. Let Him Bleed

Even in a world filled with excesses, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards is in a league of his own as his decades of drug abuse have been well-documented. But how come Keith Richards is still alive and kicking while so many of his contemporaries are long gone after partaking in the exact same lifestyle? Is he simply immortal or does he have a different ace up his sleeve? Well, if rumors are to be believed, then Keith Richards’ secret to long-lasting life is replacing all the blood in his body with fresh blood.

Yes, the claim is that the musician went to one of those super expensive, super secret medical clinics somewhere in the Swiss Alps and had a full-body blood transfusion to help him kick his heroin addiction. This is a weird situation because several people close to Richards confirmed the veracity of the rumor, only for Richards himself to eventually admit that he made up the whole thing out of boredom. Here’s what he said:

“Someone asked me how I cleaned up, so I told them I went to Switzerland and had my blood completely changed…I was just fooling around. I opened my jacket and said, ‘How do you like my blood change?

That’s all it was, a joke. I was f***ing sick of answering that question. So I gave them a story.”

1. The 27 Club

What do Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse have in common? They are all part of the accursed 27 Club, the mysterious “statistical spike” that has claimed the lives of famous musicians at the tender age of 27 in far greater numbers than any other age. 

Jimi, Janis, and Jim all died within two years of each other. They were all highly successful and influential, and they were all 27 years old so people did notice the eerie similarities between them, but it wasn’t really until the 90s when Kurt Cobain died that the idea of the 27 Club became a well-defined concept, and people were reminded of it again in 2011 when Amy Winehouse died. These are just the biggest names mentioned whenever the 27 Club is brought up, but there are others such as Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones, blues pioneer Robert Johnson, Canned Heat singer Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson, Grateful Dead member Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, and scores of others.

So is there any truth to the idea that musicians are more likely to die when they are 27? Not according to science. One study examined the deaths of over 11,000 musicians over 60 years and only 1.3 percent of them died at that age. More died at 28, in fact, and, unsurprisingly, the percentage went up with age, with the 55-to-65 range proving to be the highest risk. The deadliest year of all was 56, which claimed 2.3 percent of lives. Even so, it was only slightly higher than its neighboring years, not enough to constitute a spike of any significance.

It is widely accepted that “Rocket 88” by Jackie Brenston And His Delta Cats was the first ever rock ‘n’ roll song. However, many rock fans are not on board with this, as they feel that “That’s All Right, Mama” by Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup should receive the honor of being the first-ever rock ‘n’ roll tune. Other candidates include “Good Rockin’ Tonight” by Wynonie Harris and “Saturday Night Fish Fry” by Louis Jordan & The Tympay Five.

Rock ‘n’ roll has come a long way since those early songs and there have been many memorable rock moments over the years. On this list are just a handful of people who contributed greatly to rock music and will continue to be remembered in generations to come.

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10 “Ooh! My Head” – Ritchie Valens

Richard Steven Valenzuela became the first Hispanic rock star while he was still in high school. He was signed in 1958 by Del-Fi Records which was a small record label owned by Bob Keane. Richard soon changed his name to Ritchie Valens to be different from the ‘bunch of Richards around at that time.’ Valens recorded many hit songs, the most notably of which were “Donna” and “La Bamba” and his career became so demanding that he dropped out of high school.

Valens appeared in the 1959 film “Go, Johnny Go” in which he performed “Ooh! My Head.” The movie also featured Chuck Berry, Jimmy Clanton, and Alan Freed and was Valens’ sole movie appearance. Shortly after filming Valens died in a plane crash along with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper. He was only 17 years old.

9 “Sweet Little Sixteen” – Chuck Berry

While Ritchie Valens was considered a pioneer of the Chicano rock movement, Chuck Berry was nicknamed the “Father of Rock and Roll” after developing rhythm and blues into the distinctive sound of rock music. Even though Berry had several run-ins with the law and served time in prison, he overcame his troubled past to become one of the greatest rock artists of all time and was one of the first musicians inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, along with Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Ray Charles, James Brown and more.

Berry appeared in the film, Jazz on a Summer’s Day, which was released in 1959. In it, he performed the song “Sweet Little Sixteen.” This excellent performance inspired Keith Richards to pursue a career as a rock star, after seeing the film as a teenager.^[1]

8 “Runaway” – Del Shannon

“Runaway” was one of the most popular songs recorded by Charles Weedon Westover, better known as Del Shannon, in 1961. Shannon was popular in the UK and became the first American singer to record a cover version of a Beatles song, “From Me to You, which charted in America before the Beatles version did.

Shannon eventually re-recorded “Runaway” for the NBC show Crime Story and enjoyed renewed popularity. Unfortunately, Shannon suffered from alcoholism and depression and he took his own life on 8 February 1990. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.

7 “Barracuda” – Heart

Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart performed an electric version of their song “Barracuda” at Cal Jam 2 in 1978. Ann later revealed that the song was written out of the anger that she and Nancy felt towards Mushroom Records after the recording label released a fake story about an incestuous relationship between the two sisters.

The song was named “34th Best Hard Rock Song of All Time” by VH1 in 2009 and features on a multitude of compilation albums.

6 “Carry On Wayward Son” – Kansas

“Carry On Wayward Son” is instantly recognizable not only because of Supernatural and South Park, but because of the excellent intro especially when played live. Rock band, Kansas, recorded the song in 1977 and it was certified gold in 1990. Today, the song is certified quadruple platinum.

After releasing three successful albums by 1976, Kansas had yet to come up with a song that would get radio airplay. And they desperately needed one after all the big bands at the time became wary of Kansas opening for them as the band was a tough act to follow. After writing seven songs, chief songwriter Kerry Livgren brought in a last-minute idea. As soon as the rest of the band heard “Carry On Wayward Son” they knew they had something special. It soon became the hit they needed.

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5 “I’ll Stand By You” – The Pretenders

In 1978 Chrissie Hynde founded the rock band, The Pretenders. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 after producing a number of hits including “Brass in Pocket”, “Back on the Chain Gang”, “Don’t Get Me Wrong” and the hugely popular “I’ll Stand By You.” This song was covered by many artists over the years and Noel Gallagher famously said, “he wished he’d written it.” “I’ll Stand By You” was written by Chrissie Hynde and released in 1994. The band performed the song live at Glastonbury that same year.

4 “Paranoid Android” – Radiohead

Radiohead also played at the Glastonbury Festival in 1997 and their performance was credited with helping to rescue the then flailing event. It had been raining heavily for weeks leading up to the festival leaving the grounds where it was to take place soggy and muddy. One of the stages began to sink into a pool of mud, and Neil Young as well as Steve Winwood dropped out of the festival. Things were truly looking bleak. Then Thom Yorke and company took to the stage and what followed was one of the most memorable rock performances of the 90s.^[2]

3 “Zombie” – The Cranberries

It is hard to imagine the 90s without hearing Dolores O’Riordan over the radio or picturing her smashing it at a live concert with The Cranberries. By 2019 the band had sold nearly 50 million albums worldwide. Tragically, O’Riordan was found dead in a London hotel room the year before and the remaining members confirmed that their final album that was to be released in April 2019 would be their last as they didn’t want to continue without her.

One of The Cranberries most iconic songs was released in 1993 and even though multiple great covers have been done of “Zombie”, nothing compares to O’Riordan singing it live with her incredible voice.

2 “Lightning Crashes” – Live

Live released “Lightning Crashes” in September 1994 and even though it wasn’t released as a single in the US, it was played on the radio so often that it peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1995. The song was dedicated to a long-time friend of the band, 19-year-old Barbara Lewis, who died after being hit by a drunk driver in 1993.

Record executives told the band that the song would never become a single because it was too long. However, it became one of Live’s biggest hits after its debut at Woodstock ’94 and constant airplay on MTV. The band performed it live many times, including at Pinkpop, Holland in 1997, which has been hailed as one of their best live performances.

1 “Last Kiss” – Pearl Jam

Wayne Cochran released “Last Kiss” in 1961 but it wasn’t a success on the charts at the time. The song was recorded by other artists including J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers, and Wednesday, and became enormously popular once recorded by rock band, Pearl Jam. “Last Kiss” also became the band’s highest charting single in both Canada and the US. The cover was released as a single in 1999 and the proceeds went to assist the refugees of the Kosovo War. The song earned around $10 million in relief aid.

Eddie Vedder performed the song live in San Francisco in 2006, while standing in the crowd who were singing along at the top of their lungs.

+ The Sound of Silence – Disturbed

Paul Simon wrote “The Sounds of Silence” while living with his parents in 1963. He would sit and play his guitar in the bathroom with the faucet turned on and came up with the words to what would turn out to be a massive hit song for Simon & Garfunkel, eventually. The song attracted airplay in 1965 and producer, Tom Wilson, remixed the track. The remix was released in September 1965 and hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1966. Renamed “The Sound of Silence” the song was named the 18th most-performed song of the 20th century in 1999.

Simon & Garfunkel were a folk-rock duo and “The Sound of Silence” has been covered by artists in many genres of music. The most recognizable cover however came from heavy metal band, Disturbed. Paul Simon sent the frontman of Disturbed, David Draiman, an email in 2016 praising his performance to which Draiman responded “… your compliment means the world to me/us and we are eternally grateful.”

Disturbed performed the song live in Houston in 2016 alongside Myles Kennedy, frontman of rock band Alter Bridge which made for an extremely memorable music moment.

10 Rocking Facts About Bands From The Golden Age Of Music

Musicians often lead crazy lives, full of excesses and unique experiences, so it’s only normal that their deaths should be just as memorable. Here are ten examples that prove the point.

10. Keith Relf

Nowadays, the ’60s London rock band The Yardbirds is primarily remembered for launching the careers of not one, not two, but three of the greatest guitarists in music history: Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Jeff Beck. And yet, it is none of them that interest us today. Instead, we’re focusing on the original lead singer of the Yardbirds, Keith Relf, who accidentally electrocuted himself while playing his electric guitar.

This happened in 1976, years after Relf had left the band. The 33-year-old rocker was in the basement of his own home when he accidentally electrocuted himself with an ungrounded guitar. Relf was in poor health, which could further explain why the electric shock killed him, but the truth is that we simply don’t know any details about how his death actually occurred. His family remained fiercely private regarding Relf’s demise, which only led to the rise of rumors and legends, particularly the idea that he died while playing his guitar in the bathtub.

9. Bobby Fuller

In 1966, the Bobby Fuller Four found its greatest success when it scored a Top 10 hit with its cover of “I Fought the Law.” Unfortunately, the group did not get the chance to capitalize on its newfound fame. Just a few months later, the leader of the band, Bobby Fuller, was sitting dead in his car outside of his apartment, under some pretty fishy circumstances.

Ostensibly, Fuller’s death was ruled a suicide, although with some heavy question marks. Some claim that his body was found covered in gasoline. Others that it had several stab wounds. Either way, not something one would inflict on themselves before taking their own life. And some have also accused the police of quickly closing the case without a proper investigation, not even bothering to search for fingerprints or interview possible witnesses. And last, but not least, there have also been reports that Fuller’s body was in an advanced state of rigor mortis, suggesting that he had been dead for hours even though his car had only been parked for 30 minutes.

We don’t know how many of these claims are true, but they do seem to indicate that something more sinister happened to Bobby Fuller. As far as who could have done it is concerned, ideas are all over the place – a pissed-off nightclub owner, the mob, and even Charles Manson got a mention. But there isn’t any solid enough evidence to point the finger at any of them.

8. Steve Peregrin Took

The rock band T. Rex could not survive the death of its frontman Marc Bolan, disbanding soon after his untimely death in a car crash in 1977. But just a few years later, another one of the band’s founding members, Steve Peregrin Took, passed away in a much more bizarre and unique way – by choking on a cocktail cherry.

By the time of his death, Took had long been away from T. Rex. He had been fired from the band in 1969 due to his extensive drug use and party antics which were, apparently, too much even by ’60s rockers standards. Anyway, after his departure from T. Rex, Took embarked on various solo and group musical projects, the most notable of which was probably the band Shagrat which included original Motörhead member Larry Wallis.

The 31-year-old Took died on October 27, 1980, at his home in London, as we said, after choking on a cherry. Some versions of the story reported that it was a cocktail onion, and drugs were also involved, which is why his official cause of death was listed as “death by drug misadventure.”

7. Al Jackson Jr.

During the 1960s, Booker T & the M.G.’s was one of the funkiest instrumental bands around, made up of a bunch of experienced session musicians signed to Stax Records who decided to start their own band after playing on hundreds of records for other artists. The original lineup included Al Jackson Jr. on the drums, known as the “Human Timekeeper” for his intuitive ability to keep the beat. 

Unfortunately, Jackson’s time with the band was cut tragically short in 1975 when he was murdered in his own home in Memphis. It was September 30 and Jackson was supposed to fly to Detroit that night for a recording session. However, that was the night of the iconic “Thrilla in Manila” boxing match between Ali and Frazier. Jackson didn’t want to miss it so he postponed his travel and went to the Mid-South Coliseum to watch the fight televised. When he got back home, he found an intruder in his house. He forced Jackson onto his knees and shot him in the back five times. Later, his wife Barbara ran into the streets screaming for help, shouting that a burglar killed her husband.

Because Jackson’s murder remains unsolved, it has given rise to suggestions that all may not be what it seems. After all, the robber had complete control of the situation, and yet he still shot Jackson five times. Even the police noted that the intruder really wanted to make sure Jackson was dead. And the wife testified that she heard the killer refer to Jackson by his first name, indicating that they knew each other. Rumors say that Jackson’s record label may have had a hand in this, or even his wife since the two were in the middle of a divorce and she had already shot him once a few months earlier. 

6. Licorice McKechnie

Many artists perish by giving in to their demons, which is usually a nicer way of saying that they die from drugs. Another sizable chunk gets taken out by plane and car crashes, while a few of them are killed and their murders go unsolved, like the aforementioned Al Jackson Jr. And every now and then, some of them simply disappear, never to be heard from again.

That last one was the fate of Christina “Licorice” McKechnie, a Scottish singer with The Incredible String Band. They reached their peak when they performed at Woodstock in 1969, but a bad breakup with one of the other members forced McKechnie to leave the group in 1972. 

After that, her movements become much more obscure. She moved to California at one point. She married and later divorced another musician named Brian Lambert. She did return to her native Edinburgh once to see her family, but around 1990 McKechnie seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. All reports claim that she was last seen hiking across the Arizona Desert.

5. Alessandro Stradella

Unusual musician deaths are not solely contained in modern times. We travel back almost 350 years to 17th-century Genoa to explore the strange demise of Baroque composer Alessandro Stradella.

Stradella was, undoubtedly, a talented and prolific artist who produced hundreds of works, but he was also quite a shady character. “He led a dissolute life” is the polite way of saying it and he saw his fair share of scandals that resulted in not one, but two assassination attempts.

Stradella’s first brush with death occurred in Venice. He was freelancing as a music teacher, but he tried to seduce and abduct a pupil named Agnese van Uffele. Unfortunately for him, she also happened to be the doge’s niece, and he did not take kindly to Stradella’s actions. In fact, the doge sent his goons after the music teacher, and they beat him up, stabbed him, and left him for dead.

Stradella survived this first encounter and, wisely, decided that it was time for a change of scenery. He fled to Genoa but, clearly, made no attempt to mend his ways. It wasn’t long before he made some new enemies and these were more successful in their assault on the composer. Stradella was attacked and stabbed in the street again, and he died at the age of 42.

4. Gram Parsons

The death of country rock pioneer Gram Parsons is not particularly notable. The artist died of a drug overdose, which is not exactly unheard of in the world of music. But what happened afterward makes this a unique entry.

Parsons was a big fan of the Joshua Tree National Park in southeastern California. After visiting it several times, he expressed his wishes to his closest friends that, when he died, he would like his ashes to be scattered there. His road manager, Phil Kaufman, wanted to fulfill Gram’s last wish, but there was one problem – Parsons’ family wanted to give him a standard burial in a cemetery and, legally, they had the final say. So Kaufman did what any true friend would do in that situation – he stole the body.

Kaufman and another friend, Michael Martin, arrived at LAX as they were getting ready to ship Parsons’ remains to New Orleans. The duo had rented a Cadillac hearse and pretended to work for the funeral parlor, saying there was a change of plans and that the body would be flown from Van Nuys Airport. The LAX employees were a bit dubious but, ultimately, they released the body. The pair then raced to Joshua Tree National Park where they set the casket on fire. 

Unfortunately, they didn’t get the job done. Some campers spotted them and alerted the authorities. Kaufman and Martin were arrested before the body had been fully cremated and what was left of it was eventually returned to Parsons’ family and was buried. For their role in this little escapade, Kaufman and Martin were each fined $300.

3. Terry Kath

“What do you think I’m going to do? Blow my brains out?”

Reportedly, those were the last words of Terry Kath, guitarist and founding member of the rock band Chicago. And you can probably guess what happened next. That’s right, Kath had a heart attack. No, not really, he shot himself.

Kath was a big gun enthusiast, which is fine in itself, but he was also a big drug enthusiast, and he often liked to combine his two favorite pastimes. Many of his friends felt it was only a matter of time until this ended in tragedy, and they were right. It was January 23, 1978, just a week shy of Kath’s 32nd birthday, and the guitarist was hanging out with one of the band’s roadies, Don Johnson, at his home in Los Angeles. 

As per usual, Kath had a few guns with him and was playing with them, spinning them around, pointing them at his own head and even pulling the trigger. Understandably, this was making Johnson a little nervous so, in a bid to reassure him, Kath wanted to show him that all of his guns were empty. He picked up a 9mm, showed the roadie the empty clip, inserted it into the weapon, put it to his own temple, and pulled the trigger. Unfortunately, he forgot a bullet in the chamber and Kath just shot himself in the head.

2. Glenn Miller

There was a time during the early 1940s when conductor Glenn Miller had the best-selling music act in America. And yet, when World War II rolled around, Miller decided to forego the safety of his country in order to entertain the troops, and he paid for this with his life.

On December 15, 1944, Miller boarded a small airplane to cross the English Channel from London to Paris. He was never seen again and the wreckage of the aircraft has never been recovered.

As to what exactly happened, the most obvious answer is that Miller died in a plane crash alongside two other officers who were aboard the aircraft. The reason for the crash is up for debate. Some believe it was due to bad weather which forced the pilot to fly low and caused the fuel intakes to freeze. Others think that he could have been killed by friendly fire, specifically by Allied bombers jettisoning bombs after returning from a failed raid over Germany.

And that is, of course, assuming that Miller was actually killed in the crash. More outlandish ideas suggest that the big band leader faked his death and moved to South America, or that he actually died in a Paris bordello and the army concocted the story to protect his image. Or even that he was assassinated while on a secret mission from the US Government to negotiate with Nazi Germany. 

1. Mike Edwards

As far as bizarre musicians’ deaths are concerned, it will be hard to top the “freak” accident that took the life of Mike Edwards in 2010, when he was crushed by a giant hay bale.

Edwards was most famous as the cellist of the 1970s rock band Electric Light Orchestra, playing with them in their early years before leaving the group in 1975. Fast forward to September 3, 2010, and the 62-year-old Edwards was driving through the countryside of Devon when a hay bale tumbled down a hill and struck the front of his van. Weighing over 600 kilograms, the hay bale killed Edwards instantly.

Two men were investigated by the police for possible criminal negligence for allowing the hay bale to tumble out of control, but an inquest jury cleared them of any wrongdoing, labeling Edwards’s death as “a farming accident, but one that was easily preventable.”