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33 Trivia Tidbits About Music History

Belt out these facts like nobody’s watchin’

33 Trivia Tidbits About Music History

May 07, 2024

What do you think came first — an early human humming a tune, or an early human tapping a stick on a rock?

That sadly might be a little too far back for us to prove, but we did scrounge up some really old music facts here — like all the way back from the 1950s! Just joking, Boomers. We know that’s not that old. There might be some older facts than that below, but you’ll just have to find out for yourself.

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33

Don Felder

CRACKED DOUBLE-NECK GIBSON (DON FELDER) Though it wasn't part of the original process of writing the song, Eagles guitarist Don Felder's super-sized white EDS-1275 double-neck Gibson has become synonymous with Hotel California after hundreds of live performances. In 2019 the guitar was put on display at the Play it Loud exhibition at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. — Source

32

CRACKED MONTEREY STRATOCASTER (JIMI HENDRIX) Hendrix's 1965 Fender Stratocaster was set on fire by the iconic guitarist before making it to the end of the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. It's sacrifice wasn't in vain though, as the performance launched Hendrix into legend. — Source

31

CRACKED GIBSON LES PAUL (LES PAUL) Sometimes, you just can't beat the original. Music wouldn't be what it is today without the work of guitarist and engineering pioneer Les Paul, who developed the original Gibson Les Paul electric guitar in 1952. From Jimmy Page to Slash to Duane Allman, the Les Paul has remained ubiquitous. — Source

30

Under Pressure

CRACKED.COM Queen's collaboration with David Bowie on Under Pressure was pure impromptu. David Bowie just happened to be by the studio where Queen was recording tracks for their 10th studio album when both parties decided to work on an original piece during a 24-hour session. Mercury and Bowie even did their vocals separately without hearing each other as they sang their part. — Source

29

Ludwig Van Beethoven's father was obsessed with the idea that his son had to be the next Mozart. CRACKED.COM The result was a childhood full of violence and abuse. As a child, Beethoven was forced to study the piano all day and beaten by his father every time there was a mistake. If the performance wasn't perfect, his alcoholic father would also lock him in a basement as punishment. — Source

28

Bad was originally going to be a collaboration between Michael Jackson and Prince. Producer Quincy Jones says it was his idea to put the two rivals together, and turn that antagonistic energy into pop gold. Apparently it was a hard pass, for Prince. CRACKED.COM — Source

27

CRACKED.COM Kurt Cobain HATED the recording of Smells Like Teen Spirit It's such a perfect mixture of cleanliness and nice, candy-ass production. It may NIRVANA aren't I to used some to kind myself. people it, but of be extreme think it's lame, — Source

26

Koji Kondo composed the Legend of Zelda theme music in just one night. THE LEGEND OF ZEADA During development, the Nintendo team used Ravel's Bolero as the theme, but they discovered at the last minute that it was still protected by copyright. GRACKED.COM — Source

25

Ray Charles

What'd I Say was improvised. LIVE. Ray Charles said he and his band had run out of material with another 20 minutes still left to play. Не told his group, Whatever I do, just follow me. Не told his singers, Whatever I say, just repeat it. CRACKED.COM — Source

24

Charles Manson

SHADY TIES NEIL YOUNG so VENTURA CAL 47623 AND CHARLES MANSON 22 A P R 1968 Manson had dreams of a music career, and Young really supported him. Impressed by Manson's improvised lyrics, Young suggested his work to record exec Mo Ostin. CRACKED — Source

23

SHADY TIES FRANK SINATRA AND THE MOB His close ties to Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana were well documented by the FBI, and many say that The Godfather character Johnny Fontane was clearly based on Sinatra. CRACKED — Source

22

SHADY TIES TONY BENNETT AND THE MOB While performing in mob-owned nightclubs, Bennett dated the then-girlfriend of Anthony Spilotro (the inspiration for Joe Pesci's character in Casino), who knocked Bennett out with a phonebook. CRACKED — Source

21

CRACKED SHADY TIES THE BEACH BOYS so VENTURA CAL 47623 AND CHARLES MANSON 22 APR 1968 Manson supplied Dennis Wilson with girls and drugs, and was a frequent guest in his home. One of Manson's disciples even babysat Mike Love's children. — Source

20

Young Frankenstein

STEVEN TYLER WROTE THE SONG WALK THIS WAY WHEN НЕ HEARD MARTY FELDMAN USE THE PHRASE IN YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. Not unironically, it was Run-DMC's cover of the song that brought Aerosmith back from the dead in the 1980s. CRACKED.COM 9100 97 — Source

19

Michael Jackson

CRACKED.COM Billie Jean almost got Michael Jackson killed. Jackson was so absorbed in the song, working on it in his head while driving, that he didn't notice his car was on fire. Someone on a bike had to point it out to him. — Source

18

CRACKED.COM Dolly Parton's Jolene was a real woman. Parton kept teasing her husband about a red-headed bank teller who gave him a lot of attention. (Her name wasn't Jolene, though t that name came from a little girl Parton met while signing autographs.) — Source

17

CRACKED.COM Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water recounts a real tragedy. The story in the lyrics actually happened - the band was in Montreux, Switzerland, when some stupid with a flare gun burned down the casino where they were supposed to record an album using a mobile studio. — Source

16

CRACKED.COM Paul McCartney was afraid he was plagiarizing Yesterday. After dreaming up the melody, McCartney wasn't sure it was actually his creation. For a time he went around asking people in the business if they had heard it before. I thought if no one claimed it after a few weeks then I could have it, he said. — Source

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15

Mozart

In 2016, Mozart outsold Beyonce, Adele, and Drake in CDs Universal released a 200-disc box set for the 225th anniversary of Mozart's death, meaning that each purchase counted for 200 disc sales. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

14

You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet

You AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET WAS RECORDED TO MAKE FUN OF A STUTTERER. ana The stutterer was Randy Bachman's brother Gary, and Bachman Turner Overdrive recorded the song to poke fun at him. The song was never intended for commercial release, and Bachman re-recorded it without the stuttering. The record company insisted on releasing the original, and it became the band's only number one hit. CRACKED.COM http://www.stutteringhelp.org/btos-song-unique — Source

13

One Way or Another by Blondie The obsessive love song is more obsessive than it seems on the surface. Debbie Harry penned the song after being stalked by a nutjob. CRACKED.COM — Source

12

Sweet Caroline

Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline is named after JFK's daughter. Diamond needed a three-syllable name to fit the song he was writing. Then he remembered a photo of 7-year-old Caroline Kennedy he had seen in a magazine. CRACKED.COM — Source

11

The Clash

London Calling by The Clash The 1979 song is about climate change. The lyrics were inspired after the band read an article about the flooding of the Thames River. CRACKED.COM — Source

10

Bon Jovi

CRACKED.COM Bon Jovi's You Give Love a Bad Name was a different song (by Bonnie Tyler). Tyler's If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man) didn't do as well as songwriter Desmond Child expected - so he rewrote the lyrics, changed the song's title, and gave it to someone else to prove it could be a hit. — Source

9

Bob Marley

According to Bob Marley's girlfriend, I Shot the Sheriff was inspired by their fights over birth control. The Sheriff was the doctor who prescribed her the Pill. Sheriff John Brown always hated me, For what, / don't know. Every time / plant a seed, Не said Kill it before it grow. CRACKED.COM — Source

8

DRUMMER KEITH MOON, WHEN INVITED TO PLAY FOR A NEW BAND, THOUGHT THE IDEA WOULD GO OVER LIKE A LEAD ZEPPELIN. They changed the spelling because they didn't want people to use the wrong pronunciation of lead. CRACKED.COM http://www.classicbands.com/names.html — Source

7

THE HALLELUJAH CHORUS ISN'T ABOUT THE BIRTH OF CHRIST. It's about the Second Coming, and by extension, the end of the world. It's based on scriptures from the book of Revelation, which is the apocalyptic part of the Bible. CRACKED COM Revelation 19615 Revolution — Source

6

HELTER SKELTER IS THE BEATLES' ATTEMPT TO OUT-WHO THE WHO. Paul McCartney wrote it after hearing The Who's eardrum-shattering style, and figuring he could do better. CRACKED.COM wwww.thecurrent.org/feature/2013/07/16/today-in-music-history-the-beatles-record-helter-skelter — Source

5

Duran Duran

DURAN DURAN NAMED ITSELF AFTER THE VILLAIN IN CHEESY SCIFI FLICK BARBARELLA. The villain was actually named Durand Durand. Also in Barbarella: Jane Fonda, pictured above in the Orgasmatron. CRACKED.COM http://www.bandnameexplained.com/2013/07/duran-duran-band-name-meaning.html — Source

4

Born in the USA

Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen The song has a long history of being used in a patriotic fashion, despite it being about the difficult experiences of a Vietnam veteran returning home. CRACKED.COM — Source

3

CRACKED COM TICKET TO RIDE According to John Lennon, the ticket to ride was actually a card indicating a clean bill of health... ...carried by Hamburg prostitutes in the 1960s. ... TICKET — Source

2

Bonnie Tyler

Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler Songwriter Jim Steinman originally titled the song Vampires in Love while he was working on the vampire romance musical Nosferatu. CRACKED.COM — Source

1

Louie Louie by the Kingsmen SMEN Written by Richard Berry, the lyrics have were rumored to be so obscene that it caused an FBI investigation. But it's just a wholesome song about a Jamaican sailor returning to the island to see his lover. CRACKED.COM — Source

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