Professor of Rock

COMING up the story of the #1 1985 smash Sussudio by Phil Collins. Based on a made-up word…. One that just fell out of Phil’s mouth while he was singing. Even Phil had no idea what it meant. Unable to think of anything better, Collins decided to just make up a meaning. But as weird as it is, this song completely captivated listeners. However, as Sussudio started gaining traction as part of Phil Collins ’ 1985 blockbuster album No Jacket Required, it also stirred up controversy. Critics noticed that its central riff was nearly a carbon copy of another huge hit from a few years earlier. 1999 by Prince. And not long after, Phil Collins confessed it was a rip-off job. But the question was “to what degree?” The parallels were unmistakable. But were they enough to nail Phil Collins for plagiarism? Find out… NEXT on the Professor of Rock.

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So this one’s gonna turn a few heads. Today’s show is all about misinterpreted songs… that may or may not be about “getting it on…Today We’re counting down 6 tracks you've been singing along to for decades… That may be the ultimate double entendre…Or maybe not… But today we’re having it both ways… We’re also debunking some tracks that people are certain are double entendres. But either way, I guarantee these stories will keep you entertained. One of these songs, Brick House, was innocently put in a musical Hallmark greeting card… for Mother’s Day! But the last thing you would want to do is dedicate this song to your mother. Then there’s the track Tutti Frutti whose name doubles as a frozen yogurt chain. But when it was originally written, its lyrics were far too explicit to be aired on radio. You’ll never look at frozen yogurt the same way again. And finally, there’s the Jamaican dance floor anthem, Electric Boogie, that sparked a viral internet rumor that put a whole new spin on the words “good vibrations.” But was it true? Get ready, we’re diving into Volume 1 of my Most Misinterpreted Songs series… Bedroom Edition. Let’s do this.

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Let's run it back!

How Led Zeppelin followed one of the biggest selling albums of all time, the 70s classic, Led Zeppelin IV with a bold venture that utterly confused their core faithful. It would’ve been a ’no-brainer’ to simply stay the course, and give the fans what they were used to. But Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham went the other way, and purposely abandoned the heavy blues rock sound they were famous for. The 2nd single from this long play deviation was a reggae song named after the punchline of an old vaudeville comedy routine. Dyer Maker as in did you make her said in a cockney accent…It became one of the most mispronounced song titles in history. From Houses of the Holy, the story of an all time 70s classic rock standard next on P.O.R.
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Coming up, we’re taking a field trip to the movies to study cult classic films that owe their success to their incredible soundtracks. Some of these films would have never survived without the music that backed their most iconic moments. There’s the iconic 70s stoner flick Dazed and Confused, named after a song by the Lords of Rock. But when the director wanted to use one of their songs in the movie, they gave him a FLAT NO!. So he swore he’d boycott their music for the rest of his life. Also, there is the movie Napoleon Dynamite that spent half of its minuscule budget on 1 song. Only the problem was that they ran out of money by the time they got to the epic scene and only had a few minutes of film left to nail the climactic moment of the film. So it would have to be perfect… Find out what happened. Plus, there’s the 80s teen flick Pretty in Pink, whose ending was booed by test audiences. After a desperate rewrite, the New Wave band OMD only had a few hours to compose a song for the new ending. And finally, we’ve got the story of the most cursed cult classic ever: The Crow. It was plagued by hurricane-force winds, unexplained accidents, and the tragic death of the film’s lead actor, Brandon Lee, on set. Let’s do it.

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FROM THE VAULT: On March 31, 1967, Jimi Hendrix shocked the world by setting his guitar on fire, cementing his legend as rock’s most unpredictable genius. But behind the flames was a far more complex artist. In this episode, we dive into the myths, mysteries, and misunderstood truths surrounding Hendrix… a left-handed virtuoso who loved science fiction, kept parakeets, and constantly pushed the boundaries of sound and consciousness.
We explore the many competing origin stories behind one of rock’s most iconic songs, “Purple Haze”...from wild tales of kidnappings and stalkers to vivid dreams and altered states that blurred the line between reality and imagination. And we uncover the surprising vulnerability of a guitar god who was so insecure about his voice that he struggled just to record it.
This is the story of Jimi Hendrix like you’ve never heard it—separating fact from fiction and getting closer to the truth behind the legend… NEXT on Professor of Rock.
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