What are your favorite "True Music Facts"?
September 19, 2013 7:40 AM Subscribe
As a creative outlet, I have started writing up "True Music Facts" to write to a friend once a week. (I turned one of them about the Steve Miller Band into a post on the blue last week.) My supply is running out much more quickly than I imagined, because I want the fact to be a fun story. So, a TMF isn't something like "the Beatles had the most number 1 hits" or "Boston's debut album sold X million copies." It's more like the story of the Beatles' "Butcher Cover" or Jethro Tull's odd Grammy win for best hard rock/heavy metal performance, or the etymology of a strange band name like Three Dog Night or a song like Cracklin' Rosie.
So I ask of you: what are your favorite "True Music Facts?"
(Don't Take Her) She's All I Got was written by Gary "US" Bonds and Swamp Dogg.
Alex Chilton was in the Box Tops and sang The Letter
Brian May has a Phd in astrophysics.
posted by ghharr at 7:57 AM on September 19, 2013
Alex Chilton was in the Box Tops and sang The Letter
Brian May has a Phd in astrophysics.
posted by ghharr at 7:57 AM on September 19, 2013
Actor John Stamos plays the drums, keyboards, guitar, bass and various percussion instruments, and has occasionally performed with The Beach Boys, dating back to the 1980s.... Since the 1990s, Stamos has regularly performed with The Beach Boys during their summer tours, playing drums and guitar, and singing some of their hit songs such as "Forever".
An unofficially altered Justin Bieber song served as inspiration for the Slo-Mo theme for the movie Dredd. Alex Garland said that Portishead instrumentalist Geoff Barrow "sent me a link to a Justin Bieber song slowed down 800 times and it became this stunning trippy choral music." Garland said that Portishead instrumentalist Geoff Barrow "sent me a link to a Justin Bieber song slowed down 800 times and it became this stunning trippy choral music." The film used Bieber's music as a temporary placeholder during editing before the score was finalized. Paul Leonard-Morgan recreated the effect based on the modified track, which was used in the finished film. (The Bieber time-stretched song previously on MetaFilter)
If you're looking for little tidbits, here are 101 odd facts about musicians.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:10 AM on September 19, 2013
An unofficially altered Justin Bieber song served as inspiration for the Slo-Mo theme for the movie Dredd. Alex Garland said that Portishead instrumentalist Geoff Barrow "sent me a link to a Justin Bieber song slowed down 800 times and it became this stunning trippy choral music." Garland said that Portishead instrumentalist Geoff Barrow "sent me a link to a Justin Bieber song slowed down 800 times and it became this stunning trippy choral music." The film used Bieber's music as a temporary placeholder during editing before the score was finalized. Paul Leonard-Morgan recreated the effect based on the modified track, which was used in the finished film. (The Bieber time-stretched song previously on MetaFilter)
If you're looking for little tidbits, here are 101 odd facts about musicians.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:10 AM on September 19, 2013
Save the last dance for me
That's the wikipedia write up, but I heard the story retold by Randy Bachman on the CBC's Vinyl Tap. He told it much better than wikipedia.
posted by pick_the_flowers at 8:14 AM on September 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
That's the wikipedia write up, but I heard the story retold by Randy Bachman on the CBC's Vinyl Tap. He told it much better than wikipedia.
posted by pick_the_flowers at 8:14 AM on September 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Keith Richards came up with the "Satisfaction" riff while half-asleep in a hotel room.
There was a rumor that the band Klaatu was actually the Beatles, and their record label didn't shoot down the rumor - on the contrary, they rode it for all it was worth.
You mention Boston's debut album - it almost didn't see the light of day, because of Tom Scholz' perfectionism.
(Your go-to source for the kind of stories you're looking for, by the way, is Pop-Up Video.)
posted by jbickers at 8:16 AM on September 19, 2013
There was a rumor that the band Klaatu was actually the Beatles, and their record label didn't shoot down the rumor - on the contrary, they rode it for all it was worth.
You mention Boston's debut album - it almost didn't see the light of day, because of Tom Scholz' perfectionism.
(Your go-to source for the kind of stories you're looking for, by the way, is Pop-Up Video.)
posted by jbickers at 8:16 AM on September 19, 2013
Gil Scott-Heron's father played for Glasgow Celtic.
posted by oh pollo! at 8:17 AM on September 19, 2013
posted by oh pollo! at 8:17 AM on September 19, 2013
Bruce Springsteen has never had a #1 Billboard Hot 100 song in the U.S. The closest he came was "Dancing in the Dark," which spent several weeks at #2 behind "The Reflex" by Duran Duran, then "When Doves Cry" by Prince. However, Manfred Mann's cover of "Blinded by the Light" (which was Springsteen's debut single in 1973), hit #1 in 1977 for one week.
posted by Etrigan at 8:18 AM on September 19, 2013
posted by Etrigan at 8:18 AM on September 19, 2013
Monkee Mike Nesmith's mother invented Liquid Paper.
posted by Naberius at 8:25 AM on September 19, 2013
posted by Naberius at 8:25 AM on September 19, 2013
In the early 70's, Jaco Pastorius, who was an unknown struggling musician, went out on the road with artists like Mickey Rooney and Lou Rawls.
posted by thelonius at 8:28 AM on September 19, 2013
posted by thelonius at 8:28 AM on September 19, 2013
The Prudence in the Beatles' Dear Prudence was (is?) the sister of actress Mia Farrow. She was in India with the boys and wouldn't come out of her hotel room.
posted by bondcliff at 8:29 AM on September 19, 2013
posted by bondcliff at 8:29 AM on September 19, 2013
People have been entering their stories and info like this into the songfacts site for many years.
posted by Rash at 8:52 AM on September 19, 2013
posted by Rash at 8:52 AM on September 19, 2013
The piano player on BTO's Takin' Care of Business was the pizza delivery guy.
posted by tommasz at 9:43 AM on September 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by tommasz at 9:43 AM on September 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Ludwig van Beethoven played the Viola as a teenager in the Bonn court chapel.
posted by Namlit at 9:53 AM on September 19, 2013
posted by Namlit at 9:53 AM on September 19, 2013
Due to contractual issues, George Harrison wrote and recorded "Badge" with Eric Clapton and Cream, under the name L'Angelo Mysterioso.:
posted by timsteil at 12:07 PM on September 19, 2013
posted by timsteil at 12:07 PM on September 19, 2013
Red Red Wine (hit for UB40) was written by Neil Diamond.
Johnny Cash added the horns to Ring of Fire after hearing them in a dream.
Kris Kristofferson was a Rhodes scholar.
posted by Kafkaesque at 12:07 PM on September 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
Johnny Cash added the horns to Ring of Fire after hearing them in a dream.
Kris Kristofferson was a Rhodes scholar.
posted by Kafkaesque at 12:07 PM on September 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
Paul Simon stole a lot of the music in Graceland from Los Lobos.
posted by humboldt32 at 12:33 PM on September 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by humboldt32 at 12:33 PM on September 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
Kris Kristofferson was a Rhodes scholar.
And an Army Ranger and helicopter pilot who was selected to teach at West Point. Dude lived three pretty damn successful lives before he hit 40. Oh, and one of his sons was briefly a WWE wrestler.
posted by Etrigan at 12:36 PM on September 19, 2013
And an Army Ranger and helicopter pilot who was selected to teach at West Point. Dude lived three pretty damn successful lives before he hit 40. Oh, and one of his sons was briefly a WWE wrestler.
posted by Etrigan at 12:36 PM on September 19, 2013
The Guess Who's American Woman was improvised live on stage because of a broken guitar string. Randy Bachman's Vinyl Tap is a great source of stories.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 12:53 PM on September 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by GhostintheMachine at 12:53 PM on September 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Buffalo Springfield took its name off the side of an actual steamroller machine, manufactured by the Buffalo-Springfield Roller Company.
posted by paulsc at 1:04 PM on September 19, 2013
posted by paulsc at 1:04 PM on September 19, 2013
Johnny Cash's "A Boy Named Sue?" Written by Shel Silverstein.
posted by Rykey at 3:35 PM on September 19, 2013
posted by Rykey at 3:35 PM on September 19, 2013
Hall and Oates met while they were both running from gunfire.
Clarence Reid, the soul singer and songwriter behind tracks like "Nobody But You Babe," "Girls Can't Do What The Guys Do," and "Clean Up Woman," had an alternate career as potty-mouthed song parodist Blowfly. He is credited with being the first dirty rapper.
Punk rockers Milo Aukerman and Greg Graffin have PhDs. In science! Dexter Holland nearly finished his.
Greg Ginn's label SST Records took its name from Solid State Transmitters, his previous mail order company. He sold ham radio equipment.
Sonic Youth's original drummer is now an actor. He played Spike in Super Mario Brothers.
Sun Ra once appeared on a quickie knock-off album for a toy company that wanted to cash in on a popular TV show.
Maybe a lot of people know this one already, but the two founding members of the Turtles went on to join Frank Zappa's band, do backup vocals for tons of other people, and write music for Strawberry Shortcake and the Care Bears.
posted by hydrophonic at 5:17 PM on September 19, 2013
Clarence Reid, the soul singer and songwriter behind tracks like "Nobody But You Babe," "Girls Can't Do What The Guys Do," and "Clean Up Woman," had an alternate career as potty-mouthed song parodist Blowfly. He is credited with being the first dirty rapper.
Punk rockers Milo Aukerman and Greg Graffin have PhDs. In science! Dexter Holland nearly finished his.
Greg Ginn's label SST Records took its name from Solid State Transmitters, his previous mail order company. He sold ham radio equipment.
Sonic Youth's original drummer is now an actor. He played Spike in Super Mario Brothers.
Sun Ra once appeared on a quickie knock-off album for a toy company that wanted to cash in on a popular TV show.
Maybe a lot of people know this one already, but the two founding members of the Turtles went on to join Frank Zappa's band, do backup vocals for tons of other people, and write music for Strawberry Shortcake and the Care Bears.
posted by hydrophonic at 5:17 PM on September 19, 2013
Slash's guitar solo on Sweet Child O' Mine was inspired by the solo on Gerry Rafferty's soft-rock mega-hit Baker Street.
posted by swift at 7:25 PM on September 19, 2013
posted by swift at 7:25 PM on September 19, 2013
There are no drums on Queen's famous "We Will Rock You". That steady beat is the band stomping on boards in the studio and then clapping their hands (stomp-stomp-clap).
posted by Oriole Adams at 1:51 AM on September 20, 2013
posted by Oriole Adams at 1:51 AM on September 20, 2013
The BTO pizza delivery guy story is an urban legend.
Slash's guitar solo on Sweet Child O' Mine was inspired by the solo on Gerry Rafferty's soft-rock mega-hit Baker Street.
In similar fashion, Donovan's There is a Mountain inspired the Allman Brothers's Mountain Jam.
Jeff "Skunk" Baxter of the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan is a missile defense consultant.
Legendary music engineer Tom Dowd, who was behind the sound of hits too numerous to mention, got his start in electronics on the Manhattan Project.
posted by TedW at 6:24 AM on September 20, 2013
Slash's guitar solo on Sweet Child O' Mine was inspired by the solo on Gerry Rafferty's soft-rock mega-hit Baker Street.
In similar fashion, Donovan's There is a Mountain inspired the Allman Brothers's Mountain Jam.
Jeff "Skunk" Baxter of the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan is a missile defense consultant.
Legendary music engineer Tom Dowd, who was behind the sound of hits too numerous to mention, got his start in electronics on the Manhattan Project.
posted by TedW at 6:24 AM on September 20, 2013
Not sure if this fits, but the first automobile radio and the eight track tape were both invented by one Bill Lear, who became better known for his jets.
posted by TedW at 6:29 AM on September 20, 2013
posted by TedW at 6:29 AM on September 20, 2013
The woman singing with Meatloaf in Paradise By The Dashboard Light, Erin Foley, played Billie Young in the first season of Night Court. Note that she is not the woman in the video for the song.
Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders sings backup on U2's Pride (In the Name of Love), listed as Christine Kerr, because at the time she was married to Jim Kerr of Simple Minds.
posted by bondcliff at 6:55 AM on September 20, 2013
Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders sings backup on U2's Pride (In the Name of Love), listed as Christine Kerr, because at the time she was married to Jim Kerr of Simple Minds.
posted by bondcliff at 6:55 AM on September 20, 2013
Chevy Chase was the original drummer for Steely Dan.
posted by meadowlark lime at 8:47 AM on September 20, 2013
posted by meadowlark lime at 8:47 AM on September 20, 2013
The woman singing with Meatloaf in Paradise By The Dashboard Light, Erin Foley, played Billie Young in the first season of Night Court.
*Ellen* Foley, actually.
posted by Oriole Adams at 1:37 PM on September 20, 2013
*Ellen* Foley, actually.
posted by Oriole Adams at 1:37 PM on September 20, 2013
Yes, thank you. Not sure how I made that mistake since I had the damn Wiki article in another tab.
posted by bondcliff at 5:55 PM on September 20, 2013
posted by bondcliff at 5:55 PM on September 20, 2013
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posted by edgeways at 7:55 AM on September 19, 2013 [1 favorite]