"Rature"

Today in Rock History...

1981 - The group Blondie, featuring Debbie Harry, received a gold record for the tune, "Rapture". At the time, the pop-rock hit was perched at the top of the pop music charts. Blondie had eight charted hits. Four of them were million sellers, beginning with their first release, "Heart of Glass" in 1979. Four of the eight hits were number one on the charts, as well. -440.com

Some Interesting Facts About The Song~

This was the first #1 hit song with a rap. Artists like Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, and Kurtis Blow had been rapping since the mid-'70s, and The Sugarhill Gang had the first Top-40 hit earlier in 1980 with "Rapper's Delight," but until this, rap had never been incorporated into a hit Pop song. Debbie Harry did the rap, and it was really ridiculous, with lyrics about the "Man from Mars eating cars," but the novelty helped the song become a hit. Harry says that a lot of rappers told her it was the first rap song they ever heard, since rap wasn't on the radio then.

Until this came out, rappers always used existing songs as the basis for the music they would rap over. They usually took Disco or Soul records and looped the beats to extend the breaks. Debbie Harry's rap in this was nothing special, but it was the first rap in a song that had its own original music.

In certain Christian theology, The Rapture is an event where believers are transported to heaven while others must endure the beginning of the end times on Earth. The lyrics of this song are a bit apocalyptic, as the "Man from Mars" starts destroying the planet with his insatiable appetite. The word "Rapture" is also a play on the rap aspect of the song.

As the age of Disco ended, so did Blondie's success. This was their last US hit until 1999, when they had a comeback song called "Maria." They did have another UK hit in 1982 called "Island Of Lost Souls."

If you listen carefully to the lyrics, you might hear something naughty. Shortly before the rap, there is a line that sounds a lot like "Finger F--king." Most lyric sheets list this line as "Finger Popping."

Hip-Hop promoter and former host of Yo! MTV Raps Fab 5 Freddie is in the video and is mentioned in the song. He was part of the early rap scene and is credited with helping bring it into the mainstream. Blondie originally met Fab Five Freddy and his crew at a club. They all became friends, and one day Freddy jokingly suggested that Debbie Harry should write a song about them. She did and the result was the rap that is the second half of the song. She sent it to Freddy, he and his crew loved it and she ended up recording it.

The video for this features a cameo appearance by New York artist/Andy Warhol disciple Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose life was portrayed in the 1996 film Basquiat.

The lyrics, "Flash is fast, flash is cool" are a reference to pioneering Hip-Hop DJ Grandmaster Flash. -Songfacts.com

Lyrics~

Toe to toe

Dancing very slow

Barely breathing

Almost comatose

Wall to wall

People hypnotized

And they're stepping lightly

Hang each night in Rapture

Back to back

Sacrailiac

Spinless movement

And a wild attack

Face to face

Sadly solitude

And it's finger popping

Twenty-four hour shopping in Rapture

Fab Five Freddie told me everybody's high

DJ's spinnin' are savin' my mind

Flash is fast, Flash is cool

Francois sez fas, Flashe' no do

And you don't stop, sure shot

Go out to the parking lot

And you get in your car and you drive real far

And you drive all night and then you see a light

And it comes right down and lands on the ground

And out comes a man from Mars

And you try to run but he's got a gun

And he shoots you dead and he eats your head

And then you're in the man from Mars

You go out at night, eatin' cars

You eat Cadillacs, Lincolns too

Mercurys and Subarus

And you don't stop, you keep on eatin' cars

Then, when there's no more cars

You go out at night and eat up bars where the people meet

Face to face, dance cheek to cheek

One to one, man to man

Dance toe to toe

Don't move to slow, 'cause the man from Mars

Is through with cars, he's eatin' bars

Yeah, wall to wall, door to door, hall to hall

He's gonna eat 'em all

Rapture, be pure

Take a tour, through the sewer

Don't strain your brain, paint a train

You'll be singin' in the rain

I said don't stop, do punk rock

Man to man, body muscular

Sismic decibel by the jugular

Wall to wall, tea time technology and a digital ladder

No sign of bad luck in rapture

Well now you see what you wanna be

Just have your party on TV

'Cause the man from Mars won't eat up bars when the TV's on

And now he's gone back up to space

Where he won't have a hassle with the human race

And you hip-hop, and you don't stop

Just blast off, sure shot

'Cause the man from Mars stopped eatin' cars and eatin' bars

And now he only eats guitars, get up!

Nickelback...

Video of the Day...

Nickelback

"Photopraph"

"Photograph" is the title of a song recorded by Canadian rock band Nickelback. It was released in September 2005 as the first single from their fifth studio album, All the Right Reasons. The song made multiple US and UK top 10 charts, peaking at #1 in several of them. Ostensibly due to receiving heavy radio play, it was also voted the number 5 "most annoying song of all time" in a Rolling Stone poll.

Some versions played on the radio eliminate the second verse line, "Remember the old arcade? Blew every dollar we ever made. The cops hated us hanging out. I heard somebody went and burned it down.", and just play the music part of it. It is widely speculated it is due to the theme of arson and possibly truancy.

The video was directed by Nigel Dick and was filmed in Hanna, Alberta, Canada, hometown to the majority of the band. -Wikipedia.com

This song is about reviewing the memories - missed and forgotten - from the band's childhood. It expresses the regret of things they neglected, such as their schoolwork, and the loved memories from their favorite personal landmarks. (thanks, Megan - NY, NY)

The video was directed by Nigel Dick, who directed the first Britney Spears video, "Baby One More Time."

The band had a new drummer for this song. Daniel Adair, formerly of 3 Doors Down, replaced Ryan "Nik" Vikedal. -Songfacts.com

Lyrics~

Look at this photograph

Every time I do it makes me laugh

How did our eyes get so red?

And what the hell is on Joey's head?

And this is where I grew up

I think the present owner fixed it up

I never knew we'd ever went without

The second floor is hard for sneaking out

And this is where I went to school

Most of the time had better things to do

Criminal record says I've broke in twice

I must have done it half a dozen times

I wonder if it's too late

Should I go back and try to graduate?

Life's better now than it was back then

If I was them I wouldn't let me in

Oh oh oh

Oh God I

Every memory of looking out the back door

I have the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor

It's hard to say it, time to say it

Goodbye, goodbye

Every memory of walking out the front door

I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for

It's hard to say it, time to say it

Goodbye, goodbye

Goodbye

Remember the old arcade?

Blew every dollar that we ever made

The cops hated us hanging out

They said somebody went and burned it down

We used to listen to the radio

And sing along with every song we know

We said someday we'd find out how if feels

To sing to more than just the steering wheel

Kim's the first girl I kissed

I was so nervous that I nearly missed

She's had a couple of kids since then

I haven't seen her since God knows when

Oh oh oh

Oh God I

Every memory of looking out the back door

I have the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor

It's hard to say it, time to say it

Goodbye, goodbye

Every memory of walking out the front door

I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for

It's hard to say it, time to say it

Goodbye, goodbye

I miss that town

I miss their faces

You can't erase

You can't replace it

I miss it now

I can't believe it

So hard to stay

Too hard to leave it

If I could I relive those days

I know the one thing that would never change

Every memory of looking out the back door

I have the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor

It's hard to say it, time to say it

Goodbye, goodbye

Every memory of walking out the front door

I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for

It's hard to say it, time to say it

Goodbye, goodbye

Look at this photograph

Every time I do it makes me laugh

Every time I do it makes me

Fergie...

"Happy 37th Birthday"

Fergie...

Stacy Ann Ferguson began her career in 1983 as the voice of Sally Brown in the children's cartoon series Charlie Brown. Shortly afterwards, at the age of eight, she made her first appearance on the variety television program Kids Incorporated. During the following five years, Ferguson appeared on over 100 episodes of Kids Incorporated, some of which alongside Renee Sands, with whom she would later reunite in the band Wild Orchid. -Tv.com

Five years after forming the girl group Wild Orchid with fellow Kids Incorporated alum Renee Sandstrom and childhood friend Stefanie Ridel, Fergie and her bandmates release their self-titled debut album. "We were non-categorizable," she tells EW. "Too urban for pop radio and too pop for urban radio." In 1998, the group opens for 'N Sync on a string of tour dates, where Fergie briefly dates Justin Timberlake. "He was 16 and I was 23," she recalls to Australia's Courier Mail. "It was before he got real heavy with Britney." Wild Orchid releases another album two years later before calling it quits in 2001.

After experimenting with drugs in L.A.'s underground music scene, Fergie becomes a crystal meth addict. She shrinks to 90 lbs. and admits to friends and family that she has a problem. "I wasn't liking who I was," she tells PEOPLE in 2006. "So I stopped cold turkey and came clean with everybody." That May, she approaches the Black Eyed Peas's will.i.am and asks him to work on her proposed solo album. He does one better, getting her to sing on the band's upcoming single "Shut Up." -People.com

A few years after the group's split, Ferguson joined the Black Eyed Peas in time to record 2003's Elephunk. She became central to the group's mainstream success ("Let's Get It Started," "My Humps") and released her first solo album, The Dutchess, during September 2006. -Music.aol.com

Ferguson's debut solo album, The Dutchess, was released in September 2006. The Dutchess spawned six hits for Ferguson, beginning with "London Bridge", then "Fergalicious", "Glamorous", "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Clumsy", and "Finally". Ferguson scored her fifth consecutive Top 5 hit from The Dutchess after "Clumsy" reached a peak position of number five on the Billboard Hot 100. On November 18, 2007, Ferguson won the Pop or Rock "Favorite Female Artist" at the American Music Awards. In addition, her song "Big Girls Don't Cry" also earned Ferguson a Grammy nomination for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance". In December 2007, Blender picked Ferguson as their woman of the year. In 2007, The Black Eyed Peas embarked on the Black Blue & You World Tour, visiting more than 20 countries.

Ferguson returned to acting in 2006, appearing as a lounge singer in the Poseidon remake and later had supporting roles in 2007's Grindhouse and the 2009 musical film Nine filmed in 2008. -Wikipedia.com

In addition to her music, Fergie has recognized for her good looks. She was selected as one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” in 2004. In 2007, Fergie was featured in a series of advertisements for Candies, a shoes, clothing, and accessories company. A big fan of fashion, Fergie has done more than just model. She also inked a deal to design two handbag collections for Kipling North America. Returning to acting roots. -Biography.com

Ferguson is currently married to actor Josh Duhamel who appears on the television show Las Vegas. Ferguson actually partook in an episode of Las Vegas titled "Montecito Lancers". -Lyricsmania.com

On August 27, 2010, it was announced that Slash was filming a music video for the song. Slash stated that "[The] concept is twisted; Fergie's idea." The video for "Beautiful Dangerous" premiered on Vevo on October 28, 2010. The video first depicts Slash at a strip bar. Fergie - apperently, a stripper herself - seems to take an interest and flirts with him. After secretly dropping a drug into his drink, they leave the bar and head to a hotel. Slash, having been drugged, is held captive by Fergie and tied to a bed. Fergie mounts, kisses, and threatens him with a knife. In the end, she stabs Slash, killing him. 

During an interview, where Slash goes through each of his album tracks, he stated:

“

I got hip to Fergie being probably as good or better a rock singer than she is a pop singer. I heard her do Barracuda, the old Heart song, and I was like, fuckin’ wow! I ended up doing a couple of shows with her where she sang Barracuda and Sweet Child O’ Mine. She’s one of the most phenomenal fucking rock ‘n’ roll singers, male or female, I’ve ever heard.'

”

Slash told The sun: "The track began as a piece of music I'd written as a score for a strip bar scene and it made me think of [Fergie]. I'm a guy and there's nothing sexier than seeing a cute girl sing rock 'n' roll." -Wikipedia.com

Shinedown New Album..."Amaryllis"

Music Video for today in honor of

Shinedown's New Album Release...

"Bully"

How do you follow up a hit? Or, rather, how do you follow up an album that spawned six No. 1 singles and spent 120 consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200? For Shinedown, whose third album, 2008's "The Sound of Madness," achieved that exact success, the best method was to just move forward. 

"You go into it with the idea that you're not going to copy what you've already done," Shinedown singer Brent Smith says of the rock band's new effort, "Amaryllis," which arrives March 27 on Atlantic. "It's the next step. You raise the bar higher. And ultimately we're quite a fearless band when it comes to making albums and songwriting."

The band -- Smith, drummer Barry Kerch, guitarist Zach Myers and bassist Eric Bass -- toured for more than two years for "The Sound of Madness," propelled by its continual sales growth and consistent radio play. It has sold 1.3 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and of its six No. 1 singles, "Second Chance" reached the top five on Billboard's Active, Alternative, Rock, Adult Top 40 and Top 40 charts and "If You Only Knew" hit the top 10 on Active, Alternative, Rock and Adult Top 40. 

Following the Carnival of Madness outing, for which it toured 10,000-capacity venues, Shinedown went out on an acoustic trek of 3,000-capacity venues called Everything and Anything. Before hitting the road for the final leg of the Carnival tour in 2010, the group penned two songs: "Her Name Is Alice," for the "Almost Alice" compilation of music inspired by the film "Alice in Wonderland," and "Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)," for the soundtrack to "The Expendables." Then, in February 2011, the band began writing songs for another album, and its time on the road inspired new material fairly quickly. 

"It was the first time I brought the guys into the actual lyric writing," Smith says, "because a lot of the subject matter was about the situations we were in during the two years we toured."

During the first half of 2011, the band wrote and demoed 33 songs, with the intention of creating something different from previous work. "I wasn't even thinking about any of the material on 'The Sound of Madness,'" Smith says, "because we'd already toured it, and it's forever-it's out there . . . It was time to write a brand-new record. There were way more things to talk about." 

There is a link between the two discs, however. "Amaryllis" was recorded in Los Angeles with producer and Warner Bros. chairman Rob Cavallo, who also helmed "The Sound of Madness." "If it's not broke, don't fix it," Smith says. 

The making of "Amaryllis," which was finished in February, has been chronicled in an e-book that'll be released the same day as the album. "For Your Sake: Inside the Making of Shinedown's Amaryllis" comprises nearly 40 interactive pages meant to supplement the album, and for now is only available for the iPad. For the label, the book is an opportunity to jump onboard with a new technology as well as engage fans. "It's going to be a new trend," Atlantic VP of rock marketing and A&R Anthony Delia says. "This is a very important initiative for Atlantic." 

First single "Bully" arrived Jan. 2 as part of a "phase-one plan to reinvigorate the core Shinedown fans," according to Delia. It's No. 12 on Alternative. A video for follow-up "Unity" bowed online March 12 on AOL Music/Noisecreep, while the song will go to radio later this spring. On March 26 the group plays "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" 

"'The Sound of Madness' set the stage both domestically and internationally for us to really solidify Shinedown as a household name with 'Amaryllis,'" Delia says. "The overall intention with Shinedown is to satiate our core audience while finding ways to get to new potential fans-it's all-inclusive. We did it very successfully with The Sound of Madness and plan to do it again, even bigger." 

Part of this expanded plan involves releasing Amaryllis in nearly 30 countries simultaneously. Shinedown, managed by Bill McGathy and Gwyther Bultman of Indegoot Entertainment, recently signed an international deal with Roadrunner Records, which will release the album in territories outside the United States. Even the touring plan for Shinedown (@Shinedown) leans heavily global. The band, currently on a U.S. promotional radio tour, will head overseas after its headlining spring run in North America. Destinations include India, New Zealand, South America, Mexico and Australia, and the trek is expected to carry the band into 2013. 

"It's going to be an international year," Smith says. "We spend so long making albums because we want to tour on them for a long time. We take into consideration the live aspect [while recording], and we pull it off live. We know what we're doing." -Billboard.com

Steven Tyler...

"Happy 64th Birthday"

Steven Tyler...

Steven's Bio~

Many would agree that one of rock's all-time charismatic and entertaining frontman would have to be Aerosmith's Steven Tyler. Born Steven Victor Tallarico on March 26, 1948 (just outside New York City in Yonkers), he began playing drums at an early age, but eventually switched to vocals after discovering the Beatles, as well as the tougher blues rock of the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds. After moving to Boston in the late '60s, Tallarico hooked up with two members of an up-and-coming outfit called the Jam Band, guitarist Joe Perry and bassist Tom Hamilton, and after finding drummer Joey Kramer and second guitarist Ray Tabano (who was eventually replaced with Brad Whitford), renamed themselves Aerosmith. The band became a regional sensation, combining the blues sleaze of the Stones/Yardbirds, as well as the power of such hard rock acts as Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, as Steven (who by now had changed his name to "Steven Tyler") proved to have a flair for the outrageous -- his stage outfits resembled a rock & roll gypsy look, while long scarves dangled from his microphone stand. 


By 1973, Aerosmith was signed to Columbia Records and as soon as the quintet issued their self-titled debut that year, the band was besieged with non-stop comparisons to their idols, the Rolling Stones (or more concisely, Tyler and Perry's resemblance both musically and visually to Jagger and Richards). Although the debut didn't set the world on fire, word of mouth and constant touring built the band a hardcore following and due to such all-time hard rock classics as 1974's "Get Your Wings," 1975's "Toys in the Attic," and 1976's "Rocks," Aerosmith became a sensation, selling out arenas and scoring big-time hit albums and singles (the proto-power ballad "Dream On" and the funky rocker "Walk This Way"). But with fame came hardcore drug abuse for the band, which also created constant bickering between the band's two leaders. With the rock & roll lifestyle taking its toll on the band (their albums grew increasingly more and more unfocused), Perry quit the band to pursue a solo career in 1979, with Whitford following a year later. 

Refusing to admit that Aerosmith's best days were behind them, Tyler soldiered on with replacement members, as his whole life centered around where and when he would score his next fix (all the sordid details are recounted first hand by Tyler in Aerosmith's excellent 1999 autobiography, "Walk This Way"). With the band in disarray, fast approaching bankruptcy and reduced to headlining theaters as opposed to the enormous football stadiums during their heyday, Tyler and Perry patched up their differences in 1983, leading to a reunion of all the original members a year later. It took a while for the bandmembers to clean up their act, but by 1987 all were clean and sober and promptly reclaimed their title as one of the United States' finest rock & roll bands, on the strength of sold out arena tours and such mega-hit albums as Permanent Vacation and Pump. In the process Tyler became one of the most influential frontmen in rock & roll history, as a plethora of singers in '80s hard rock bands (Guns N' Roses' Axl Rose, Cinderella's Tom Keifer, Motley Crue's Vince Neil, the Black Crowes' Chris Robinson, etc.) all resembled Tyler circa 1976 with their look and vocal delivery. By the '90s, Tyler and co. had reinvented themselves as an MTV band, focusing on more pop-oriented material (such as the soppy number one hit ballad "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" from the movie Armageddon. -Starpulse.com

After moving to Boston in the late 1960s, Tyler eventually met up the musicians that would form the rock group Aerosmith. He reportedly met up with guitarist Joe Perry and bassist Tom Hamilton while they were playing in different bands in the Sunapee, New Hampshire area. Guitarist Ray Tabano (who was later replaced by Brad Whitford) and drummer Joey Kramer joined up with the others to form Aerosmith. The band played its first gig together in 1970 and shared an apartment in Boston.

Commercial Success

In 1972, Aerosmith signed a contract with Columbia Records. The following year their self-titled debut album was released. It featured the song “Dream On,” which was a minor hit. In the early days of the group many comparisons were drawn with the Rolling Stones because their similar bluesy sound and the physical resemblance between Mick Jagger and Steven Tyler. But with their third album,Toys in the Attic (1975), the band emerged as a leading rock group in its own right. Showcasing their talent for creating hard rock, Aerosmith scored with such songs as "Sweet Emotion" and "Walk This Way."

Personal Problems

Their follow-up album Rocks (1976) also had strong sales despite the lack of a breakout single as did Draw the Line (1977). But by the end of the decade, the band was coming apart at the seams. Perry and Whitford eventually left the group while Tyler became heavily involved with drugs. Tyler kept going the group going by adding new members, but his personal problems affected his creative abilities and Aerosmith was only a shadow of its former self.

Comeback after Rehab

By the mid-1980s, Tyler had gotten his act together after going through a rehabilitation program. The original members of Aerosmith reformed and made a remarkable comeback with 1987's Permanent Vacation, which featured the hits "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" and "Rag Doll." The revitalized rock supergroup had more commercial success with its next effort, Pump (1989). It featured such songs as "Love in an Elevator" and "Janie's Got a Gun." With the rise of the cable music channel MTV, the band's videos helped them win over a new generation of fans.

Aerosmith's winning streak continued with 1993's Get a Grip, driven in part by such singles as "Livin' on the Edge," "Cryin'," and "Crazy." By the end of 1990s, the group was unable to maintain its chart momentum with later albums. Tyler and his bandmates were still a big draw for concerts with droves of their fans turning out to see the group play live.

Health Issues

Health problems have also cropped up for the famed performer in recent years. He underwent throat surgery in 2006 that could have ended his singing career. Fortunately the procedure was a success, but Aerosmith had to cancel half of its North American tour for that year. Also in 2006, Tyler announced that he had been treated for Hepatitis C, a liver disease. In 2008, Tyler checked into Las Encinas Hospital rehabilitation clinic in Pasadena, California, to recover from multiple leg surgeries to repair damage to his feet. Then in 2009, during an Aerosmith performance, Tyler fell off a stage in South Dakota, breaking his shoulder. The band was forced to cancel yet another tour.

After his fall in 2009, it was reported that Tyler planned not to return to Aerosmith. A month later, Joe Perry confirmed that Tyler quit Aerosmith to pursue a solo career, but shortly after Tyler assured fans that he was not quitting the band. In 2010, the frontman headed off on the Cocked, Locked, Ready to Rock Tour with Aerosmith, performing in more than 18 countries.

Despite numerous challenges in 2009 and 2010, Steven Tyler returned to the studio in 2011 with Aerosmith. He and the group are still trying to finish up the songs for a new album, which has yet to be scheduled for release. -Biography.com

Other Projects

His much anticipated autobiography entitled Does The Noise In My Head Bother You? was released in 2011. A best seller, the book provides an inside look to Tyler's many wild exploits with some critics comparing it to Rolling Stone Keith Richard's graphic memoirLife. Not afraid to joke at his own expense, Tyler indicated that he suffers from "Lead Singer Disease."

Tyler scored another hit earlier that year, signing on to judge contestants on the popular reality singing competition American Idol. He, along with Jennifer Lopez and Randy Johnson, signed on for another season at the judges' table in 2012.

In January 2012, however, Tyler found himself under fire from the public and the media. His less-than-stellar performance of the national anthem at the NFL playoff game produced a wave of criticism; many objected to the "pitchy" way in which he sang "The Star-Spangled Banner." Tyler did not publicly respond to his critics' remarks.

Personal Life

Tyler is the father of four children. In 1976, he had a relationship with model Bebe Buell; they have a daughter, actress Liv Tyler. He was married to model Cyrinda Foxe from 1978 to 1988; they have a daughter, model Mia Tyler. He married Teresa Barrick in 1988, with whom he has two children, Chelsea and Taj Monroe. The couple divorced in 2006. Tyler and model Erin Brady announced their engagement in 2011. -Biography.com

"Dream On"....

This was the first single Aerosmith released. Their manager had them share a house and concentrate on writing songs for their first album. Steven Tyler had been working on the song on and off for about 6 years, and was able to complete it with the help of the rest of the band.

Regarding the meaning of this song, Tyler explained: "It's about the hunger to be somebody: Dream until your dreams come true." He added, "This song sums up the s--t you put up with when you're in a new band. Most of the critics panned our first album, and said we were ripping off the Stones. That's a good barometer of my anger at the press, which I still have. 'Dream On' came of me playing the piano when I was about 17 or 18, and I didn't know anything about writing a song. It was just this little sonnet that I started playing one day. I never thought that it would end up being a real song." -Songfacts.com