Professor of Rock

I KNOW YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE THIS EPISODE. If you don’t, I’ll eat my Hat live on camera. So everyone has that “one” playlist. You know the one with all the cheesy songs you’re embarrassed to admit you love. The ones you sing to the top of your lungs when no one is looking. Well, today, we’re counting down my picks for the Top 8 feel-good songs that are deemed uncool… but that we secretly love and put on blast when no one is around. For this one, we’ve got the most squeaky-clean family pop group in music history, The Osmonds, who were so fed up with their wholesome image, they snuck off to a basement studio without telling their label and wrote one of the heaviest rock songs of the decade, and it actually influenced proto-metal! And Ozzy and Lemmy loved it. Then, there’s a soft rock duo, Air Supply, that was handed a song they didn't write for a Greatest Hits album that they didn't want to record. But it became a massive hit, and Brad Pitt loved it so much he handpicked it to sing in a big movie. Then there’s Karen Carpenter, who walked into her recording session without knowing the lyrics. Her bandmate scribbled the words on a napkin and handed it to her on the spot. Even though she had a hard time reading the handwritten lyrics, she sang it that one time, and that unrehearsed performance became one of the most heartbreaking vocals in pop history. Let’s get into it. Steve Perry - Young Hearts Forever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aonBs1ckhh0&list=RDaonBs1ckhh0&start_radio=1 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Executive Producer Brandon Fugal Honorary Producers Steve Maddox, Thomas French, John Tanner, Robert Coen, Mark Austin, Andrea Drake ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe to the Professor of Rock Podcast Apple: https://apple.co/445fVov Spotify: https://spoti.fi/42JpfvU Amazon: https://amzn.to/44b5D6m iHeartRadio: https://bit.ly/444h8MO ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Patreon: http://bit.ly/ProfessorofRockVIPFan Merch Store: https://professor-of-rock-lsn-shop.fourthwall.com/ Instagram: https://bit.ly/Instagram_Professor_of_Rock #classicrock #70smusic #vinylstory #70srock Hey music junkies, Professor of Rock always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time. Make sure to subscribe, like, and share, and let's get into some cheesy songs that we all know and love. It's OK. You can admit it; no judgment here. To get this one. started, I’m going to turn it over to Chris Farley and David Spade. Do you guys remember that scene from Tommy Boy, where they’re driving along listening to the radio… and they’re both too embarrassed to admit that they love The Carpenters? But once the song gets going, they can’t resist singing along… the reason the scene is so hilarious is because we've all been there. And really, Chris Farley and David Spade taught us to embrace our inner cheesiness… And I think that scene perfectly sums up what we’re getting into with this episode. So why not start with the Carpenters? At #8, I’m going with that very song, Superstar. Back in 1969, Delaney & Bonnie's Bonnie Bramlett teamed up with Leon Russell to write a song called "Groupie (Superstar).” It was an aching tune about a fan left hollow after a one-night stand with a touring rock star. Eric Clapton played guitar on the earliest recording, and the song later turned up on Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour, sung by Rita Coolidge. And it turns out that Richard Carpenter actually owned that album already, but he just hadn't gotten around to playing it yet. Then, one night in early 1971, Richard came home late from the studio. Karen had already gone to bed, so he flipped on The Tonight Show. Johnny Carson was hyping an unknown singer named Bette Midler, who performed the song. Richard didn't catch the title… but something about it grabbed him, and he knew it could be a hit. After tracking down the song's origins, Richard pulled out that Mad Dogs & Englishmen record, studied the arrangement, and began reshaping it for the Carpenters. Only there was an issue: the lyrics were pretty racy for a group known for its wholesome image. The original line — "And I can hardly wait to sleep with you again" was rewritten to "be with you again.” But Karen wasn’t sold on the track. At least not at first. She had heard Rita Coolidge's version, and it just didn't click for her. And after Richard insisted they record it, Karen went into the session without even having learned the lyrics. Richard scribbled his revised lyrics onto a napkin and handed it to her. And what came out of that session was pure magic. Karen sang it only once, straight off that napkin, and she nailed every ounce of heartbreak in a single take.