I know Bon Jovi has become more of a Country and Western band as of late, but when they started off, or rather when he started off, it was a proper Hard Rock band.
“Runaway” is the debut single by Bon Jovi. It was originally recorded in 1981 for the so-called “Power Station Demos” at the beginning of singer Jon Bon Jovi’s career, featuring the vocalist backed by session musicians.
Indeed, Bon Jovi wasn’t yet a band when Jon wrote “Runaway” with a little help from early collaborator George Karak. John Francis Bongiovi Jr. was already involved in the industry, though. He was a janitor at New York studio, The Power Station, where his cousin, Tony Bongiovi, had produced and/or engineered by artists such as Gloria Gaynor and Talking Heads. Tony was instrumental in assembling an all-star band, including bassist Hugh McDonald, drummer Frankie LaRocka, and Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street Band’s keyboardist Roy Bittan to back Jon on “Runaway.”
In 1983, local radio station WAPP 103.5FM “The Apple” had a contest, held in conjunction with St. John’s University, to search for the best unsigned band. After the song won the contest, it became a radio hit in the summer of 1983.
Its success had a domino effect. It led to the creation of Bon Jovi (the band) and to A&R man Derek Shulman (formerly of prog-rock legends Gentle Giant) brokering a deal to sign them to Mercury Records – who chose “Runaway” as the first single from Bon Jovi’s acclaimed self-titled debut album. Fittingly, this pivotal song also became the band’s first bona fide U.S. Top 40 hit.
On this day, 30 years ago, June 27, 1994, Geffen Records and Aerosmith made history when “Head First” became the first major-label song made available for exclusive digital download. An unused cut from the Get a Grip session, it was part of a week-long promotion by CompuServe during which fans could download Aerosmith music from the net.
Download speeds were so slow at the time that it took between 60 and 90 minutes to download the track, but ten thousand CompuServe subscribers still made the effort to get the tune.
“If our fans are out there driving down that information superhighway,” said Steven Tyler at the time, “then we want to be playing at the truck stop. This is the future – so let’s get it going.
Offering a song for digital download was a tech experiment carried out both for its industry-altering potential and for the hell of it. It was the brainchild of three relatively new Geffen employees: Jim Griffin, Robert von Goeben, and Luke Wood. It was a marketing ploy, a flash of the future, an iceberg for a titanic industry, and 4.3 megabyte “Head First” was earlier used as the B-side for “Eat the Rich”.tes of riffs and double entendres, available as a WAV file.
“Poundcake” is a Van Halen song and the opening track on their 1991 album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. (FUCK) “Poundcake” was the first song to be released as a single from the album, reaching number one on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and number 74 on the UK Singles Chart.
Van Halen performs in the live version of the music video “Poundcake” from the album “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge,” recorded for Warner Brothers Records. The video begins with a little girl talking about what girls are made of. The band performs on an illuminated stage while a young woman tries to get cast for the video. She runs away after seeing the other models.
An underrated song by the Dutch American Rock band. Sadly, Eddie van Halen died way too young.
Iron Maiden – “The Trooper” Album: Piece of Mind Release Date: June 20, 1983 Genre: Heavy Metal Songwriters: Steve Harris Length: 4:11 Background and Theme: “The Trooper” is inspired by the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War, particularly drawing from the poem of the same name by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The song vividly describes the horrors and heroism of the battlefield, reflecting Iron Maiden’s knack for historical and literary themes in their music.
Notable Features: Galloping Rhythm: The song is known for its distinctive galloping rhythm, which mimics the sound of cavalry horses charging into battle. Dual Guitar Harmony: The twin guitar harmonies by Dave Murray and Adrian Smith are a hallmark of Iron Maiden’s sound, and they are prominently featured in “The Trooper.” Bruce Dickinson’s Vocals: Dickinson delivers powerful and soaring vocals, adding to the song’s dramatic and epic feel. Live Performances: “The Trooper” is a staple of Iron Maiden’s live performances, often accompanied by theatrical elements like Bruce Dickinson waving a Union Jack flag. Legacy: “The Trooper” is considered one of Iron Maiden’s greatest songs and a classic in the heavy metal genre. Its memorable riff, historical lyrics, and energetic delivery have made it a fan favorite and a standout track in the band’s extensive catalog.
There are not that many good Dutch rock songs, but “Strange Machine”s by The Gathering, certainly can be called a great metal track.
It is the first song of The Gathering’s third album, the first to feature vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen. The song contains a passage from George Pal’s film version of H.G. Wells’s book, The Time Machine.
It is about the desire to construct a machine that can fly through time.
In 1995, The Gathering released “Mandylion,” their third album and first to feature lead vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen, through Century Media; proving to be their breakthrough and selling over 130,000 copies in Europe. Two singles were released from Mandylion, “Adrenaline/Leaves” and “Strange Machines”, the latter, which reached number 37 on the Dutch singles charts and helped raise the group’s popularity in Europe and the United States.
[Verse 1] It has always been in the back of my mind Dreaming about going to the corners of time I always wanted to fly in strange machines
[Chorus 1] I wanna do centuries in a lifetime And feel it with my hands Touch the World War II and Cleopatra Flying…
[Verse 2] Could it be that my dream would come true Building a machine that would actually do What I want it to do
[Verse 3] Russian revolution, let’s do that in one day Beethoven and Gershwin, I think that would be OK More than anything I wanna fly in strange machines
[Chorus 2] I wanna do centuries in a lifetime And see it with my eyes Watch Jesus rise, if he ever did Flying… You might also like Eléanor The Gathering In Motion #1 The Gathering But Daddy I Love Him Taylor Swift [Chorus 3] I wanna do centuries in a lifetime And feel it with my hands Touch the Renaissance and Chaka Khan Flying…
“The Wild and the Young” is a song by American heavy metal band Quiet Riot, released in 1986 as the lead single from their fifth studio album QR III. The song was written by Spencer Proffer, Frankie Banali, Carlos Cavazo, Kevin DuBrow and Chuck Wright, and was produced by Proffer.
The song’s music video was directed by Jeff Stein and produced by Michael Ader. It received its premiere on MTV on 11 July 1986 and went on to achieve active rotation on the channel. It peaked at number 30 on the Cash Box Top 30 Music Videos chart in October 1986.
The video was made when the US Senate held hearings regarding explicit song lyrics, particularly in heavy metal songs, imagery that resonated deeply with rock and metal music fans, who wanted nothing more than to listen to their favorite music. The video also featured game show host Wink Martindale in a cameo as a militarist in charge of the rock’ n’ roll purge.
Times are changing, nothing stays the same For this jukebox generation Adhere to fashion like computer games Modern day communication
The news hard to take will fade in tomorrow They are the strong, they’ll survive
The wild and the young, they all have their dreams The wild and the young, they got to be free The sun never sets for souls on the run The wild and the young, yeah
Roaring passion with no guilt or shame It’s accepting education, yeah Misbehaving, no regrets, no blame With a bold kind of sophistication
So close to the edge and high on the wire They are not wrong, they’re alive
The wild and the young, they all have their dreams The wild and the young, they got to be free The sun never sets for souls on the run The wild and the young
So close to the edge and high on the wire They are not wrong, they’re alive Look out Wild, wild The wild and the young, y-y-y-y-young
The wild and the young, they all have their dreams The wild and the young, they got to be free The sun never sets for souls on the run The wild and the young, they all have their dreams The wild and the young, they got to be free The sun never sets for souls on the run The wild and the young
“Barracuda” is a song by American rock band Heart, released in 1977 on their third studio album, Little Queen, and was released as the album’s lead single. The song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2009, “Barracuda” was named the 34th-best hard rock song of all time by VH1.
Rock sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson engraved their names into rock history with their band “Heart.” The Seattle-based group has sold over 35 million albums worldwide and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. One of the most acclaimed songs of the band is their rage anthem “Barracuda”
It is a song that calls out an idiot for his idiotic behavior. Which was an ever-so-common occurrence for the rock sisters in the men’s ruled music scene. A scene where some men degenerated the sisters based upon the sole fact that they were women. So it isn’t shocking to learn that the song is based on a true story.
At the time, rumors spread that the sisters were lesbian lovers. This rumor was created by the band’s record company Mushroom Records. As a publicity stunt for Heart, the company ran an advertisement with the controversial caption: “It was only our first time”.
So this ain’t the end, I saw you again today I had to turn my heart away Smile like the sun, kisses for everyone And tales, it never fails
You lying so low in the weeds I bet you gonna ambush me You’d have me down, down, down, down on my knees Now wouldn’t you, Barracuda? Oh
Back over time, we were all trying for free You met the porpoise and me, uh-huh No right, no wrong, selling a song, a name Whisper game
And if the real thing don’t do the trick You better make up something quick You gonna burn, burn, burn, burn, burn to the wick Ooh, Barracuda, oh, yeah
“Sell me, sell you,” the porpoise said Dive down deep now to save my head You, I think that you got the blues, too All that night and all the next Swam without looking back Made for the western pools, silly, silly fools
The real thing don’t do the trick, no? You better make up something quick You gonna burn, burn, burn, burn, burn it to the wick Oh, Barra-Barracuda, yeah
“Salvation” is the lead single from Irish rock band the Cranberries’ third studio album, To the Faithful Departed (1996). Released on 8 April 1996 by Island Records, the single reached number one on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for four weeks and was a chart hit in Europe and Australia, peaking at number four in Iceland, number six in Italy, number seven in New Zealand, and number eight in Australia and Ireland. The music video for the song was directed by Olivier Dahan and filmed in France.
In 1996, in an article written by Jayne Margetts, Fergal said, “The song Salvation is a glance at drug addiction. […] If you look around you see so much of it going on day-to-day, even in Limerick, which is quite a small town. You walk around the place and go to pubs at night and you see people drinking water because they’re on ecstasy or whatever. It’s quite scary to see that. I mean no matter how much you travel, and how much you see, nothing can prepare you for that kind of thing. You see your brother’s friends who are 16 years old and they’re totally out of it. It’s scary to see how it’s taken over the whole world. “I dunno, […] you meet so many people who have been through all that and they look back, and they said ‘what’s the point’? […] People learn the hard way I suppose. It’s just unfortunate that some people don’t survive it.”
In November 2002 Fergal explained, “It was an anti-drug song when Ecstasy was taking over the world. Some people picked it up wrong as a preachy thing: Don’t do it, don’t do it, like Who is she to tell me don’t do it, and it wasn’t like that, she was kinda talking to herself really. ‘Cos we’d been on tour with lots of different bands and you see different things and hear the stories of people fucking themselves up. It’s something we’ve always been wary of and kept an eye on, and we just kind of steer away from that, ‘cos it’s the old cliché of you and up in Betty Ford at the end of it – What’s the point?” (Hot Press, 2002)
Dolores, “It’s not so much like an anti-drug song. It’s kind of anti- the idea of becoming totally controlled by anything, any substance at all, because I know what it’s like. And it wasn’t a nice experience and it didn’t get me anywhere. It just confused me more […] Oh no, I didn’t try heroin. I was just trying to find the answer in getting out of it, whether it was drinking or whatever. I’m not going to elaborate. But it just, basically, any substances don’t really help. Reality is reality, and unfortunately, no how much you go away, you come back, and it’s always here.” (MTV, 1996)
To all those people doing lines Don’t do it Don’t do it Inject your soul with liberty It’s free It’s free
To all the kids with heroin eyes Don’t do it Don’t do Because it’s not not what it seems No no it’s not not what it seems
Salvation Salvation Salvation is free
Salvation Salvation Salvation is free
a-ha-ha a-ha-ha a-ha-ha a-ha-ha
a-ha-ha a-ha-ha a-ha-ha a-ha-ha
a-ha-ha a-ha-ha a-ha-ha a-ha-ha
a-ha-ha a-ha-ha ha
do do do do do do do do do do do doooo
do do do do do do do do do do do doo
To all the parents with sleepless nights Sleepless nights Tie your kids on to their beds Clean their heads
To all the kids with heroin eyes (heroin eyes) Don’t do it Don’t do Because it’s not not what it seems No no it’s not not what it seems
Salvation Salvation Salvation is free
Salvation Salvation Salvation is free
Salvation Salvation Salvation is free
Salvation Salvation Salvation is free
a-ha-ha a-ha-ha a-ha-ha a-ha-ha
a-ha-ha a-ha-ha a-ha-ha a-ha-ha
a-ha-ha a-ha-ha a-ha-ha a-ha-ha
a-ha-ha a-ha-ha ha
Music by Noel Hogan & Dolores O’Riordan Lyrics by Dolores O’Riordan
“Killed by Death” is a song by the English heavy metal band Motörhead. Released in 1984, in 7″ and 12″ vinyl pressings. It peaked at number 51 in the UK Singles Chart.
Motörhead anthem, loaded with noise and sleaze. Lemmy oozes attitude (and makes references to his junk being a lizard and snake) and is a no-good son of a bitch to deal with up until he is “killed by death.”
The song itself has been a mainstay of live performances since its release. As with many Motörhead songs, the lyrics show Lemmy’s skill at composing lyrics which are at the same time menacing and tongue-in-cheek. Another common theme is Lemmy’s use of animal images. Phrases such as “If you squeeze my lizard, I’ll put my snake on you, I’m a romantic adventure, And I’m a reptile too” recall the song “Love Me like a Reptile” from the earlier Ace of Spades album. The second verse also contains the line, “I’m a lone-wolf ligger”
Shut up!
If you squeeze my lizard I’ll put my snake on you I’m a romantic adventurer And a reptile too
But it don’t make no difference ‘Cause I ain’t gonna be, easy, easy The only time I’m easy’s when I’m Killed by death, killed by death Killed by death, come on!
I’m a lone wolf ligger But I ain’t no pretty boy I’m a backbone shiver And I’m a bundle of joy
But it don’t make no difference ‘Cause I ain’t gonna be, easy, easy The only time I’m easy’s when I’m Killed by death, killed by death Killed by death, come on!
Killed by death, Killed by death Killed by death, come on! Come on, I said you’re killed by death Come on! Killed by
Killed by death Killed by death Killed by death, ha-ha-ha-ha! Killed by death Killed by death Killed by death Aah!
Killed by death Killed by death Killed by death Killed by a bunch of death!
Killed by death Killed by death Killed by death Shout out your mouth, shout out your mouth!
Come on! Killed by death Killed by death Killed by death
I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m dead I’m dead, I’m dead Dead, dead, dead, killed by death Aah!
As preparations for their third album, Survivor knew they still had a lot to prove. Everything was about to change in a big way thanks to some unexpected interest from Sylvester Stallone.
The band’s chief songwriters – Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan – agree they were at a crossroads at the time. “Probably this is either going to happen, or they’re going to drop us,” Sullivan tells UCR. “We never thought that, but probably in reality, that’s what they were thinking, because that’s what labels did back then.” But Scotti Bros. were committed to the band.
I had the privilege to interview Jim Peterik, last April when we talked about Eye of the Tiger and other songs he wrote.
History of Sorts 
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