Matt Trzcinski | Showbiz Cheat Sheet Writer

Kiss Sneaked 1 Beatles Riff in the Background of ‘Beth’

Matthew Trzcinski — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 17:32:10 +0000

While they knew how to write rollicking classic rock songs in their sleep, Kiss showed off their more sensitive side with the ballad “Beth.” The track has a riff that sounds like it came from a certain psychedelic Beatles tune. Interestingly, “Beth” was inspired by a true story.

Why Kiss’ ‘Beth’ sounds like The Beatles’ ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’

“Beth” is a somber ballad that makes expressive use of string instruments. After Peter Criss sings “Beth what can I do?” at the 48-second mark, we hear a sad riff that brings out the desperation in his voice. It sounds a tad familiar.

In “Strawberry Fields Forever,” The Beatles used a similar riff after John Lennon sang “high or low” around the 1:30 mark. The Beatles’ strings are a lot more noticeable, but the resemblance between the two songs is remarkable.

How The Beatles inspired 1 member of Kiss

Only one member of Kiss co-wrote “Beth”: Criss. In his 2012 book Makeup to Breakup: My Life In and Out of Kiss, Criss was open about drawing inspiration from The Beatles.

“When I first saw The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, I was not that crazy about them,” he recalled. “I loved the Stones then. But then I really got into The Beatles and their lyrics, and they changed my life. I started to wear a Sgt. Pepper hairstyle, I grew a mustache like Paul McCartney’s, and then I got into the Lennon image, all in white with white sneakers and my hair long and straight down with the wire-rimmed glasses. Waiting for a new Beatles album was like waiting for a gift from the gods.”

However, he said the inspiration for “Beth” was real life, not any Beatles song. “Stan [Penridge] and I had written a joke song to knock our bandmate Mike Brand’s wife, Becky,” Criss wrote. “She would always call him during rehearsals, wondering when he was coming home. So the song originally went, ‘Beck, I hear you callin’, but I can’t come home right now / Me and the boys are playin’, and we just can’t find the sound.'”

Part of the reason why Kiss put out “Beth” was because their producer, Bob Ezrin, was worried that all of the band’s songs revolved around sex. With “Beth,” the band made a G-rated song that appealed to many listeners, including some who were not in Kiss’ fan base. To this day, “Beth” is a crowd-pleaser that rock ‘n’ rollers and casual fans of pop radio can both enjoy.

‘Beth’ was released alongside another classic song

“Beth” became the biggest hit of Kiss’ career. The tune was released as a double A-side single with “Detroit Rock City.” The tracks reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, lasting on the chart for 21 weeks. Kiss only entered the top 10 one more time when they released the power ballad “Forever.” While Kiss wasn’t a singles band, they managed to cultivate a massive following across the world.

“Beth” and “Detroit Rock City” both appeared on the classic album Destroyer. That record climbed to No. 11 on the Billboard 200 and lasted on the chart for 84 weeks. Destroyer is often considered the best album in Kiss’ discography, and it has appeared on many lists of the greatest albums of all time.

Once you hear the Beatlesque riff in “Beth,” you can’t unhear it.

What the Eurythmics Thought of Marilyn Manson’s ‘Sweet Dreams’ Cover

Matthew Trzcinski — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 16:20:31 +0000

One of the classics of 1980s new wave music was the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).” Marilyn Manson covered the song, making the dark side of its lyrics that much more obvious. One of the members of the Eurythmics revealed what he thought when he heard Manson demolish his signature tune and build it up anew.

How the Eurythmics’ ‘Sweet Dreams’ changed Marilyn Manson’s career

In the 1980s, the Eurythmics ruled the airwaves with “Sweet Dreams,” a new wave single that came out at the height of that style of music. In the 1990s, Manson reinterpreted the track as a Satanic-sounding hard rock number. His version garnered enough attention that he went on to remake many new wave songs, such as Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love” and Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus.”

During a 2013 interview with Metro, the Eurythmics’ David A. Stewart was asked to name the most covered song in his catalog. “‘Sweet Dreams’ is covered constantly,” he said. “It’s one of the most played songs on the radio because everyone from Kanye West and Beyoncé to Marilyn Manson has recorded it.”

Stewart revealed he particularly hated some covers and liked others. “There have been a few weird Korean and German versions,” he admitted. “They have to translate the lyrics and you get to see them and say: ‘Hang on, this isn’t what the song’s about.’ You just remember the ones that come to the surface. I liked the Marilyn Manson version when it first came out — the video was one of the scariest things I’d seen at the time.” The heavily distorted, chaotic video for Manson’s cover burned its way into the memories of millions of ’90s kids.

1 of the Eurythmics performed the song with Marilyn Manson

Stewart further discussed the impact of “Sweet Dreams.” “Parts of ‘Sweet Dreams’ are used in all sorts of songs,” he said. “I just saw a video from the Creamfields festival — there was ‘Sweet Dreams’ blasting out to 100,000 people.”

Stewart discussed working with the “Lunchbox” singer on his birthday. “It was a great one,” he recalled. “I had a jam session in a club with loads of people — I ended up doing ‘Sweet Dreams’ with Marilyn Manson. It was the first time we’d stepped on stage together. It was fun.”

How the 2 versions of ‘Sweet Dreams’ performed

So, which version of the song connected more with the public? The original became the first and only song by the Eurythmics to top the Billboard Hot 100. It was No. 1 for one of its 26 weeks on the chart. The tune’s parent album, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), climbed to No. 15 on the Billboard 200 and lasted on the Billboard 200 for 59 weeks.

Meanwhile, Manson’s “Sweet Dreams” was less of a blockbuster and more of a really well-known cult classic. The cover did not reach the Billboard Hot 100. However, its parent album, the bizarre EP Smells Like Children, peaked at No. 31 and lasted on the Billboard 200 for 50 weeks. Considering Smells Like Children is a random mix of covers, remixes, and other assorted oddities, it did very well.

The Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams” is a great song — and Manson proved it worked in a completely different genre.

Taylor Swift’s ‘Style’ Isn’t as Good as This Rock Star’s Cover

Matthew Trzcinski — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 12:00:00 +0000

One of the crowning jewels of Taylor Swift‘s career is “Style” from 1989. A rock star took a stab at the song and made it so much better. Interestingly, he took a song from 1989 and reinterpreted it to sound more like a 1980s song.

Taylor Swift’s ‘Style’ only hints at the pain in this cover

“Style” is perfect. It’s emotionally complex, genre-fluid, and revealing. It features a desperate yearning that makes Swift, the 21st-century goddess of pop music, feel vulnerable and human. “Style” wasn’t as big as other 1989 tracks like “Shake It Off,” “Blank Space,” or “Bad Blood,” but it blew all the other songs from the album out of the water (or out of the woods).

Perhaps that desperation could use a different vocal performance. When Swift sang it, she restrained her voice for much of the track. When Ryan Adams covered “Style” for his album 1989, he howled it. Swift sounded like someone going through difficult emotions. Adams sounds like a rock ‘n’ roll hurricane. There are points where his voice reaches a timbre similar to Bono’s on songs from U2’s The Joshua Tree — which is a high compliment indeed.

Ryan Adams’ ‘Style’ sounds like it could have come from several 1980s rock acts

On top of Adams’ voice, his approach to “Style” works better on an instrumental level. Swift’s 1989 was allegedly inspired by 1980s synth-pop, but it ultimately sounds like it came out in 2014. Adams made his version of the song sound like an actual 1980s hit.

The soundscape is a little U2, a little Bruce Springsteen, and a little Morrissey. Altogether, it’s a blast. On top of that, the lyrical changes are amusing. Adams throws in a shout-out to Sonic Youth and makes one line much more explicit than it was in the original song. If you want to get classic rock fans to appreciate Swift, Adams’ “Style” is a good place to start.

What inspired Ryan Adams’ album of Taylor Swift covers

During a 2015 interview with Grantland, Adams discussed the origin of his 1989. “Over the Christmas holiday, I had a three-week break, and that’s when I originally started to track 1989,” he said. “But I was tracking on a four-track cassette recorder. It was like, ‘Yeah, cool, I’m going to cover it like Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska.’ Then the cassette tape was eaten by the machine, which was unbelievable — after a week of setup, too. I didn’t get discouraged, but in my mind, I went, ‘Well, this is not meant to be in the style; I’ll do it later. I’ll make it an after-tour, fun project.'”

Adams revealed that his record was spontaneous. “Everybody had their ideas and we would learn it on-the-spot together,” he recalled. “Pick the key, come up with an arrangement, try the arrangement — if it felt right, we’d cut the song. Right after we got the take we wanted — which would be between the first and third take — we would right away record two electric guitar overdubs and percussion. It made for a totally cool sound, somewhere between [Springsteen’s] Darkness on the Edge of Town and [The Smiths’] Meat Is Murder.”

Adams showed respect for Swift’s songwriting — and he gave “Style” that extra kick.

1 Rock Star Played on George Harrison’s ‘All Things Must Pass’

Matthew Trzcinski — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 11:00:00 +0000

George Harrison came into his own as a rock star with All Things Must Pass. He wasn’t the only rock star who performed on that record. It took a shocking number of acoustic guitars to get the soundscape of All Things Must Pass just right.

A rock star and a major producer worked on George Harrison’s ‘All Things Must Pass’

Peter Frampton played guitar on All Things Must Pass. Interestingly, the record was produced by Phil Spector. Spector gave us classic 1960s pop hits like The Ronette’s “Be My Baby” before working on The Beatles’ Let It Be.

During a 2013 interview with Guitar World, Frampton discussed All Things Must Pass. “My contribution was acoustic guitar,” he recalled. “I was involved in five of the basic tracks with Badfinger, all playing acoustic guitars, including George and myself. So there were about three of them. Well, there were at least five of us. You’re talking about Phil Spector, so ‘More is more’ [laughs].”

Frampton said the album involved way more acoustic guitar than you might think. “There were at least five of us on acoustic guitars, and then Pete Drake, the steel player, came over halfway through during those five tracks, and we did some of the more country ones, like ‘If Not for You,’ which Bob Dylan had written,” he said.

Peter Frampton revealed his favorite part of working with George Harrison

Frampton revealed that Spector was a little demanding. “After I’d done those, which I believe were the last tracks George did on the album, he called me up after a few weeks and said, ‘Phil wants more acoustic guitars on the tracks,'” he said. “I remember laughing at the time. This time it was just me and George at Abbey Road, the same studio where The Beatles had done Sgt. Pepper.”

Frampton spent a lot of time jamming with George while crafting All Things Must Pass. Frampton had a lot of fun during those jam sessions. He said they were the highlight of his time working on All Things Must Pass.

‘All Things Must Pass’ hit everyone like a steamroller

All Things Must Pass was George’s biggest hit in the United States. That record topped the Billboard 200 for seven weeks. It lasted on the chart for 41 weeks altogether.

All Things Must Pass spawned two singles. One was a double single of “My Sweet Lord” and “Isn’t It a Pity.” That double single topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks, lasting on the chart for 14 weeks in total. The other single was the underrated soul song “What Is Life.” That tune reached No. 10 and charted for nine weeks.

All these years later, All Things Must Pass is often seen as George’s crowning achievement as a solo artist — and it’s regularly included on lists of the greatest albums of all time. George had spent his time with The Beatles as the third fiddle to John Lennon and Paul McCartney. After All Things Must Pass came out, his songwriting was more respected than ever before. The commercial success of the record and its singles revealed that the quiet Beatle didn’t need any help from John or Paul to create popular music.

All Things Must Pass is an enduring classic — and it wouldn’t be the same without Frampton.

Peter Frampton Forgot He Played on 1 Ringo Starr Hit

Matthew Trzcinski — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 04:13:10 +0000

Ringo Starr‘s songs often feature guest stars. For example, one of his best singles features a guitar solo from Peter Frampton. Here’s what Frampton had to say about it decades after the fact.

Peter Frampton was 1 of many stars to work on Ringo Starr songs

During the peak years of his solo career, Ringo needed a little help from his friends. For example, he wrote “Photograph” with George Harrison. “Snookeroo” was an Elton John/Bernie Taupin ditty. “You’re Sixteen” was penned by the Sherman Brothers, the same duo who wrote songs for Disney movies like Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks. It was a hit for Johnny Burnett long before Ringo got a hold of it.

His rock-worshipping tune “A Dose of Rock ‘n’ Roll” was no different. It features guitar work from Frampton. During a 2013 interview with Guitar World, Frampton was asked if he played the solo on the track. “I can’t remember [laughs],” he said. “It was the ’70s, and I know I was sober for the session, but I’m not sure about right after.”

Frampton revealed that doing something could jog his memory. “I’d have to listen to it again and see,” he said. “People keep coming up to me, saying, ‘Is this you on this?’ And I have to go listen to it to find out. I did more sessions than I remember doing. There were a lot of things in the ’70s that I played on that people keep reminding me about.”

Frampton then listened to the solo. “Yeah, the first part is me,” he responded. “I forgot all about that! That’s me. And then, I forget who it is that comes in there, but that sounds like I’m playing my Gibson and then a Telecaster or a Strat comes in.”

Why the song is a necessary part of the former Beatle’s catlog

“A Dose of Rock ‘n’ Roll” isn’t as good as “Photograph” or “Back Off Boogaloo” (possibly because George had nothing to do with it), but it’s still one of Ringo’s best songs. The track is all about the way that a dose of rock ‘n’ roll can help you overcome your troubles.

Every great rock star needs a song about how awesome his genre is and Ringo was no exception. The track has a great vibe and it came from the right artist. As famous and successful as he got, Ringo still saw some hard times — and rock music helped him out of those dark times.

How Ringo Starr’s ‘A Dose of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ performed

“A Dose of Rock ‘n’ Roll” was a modest hit at best. It reached No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for nine weeks. It appeared on the record Ringo’s Rotogravure. That album reached No. 28 and charted for nine weeks.

Audiences in the United Kingdom were even less receptive to “A Dose of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” The Official Charts Company reports the song didn’t even chart there. Neither did Ringo’s Rotogravure. Maybe Ringo made the wrong decision to give the public a dose of rock ‘n’ roll at a time when they couldn’t get enough of easy-listening music.

“A Dose of Rock ‘n’ Roll” wasn’t successful, but it’s cool to hear two rock legends collaborate.

John Lennon Liked 1 Awful Paul McCartney Song

Matthew Trzcinski — Sat, 11 Jan 2025 17:33:54 +0000

John Lennon didn’t always like Paul McCartney’s songs, but he praised one of Paul’s solo hits from the early 1980s. Sadly, the track John liked sounds like it was performed by Kermit the Frog. Listeners loved the song anyway.

John Lennon didn’t care about Paul McCartney’s solo songs

During a 1980 interview from the book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, John discussed Paul’s post-Beatles work. “Somebody asked me what I thought of Paul’s last album [McCartney II] and I made some remark like I thought he was depressed and sad,” he said. “But then I realized I hadn’t listened to the whole damn thing. I heard one track — the hit, ‘Coming Up,’ which I thought was a good piece of work. Then I heard something else that sounded like he was depressed.

“But I don’t follow their work,” he added. “I don’t follow Wings, you know. I don’t give a s*** what Wings are doing, or what George’s new album is doing or what Ringo is doing. I’m not interested, no more than I am in what Elton John or Bob Dylan is doing. It’s not callousness. It’s just that I’m too busy living my own life to be following what other people are doing, whether they’re Beatles or guys I went to college with or people I had intense relationships with before I met The Beatles.”

John Lennon could have been talking about 1 of 2 different versions of the song

John was pretty picky, once admitting that he only liked two full albums in the entire history of recorded music (Elvis Presley by Elvis Presley and a Carl Perkins album he didn’t mention by name). Given that the “Imagine” singer had such discriminating tastes, it’s surprising that he was a fan of “Coming Up.” There are two notable versions of that song, and both are atrocious.

The rendition of the song that appears in the song’s music video and opens McCartney II is a ridiculous song where Paul’s voice is altered so that he sounds like a cartoon alien. On top of that, the beat is obnoxiously peppy and over-the-top. This tune sounds like it belongs on Sesame Street, not the pop charts.

Meanwhile, the hit version of “Coming Up” was a live rendition. Paul didn’t recreate the horrid vocal effects from the original “Coming Up” live. However, his voice sounds strained and the lyrics aren’t any better the second time around. Regardless of which recording of “Coming Up” that John heard, he was way off the mark when he called it “a good piece of work.” Paul put out many good pieces of work during his solo career, but “Coming Up” was not one of them.

Paul McCartney’s ‘Coming Up’ was huge

The live version of “Coming Up” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks. It lasted on the chart for 21 weeks in total, making it one of the biggest hits in Paul’s solo career. The song appeared on the album McCartney II. That record reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and lasted on the chart for 38 weeks.

“Coming Up” is a poor song, but it pleased John — and the music-buying public.

George Harrison’s Best Solo Song Didn’t Hit No. 1

Matthew Trzcinski — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 21:57:39 +0000

George Harrison had a handful of hit songs after The Beatles broke up, but his best one didn’t hit No. 1. Interestingly, the tune in question was supposed to sound a bit like The Beatles’ “Penny Lane.” George’s best song might have hit No. 1 if he hadn’t made a particular decision.

George Harrison had 3 chart-toppers but they pale in comparison to this song

George had three No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100: “My Sweet Lord”/”Isn’t It a Pity,” “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth),” and “Got My Mind Set on You.” Those are all good songs, but they aren’t George’s best. The pinnacle of his career was “What Is Life.”

The tune combines George’s rock ‘n’ roll tendencies with his spiritual outlook and producer Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound technique. The lyrics are clever, as they could be interpreted as being about loving a partner or loving God. It’s hard to listen to it without feeling some uplift, whether you are spiritual or not.

How the song was supposed to mimic The Beatles’ ‘Penny Lane’

During a 2001 interview with Billboard, George discussed the origin of “What Is Love.” “When we were going through all the tapes, I just found this version that was like a rough mix [at Trident Studios in London on August 9, 1970] on which I tried having this piccolo trumpet player like the guy who played on ‘Penny Lane,'” he said. “It wasn’t actually the same bloke but I wanted that sound. So I had an oboe and a piccolo trumpet and I had this part for them all written out but they couldn’t play it the same; they couldn’t do this this kind of ‘hush’ phrase, and they played it very staccato like a classical player. So I must have just recorded them on it, then rough mixed it, and then ditched that.

“And as I was saying earlier, most of it was live,” he added. “I hadn’t done the vocal overdub because I’m playing the fuzz guitar part that goes all through the song. So all I could do on the [initial] take was to give the band the cue line.”

How George Harrison’s ‘My Sweet Lord’ got in the way of ‘What Is Life’

“What Is Life” reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was a hit single. It just wasn’t as big as it could or should have been. The tune lasted on the Billboard Hot 100 for nine weeks. “What Is Love” appeared on the album All Things Must Pass. That album is generally considered the defining record of George’s solo career. The record topped the Billboard 200 for seven weeks, lasting on the chart for 41 weeks.

Why wasn’t “What Is Life” a No. 1 hit? Well, it was released after “My Sweet Lord” reached No. 1. Perhaps audiences were so exposed to “My Sweet Lord” that they weren’t ready to let another George track reach the top spot. If George had put out “What Is Life” as the lead single from All Things Must Pass instead of “My Sweet Lord,” “What Is Life” might be his most famous solo song.

“What Is Life” is a perfect song — and it deserves more love from the public.

Paul McCartney Only Did 1 Good No. 1 Song Without The Beatles

Matthew Trzcinski — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 20:46:50 +0000

Paul McCartney knew how to write hit songs without The Beatles — he just struggled to write good hit songs without The Beatles! Only one of his solo No. 1 singles is genuinely worthwhile. Let’s take a look at what makes one track stand out in Paul’s discography.

Most of Paul McCartney’s big songs were boring or terrible

After The Beatles broke up, Paul had nine No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. They were “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey,” “My Love,” “Band on the Run,” “Listen to What the Man Said,” “Silly Love Songs,” “With a Little Luck,” “Coming Up,” “Ebony and Ivory,” and “Say Say Say.” Some of those songs are passable radio filler, like “My Love” and “Listen to What the Man Said.” Others are bad, such as “Coming Up” and “Ebony and Ivory.”

The only truly great song on the list is “Band on the Run.” Paul released other awesome songs without The Beatles, including “Maybe I’m Amazed,” “Live and Let Die,” and “Jet.” However, those tracks didn’t reach No. 1. During the 1970s and 1980s, audiences in the United States were too obsessed with gutless, easy-listening music to give many of Paul’s good tracks a chance to top the charts.

Why the song hits a sweet spot in Paul McCartney’s discography

Part of why “Band on the Run” works is that it hit a sweet spot between being traditional and experimental. It has some good old-fashioned hooks while drawing some elements from progressive rock. This made it unique in Paul’s catalog of No. 1 singles.

Tracks like “My Love” and “Ebony and Ivory” don’t have many surprises. Meanwhile, “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” and “Coming Up” are so bonkers that it’s hard to know how to react to them. “Band on the Run” is the sort of song that regular pop listeners and serious music fans can both enjoy.

What the former Beatle was thinking when he wrote ‘Band on the Run’

In a 2024 interview with PaulMcCartney.com, Paul was asked if he knew “Band on the Run” would become the title track of an album when he wrote it. “I don’t think so, no,” he replied. “Those kinds of things — album titles and artwork — normally come later on in the process. I just wrote a bunch of songs, which luckily I remembered, because the demos got stolen! ‘Band on the Run’ was always going to be the big, epic track on the album, but I didn’t necessarily know it was going to be the title. But it eventually comes to the surface, and I thought, ‘Well, that’s an obvious title. That’s the one.'”

Paul discussed his use of the Moog synthesizer on the album Band on the Run. “I first used it all on ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’ and it was very big, like computers in the old days were,” he said. “Then they brought out a thing called a mini-Moog, which was much more manageable. And that is the instrument that we used in Wings, and that Linda [McCartney] enjoyed playing. It’s just got such a great sound, and because it was new at the time nobody had really used it, so we loved trying it out.”

“Band on the Run” was a milestone for Paul because of its commercial success and its quality.

What Paul McCartney Thought of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’

Matthew Trzcinski — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 16:33:36 +0000

Paul McCartney appeared on a divisive track from Michael Jackson’s Thriller. In retrospect, Paul revealed his feelings on Thriller and some of Jackson’s other music. He also discussed one of the connections between the Fab Four and the King of Pop.

Paul McCartney was a huge fan of a genius behind Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’

During the early days of Jackson’s career, he worked with a variety of producers. He made the decision to collaborate with Quincy Jones for his 1979 disco album Off the Wall, which changed the entire trajectory of popular music. Jackson and Jones then teamed up for the two biggest records of the King of Pop’s career: Thriller and Bad. Paul played a memorable role in the rise of Thriller when he dueted with Jackson for the record’s first single: “The Girl Is Mine.”

In a 2024 post on PaulMcCartney.com, the former Beatle mourned Jones’ death. Paul seemed to have a favorable view of Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad. “Quincy, or ‘Quince’ or ‘Q’ as he was known, always had a twinkle in his eye and had a very positive, loving spirit which affected everyone who knew him,” he said. “His work with Michael Jackson is, of course, legendary, and he had so many other strings to his musical bow.”

Paul McCartney said Michael Jackson’s producer was friends with The Beatles’

Paul said Jones was more connected to The Beatles than one might think. “He was supremely talented, and I felt privileged to have known him for many years,” the “Silly Love Songs” star said. “He was friends with George Martin, The Beatles’ producer, and, between the two of them, produced some very fine music.”

Paul noted the breadth of Jones’ life. “His long career stretches back to the early days when he was a trumpet player, then a band leader, then a producer of many great records,” he said. “But it is as a friend I would like to remember him. We always had fun in his presence, and his legend will continue through the years, but it is those private moments we were lucky enough to have with the great man that I will always remember fondly.”

How ‘Thriller’ and ‘The Girl Is Mine’ performed

Thriller went on to become the biggest blockbuster album in the history of music. The record topped the Billboard 200 for 37 weeks, lasting on the chart for a whopping 659 weeks in total. “The Girl Is Mine” was also a hit. It reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, lasting on the chart for 18 weeks.

While “The Girls Is Mine” was a hit, it has developed a poor reputation. Many fans of Paul and the King of Pop feel that the track is dull or too jocular for its own good. Others think that a duet between two musical icons should have been far more impressive (although Paul’s 1980s output was far from impressive). On top of that, “The Girl Is Mine” doesn’t hold a candle to the pair’s dance duet “Say Say Say,” which isn’t a great song, but at least it has a decent beat.

Regardless of your thoughts on “The Girl Is Mine,” Thriller as a whole is a classic — and Paul agrees.

What Happened When The Monkees Reunited in the 1980s

Matthew Trzcinski — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 13:28:39 +0000

The Monkees had a hit song in the 1980s — and they were far from the only classic rock act from their generation to do so. The track in question could have been a catastrophe. Here’s how the world reacted when the Prefab Four tried to be pop stars again.

The Monkees changed their genre when they released a new song in the 1980s

The 1980s were an excellent decade for legacy acts. 1960s nostalgia was strong, so a long list of stars from the 1960s managed to notch at least one hit during the 1980s. These artists include Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Marvin Gaye, The Beach Boys, Roy Orbison, The Rolling Stones, and Diana Ross. The Monkees tried to have a hit in 1986 with the song “That Was Then, This Is Now.”

Unlike some of the aforementioned acts, The Monkees embraced one of the defining genres of the time: new wave. That could have been a disaster. It could have sounded like the old guard jumping on a bandwagon they didn’t understand. However, that wasn’t the case.

Why the song sounds current without betraying the band’s sound

What made some of The Monkees’ 1960s hits stick out was their bubblegum style and sense of joy. It’s challenging to listen to “I’m a Believer” or “Daydream Believer” without forming a smile on your face.
Synth-pop could be just as uplifting. “That Was Then, This Is Now” embodies the poppy side of new wave music in the best way possible.

The lyrics of “That Was Then, This Is Now” also do a good job of transporting The Monkees into a new era. The title alone subtextually acknowledges that the Prefab Four had been gone for a long time before returning. The tune could have or should have been the opening salvo of a new run of hits for the group, but alas, they were just back for one shining moment.

Why Davy Jones sat out The Monkees’ comeback hit

During a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone, The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz discussed the origin of “That Was Then, This Is Now.” “In 1986, MTV started showing the old show and we reunited for a tour,” he said. “It just exploded. It was the biggest selling tour of that year for anybody. Arista [Records] had the catalog at the time. [Record executive] Clive Davis got a hold of me through his A&R guy, Roy Lott. They said, ‘Listen, this is huge. This 20-year reunion is turning into a huge thing. We’re gonna reissue a classic CD of the big hits and we thought it would be cool if you recorded some new material.'”

“That Was Then, This Is Now” was recorded quickly. “We were already in rehearsals for the tour,” Dolenz recalled. “They wanted us to try go get this thing out in like two weeks. I was like, ‘Wow! That’s great. Make me a deal. Call my agent or waterer, but I’d love to do it.’ Peter [Tork} agreed, but David [Jones] did not. He chose not to participate in that particular set of recordings. But two days later, I’m in the studio doing vocals. A week or two later, it came out and went Top 20.”

The Monkees updated their sound for the 1980s — and it worked out much better than you might think.