The word “genius” is often thrown around when discussing Taylor Swift’s very personal lyrics. She even has her own undergraduate course at Harvard. Money well spent. And, although I’ve always thought of her as the sort of poet who’d rhyme that word with “know it,” I appreciate that her ripped-from-the-diary style has proven appeal. Making … Read more
Olivia Newton-John was worried about letting people hear her body talk. The singer, who won countless hearts as Sandy in “Grease” and charmed many more as music’s wholesome girl next door, was hesitant to be bad. But with a little encouragement from one of her closest confidantes, she channeled the animal in her with the … Read more
Bruce Springsteen hates Donald Trump. In other news, water is wet. Last week, The Boss kicked off his “Land of Hopes & Dreams Tour” in Manchester, England, by raging against our 47th president. “In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for … Read more
The estranged wife of NFL lineman Ben Cleveland shared a cryptic message Thursday on her Instagram Stories, days after news of his divorce filing alleging adultery broke. In a screenshot captured by TMZ, Kaitlyn Terrell posted the lyrics from singer Kelsea Ballerini’s song “Interlude” that read: “‘Cause people that I loved are just people that … Read more
The kids had no clue what they were shaking it to. For party people of the 1990s, the hip-swinging beat of the “Macarena” still rings as the sultry soundtrack of the decade, which came complete with its own club-worthy choreography. Millennials shocked by English translation of the ‘Macarena.’ fizkes – stock.adobe.com But now, the nostalgic … Read more
An ex-con rapper who’s worked with everyone from Lil Wayne to Gucci Mane has been ordered to submit his future songs to a judge before release to make sure they match his “goals of rehabilitation.” BG, a k a Christopher Dorsey, of Louisiana, was arrested in March after performing in Las Vegas with rapper Boosie, … Read more
Don Henley filed a lawsuit Friday demanding the return of his handwritten lyrics to the critically acclaimed hit, “Hotel California,” according to The Associated Press. Henley maintained the 100 pages were stolen from him, and vowed to pursue legal action in March when his criminal case against three men attempting to sell the developmental lyrics was … Read more
Normani had only one name in mind when she had to recite her sultry “Wild Side” lyrics as part of a prank: wide receiver boyfriend DK Metcalf. During a recent interview with Elle magazine, the 27-year-old singer played the “Phoning It In” game, where one carries out random challenges, which included a risqué request involving … Read more
They can’t shake off these dirty lyrics. Mothers have a problem with the curse words and mature themes on Taylor Swift’s new album “The Tortured Poets Department” — which has seven explicit songs that all come with warning labels. The controversy over whether or not “Taylor Tots,” a nickname given to young fans of the … Read more
He may live at the top of the charts, but nobody’s putting The Weeknd up for a Nobel Prize for literature. A new study showing a steep decline in songwriting skills over the last 40 years used folk crooner Bob Dylan’s award from the sainted Swedish institution of an example of how much music has … Read more
It’s an egg-cellent time to be a pop fan. And while Taylor Swift may be music’s boss bunny when it comes to burrowing those Easter eggs for us to dig out and dissect — a tunneling trend that will no doubt continue when she drops “The Tortured Poets Department” on April 19 — she isn’t … Read more
Model and photographer Pattie Boyd is selling handwritten lyrics and personal letters that reveal her relationships with the late Beatle George Harrison and guitarist and singer Eric Clapton. Boyd, who turns 80 on Sunday, was married to both musicians, inspiring songs such as Harrison’s “Something” and Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight” and “Layla”. Eric Clapton performs at … Read more
Manhattan prosecutors moved Wednesday to drop charges against three men accused of a scheme involving stolen handwritten lyrics to The Eagles’ hit “Hotel California” — after admitting the band’s frontman Don Henley turned over 6,000 pages of evidence late. The stunning turn of events came midway through the trial after Henley and his lawyers tried to weaponize … Read more
The criminal case against three men accused of a scheme involving allegedly stolen lyrics to The Eagles’ iconic hit “Hotel California” imploded mid-trial Wednesday after the band’s frontman Don Henley disclosed new evidence that cast doubt on the prosecution. In a stunning turn of events, Justice Curtis Farber dropped the charges faced by rare-books dealer Glenn Horowitz, ex-Rock & Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig … Read more
Imagine music that you wrote being held against you in a criminal proceeding. In the documentary “As We Speak: Rap Music on Trial,” the Bronx-born rapper Kemba travels around the country and to Britain, interviewing artists and legal experts about how that has been more than a theoretical possibility for rappers. Mac Phipps, for instance, … Read more
Her records earned him a world record. A Taylor Swift fan recently broke the Guinness World Record for the most Taylor Swift songs identified from their lyrics in one minute. Bilal Ilyas Jhandir of Pakistan, a self-proclaimed “die-hard fan” of the pop star, named 34 of her songs, which broke the record previously held of 27. … Read more
During a New Year’s Eve performance of their hit song “American Idiot,” legendary punk band Green Day changed its lyrics to take a shot at former President Trump and his followers. Playing the 2004 hit for “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” on ABC Sunday night, the band changed the lyrics of the second verse … Read more
That’s a lot of ch-ch-ch-ch-change. A handwritten lyric sheet for David Bowie’s “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide” and “Suffragette City” has hit the auction block, potentially fetching up to $126,000, the BBC reports. The two tracks are featured on Bowie’s 1972 album “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.” The sheet, which includes … Read more
She’s no longer waking up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy. Kesha appeared to cut her Sean “Diddy” Combs reference in her hit 2009 song “Tik Tok” in the wake of singer Cassie’s lawsuit accusing her ex of rape and abuse. The song’s opening line begins with, “Wake up in the morning feeling like … Read more
Machismo music has no place in this Mexican city. Last week, the city of Chihuahua reportedly banned lyrics that degrade or promote violence against women from performance venues — to curb the rampant gender violence in the area, reported Mexico News Daily. “Today, another of these harsh realities has motivated reform,” said Patricia Ulate, the … Read more