Fascinating little-known facts about the music industry
Music is something we couldn’t imagine living without. There’s a song for everything, but music lovers don’t know all the facts about the song or artist they enjoy.
The point is, with music, you might not know everything.
More Ramones T-Shirts Have Been Sold Worldwide Than All Their Albums Combined
You don’t even to have to know who the Ramones are. The Ramones t-shirt has become a popular garment and a globally well-known design.
In fact, the shirt retains a small link to the music made by the punk band. Johnny Ramone would be so proud of this.
Bono Got His Name From A Hearing Aid Store In Dublin Called ‘Bonavox Of O’Connell Street’
Bonowas born Paul David Hewson. As a teenager in Dublin, he earned the nickname ‘Bono Vox’ an alteration of Bonavox. It’s a Latin phrase which means “good voice”.
The U2 lead singer disliked the name at first, but when he realized what the word meant, he accepted it.
‘Born To Run’ By Bruce Springsteen Almost Became The Official Song Of New Jersey
“Born to Run” was briefly considered as the New Jersey state song. Legislators listened to the song before they said no.
It’s not too surprising since some of the lyrics included a “death trap” and a “suicide trap.” That sounds like it describes a place that people want to escape rather than celebrate.
“Kendrick Lamar” Is The Rapper’s First And Middle Name. His Last Name Is Duckworth
Longtime fans know him by his earlier rap name, “K.Dot.” Lamar would switch to his own name in 2010. The rapper wears his family history with pride, especially with the song ‘Duckworth.’
The last track on Damn told the true story of how his father, Kenny, met with producer Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith years before he signed Kendrick.
“Rock Your Body” By Justin Timberlake Was Originally Written By Pharrell For Michael Jackson
The song was originally supposed to be featured on Michael Jackson’s 2001 album Invincible. However, the King of Pop rejected the song, which was given to Timberlake for his debut album.
“Rock Your Body” received positive reviews, and Timberlake used this song during his controversial performance at the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show.
Jack White Got Accepted Into A Seminary But Changed His Mind When He Wasn’t Allowed To Take His Guitar And Amp With Him
As a young man, White was an altar boy, and would be accepted in a seminary in Wisconsin. He almost pursued the life of a priest, but he changed his mind and decided to go to a public school.
He didn’t think the priests would allow him to bring his new amplifier. If that happened, there would be a world with no White Stripes.
Oasis Refused To Be On Trainspotting’s Now Iconic Soundtrack Because Noel Gallagher Thought The Film Was About The Actual Spotting Of Trains
Leave it to Noel Gallagher to reject the chance to contribute to the seminal 1996 film. Gallagher assumed the film was about actual trainspotters rather than a dark comedy about addiction.
The score of the film championed British artists like Blur and classics like Iggy Pop and Lou Reed.
Courtney Love Was The Lead Singer Of Faith No More Before She Was Replaced By Chuck Mosely
What do Courtney Love and Mike Patton have in common? They both fronted Faith No More. Love’s stint with the alternative rock group proved to be short-lived. The band fired her just six months in with a few shows under their belt.
That paved the way for the late Chuck Mosley, before Mosley was kicked out for Patton in 1988.
The First Commercial CD Ever Pressed Was ‘Born In The USA’ By Bruce Springsteen
Born To Run was manufactured in a compact disc when CBS and Sony opened its CD manufacturing plant in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Given the name of the album and the spotlight on the plight of the American worker contained in many of his songs, it made perfect sense that Springsteen’s album became the first American-made CD.
Brian Wilson Of The Beach Boys Had A Lifelong Fear Of Water
The co-founder of The Beach Boys created some of the world’s most enduring songs about surfing. However, in Wilson’s autobiography, I Am Brian Wilson, he revealed he was scared of the ocean.
He confessed he wasn’t a big fan of big bodies of water, and it didn’t help that his bandmate/brother Dennis drowned to death in 1983.
With Only Four Lines, Japan’s National Anthem Is The Shortest In The World
Japan’s anthem has the oldest words, written by an anonymous author in the ninth century. With a length of 11 measures and 32 characters, “Kimigayo” is also one of the world’s shortest anthems.
While the title “Kimigayo” translates to “His Imperial Majesty’s Reign”, no official translation of the title has been established in law.
Every Kings Of Leon Album Has Five Syllables In The Title
It’s random and quite a fun little Easter Egg. It’s no coincidence that each of their album titles is five syllables long.
The formula continues to work, but they almost ditched it for their sixth album WALLS. However, it’s an acronym for We Are Like Love Songs.
Damon Albarn Is The Lead Singer Of Blur And Co-Founder Of Gorillaz
Damon Albarn is one of those rare artists whose name must be used across multiple projects. Albarn helped steer Britpop into a direction with his band Blur.
The single “Song 2” was one of their most popular songs. After Blur folded before making a comeback, Albarn focused on his virtual band with Jame Hewlett, Gorillaz.
The Longest National Anthem In The World Belongs To Greece
The national anthem of Greece is based on Hymn to the Freedom by poet Dionysios Solomos. With 158 stanzas, it’s the longest in the world.
But, if the criterion is music instead of the lyrics, then the longest anthem would hail out of Uruguay. It’s set to 105 bars of music.
Katy Perry Began Her Career As A Christian Musician Under Her Real Name Katy Hudson
Long before Left Shark and “I Kissed A Girl,” Katy Perry was Katy Hudson. Her eponymous debut solo album incorporated Christian rock and contemporary Christian music.
The album sold fewer than 200 copies, but that opened the doors for the future pop sensation.
Chuck Berry Originally Wanted To Be A Professional Photographer And Started Making Music To Afford The Equipment
The Father of Rock n’ Roll pursued a variety of interests and hobbies in his youth. Berry enjoyed doing carpentry work for his father.
He also learned photography from his uncle, Harry Davis. Berry was interested in photography but that all changed when he showed an early talent for music.
Seriously Though, Mick Jagger Is Talented At Ballet
The frontman of the Rolling Stones is an experienced ballet dancer. No wonder why this guy just glides across the stage.
Jagger credits his parents and his brother, Chris, for learning how to dance. That was one way for Jagger to meet girls at school dances.
ABBA Turned Down $1 Billion To Do A 100 Concert Tour
In 2000, an American-British consortium offered the Swedes $1 billion to reunite for 100 shows.
It’s a heck of a lot of money to say no to, but the group wasn’t feeling it. Abba never really made a comeback, but everyone else has, and that sent a clear message.
Miley Cyrus Had Never Listened To A Jay-Z Song Before Releasing ‘Party In The USA’
The hit song from 2009 included a line about nodding along to a Jay-Z song. Unfortunately, Miley never listened to a song from the New York rapper.
She’s probably listened to a few of his songs by now. The worst part of it all? Miley didn’t even write the song.
