Matthew Trzcinski

Music

Freddie Mercury Took Over This Queen Song From Another Member of the Band

Queen's Freddie Mercury would often alter songs written by his bandmates Roger Taylor and John Deacon. He changed Taylor's song "Radio Ga Ga" because he felt it initially had flaws. The track became a hit in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Music

John Lennon Said 1 of His Songs Had a ‘Revolutionary’ Concept

"Give Peace a Chance" became an anthem for Vietnam War protesters. John Lennon wanted "Working Class Hero" to connect with people in a similar way; however, it wasn't as big of a hit. Regardless, there are albums named after "Working Class Hero."

Music

How a Murder Helped Inspire Wheatus’ ‘Teenage Dirtbag’

Ricky Kasso was a murderer who wore an AC/DC shirt when he was arrested. This case caused people to demonize Iron Maiden fans. In response, Wheatus' Brendan B. Brown wrote "Teenage Dirtbag," which became a hit.

Music

Fountains of Wayne’s ‘Stacy’s Mom’ Was Inspired by a Grandmother

Adam Schlesinger's grandmother looked "hot" to one of his friends. This inspired Fountains of Wayne's "Stacy's Mom." Chris Collingwood felt the song was beneath Schlesinger. It became a hit.

Music

Phil Collins Changed This Song so It Wouldn’t Sound Too Much Like Prince’s ‘1999’

Phil Collins' R&B-inspired album 'No Jacket Required' included a song called "Sussudio" that critics thought was derivative of "1999" by Prince. Collins said he tried to make "Sussudio" sound different from Prince's music. Collins wasn't a fan of the song; however, it outperformed "1999."

Music

Paul Simon Felt Elvis Presley’s Graceland Could Offend People

Paul Simon went to Graceland and felt it was very commercial. He cried when he saw the writing on Elvis Presley's grave, which praised the singer's talent. Then Simon wrote "Graceland," which became a minor hit.

Music

Why ‘California Gurls’ Almost Wasn’t on Katy Perry’s ‘Teenage Dream’ Album

Katy Perry's producer, Dr. Luke Gottwald, wanted to add "California Gurls" and "Teenage Dream" to her 'Teenage Dream' album even after others thought the album was complete. The public seemed to embrace the songs.

Music

Kesha Wrote Some of the Lyrics of ‘TiK ToK’ as a Joke

Kesha didn't like some of the lyrics of "TiK ToK." Her producer, Dr. Luke Gottwald, wanted the song to be stupid and convinced her to keep the lyrics intact. The public embraced the song with its "stupid" lyrics.

Music

Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Since U Been Gone’ Was Inspired by Another Song

Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone" was supposed to sound like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Maps." The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O wasn't happy about the similarity. "Since U Been Gone" was more popular than "Maps."

Music

Barbra Streisand Sang Some of Her Songs 10 Times for 1 of the Bee Gees

Barbra Streisand recorded songs with the Bee Gees' Barry Gibb for her album 'Guilty.' Streisand and Gibb enjoyed the experience. 'Guilty' was a massive success.

Music

Elvis Presley Felt This Scene From 1 of His Movies Was ‘Embarrassing’

Elvis Presley wanted 'Wild in the Country' to be better than his other movies. He and his co-star, Millie Perkins, didn't like one of its scenes. The movie still produced a hit song, also called "Wild in the Country."

Music

Barbra Streisand Released a Song With Kermit the Frog Over 40 Years After She Recorded It

Barbra Streisand recorded a version of "Rainbow Connection" for her son. She forgot about the song only to release a new version of it with vocals from Jim Henson in character as Kermit the Frog.

Movies

Steven Spielberg Directed 1 of His Classic 1980s Movies Because a Legendary Director Turned It Down

Steven Spielberg helped David Lean see if he could get the rights to the book 'Empire of the Sun.' Lean lost interest in the project. Spielberg ultimately directed the film version of the book.

Music

Barbra Streisand Wasn’t Paid for an Album of Broadway Songs Until It Sold 2.5 Million Copies

Barbra Streisand recorded songs by Stephen Sondheim for 'The Broadway Album.' Her label wanted her to record pop songs instead. Regardless, 'The Broadway Album' was a huge success.

Music

John Lennon’s Son Said Making a Song With Lana Del Rey Changed His Life

John Lennon's son, Sean Lennon, recorded vocals for a Lana Del Rey song called "Tomorrow Never Knows" with a microphone used by Johnny Cash. Sean loved the song. The public seemed less impressed.

Music

Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret Sang This Song Together Like Cats

Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret really clicked because of music. They once performed a classic song together in a comical way. Elvis later performed the song during one of the most famous moments of his career.

Music

George Harrison’s Son Felt Like a ‘Lab Rat’ Trying to Finish This Album for His Father

George Harrison was making an album with his son, Dhani Harrison, but the former Beatle died before he finished it. Dhani completed the album with Jeff Lynne, Dhani didn't want the album to sound like Lynne's music.

Movies

How Steven Spielberg Responded When People Said ‘Saving Private Ryan’ Was ‘Too Hollywood’

Some people felt 'Saving Private Ryan' was "too Hollywood," but Steven Spielberg went out of his way to avoid that. Ultimately, the film was a huge critical and commercial success.

Movies

Steven Spielberg Said 1 of His Movies Was a ‘Demolition Derby’

Steven Spielberg indulged himself during the making of '1941'. He later took a more austere approach to 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'. The latter film was more acclaimed and popular.

Music

What Linda Ronstadt’s ‘Different Drum’ Sounded Like When It Was Going to Be a Monkees Song

One of The Monkees wrote "Different Drum" but the band wasn't allowed to record it. Later, Linda Ronstadt and two of The Monkees each recorded versions of the song.