Matthew Trzcinski

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.

Movies

Steven Spielberg Calls This Movie His First That Didn’t ‘Go Better With Popcorn’

Steven Spielberg said 'The Color Purple' was more character-driven than his previous movies. The film didn't perform as well at the box office or the Academy Awards as 'Jaws'.

Music

How Linda Ronstadt Changed the Lyrics of The Rolling Stones’ ‘Tumbling Dice’

Mick Jagger didn't like The Rolling Stones' "Tumbling Dice." Later, Linda Ronstadt covered it. The world reacted differently to the two versions of the song.

Music

How Eggs Helped Inspire Paul Simon’s ‘Mother and Child Reunion’

Paul Simon's "Mother and Child Reunion" was his attempt to write a reggae song. A personal tragedy and his love for his wife helped him write the classic track.

Music

Why Linda Ronstadt Didn’t Think the Ramones Were as Good as The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger

Linda Ronstadt liked The Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger and some punk rock musicians, but not the Ramones. She called them out for a very specific reason. Here's how The Rolling Stones performed on the charts compared to the Ramones.

Music

1 of U2’s Songs Was Inspired by Martin Luther King

U2's "Pride (In the Name of Love)" was about Ronald Reagan before Bono rewrote the lyrics to be about his hero, Martin Luther King. Bono explained why King meant so much to him,

Music

U2’s Bono Said This John Lennon Song Was Like a Hymn Written by an Atheist

John Lennon's album 'Imagine' connected with U2's Bono. He really loved one of its songs, "Oh My Love." Later, Yoko Ono said there was a major connection between Bono and John.