A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs

Written by: Andrew Hickey
  • Summary

  • Andrew Hickey presents a history of rock music from 1938 to 1999, looking at five hundred songs that shaped the genre.
    © 2021 A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
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Episodes
  • Song 177: “Never Learn Not to Love” by the Beach Boys, Part 3: “Mister, Can You Give Me Some Direction?”
    Jan 31 2025

    For those who haven’t heard the announcement I posted, songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the third part of a multi-episode look at the song “Never Learn Not to Love” by the Beach Boys, and the links between Charles Manson and the LA music scene, as well as the life of Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.

    Patreon backers also have a forty-eight-minute bonus episode available, on “Fruit Tree” by Nick Drake.

    I’ve also started up an email newsletter at https://it-was-ninety-years-ago-today.ghost.io/

    Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/

    (more…)

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    Less than 1 minute
  • Song 177: “Never Learn Not to Love” by the Beach Boys, Part Two — “Is it True What They Say About Dixie?”
    Dec 16 2024

    For those who haven’t heard the announcement I posted, songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the second part of a multi-episode look at the song “Never Learn Not to Love” by the Beach Boys, and the links between Charles Manson and the LA music scene. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.

    This one is later than normal, for reasons explained in the episode. The next one should be up much sooner.

    Patreon backers also have a twenty-five-minute bonus episode available, on “Israelites” by Desmond Dekker.

    Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/

    (more…)

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    Less than 1 minute
  • Next Episode Coming Soon
    Dec 10 2024

    This is just to let people know that there is a better than usual reason for the longer than normal delay in the next episode. I was about to record it early last week, when checking a minor detail I discovered a book published this year, after I’d bought the books I used for the research, which showed that everything in the first half of the episode — everything that had been published in every book on Huddie Ledbetter, who is the focus of that first half — was badly mistaken. I had to totally scrap a completed script and redo the research from scratch. I start recording tomorrow and it should be up in a few days. I think you’ll agree when you hear it that it’s worth the extra time it ended up taking.

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    Less than 1 minute

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Thorough and fascinating...

His knowledge and research is incredible. Everytime I catch-up from oldest to newest episodes I just start over again, it's just that interesting! Also, his monotone-ish voice is rather soothing and his clear passion for the subject is one to behold. Long live Andrew Hickey!

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