2011 – lyricist Jerry Leiber dies at age 78 on This Day in Rock! He Co-wrote hits like “Hound Dog” and “Jailhouse Rock” and was a key player in the birth or Rock ‘n’ Roll. Composing over 200 tunes covered by Elvis, Buddy Holly, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, James Brown, BB King, The drifters and Peggy Lee, Elvis having recorded over 20 of the tunes himself.
All the facts about rock hisory you need in one easy place. With a database of over 25,000 records and growing daily, we update posts about Elvis, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, Jet, My Chemical Romance and many more. We include Video from YouTube, lyrics, and all the juicy facts that happen to your favorite stars. Tell you friends, leave comments, and enjoy history.
Lucy Vodden. The inspiration behind John Lennon's song, 'Lucy in the sky with diamonds'
2009 – Lucy Vodden Dead: ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ Dies At 46
LONDON — Lucy Vodden, who provided the inspiration for the Beatles’ classic song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” has died after a long battle with lupus. She was 46.
Her death was announced Monday by St. Thomas’ Hospital in London, where she had been treated for the chronic disease for more than five years, and by her husband, Ross Vodden. Britain’s Press Association said she died last Tuesday. Hospital officials said they could not confirm the day of her death.
Vodden’s connection to the Beatles dates back to her early days, when she made friends with schoolmate Julian Lennon, John Lennon’s son.
Julian Lennon, then 4 years old, came home from school with a drawing one day, showed it to his father, and said it was “Lucy in the sky with diamonds.”
At the time, John Lennon was gathering material for his contributions to “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” a landmark album released to worldwide acclaim in 1967.
The elder Lennon seized on the image and developed it into what is widely regarded as a psychedelic masterpiece, replete with haunting images of “newspaper taxis” and a “girl with kaleidoscope eyes.”
Rock music critics thought the song’s title was a veiled reference to LSD, but John Lennon always claimed the phrase came from his son, not from a desire to spell out the initials LSD in code.
Vodden lost touch with Julian Lennon after he left the school following his parents’ divorce, but they were reunited in recent years when Julian Lennon, who lives in France, tried to help her cope with the disease.
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He sent her flowers and vouchers for use at a gardening center near her home in Surrey in southeast England, and frequently sent her text messages in an effort to buttress her spirits.
“I wasn’t sure at first how to approach her,” Julian Lennon told the Associated Press in June. “I wanted at least to get a note to her. Then I heard she had a great love of gardening, and I thought I’d help with something she’s passionate about, and I love gardening too. I wanted to do something to put a smile on her face.”
In recent months, Vodden was too ill to go out most of the time, except for hospital visits.
She enjoyed her link to the Beatles, but was not particularly fond of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.”
“I don’t relate to the song, to that type of song,” she told the Associated Press in June. “As a teenager, I made the mistake of telling a couple of friends at school that I was the Lucy in the song and they said, ‘No, it’s not you, my parents said it’s about drugs.’ And I didn’t know what LSD was at the time, so I just kept it quiet, to myself.”
Vodden is the latest in a long line of people connected to the Beatles who died at a relatively young age.
The list includes John Lennon, gunned down at age 40, manager Brian Epstein, who died of a drug overdose when he was 32, and original band member Stuart Sutcliffe, who died of a brain hemorrhage at 21.
A spokeswoman for Julian Lennon and his mother, Cynthia Lennon, said they were “shocked and saddened” by Vodden’s death.
Angie Davidson, a lupus sufferer who is campaign director of the St. Thomas’ Lupus Trust, said Vodden was “a real fighter” who had worked behind the scenes to support efforts to combat the disease.
“It’s so sad that she has finally lost the battle she fought so bravely for so long,” said Davidson.
It was 40 years ago today that Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play and, although she did not perform on the album, a Surbiton housewife confirms today that she was the inspiration for one of its most famous songs.
Myth and rumour have surrounded the real-life inspiration for Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, John Lennon’s swirling ode to psychedelia.
It was first thought that the singer’s muse was Lucy Richardson, a Suffolk schoogirl who went on to become a film art director.
Then speculation centred on the daughter of the comedian Peter Cook. And many believe that the song is a disguised paean to the joys of LSD. But Beatles biographers and accounts by the band members confirm that Lucy O’Donnell is the only possible source for the song.
Lucy, now a 43-year-old housewife from Surrey, was a classmate of John’s son, Julian, at Heath House nursery school in Weybridge. Her moment of fame came in 1967, when Julian came home from school with a drawing of a girl surrounded by stars. John asked him what it was. “It’s Lucy, in the sky with diamonds,” Julian said.
The world’s leading music game meets the greatest band in history! The Beatles™: Rock Band™ gives fans what they’ve been waiting for: a chance to experience the Beatles’ legendary story from the inside. You won’t just watch and listen as the Beatles make rock history, create landmark records and conquer the world — for the first time, you’ll be part of the band.
Join John, Paul, George, and Ringo onstage at legendary shows, behind closed doors in the recording studio, and in dreamscapes that bring their psychedelic imagery to life. The acclaimed Rock Band elements of interactive play and full band capacity are here, but with brand-new additions. This will be the first music game to offer harmonies, challenging you to recreate The Beatles’ vocal blend. There are custom-built models of the instruments the band itself played, audio straight from the masters, and graphics that take you on a magical tour through the key moments in Beatles history. Master the songs to hear rare audio and view unseen photos from the archives!
Developed and co-created with Apple Corps, The Beatles company, the game provides a true to life gaming experience and is packed full of fab extras.
2008 – Confirming long standing rumors, Activision announced this morning that they’re teaming with rock band Aerosmith to produce an entirely new “Guitar Hero” game dedicated solely to virtually playing along with their songs, titled simply “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith”.
Lyrics:
Well on a train, I met a dame
She rather handsome
We kinda look the same
She was pretty
From new york city
Im walkin down that old fair lane
Im in heat, Im in love
But I just couldnt tell her so
(chorus)
I said, train kept a rollin all night long
Train kept a rollin all night long
Train kept a rollin all night long
Train kept a rollin all night long
With a heave, and a ho
But I just couldnt tell her so, no, no, no
Well, get along
Sweet little woman get along
On your way
Well, get along
Sweet little woman get along
On your way
Im in heat, Im in love
But I just couldnt tell her so, no, no, no
Well on a train, I met a dame
She rather handsome
We kinda looked the same
She was pretty
From new york city
Im walkin down that old fair lane
Im in heat, Im in love
But I just couldnt tell her so
(chorus)
Well, get along
Sweet little woman get along
On your way
Well, get along
Sweet little woman get along
On your way
Im in heat, Im in love
But I just couldnt tell her
Well, we made a stop in albequerque
She musta thought
I was a real cool jerk
Got off the train, and put her hands up
Lookin so good, I couldnt let her go
But I just couldnt tell her so
(chorus)
Im in heat, Im in love
But I just couldnt tell her
Typical of a “Guitar Hero” announcement, the track list is currently a secret, but the press release did name-drop “Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” “Love in an Elevator,” “Dream On,” and “Sweet Emotion.”
In fact, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 owners will have a chance to download a copy of “Dream On” for “Guitar Hero III” for free over Xbox Live and PlayStation Network from February 16-18.
“On a larger scale, it’s cool for us to be pioneers, helping to rebuild the music industry through a format like video games,” said Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler in the press release. “It’s great for rock since the record companies are struggling to make sense of how things are changing. Fans want to get and experience music in new formats–and there are going to be some of them who will play the game, then pick up the guitar for real and start bands.”
This isn’t the band’s first appearance in modern music games, either. The MTV Rhythm Game Track Finder shows that Aerosmith has had six songs spread across the “Guitar Hero,” “Karaoke Revolution” and “Rock Band” franchises.
Neversoft, the same folks behind last fall’s “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock,” is behind the Aerosmith, “Guitar Hero” collaboration. If you haven’t yet upgraded to a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 yet, no worries; “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith” is also coming to Wii (in stereo this time, we hope) and PlayStation 2, courtesy of Vicarious Visions and Budcat respectively. No word yet on a PC or Mac version.
“Guitar Hero: Aerosmith” drops on all platforms in June, but as we mentioned, this isn’t the first time Aerosmith has invaded games, far from it. Certainly, you remember shooter classic “Revolution X”? No? Just a little?
Discover the breadth of Aerosmith’s gaming journeys by reading on.
Aerosmith is probably best known for “Midway”’s light gun shooter “Revolution X.” Our favorite moment comes only a few minutes into the adventure, which is about as much as we could take while revisiting the “classic.” Picture this: a club shoot-out involving hundreds of copy-cat thugs taking aim at the player suddenly climaxes with a heavily pixelated Aerosmith rocking out on stage for a crowd of zero, only to be rudely interrupted mid-song and kidnapped by the evildoers. Clearly, the player must put a stop to such madness.
This isn’t the band’s first stint with a guitar simulator, either. “Quest for Fame”, released all the way back in 1995 by Virtual Music Entertainment, actually came bundled with a V-Pick. While the V-Pick wasn’t quite as elaborate as the five-button “Guitar Hero” controller, the V-Pick detected motion and allowed players to strum along to different Aerosmith songs using just about anything shaped like a guitar — a tennis racket, for example.
2008 – Beyonce won a long-running legal wrangle over claims her hit song ‘Baby Boy’ infringed the copyright of another artist’s work. The appeals court in Houston, Texas upheld a 2006 decision which dismissed musician Jennifer Armour’s claims that its lyrics were based on her work. Ms Armour claimed she had posted ‘I Got A Little Bit Of Love For You’ to Beyonce’s manager and record company in early 2003.
2005 – With three awards, Avril Lavigne leads the pack at Canada’s 34th Annual Juno Awards, held at Winnipeg’s MTS Centre. Lavigne wins artist of the year and the fanvoted Juno Fan Choice Award. She also claims the pop album of the year award for Under My Skin.
2005 – Elvis Presley’s single ‘One Night’ made chart history by becoming the 1,000th UK number one. Elvis, who led last week’s chart with ‘Jailhouse Rock’, had now scored more number one UK hits than any other artist with 20 number 1’s, beating The Beatles’ 17 chart toppers.
Lyrics:
(words & music by D. Bartholomew – P. King)
One night with you
Is what I’m now praying for
The things that we two could plan
Would make my dreams come true
Just call my name
And I’ll be right by your side
I want your sweet helping hand
My loves too strong to hide
Always lived, very quiet life
I ain’t never did no wrong
Now I know that life without you
Has been too lonely too long
One night with you
Is what I’m now praying for
The things that we two could plan
Would make my dreams come true
Always lived, very quiet life
I ain’t never did no wrong
Now I know that life without you
Has been too lonely too long
One night with you
Is what I’m now praying for
The things that we two could plan
Would make my dreams come true
2004 – It’s reported that U.S. Marines are blasting AC/DC’s “Shoot to Thrill” at high volumes to drive Muslim insurgents from their homes in Iraq.
Lyrics:
All you women who want a man of the street
But you don’t know which way you wanna turn
Just keep a coming and put your hand out to me
‘Cause I’m the one who’s gonna make you burn
I’m gonna take you down – down, down, down
So don’t you fool around
I’m gonna pull it, pull it, pull the trigger
Shoot to thrill, play to kill
Too many women with too many pills
Shoot to thrill, play to kill
I got my gun at the ready, gonna fire at will
Yeah
I’m like evil, I get under your skin
Just like a bomb that’s ready to blow
‘Cause I’m illegal, I got everything
That all you women might need to know
I’m gonna take you down – yeah, down, down, down
So don’t you fool around
I’m gonna pull it, pull it, pull the trigger
Shoot to thrill, play to kill
Too many women with too many pills
Shoot to thrill, play to kill
I got my gun at the ready, gonna fire at will
‘Cause I shoot to thrill, and I’m ready to kill
I can’t get enough, I can’t get the thrill
I shoot to thrill, play to kill
Yeah, pull the trigger
Pull it, pull it, pull it, pull the trigger
Oh
Shoot to thrill, play to kill
Too many women, with too many pills
I said, shoot to thrill, play to kill
I got my gun at the ready, gonna fire at will
‘Cause I shoot to thrill, and I’m ready to kill
And I can’t get enough, and I can’t get my thrill
‘Cause I shoot to thrill, play it again
Yeah
Shoot you down
Yeah
I’m gonna get you to the bottom and shoot you
I’m gonna shoot you
Oh hoo yeah yeah yeah
I’m gonna shoot you down yeah yeah
I’m gonna get you down
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Shoot you, shoot you, shoot you, shoot you down
Shoot you, shoot you, shoot you down
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, ooooooh
I’m gonna shoot to thrill
Play to kill
Shoot to thrill
Yeah, ooh yeah
2004 – Alanis Morissette appears at the Canadian Juno awards in a nude bodysuit during a skit satirizing American attitudes towards censorship. At the ceremony, Nelly Furtado wins Best Single for “Powerless (Say What You Want)” and Nickelback win Best Group.
Lyrics:
“You Oughta Know”
I want you to know, that I’m happy for you
I wish nothing but the best for you both
An older version of me
Is she perverted like me
Would she go down on you in a theatre
Does she speak eloquently
And would she have your baby
I’m sure she’d make a really excellent mother
’cause the love that you gave that we made wasn’t able
To make it enough for you to be open wide, no
And every time you speak her name
Does she know how you told me you’d hold me
Until you died, till you died
But you’re still alive
And I’m here to remind you
Of the mess you left when you went away
It’s not fair to deny me
Of the cross I bear that you gave to me
You, you, you oughta know
You seem very well, things look peaceful
I’m not quite as well, I thought you should know
Did you forget about me Mr. Duplicity
I hate to bug you in the middle of dinner
It was a slap in the face how quickly I was replaced
Are you thinking of me when you fuck her?
’cause the love that you gave that we made wasn’t able
To make it enough for you to be open wide, no
And every time you speak her name
Does she know how you told me you’d hold me
Until you died, til you died
But you’re still alive
And I’m here to remind you
Of the mess you left when you went away
It’s not fair to deny me
Of the cross I bear that you gave to me
You, you, you oughta know
’cause the joke that you laid on the bed that was me
And I’m not gonna fade
As soon as you close your eyes and you know it
And every time I scratch my nails down someone else’s back
I hope you feel it…well can you feel it
Well, I’m here to remind you
Of the mess you left when you went away
It’s not fair to deny me
Of the cross I bear that you gave to me
You, you, you oughta know
2004 – Comedy rockers The Darkness (“I Believe in a Thing Called Love”) are forced to postpone shows in Cleveland and Pittsburgh after singer Justin Hawkins comes down with a sore throat.
Lyrics:
Can’t explain all the feelings that you’re making me feel
My heart’s in overdrive and you’re behind the steering wheel
Touching you, touching me
touching you, god you’re touching me
I believe in a thing called love
Just listen to the rhythm of my heart
There’s a chance we could make it now
We’ll be rocking ’til the sun goes down
I believe in a thing called love
Ooh!
I wanna kiss you every minute, every hour, every day
You got me in a spin but everythin’ is A.OK!
Touching you, touching me
touching you, god you’re touching me
I believe in a thing called love
Just listen to the rhythm of my heart
There’s a chance we could make it now
We’ll be rocking ’til the sun goes down
I believe in a thing called love
Ooh! Guitar!
Touching you, touching me
touching you, god you’re touching me
I believe in a thing called love
Just listen to the rhythm of my heart
There’s a chance we could make it now
We’ll be rocking ’til the sun goes down
I believe in a thing called love
Ooh!
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