Encore: The Stories Behind The Songs You Love iHeartRadio

As I’m sure you’re mostly aware of already - the lyrical content of Amy Winehouse's breakthrough single ‘Rehab’ is very much a true story. 

Working with up-and-coming producer Mark Ronson in New York city, Amy inspired the entire production of the song simply walking down the street, telling Ronson her true ‘rehab’ story. Ronson initially thought of it as a funny little anecdote - and one worth turning into a song. Unfortunately, the tale of Rehab was far from a funny one - and Winehouse's knack of drawing inspiration from bad situations would lead to tragedy.

Amy Winehouse was a star - a breath of fresh air in the music industry that pulled the Motown sounds of the 60s into the 21st century with edginess, swagger, and admittedly - a sense of glorified self-destruction.

Released in the UK as the Album’s lead single in late October 2006, Rehab was the perfect distillation of Amy the persona and Amy the artist. 

Winehouse truly had nothing to hide and she was ready to expose her talent and her scars to the world unapologetically. This is the story of Rehab, with newly unearthed audio from Amy Winehouse herself.

Also contains audio from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SBezSiJGfM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0q3Re5ksVg

Content Warning: This episode discusses themes that may be difficult for some listeners, including substance abuse, disordered eating, and interpersonal violence. Please take care while listening.

Did you hear the one about the three sons of a preacher who one day decided to start a rock band with their cousin and somehow sell millions of albums, win some Grammys and have one of the biggest crossover rock songs in recent memory?

No? Well, great! Because I’m here to tell you all about how Kings Of Leon did just that.

Nathan, Caleb and Jared Followill were three good old southern boys from a small suburb about 17 miles east of Nashville, Tennessee. Their parents were Ivan, a Pentecostal church preacher and traveling evangelist, and Betty-Ann, who ran the church worship. At first the Followills traveled across the rural South in a purple Oldsmobile, attending all-night church meetings, tent revivals and healings. The family would be on the road for the better part of the year, making it hard for them to call any place home. But when Jared was born in 1986 they settled down just outside of Memphis until he was about six, and then went back on the road after Ivan began drinking and got into some trouble. 

The boys were home-schooled by their mom and given strict rules that prevented them from swimming with girls, playing competitive sports and even wearing shorts, which made water activities pretty awkward. Movies were also prohibited, the same with music other than what they heard in church. But church music was becoming a bigger part of their lives. Nathan would begin drumming on stage with a band during his father’s sermons, and Caleb followed as a singer, with hopes of becoming a pastor like his father.

The relationship between their parents, however, was heavily strained due to Ivan’s heavy drinking, and in 1997 they split up, following his departure from the church. That seemed to change everything for their three sons.

With their parents apart, the Followill brothers began to stray from their religious upbringing. Nathan and Caleb got into rock’n’roll, alcohol and weed, while Jared became a “little sh*t” with a BB gun, his brothers would tell Rolling Stone. Their cousin Matthew Followill, who lived in nearby Mississippi, was basically welcomed into the fold as an unofficial fourth brother.

Believe it or not, but Nathan and Caleb Followill were originally a country-singing duo called the Followill Brothers. They performed at open-mic nights and signed a publishing deal that helped support their weed-smoking habit. The guy that signed them, Ken Levitan, introduced the brothers to a  songwriter named Angelo Petraglia, and almost immediately he became an intrinsic part of their world, tutoring them on how to write a song.

With some guidance from the younger ears of Jared and Matthew, Nathan and Caleb pivoted to rock’n’roll, writing a song called “California Waiting,” which secured them a record deal with RCA, the same label as the Strokes. There was one catch: the label wanted to put a band together for them. In a risky act of defiance, the Followills rejected the offer and instead they told the execs they would bring in their young brother and cousin and put together their own band. They told RCA to give them six weeks to put something together.

And so in 1999 the two brothers recruited their younger sibling Jared, who was only 14 at the time, to play bass, an instrument he had never ever touched. At first he wasn’t happy with the instrument assignment, thinking bass was too uncool, but he decided to give it a shot.

They also kidnapped their cousin Matthew from Mississippi, telling his mom that they’d bring him back after a week. Matthew had only taken two guitar lessons, and they had to buy him a guitar but just like they became a proper rock band. And for the next month, the Followills locked themselves in a basement, smoked a lot of weed and came up with some songs.

Of course, they still needed a name. Petraglia suggested going with one that leaned into their religious connections, like Kings Of Zion. While they turned that idea down they did come up with something close: Kings

There’s quite simply nothing more fascinating in pop music than the ‘sleeper hit’. I can only imagine how a band or artist feels when they introduce themselves to the world to little to no fanfare… then have to swallow their pride, keep on plugging away - and then suddenly blow up almost retroactively. 

The rollercoaster ride of ups and downs that surrounded the release of their breakthrough hit 'Mr Brightside' is an example of Rock Music's greatest sleeper hits in 2003… or is it 2004? 2005? It's not that simple.

This is the true story of The Killers' Mr. Brightside, with newly unearthed audio from the band themselves, and Rob Stevenson - the man who 'discovered' the band.

Also contains references to this great oral history of the band

 

Amy Lee and LZZY Hale sit down with our team for Encore to discuss the impact of Evanescence's 'Bring Me To Life' 20+ Years later, what it did for Rock Music, and why the 'rap' part of the song has become a blessing in disguise!

Listen to the Season 1 Episode of Encore - 'Wake Me Up Inside'

When Maroon 5 came up with their smash hit “Moves Like Jagger,” they knew Jagger was a name that would resonate with listeners. And in 2011, Maroon 5 definitely knew what their fans wanted to hear.

But it wasn’t always that way.

Have you ever heard of the ‘90s alt-rock band Kara’s Flowers? If you haven’t you’re not alone. They were one of the more forgettable bands of their time. Kara’s Flowers did catch the attention of Rob Cavallo, who you may remember as the guy who produced Green Day’s American Idiot. He saw a lot of potential in Kara’s Flowers and produced their second album, the power-pop-tinged The Fourth World. Upon its release in August 1997, the album only sold 5,000 copies.

In 2001 Kara’s Flowers resumed band activity, changing up their sound by trying a number of different styles, including country and folk, before settling on becoming what they deemed "a soul band, but with five white dudes.” They cut a demo for MCA Records, but the label rejected it. However, they did find an interested label in Octone Records, whose co-founder Ben Berkman had worked at Warner Music and knew of the band from their time with Reprise. 

In a 2004 interview with Hit Quarters, Berkman said he loved what he heard in a song called “Sunday Morning” but couldn’t believe it was the same band because they had such a completely different sound. It was clear to Berkman that the band was ready to take off. All they needed now was another guitarist and a brand new name.

Eventually the band decided on the name Maroon 5. Why “5” and not, say, Maroon Moon? Well, the answer remains to be a secret between band members… and Billy Joel. Wait, Billy Joel?

Now with a record deal and a brand new name, Maroon 5 were a whole new band. Their first single, “Harder To Breathe” was a slow-mover on the charts, but eventually earned the band some airplay. Once it caught on the band decided to re-release the album one year later, and at the beginning of 2004 they issued a second single, “This Love,” a song influenced by Stevie Wonder and written about Jane moving out after the breakup. As you may already know, “This Love” became a smash hit, followed by “She Will Be Loved” and “Sunday Morning.” You know them all. And just like that Maroon 5 were now a household name.

Their second album "It Won't Be Soon Before Long" was an instant hit - thanks to lead single “Makes Me Wonder,” which became the band’s first song to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It actually broke a record by jumping from #64 to #1 based purely on its first week of iTunes sales. 

Maroon 5 wanted a different experience when it came to making album number three. Luckily they received a phone call from Mutt Lange, the famous South African producer, who asked if he could make their next record with them. 

Mutt has quite the résumé. He got his start in the late ‘70s, by producing both AC/DC’s Highway To Hell and Back In Black. From there he would produce classic records by Def Leppard, The Cars, Michael Bolton, and Canada’s own Bryan Adams.

Maroon 5 released their third album, Hands All Over, on September 2010. It would debut at #2 on Billboard’s album chart and receive mixed reviews, but got some love from Rolling Stone, which called it “the band's brightest-sounding and poppiest yet.” 

The upbeat, funky pop on singles like “Misery” and “Give A Little More” demonstrated a punchier sound. Although the album sold well enough and kept them on the road, something was missing.Up until this point, Maroon 5 had only ever written songs themselves. They had never worked with anyone outside of their circle. But they felt it was time to open the door to other songwriters and see what could happen.Luckily for Maroon 5, two up-and-coming producers were working on a song that would become not just the year’s biggest hit, but the band’s biggest hit ever. 

This is the true story of Maroon 5's 'Moves' Like Jagg

It isn’t easy to shed a boyband or girl group image. 

Over the years, plenty of artists have tried and failed to hit the heights of superstardom that they have seen in a group setting. In many ways; the bigger the group, the more of an uphill battle it is to prove to fans that a solo career is a serious, worthwhile endeavor.  

Without re-litigating the entire NSYNC-to-solo-star trajectory of Justin Timberlake, it is important to look back at what was one of the more seamless breakout transitions to solo stardom in pop history, and where Justin Timberlake stood in the pop world in the years leading to SexyBack.

In 2002, NSYNC finished up their heralded Celebrity Tour that was praised by critics as a more ‘accessible and down-to-earth’ show. 

As if specifically crafted to give all of the boys in the group a glow-up, the tour included medleys of the Beatles and the Temptations, and focused on downtempo songs with more musicality to them. The pop hits were still there of course, but the message was certainly that NSYNC had grown up.

The tour was short; just under two months long - and they even canceled BOTH Canadian dates in Toronto and Montreal in the run-up, (thanks for that boys) and by April 28th - just in time for fans to say “It’s gonna be MAY” - it was all over. 

Justin was just getting started though, and began working on his debut album Justified almost immediately. Working with 2000s hitmakers like The Neptunes, Scott Storch, and Timbaland, JT was ready to embrace the R&B sound that NSYNC had been toying with near the end of their run, but never fully committed to.

Although Jackson-Inspired Singles “Like I Love You”, “Senorita” and “Rock Your Body” didn’t have as much success as the album’s most iconic song “Cry Me A River” they certainly were not flops - and Justified went triple platinum in America, double platinum in Canada, and SIX times platinum in the UK.

By 2004, Justified was nominated for multiple GRAMMY awards, and beat out Christina Aguilera, George Harrison, Annie Lennonx and Michael McDonald for best pop vocal album. 

All of this is to say what is blatantly obvious - Yes, Justin Timberlake was a star, all by himself.

Moving on from music as a whole in the years that followed, Justin Timberlake spent the majority of 2004-2006 getting his feet wet in Hollywood, with roles in such films as Edison, Alpha Dog, Black Snake Moan, and Southland Tales.

While not exactly undeniable successes, the films did help Justin continue to shed any last remnants of boyband smell on him, and allowed him to reinvent himself as a true polymath - Justin wasn’t just a run of the mill every day *singer* - he was a full-fledged *artist*, a tastemaker, and he was ready to bring us into the future - and with him; he was bringing Sexy… back.

This is the true story of Justin Timberlake's 2006 return hit 'Sexyback'

Also Contains audio from: Pharrell On How Prince & Michael Jackson Both Turned Down His Music. Peep What Songs!

Johnny Harris dissects 'Nipplegate'