A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs

Song 182: “Many Rivers to Cross” by Jimmy Cliff

18 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode, we look at the song “Many Rivers to Cross”, the birth of reggae, and the career of the late Jimmy Cliff. Click the full post to read...

Song 181: “Proud Mary” by Creedence Clearwater Revival

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode, we look at the song “Proud Mary” and the brief but productive career of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Click the full post to...

Song 180: “Dazed and Confused” by Led Zeppelin, Part Two — “Inspiration is What You Are to Me”

30 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 fir...

Song 180: “Dazed and Confused” by Led Zeppelin, Part One, The Song Remains the Same

24 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 fir...

PLEDGE WEEK: “Light Flight” by Pentangle

26 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Erratum: At one point here I say “Cannonball Adderley” when I mean “Nat Adderley”. This episode is part of Pledge Week 2025....

PLEDGE WEEK: “Fruit Tree” by Nick Drake

25 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part of Pledge Week 2025. For five days this week, I will be posting old Patreon bonus episodes to the main feed to encourage people t...

PLEDGE WEEK: “Living in the Past” by Jethro Tull

24 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part of Pledge Week 2025. For five days this week, I will be posting old Patreon bonus episodes to the main feed to encourage people t...

PLEDGE WEEK: “Pictures of Matchstick Men” by The Status Quo

23 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part of Pledge Week 2025. For five days this week, I will be posting old Patreon bonus episodes to the main feed to encourage people t...

PLEDGE WEEK: “La conferencia secreta del Toto’s Bar” by Los Shakers

22 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part of Pledge Week 2025. For five days this week, I will be posting old Patreon bonus episodes to the main feed to encourage people t...

Announcing Pledge Week 2025

22 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Transcript It’s that time of year again, the time that regular listeners have come to know as Pledge Week, where for five days (this time from Tuesd...

Song 179: “Kick Out the Jams” by the MC5 (Public Clean Version)

18 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode, we look at the song “Kick Out the Jams” by the MC5, and the brief career of the most revolutionary guitar band of the sixties. C...

Song 178: “Who Knows Where the Time Goes?” by Fairport Convention, Part Two: “I Have no Thought of Time”

23 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 sec...

Song 178: “Who Knows Where The Time Goes?” by Fairport Convention, Part One, Going Electric

16 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 firs...

Song 177: “Never Learn Not to Love” by the Beach Boys, Part 4: “Sometimes I Have A Great Notion”

22 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 thi...

Song 177: “Never Learn Not to Love” by the Beach Boys, Part 3: “Mister, Can You Give Me Some Direction?”

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 thi...

Song 177: “Never Learn Not to Love” by the Beach Boys, Part Two — “Is it True What They Say About Dixie?”

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 sec...

Next Episode Coming Soon

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 i...

Song 177: “Never Learn Not to Love” by the Beach Boys, Part One, Old Folks at Home

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 fi...

Song 176, “Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones, part 4: “Who Breaks a Butterfly?””

17 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 fo...

Song 176, “Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones, part 3: “Every Cop is a Criminal and All the Sinners Saints”

22 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 th...

Song 176: “Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones, part 2: Traps for Troubadours

19 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 se...

Song 176: “Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones, Part One: A Man of Wealth and Taste

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 fi...

PLEDGE WEEK: “Dark End of the Street” by James Carr

13 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part of Pledge Week 2024. From Tuesday through Saturday this week I’m posting some of my old Patreon bonuses to the main feed, as a ...

PLEDGE WEEK: “I Love You” by People

12 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part of Pledge Week 2024. From Tuesday through Saturday this week I’m posting some of my old Patreon bonuses to the main feed, as a ...

PLEDGE WEEK: “Son of a Preacher Man” by Dusty Springfield

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part of Pledge Week 2024. From Tuesday through Saturday this week I’m posting some of my old Patreon bonuses to the main feed, as a ...

PLEDGE WEEK: “My World Fell Down” by Sagittarius

10 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part of Pledge Week 2024. From Tuesday through Saturday this week I’m posting some of my old Patreon bonuses to the main feed, as a ...

PLEDGE WEEK: “A Whiter Shade of Pale” by Procol Harum

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part of Pledge Week 2024. From Tuesday through Saturday this week I’m posting some of my old Patreon bonuses to the main feed, a...

ANNOUNCEMENT: Pledge Week 2024

08 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An announcement of this year’s pledge week. To sign up to the Patreon, visit http://patreon.com/andrewhickey Transcript Welcome to Pledge Week 2...

Song 175: “Everyday People” by Sly and the Family Stone Part 2, “My Own Beliefs Are In My Song”

02 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 fi...

Song 175: “Everyday People” by Sly and the Family Stone Part 1 Different Strokes For Different Folks

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 fi...

Song 174B: “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” Part Two, “It Takes Two”

24 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 se...

Song 174A: “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” Part One, “If At First You Don’t Succeed…”

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 fi...

An Alert: Someone Plagiarising Me

03 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Transcript The next proper episode will be up in a couple of days – I’m recording it tonight – but I just wanted to make a brief announcemen...

Song 173: “All Along the Watchtower” Part Two, The Hour is Getting Late

14 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 se...

Song 173: “All Along the Watchtower”, Part One: “He’s Not the Messiah”

25 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 fi...

Song 172, Hickory Wind by the Byrds: Part 4, Hour of Darkness

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For those who haven’t heard the announcement I just posted , songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is t...

Song 172, Hickory Wind by the Byrds: Part 3, The Parsons Tale

16 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For those who haven’t heard the announcement I just posted , songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is th...

Song 172, “Hickory Wind” by the Byrds: Part Two, Of Submarines and Second Generations

01 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For those who haven’t heard the announcement I just posted , songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is t...

Song 172, “Hickory Wind” by the Byrds: Part One, Ushering in a New Dimension

17 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For those who haven’t heard the announcement I just posted , songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this i...

Announcement Regarding Schedule

17 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is just a brief announcement. The fact that I’ve released stuff so inconsistently over the last year, along with the last episode being so ...

Episode 171: “Hey Jude” by the Beatles

17 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 171 looks at “Hey Jude”, the White Album, and the career of the Beatles from August 1967 through November 1968. Click the full po...

Episode 170: “Astral Weeks” by Van Morrison

21 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 170 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Astral Weeks”, the early solo career of Van Morrison, and the death...

Episode 169: “Piece of My Heart” by Big Brother and the Holding Company

30 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 169 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Piece of My Heart” and the short, tragic life of Janis Joplin. Click th...

Episode 168: “I Say a Little Prayer” by Aretha Franklin

28 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 168 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “I Say a Little Prayer”, and the interaction of the sacred, political, and s...

Episode 167: “The Weight” by The Band

14 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Episode one hundred and sixty-seven of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “The Weight” by the Band, the Basement Tapes, an...

Episode 166: “Crossroads” by Cream

02 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 166 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Crossroads”, Cream, the myth of Robert Johnson, and whether white men c...

Episode 165: “Dark Star” by the Grateful Dead

20 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 165 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Dark Star” and the career of the Grateful Dead. This is a long one, even lo...

Episode 164: “White Light/White Heat” by the Velvet Underground

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 164 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “White Light/White Heat” and the career of the Velvet Underground. T...

Episode 163: “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding

27 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 163 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay”, Stax Records, and the short, t...

Episode 162: “Daydream Believer” by the Monkees

31 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 162 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Daydream Believer”, and the later career of the Monkees, and how fo...

Episode 161: “Alone Again Or” by Love

13 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Episode one hundred and sixty-one of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Alone Again Or”, the career of Love, and the maki...

XMAS BONUS: “Christmas Time is Here Again” by the Beatles

29 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As we’re in the period between Christmas and New Year, the gap between episodes is going to be longer than normal, and the podcast proper is goi...

XMAS BONUS: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

28 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As we’re in the period between Christmas and New Year, the gap between episodes is going to be longer than normal, and the podcast proper is going t...

XMAS BONUS: Little St. Nick

27 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As we’re in the period between Christmas and New Year, the gap between episodes is going to be longer than normal, and the podcast proper is goi...

Episode 160: “Flowers in the Rain” by the Move

22 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 160 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Flowers in the Rain" by the Move, their transition into ELO, and the career o...

ADMIN: Holiday Schedule 2022

18 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Transcript This is just to let people know what's happening with the podcast over the next few weeks, as we head into a season which has holiday celeb...

Episode 159: “Itchycoo Park”, by the Small Faces

07 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 159 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Itchycoo Park” by the Small Faces, and their transition from Mod to psyched...

Episode 158: “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane

23 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Episode one hundred and fifty-eight of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “White Rabbit”, Jefferson Airplane, and the rise of ...

Episode 157: “See Emily Play” by The Pink Floyd

08 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Episode one hundred and fifty-seven of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “See Emily Play”, the birth of the UK undergroun...

Episode 156: “I Was Made to Love Her” by Stevie Wonder

25 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Episode one hundred and fifty-six of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “I Was Made to Love Her”, the early career of Stev...

Admin: Podcast Now Fortnightly

21 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Transcript You'll have noticed that my experiment with timings has been only a qualified success. While my buffer did allow me to get episodes goin...

Episode 155: “Waterloo Sunset” by the Kinks

11 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Episode one hundred and fifty-five of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Waterloo Sunset” by the Kinks, and the sel...

A Request

29 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Transcript Hi. We're still on a skip week, the main podcast will be back next week, but as we've now reached a point in the podcast where more of t...

Episode 154: “Happy Together” by the Turtles

21 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Episode one hundred and fifty-four of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs is the last of our four-part mini-series on LA sunshine pop and fo...

Episode 153: “Heroes and Villains” by the Beach Boys

13 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Episode one hundred and fifty-three of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Heroes and Villains” by the Beach Boys, and the col...

Episode 152: “For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield

30 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 152 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “For What It’s Worth”, and the short but eventful career of Buffalo Sp...

Episode 151: “San Francisco” by Scott McKenzie

22 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We start season four of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs with an extra-long look at “San Francisco” by Scott McKenzie, and at...

Season Four Announcement

14 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Transcript This is the official announcement that episode one hundred and fifty-one will be up in precisely one week. I’ve just finished record...

July 2022 Q&A

30 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

While I’m still on hiatus, I invited questions from listeners. This is an hour-long podcast answering some of them. (Another hour-long Q&A f...

PLEDGE WEEK: “You’re Gonna Miss Me” by The Thirteenth Floor Elevators

16 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part of Pledge Week 2022. Every day this week, I’ll be posting old Patreon bonus episodes of the podcast which will have this sh...

Pledge Week: “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass

15 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part of Pledge Week 2022. Every day this week, I'll be posting old Patreon bonus episodes of the podcast which will have this short in...

PLEDGE WEEK: “I’m Henry VIII I Am” by Herman’s Hermits

14 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part of Pledge Week 2022. Every day this week, I’ll be posting old Patreon bonus episodes of the podcast which will have this sh...

PLEDGE WEEK: “Hanky Panky” by Tommy James and the Shondells

13 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part of Pledge Week 2022. Every day this week, I’ll be posting old Patreon bonus episodes of the podcast which will have this sh...

PLEDGE WEEK: “The Name Game” by Shirley Ellis

12 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part of Pledge Week 2022. Every day this week, I’ll be posting old Patreon bonus episodes of the podcast which will have this sh...

PLEDGE WEEK: “Blues Run the Game” by Jackson C Frank

11 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part of Pledge Week 2022. Every day this week, I’ll be posting old Patreon bonus episodes of the podcast which will have this sh...

PLEDGE WEEK: “Winchester Cathedral” by the New Vaudeville Band

10 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part of Pledge Week 2022. Every day this week, I’ll be posting old Patreon bonus episodes of the podcast which will have this sh...

ADMIN: Pledge Week 2022

10 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Facebook community I talk about is at https://www.facebook.com/groups/293630102611672/ The post for asking Q&A questions is here The Patreon p...

Episode 150: “All You Need is Love” by the Beatles

26 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week’s episode looks at “All You Need is Love”, the Our World TV special, and the career of the Beatles from April 1966 through August 1967...

Episode 149: “Respect” by Aretha Franklin

22 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 149 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Respect”, and the journey of Aretha Franklin from teenage gospel singer...

Episode 148: “Light My Fire” by the Doors

30 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Episode one hundred and forty-eight of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Light My Fire” by the Doors, the history of coo...

Episode 147: “Hey Joe” by The Jimi Hendrix Experience

16 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Episode one hundred and forty-seven of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Hey Joe” by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and is...

Episode 146: “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys

25 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Episode one hundred and forty-six of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys, and the history o...

Episode 145: “Tomorrow Never Knows” by the Beatles

05 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week’s episode looks at “Tomorrow Never Knows”, the making of Revolver by the Beatles, and the influence of Timothy Leary on the burgeoning...

Episode 144: “Last Train to Clarksville” by the Monkees

15 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 144 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Last Train to Clarksville” and the beginnings of the career of the Monk...

Episode 143: “Summer in the City” by the Lovin’ Spoonful

07 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 143 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Summer in the City’”, and at the short but productive career of the Lovin...

Episode 142: “God Only Knows” by the Beach Boys

31 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Episode one hundred and forty-two of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “God Only Knows” by the Beach Boys, and the creati...

Episode 141: “River Deep, Mountain High” by Ike and Tina Turner

16 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 141 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “River Deep Mountain High’”, and at the career of Ike and Tina Turner....

Episode 140: “Trouble Every Day” by the Mothers of Invention

25 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Episode one hundred and forty of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Trouble Every Day” by the Mothers of Invention, and t...

Episode 139: “Eight Miles High” by the Byrds

22 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Episode one hundred and thirty-nine of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Eight Miles High” by the Byrds, and the influence o...

[Admin] An Explanation for Delays… And What I’m Going to Do About It

12 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

 Hi, This is not a proper episode of the podcast. Rather, this is an explanation, at least in part, of why there have been fewer episodes than...

Second Book Announcement

07 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This is just to let everyone know that the second volume of the book based on the podcast should be available by the time you get this episode in your...

Episode 138: “I Fought the Law” by the Bobby Fuller Four

01 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Episode one hundred and thirty-eight of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “I Fought the Law”, and at the mysterious death...

Episode 137: “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” by James Brown

15 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Episode one hundred and thirty-seven of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” by James Brown, ...

Episode 136: “My Generation” by the Who

03 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Episode one hundred and thirty-six of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs is a special long episode, running almost ninety minutes, looking ...

Episode 135: “The Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel

21 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Episode one hundred and thirty-five of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “The Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel, a...

Episode 134: “In the Midnight Hour” by Wilson Pickett

13 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 134 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “In the Midnight Hour”, the links between Stax, Atlantic, and Detroit, a...

Episode 133: “My Girl” by the Temptations

24 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Episode one hundred and thirty-three of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “My Girl” by the Temptations, and is part t...

Episode 132: “I Can’t Help Myself” by the Four Tops

08 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Episode one hundred and thirty-two of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “I Can’t Help Myself” by the Four Tops, and is ...

Episode 131: “I Hear a Symphony” by the Supremes

25 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Episode one hundred and thirty-one of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “I Hear a Symphony” by the Supremes, and is the start...

Episode 130: “Like a Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan

14 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Episode one hundred and thirty of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan, and the controversy ov...