Song Meaning: Back in the Saddle Again by Aerosmith

ARTIST: Aerosmith | ALBUM: Rocks | RELEASED: 1977

"Back in the Saddle Again" is highpoint of Rocks

Along with "Walk This Way" and "Dream On," this is one of my favorite Aerosmith songs. In fact, this is a must-have-listened-to type of a song  for rock n' roll fans. "Back in the Saddle" is the first track of the bands fourth album, Rocks, which showcases some of Aerosmith's best hard rock music. 

Explore Albums: Metallica's Black Album Walkthrough

I recently wrote an article about the foundation of Metallica's 5th studio album, Metallica aka The Black Album, released in 1991. I discussed Lars Ulrich's and James Hetfield's desire to write songs 'different' from the ones on the previous two albums, and also how the producer Bob Rock put to the final touches on the tracks.

Song Meaning: Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd

ARTIST: Lynyrd Skynyrd | ALBUM: Pronounced 'lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd | RELEASED: 1973

"Simple Man" is a track on Lynyrd Skynrd's debut album

"Simple Man" is a heartfelt song about the mother-son relationship. This song proves that the Southern boys of Lynyrd Skynyrd were capable of stepping outside of their redneck-zone, and write meaningful lyrics.

Rock N' Roll Thoughts on Federer's Swiss Open Exit

In case any of you didn't know this already, I also love watching tennis besides doing my rock n' roll thing. It's a free world, and you can enjoy what you like except for... Bieber s&%t!

Motown City Declares Bankruptcy

Detroit has become the largest city in the United States to declare bankruptcy. This happened two days ago - I think the same day the Royal baby was born :-). You might be asking why am I so interested in a non-rock-n-roll story. Well, fact of the matter is, you could argue that Detroit is rock n' roll in someway. It was the home of Motown that produced legends like Micheal Jackson, Lionel Richie and Steve Wonder. Most recently Metallica held their annual Orion Musical + More festival, and the band was hoping the city would become a permanent place to host it annually. Well, looks like that's just not going to be the case.

Explore Albums: Making of The Black Album Aka Metallica by Metallica

Metallica's fifth and best selling studio album: Metallica

The two albums prior to the release of Metallica's Black Album featured a set of lengthy songs. Consider Master of Puppets, for instance: the shortest song, "Battery", is five minutes and twelve seconds long. Furthermore, the album contains three eight minute songs, and two six minute ones. The band continued to produce similar songs in their fourth studio album, ...Justice For All. The album contained nine songs, averaging over seven minutes a song.

Prominent Images of 1980s Glam Metal Scene

As a rock n' roll fan, I have no problem with glam metal music. Let me be clear and say this is not, and has not relation to, heavy metal though "metal" is a part of the title. Glam metal is an alternative to hard rock, except with less distorted guitar and voice. So you won't hear Brian Johnson or Axl Rose screaming bloody murder in a Bon Jovi song. But both of these genres have overlapping aspects, in that of subject matter that deals with stuff like free time, no school, ladies, feeling good being high on drugs, fast cars, and music itself.

Song Meaning: Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd

ARTIST: Lynyrd Skynyrd | ALBUM: Pronounced 'lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd | RELEASED: 1973

With "Free Bird", Lynyrd Skynyrd proved, for once, they were capable of letting go of their redneck, backward thinking mentality demonstrated in "Sweet Home Alabama."

Song Meaning & Analysis: Don't Stop Believin' by Journey

ARTIST: journey | ALBUM: escape | RELEASED: 1981

"Don't Stop Believin'" is the second single from Escape

The American rock band Journey, formed in 1973, decided to embark on a different musical style towards the end of the decade - one in which they put more emphasis on commercial, radio friendly rock songs. Now, as a rock n' roll fan, I don't mind this approach, and definitely wouldn't label them as "sellouts." In fact, exploring different musical paths is, in fact, beneficial to both fans and music, in my humble opinion.

Song Meaning: Mindfreak by Criss Angel

ARTIST: CRISS ANGEL | ALBUM: Mindfreak | RELEASED: 2002

Mindfreak is the soundtrack used in Criss Angel's Mindfreak TV show, at least in the first few seasons when I used to watch it. I stopped watching it later on but I don't know why; I guess I got bored. Nonetheless, for those who don't know what I'm talking about, Midfreak was/is a TV show where Criss performs street magic, illusions and tricks.

Explore Albums: American Idiot by Green Day

Is American Idiot punk ? Yes.
Is Green Day punk? Maybe
Has Green Day sold out? I don't know and I don't care.

Song Meaning: Thunderstruck by AC/DC

ARTIST: AC/DC | ALBUM: THE razor's edge | RELEASED: 1990

"Thunderstruck" is typical AC/DC hard rock material, but that doesn't mean it's bad by any stretch of the imagination. The song is about a celebration and having a good time, as it's often the case with most hard rock songs. Thunderstruck, however, specifically refers to the act of frightening a person out of the blue... in a good way. In other words, it's more of a pleasant surprise.

Song Meaning: Nothing Else Matters by Metallica

ARTIST: Metallica | ALBUM: Metallica aka black album | RELEASED: 1991

Arguably Metallica's only "love" song, "Nothing Else Matters" breaks away from the rest of songs on Black Album in terms of lyrics and melody. The distortion is, of course, tuned down to match well with the romantic feelings of the lyrics. This isn't the first time Metallica had experimented with new styles of music. They plugged the acoustic guitar for "Fade to Black," which was quite unusual for a heavy metal band.

Songs That Need YOUR Help

I just finished doing analysis on "Smells Like Teen Spirit." As I was doing it, I realized how much I don't know about some aspects of the song. So I'm opening up my blog you guys - rock n' roll fans - to add further improvements to any part of a song, or other kind of writings I on this blog, that you might find missing some important pieces of information.

It doesn't matter how small your addition is, because they all add up, and eventually improve the overall quality and depth of the article.

I'll soon compile a list of articles that need some serious editing - meaning I was kindda on the dark side of the moon when I wrote those :-). But, in general, you can suggest improvements to pretty much any post on the blog by simply making a comment below each.

UPDATE: 25/072013 --

Hello boys and girls, I'm back as promised. As for compiling a list of song that need editing and improving... that's still in the works. But I did do one important thing: I added two types of icon at the top-right corner of some articles. You'll only see one the two at a time.

Articles with this icon lacks depth and there's a lot more room for improve. So it's your chance to showcase your knowledge and improve the quality of the article. All you have do is simply make a comment in the comments section below the post.

Articles with this icon are generally considered to be good and informative. But you can still suggest any improvements if you know more about the stuff discussed in it.

Now some articles are missing either of these two. That probably means I still have to through them first and make a decision as to which one to add. I'm quite sure all necessary posts will have an icon in the foreseeable future.

Song Meaning: Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana

ARTIST: Nirvana | ALBUM: Nevermind | RELEASED: 1991

Smells Like Teen Spirit is the debut single of Nevermind

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is the definite rock anthem of the Generation X - my generation, and I'm pound to be represented by Nirvana.

Song Meaning & Analysis: Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd

ARTIST: Lynyrd Skynyrd | ALBUM: Second Helping | RELEASED: 1974

Lynyrd Skynyrd is known for popularizing southern rock. What is southern rock music, you might ask? Well, it's just a sub-genre of rock music with a little more emphasis on the southern culture of the United States. Themes of a typical southern rock song include condoning slavery and segregation, use of the confederate flag, condescending upon Black people, and the general backward-thinking mentality. These themes may not be explicitly stated in new songs, but they were very apparent when the genre was at its peak in the 1970s. Lynyrd Skynyrd, too, rose to fame in the mid 1970s with their debut album, Pronounced 'lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd.

Marty Schwartz - Best Online Guitar Teacher

I've been really busy over the last couple of weeks with my stuff, you know school, and never really had much time to do any blogging, Youtubing or to watch the Daily Show. - yes I watch Daily Show and occasionally the following act, Colbert's Report.

Song Meaning, Facts & Analysis: Yesterday by The Beatles

ARTIST: THE BEATLES | ALBUM: HELP | RELEASED: 1965

"Yesterday" is like no other Beatles' song. Unlike most of their songs that are credited to Lennon/McCartney, this marked the first time where there was no extensive collaboration between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. "Yesterday" was written only by Paul when he was playing around on the piano; he was also the only Beatle present on stage when the song was played live. John Lennon, however, initially didn't like the song. In fact, he and other band members made fun of the song. This almost broke The Beatles into two bands: John's band and Paul's band.

Song Meaning: Wherever I May Roam by Metallica

ARTIST: Metallica | ALBUM: Metallica aka black album | RELEASED: 1991

Another Metallica song that comes from their heart, "Wherever I May Roam" explores the band's longevity. At the time of the release of the album, Metallica had been on the road for nearly a decade. Playing live was their only way to build a fan base, because radio stations and MTV never really played their material. In fact, I believe only dozen radio stations played Metallica songs in 1980s. That's just ridiculous given that there are well over dozen large cities in the Lower 48.

Song Meaning: Cult of Personality by Living Color

ARTIST: living color | ALBUM: VIVID | RELEASED: 1988

Living Color, as the name of the band suggests, has shown extensive interest in punk rock upon their inception in 1984 in New York City. "Cult of Personality" is one the most recognizable punk rock songs in the history of, not just rock music, but of all music.

Novak Djokovic on His Wimbledon Defeat: 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger'

As much I love rock n' roll, I'm also a dedicated tennis fan. My favorite player right now is Djokovic, so I was disappointed so seem his lose in the finals of Wimbledon. Having said that, I have to admit Andy played a remarkable game under a lot of pressure and expectations put on by the British media, crowd and himself.

At the press conference following his defeat, Djokovic said something interesting that jumped out: “What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, I guess. I need to have that kind of mentality and move on. I'm still young, and hopefully I have more opportunities to win this title.”

This quote straightaway reminded me of Metallica's "Broken, Beat & Scarred." In fact, this song perfectly sums up Djokovic as a tennis player. He is the most relentless tennis player I've ever seen on the court. He never gives up, and never gives in, and fight to the final breath.

Forrest Gump and Elvis Presley

I watched Forrest Gump for the first time yesterday, and it was a really good. The movie depicts the life of Forrest, a boy trapped in a man's body as he struggles to find his only true love of life, Jenny. Right off the bat, let me say that I'm not a big movie guy. I watch whatever I can get my hands on, and unlike music, I don't have any preferences one way or the other. But I have to confess I really like Al Pacino and Robert De Niro as actors. I like their action and adventure movies like Scareface, Goodfells and the best, Godfather Part II.

Song Meaning: Jesus of Suburbia by Green Day

ARTIST: GREEN DAY | ALBUM: American idiot | RELEASED: 2004

"Who/what is Jesus of Suburbia?" This was what I wondered when I was listening to the song. After some Googling, I determined it was a character that front-man Billy Joe Armstrong created. So what does "Jesus of Suburbia" mean?

Song Meaning & Analysis: Boulevard Of Broken Dreams by Green Day

ARTIST: GREEN DAY | ALBUM: American idiot | RELEASED: 2004

Heartfelt song from heavy-hitting American Idiot album showcases some of Billy Joe Armstrong's best writings. Coinciding with recurring themes of the album, such as anti-establishment, anti-war, and exposure of biased media of the US, "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" sings about a person's adversity as a consequence of thereof.

Guns N Roses Coming to Toronto

Toronto Star has an article up announcing GNR's new tour dates that includes a couple of shows in Toronto.

Tickets go on sale for the Toronto show on Friday at 10 a.m. They range in price from $125 to $350.

Fans in Toronto will only get to see one original Guns N’ Roses band member. Eccentric frontman Axl Rose is the only original member left. He quashed any hope of a reunion in the near future by boycotting the band’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year.

Read more: http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2013/07/02/guns_n_roses_announce_toronto_show.html

Explore Albums

Appetite for Destruction	Ride the Lightning
Guns N' Roses' debut album	One of Metallica's best albums

American Idiot
Green Day returns to punk rock scene with vengeance

Song Meaning: Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne

ARTIST: +OZZY OSBOURNE  | ALBUM: BLIZZARD OF ozz | RELEASED: 1980

Crazy Train was the debut single of Ozzy's first solo album

Following his brilliant career in Black Sabbath, frontman Ozzy Osbourne decided to peruse a solo career in 1980s. His debut solo album, entitled Blizzard of Oz, was both a nod to his previous act and also a reviving of his future heavy metal career - which would go on to become one of the most successful solo careers at the time ( may be of all time as well ).

Song Facts & Meaning: Back In Black by AC/DC

ARTIST: AC/DC | ALBUM: BACK IN BLACK | RELEASED: 1980

Title track of AC/DC 8th studio album,

Title track of AC/DC's best selling album is a tribute to late Bon Scott. Brian Johnson was brought into the band as the new front-man following Scott's tragedy. Although there were thoughts of abandoning the band as a result of their former front-man's death, Angus and Malcolm Young were determined to come back stronger than ever. "Back in Black", and the Album as well, is very indicative their come back journey.

Song Meaning: Hells Bells by AC/DC

ARTIST: AC/DC | ALBUM: BACK IN BLACK | RELEASED: 1980

"Hells Bells" is the first track of AC/DC's best settling album, Back in Black. I don't know if the song is a reference to band's previous album, Highway to Hell. Nevertheless, the song conforms to most of the material on their previous albums, emphasize by the fact that Angus was still struggling to learn new chords! It's a low-blow, I'll admit :-).

Song Meaning: That Was Just Your Life by Metallica

ARTIST: #METALLICA | ALBUM: DEATH MAGNETIC | RELEASED: 2008

"That Was Just Your Life" from Metallica's 8th studio album, Death Magnetic, outlines James Hetfield's rebellious past. James was known for his anger management issues and alcohol addiction, among many other things, of course. He's also known for collecting vintage cars - if you're into that kind of stuff.  Hetfield was forced to enter rehab in early 2000s to address his alcoholism, and came out clean, and in fact has been sober for the most of his life since. Nevertheless, for this song, James lays out his dark side of himself, in making a reference to everybody else dark side as well.

Song Meaning: You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC

ARTIST: AC/DC | ALBUM: BACK IN BLACK | RELEASED: 1980

Feel-good song of the 1980s, as I'd like to describe this :-), "You Shock Me All Night Long" perfectly sums up the essence of rock n' roll. It all about having a good time with your favorite lady.

Explore Albums: Ride the Lightning by Metallica

Ride the Lightning showcases Metallica at its best

Following their debut album, Kill 'Em All, Metallica went into to, say alcoholic mode, to explore themes related to death. What's quite unknown to Metallica fans is that, it was during this time that Lars and James learned about theory on music - stuff like melody and whatnot. Lars admitted this in an interview with Howard Stern.

Explore Albums: Appetite for Destruction by Guns N' Roses

Appetite for Destruction is GNR's first album, and it was quite a feat for a debut album by a little known rock n' roll band from California. There was absolutely nothing wrong the hard rock sound of the singles/songs; it was, if fact, a perfect record.The singles form the album sounded as if they were recorded by Led Zeppelin -- that's how insanely good this album is! In fact, I'd go as far as saying this is the record of the 1980s, better than Micheal Jackson's Thriller or Bruce Springsteen's Born In the U.S.A