All filters
Topic in entertainment

Music

Music covers the people, performances and recordings that shape what we hear, from classic rock and pop to newer artists and regional industries. It also includes the stories behind songs, albums, tours and the creative choices that give them lasting appeal.

Music on Wikipedia
About this topic

For readers, music offers both discovery and connection: a chance to find new voices, revisit familiar favourites and understand how artists build their work and careers. Disputes over samples, reunions and the changing business of entertainment show how creativity, money and cultural influence intersect.

18,697 stories Follow All news
Last 7 days 1,297 stories
0

The 1973 masterpiece that Donald Sutherland called “a turning point in my life”

  • *Don’t Look Now* marked a turning point for Donald Sutherland.
  • Working with Nicolas Roeg changed his view of acting and directing.
  • The 1973 thriller stars Sutherland and Julie Christie in Venice.

Donald Sutherland said starring in Nicolas Roeg’s 1973 film *Don’t Look Now* was a turning point in his life and career. The experience changed how he understood an actor’s role in relation to a director, as he realised that performers could offer suggestions but the director decided whether…

Far Out0
EntertainmentNewsMusic
0

This James Brown Smash Hit From 1965 Essentially Invented a New Musical Genre

  • Brown’s 1965 hit helped lay the groundwork for funk.
  • Its punchy rhythm broke from smoother R&B trends.
  • The song became his first Top 10 pop hit.

James Brown’s 1965 single “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” helped establish the rhythmic style that would become funk. Its sharp, syncopated arrangement and emphasis on the first beat marked a departure from the smoother R&B hits of the period, and Brown’s success showed audiences were ready for…

American Songwriter0
EntertainmentNewsMusic
0

In 1964, Gloria Jones released a song that failed to chart. In 1981, a cover spent a record-breaking 43 weeks in the top 100

  • Gloria Jones’s original failed to chart.
  • Northern soul clubs revived the song.
  • Soft Cell’s cover spent 43 weeks on the US chart.

Gloria Jones recorded ‘Tainted Love’ in 1964, but it was released as the B-side to another single in 1965 and failed to chart in the UK or US. The song later found an audience through northern soul clubs, then became a major pop hit when Soft Cell covered…

Far Out0
CultureNewsMusicCulture
0

Happy 20th Birthday, ‘Debut’! A Revealing Look Back at Taylor Swift’s Self-Titled First Album, Via a Previously Unpublished Q&A

  • Taylor Swift’s debut album turns 20.
  • A 2008 interview is published in full for the first time.
  • The conversation captures her early move from country towards pop.

Taylor Swift’s self-titled debut album was released 20 years ago, on 24 October 2006. To mark the anniversary, a journalist has published a previously unpublished, largely unabridged interview from January 2008, offering a glimpse of Swift’s early career and her thoughts on the songs. At the time, Swift…

Variety0
EntertainmentNewsMusic
0

In 1962, Marlon Brando drove a director to the brink of quitting. “This guy is going to ruin you”

  • Brando’s conduct pushed director Lewis Milestone close to quitting.
  • *Mutiny on the Bounty* ran over budget.
  • Milestone stayed, and the film earned a Best Picture nomination.

In 1962, director Lewis Milestone nearly quit making *Mutiny on the Bounty* after clashing with its star, Marlon Brando. The production tested Milestone’s patience, as Brando sometimes refused to act and tried to influence decisions behind the scenes; the strain contributed to the film being Milestone’s last feature.…

Far Out0
EntertainmentNewsMusic
0

Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi was asked to write theme tune for new Shaun the Sheep film

  • Tony Iommi was asked to write a Shaun the Sheep film theme.
  • The request links the Black Sabbath guitarist with the animated series.
  • The article gives no details on his response or the music.

Tony Iommi was asked to write the theme tune for a new Shaun the Sheep film, an unexpected link between the Black Sabbath guitarist and the animated series. The request highlights the film’s appeal to musicians beyond its usual audience. The article provides no further details about the…

Louder0
EntertainmentNewsFilmMusic+1
0

Born 92 Years Ago Today in the Lone Star State, the Legendary Nashville Songwriter Behind Hits for George Strait, Lefty Frizzell, and Keith Whitley

  • Whitey Shafer was born 92 years ago in Texas.
  • His songs became country hits for George Strait and others.
  • He joined the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1989.

Sanger Douglas “Whitey” Shafer, the Nashville songwriter behind several enduring country hits, was born in Texas on 24 October 1934. On what would have been his 92nd birthday, his work is being remembered for its influence on the genre, including songs made famous by George Strait, Lefty Frizzell…

American Songwriter0
EntertainmentNewsCelebrityMusic
0

In 1986, ‘Saturday Night Live’ censored a comedian live on air. Viewers responded by mailing Lorne Michaels envelopes full of shit

  • NBC cut away from Sam Kinison’s 1986 SNL set.
  • The edits covered drug references and a joke about televangelists.
  • Angry fans mailed faeces to the show’s headquarters.

NBC briefly censored Sam Kinison during a five-minute Saturday Night Live set in October 1986, cutting away from jokes about drugs and televangelists. The edits prompted confusion and anger among viewers, and the incident highlighted the restrictions comedians faced on network television. NBC said drug references had to…

Far Out0
EntertainmentNewsMusic
0

Linda Ronstadt was told the song was ‘too corny’. In 1974, it became the title track of her first number-one album

  • Ronstadt trusted her instinct about “Heart Like a Wheel”.
  • The song became the title track of her first US number-one album.
  • The album’s lead single was “You’re No Good”.

Linda Ronstadt championed Anna McGarrigle’s “Heart Like a Wheel” after others dismissed it as too corny or lacking commercial appeal. The song became the title track of Ronstadt’s 1974 album, which reached number one in the United States and helped establish her as a leading country-rock singer. Ronstadt…

Far Out0
WorldNewsAmericasMusic
0

In 1966, Peter Gabriel saw one singer perform live. At 16, he knew he’d found his calling

  • Otis Redding’s 1966 Brixton gig inspired 16-year-old Peter Gabriel.
  • Gabriel decided that night to pursue music for life.
  • Soul influences later surfaced in his solo work, including “Sledgehammer”.

In 1966, 16-year-old Peter Gabriel watched Otis Redding perform at the Ram Jam Club in Brixton and decided he wanted to be a musician for life. The encounter helped shape Gabriel’s ambitions before Genesis formed the following year, and shows how a soul singer influenced a future progressive…

Far Out0
EntertainmentNewsMusic