The Police released the single “Roxanne,” which was the first single off their forthcoming major label debut, Outlandos d’Amour.
The song, written by Sting, had him singing from the point of view of a man who had fallen in love with a prostitute.
Although the song didn’t initially crack the charts, that changed after its U.S. release in early 1979, with the song peaking at #32 on the Billboard Hot 100. After being re-released in the U.K., it went to #12.
“Roxanne” eventually went on to become a Police classic, and in 2008 it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Blondie drummer Clem Burke has passed away at the age of 70. The news was announced on Blondie’s social media accounts, which revealed his passing “following a private battle with cancer.”
“Clem was not just a drummer; he was the heartbeat of Blondie. His talent, energy, and passion for music were unmatched, and his contributions to our sound and success are immeasurable,” reads the post. “Beyond his musicianship, Clem was a source of inspiration both on and off the stage. His vibrant spirit, infectious enthusiasm and rock solid work ethic touched everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.”
The post goes on to mention all the iconic musicians Burke has collaborated with over the course of his career, including the Eurythmics,Bob Dylan, Joan Jett, Iggy Pop, the Ramones, the Go-Go’s, The Romantics, Bob Geldof and more.
“His influence and contributions have spanned decades and genres, leaving an indelible mark on every project he was a part of,” the post continues. “His legacy will live on through the tremendous amount of music he created and the countless lives he touched.”
The announcement was signed by Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry, guitarist Chris Stein and “the entire Blondie family,” who ended the post with, “As we navigate this profound loss, we ask for privacy during this difficult time. Godspeed, Dr. Burke.”
Burke, born Clement Anthony Bozewski, joined Blondie in 1975, shortly after they formed in New York City, and appeared on all of their records, the last one being 2017’s Pollinator. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Blondie in 2006.
The upcoming two-part documentary about Billy Joel is set to open the 2025 Tribeca Festival. The world premiere of Billy Joel: And So It Goes will happen on June 4 at New York’s Beacon Theatre.
“For nearly 25 years, the Tribeca Festival has celebrated the artists who give New York its heart and soul, and on the opening night of the 2025 Festival, we are thrilled to honor Billy Joel—an artist who has embodied that very spirit,” said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder and CEO of Tribeca Festival and Tribeca Enterprises. “Paying tribute to the legendary performer who captured the essence of a ‘New York State of Mind’ is a perfect way to kick off this year’s celebration of creativity and inspiration.”
The documentary, named after a song on Joel’s album Storm Front, will debut on HBO this summer, and will also be available to stream on Max. It is described as an “expansive portrait of the life and music” of the Piano Man.
According to HBO, the movie, directed by Susan Lacy, will explore “the love, loss, and personal struggles” that fuel Billy’s songwriting, and will feature “unprecedented access to never-before-seen performances, home movies, and personal photographs.” There will also be “extensive, in-depth one-on-one interviews.”
The Tribeca Festival runs from June 4-15.
This isn’t the first time a Billy Joel project debuted at the Tribeca Festival. His concert documentary, The Last Play at Shea, about the two shows Billy played to close out the Mets’ former home Shea Stadium, premiered at the festival in 2010.
Elton John and Brandi Carlile headed toward the finish line of their epic promotional run for their new album Who Believes in Angels? on April 5, as they appeared as the musical guests on Saturday Night Live.
Elton, whose first appearance on SNL came in 1982, hadn’t been on SNL since 2011, when he was both the host and musical guest; it was his third appearance overall. It was also Brandi’s third appearance: She was the musical guest in 2021 and 2022. Backed by the same musicians who played on the new album, including Red Hot Chili PepperChad Smith on drums and producer Andrew Watt on guitar, Elton and Brandi performed “Little Richard’s Bible” and the title track.
A 30-minute film called Stories from the Edge of Creation, capturing the making of Who Believes in Angels?, had its premiere at New York City’s 92nd Street Y on April 4, followed by Elton, Brandi, Watt and lyricist Bernie Taupin taking the stage to discuss it. Both the film and conversation are now available now on YouTube — with some of the more profane exchanges edited out.
The film shows Elton, Brandi and Watt playing the album for their record label, and as they discuss each track, you see them in the studio creating it. All four artists got a lot of laughs during the Q&A talking about Elton’s many tantrums in the studio, which you get to see on camera: He rips up Brandi’s lyrics, tells people to f*** off and bursts into tears.
“I think I told everyone to f*** off 10 times!” Elton said on Friday. “I was frustrated with my inability to come up with something good.”
“I was tired,” he explained. “I had so much doubt about my ability to come through with what I needed to come through with, and that led to a lot of aggression and bad behavior.” He also revealed he “quit the album two or three times.”
However, Elton concluded, “I wanted energy, and my bad behavior and my angst brought the energy … and [when] I cried, I think it was all the pent-up emotion that I was carrying and the pressure that I was feeling to come up with a decent record, a different record from the ones that I’d been making. And it all worked out brilliantly.”
When Brandi praised Elton for his ability to laugh at himself, he smiled: “When you’re as ridiculous as I am, you have to giggle!”
It was recently confirmed that Barry Keoghan will be playingRock & Roll Hall of Famer Ringo Starr in Sam Mendes’ four films about The Beatles and the actor’s Saltburn co-star Richard E. Grant thinks he’ll be great in the role.
Grant was asked about Keoghan’s casting while appearing on the BBC’s The One Show, and he had nothing but praise for the 32-year-old actor.
“He’s an extraordinary actor. He’s unlike anybody else I’ve ever, ever worked with before, so completely untrained, instinctive and brilliant,” said Grant. “I think he’ll be a fantastic Ringo Starr.”
Mendes’ films, titled The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event, are expected to hit theaters in April 2028. In addition to Keoghan, Harris Dickinson has been cast to play John Lennon, with Paul Mescal playing Paul McCartney and Joseph Quinn playing George Harrison.
Kelly Clarkson is making her way back home with a cover of the Foo Fighters song “Learn to Fly.”
The inaugural American Idol winner put her spin on the There Is Nothing Left to Lose single for her Kellyoke segment on a recent episode of her talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show.
“I love the Foo Fighters,” Clarkson said following her performance. “A few years ago we actually had Dave Grohl on the show, and we talked about [‘Learn to Fly’]. Now, I thought it had all this deep meaning, and he was like, ‘Nope, I really just wanted to become a pilot.'”
“I’m still calling BS!” Clarkson laughed. “You were trying to be funny, man, but it’s, like, such a deep song, it’s such a cool song! He’s poetic. Just lean into it, Dave!”
Hearing Clarkson sing “Learn to Fly” might be the closest we’ve gotten to hearing the song live for a bit, as Foo Fighters still haven’t played a show since news broke in September that Grohl had fathered a child outside his marriage. Grohl, though, has returned to the stage in recent months for surprise Nirvana reunion performances at the SNL50 Homecoming Concert and the FireAid benefit.
Lenny Kravitz has dropped a new video for the track “Let It Ride,” from his latest album, Blue Electric Light, which was released in May 2024.
The clip, directed by Kravitz, is set in a club that’s mostly bathed in red light, and features lots of beautiful people who slowly let loose and begin dancing to the tune.
Along with the video, Kravitz has released a remix of the track by Welsh DJ Jamie Jones. It is available now via digital outlets. It’s the first in a series of remixes of the song Kravitz plans to release.
“Let It Ride” is the fifth video Kravitz has released for a song from Blue Electric Light, following“TK421,” “Human,” “Paralyzed” and “Honey.”
Lenny is currently on a European tour that hits Nice, France, on Friday. He’s set to play several festival dates in the U.S. this year, starting with the Beachlife Festival in Redondo Beach, California, on May 2. A complete list of dates can be found at LennyKravitz.com.
Former Eagles guitarist Don Felder has shared another track from his upcoming album, The Vault – Fifty Years of Music, which will be released on May 23.
The latest is the track “Hollywood Victim,” a song he originally wrote in the early ’90s for the Eagles’ Hell Freezes Over tour. According to a press release, the track is a companion to the Eagles classic “Hotel California,” which Felder co-wrote with Don Henley and Glenn Frey. It’s described as “a scathing look at the allure and pitfalls of fame.”
The Vault – Fifty Years of Music, Felder’s fourth studio album, features a collection of newly recorded versions of songs he’s demoed over the past five decades. It features guest appearances by such artists as Toto’s SteveLukather, David Paich and Greg Phillinganes; Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith; and drummer Gregg Bissonette and his brother, bassist Matt Bissonette.
Felder has a few solo shows booked for April and May, with his next gig happening April 17 in Tacoma, Washington. He’s also set to join Styx and REO Speedwagon‘s Kevin Cronin on their upcoming Brotherhood of Rock tour, which kicks off May 28 in Greenville, South Carolina. A complete list of dates can be found at DonFelder.com.
Comedian Bill Burr is once again in the headlines for his interaction with a ’90s rocker.
You may recall when Burr was surprised by Billy Corgan during an episode of the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast after the Smashing Pumpkins frontman suggested that they might actually be brothers. Now, Burr shares that he had beef with Eddie Vedder.
During an interview on Late Night Thursday, Burr said that, as a hair metal fan growing up, Pearl Jam was “the band that made me realize my youth was over.”
“They always say, ‘Nirvana knocked [hair metal] out,'” Burr said. “It was Pearl Jam. When Pearl Jam came, that was another one of those grunge Seattle bands, and that’s when I was like, ‘Oh my God, this isn’t ending!'”
“And then all my bands, Skid Row and all of them, were gone, and it was just these sad guys singing about being under a bridge and not being happy,” Burr continued. “I’m like, ‘What happened to nothing but a good time and ignoring all your problems with cocaine?'”
Burr got the opportunity to tell Vedder his Pearl Jam thoughts when they sat next to each other during the recent SNL50 Homecoming Concert special.
“I did it in a good nature, I was like, ‘Man, I hated your band, you ended my thing,'” Burr laughed. “He was cracking up.”
Burr said that now that he’s older he’s become a Pearl Jam fan, adding, “Do you know how long it took me to admit how great a band Pearl Jam is?”
Also during the interview, Burr shared that he plays AC/DC for his kids, and his son in particular has become a big fan.
The Beatles made chart history by holding the top five spots on the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously.
The songs in the top five were “Please Please Me” at #5, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” at #4, “She Loves You” at #3, “Twist and Shout” at #2 and “Can’t Buy Me Love” at #1.
The Beatles went on to become one of the most successful acts in the history of the U.S. charts. Over the course of their career, they have had 20 number one hits and 35 top-10 singles.
Their last #1 single was in 1970 with “The Long and Winding Road,” from the Let It Be album. Their last song to chart on the Hot 100 was the 2023 release “Now and Then,” which debuted at #7. It featured vocals John Lennon recorded on a demo in the late ’70s, along with new recordings from Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, and guitar parts George Harrison recorded in the ’90s during the sessions for the Anthology series.
