Netflix’s latest Knives Out film, Glass Onion, is sparking some renewed interest in The Beatles classic of the same name. Billboardreports that the White Album track, which plays over the credits of the hit flick Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, has seen a streaming bump since the film debuted on the streamer December 23.
During the week of December 23 to 29, The Beatles’ “Glass Onion” was streamed 160,000 times, up from 60,000 the previous week, an increase of 167%.
And that’s not the only song to get some help from the movie. David Bowie’s “Star,” which plays during a Kate Hudson dance sequence, saw a 60% increase, while the Bee Gees’ “To Love Somebody,” which is also in the flick, saw a 37% streaming increase.
Robert Plant admits it wasn’t easy to go on with his career after the end of Led Zeppelin, but credits his friends, including Phil Collins, with helping him move on.
“After [Led Zeppelin drummer] John [Bonham] passed away and there was no Led Zeppelin, there had to be a way to go,” Plant shares in a new interview with Vulture. “I floundered around a lot because until I was 32, I was in some kind of wild and absurd adventure.”
Plant says Led Zeppelin was “a lot to live up to.” As he struggled with his first solo album, 1982’s Pictures at Eleven, there were a lot of friends who gave him “support and strength,” including Collins, who appeared on five of the album’s tracks.
“Phil Collins especially was a driving force and had positive energy with the first record,” he says. “With Phil, it wasn’t so much advice as encouragement and consideration. He was taking no prisoners. He would only allow himself a short amount of time to come to the studio in Wales and make it work. Nobody was hiding behind the performance.”
Collins actually went on tour with Plant, telling the rocker he wanted to help because of his admiration for Bonham, who was his hero. Plant notes, “That was it. He said, ‘Anything I can do to help you to get back into fighting shape again, I’m here.’”
As this was all happening, Collins was dealing with his own successful solo career, with the 1981 single “In The Air Tonight.” Plant notes, “Yet he was still mixing and working with me while kicking off a particularly impressive and successful time. He’s a great spirit, a good man.”
Neal Schon appears to be asserting his dominance when it comes to his band Journey. Despite his ongoing legal battles with bandmate Jonathan Cain, the guitarist insists in a recent tweet that he “won’t take orders” about the band from anyone.
“No one is going to dictate to me at this point what I can and cannot do in regards to JOURNEY,” Schon tweeted. “I haven’t been here and not here to take orders- never have and never will. It’s my band and I’ll own it as I should and make the right changes as needed.”
The post prompted one fan to ask him who was trying to “dictate” to him, with Schon responding, “Have a guess,” an indication he was talking about Cain. He also posted an image that read “narcissists act out with frustration, sulking, resentment and rage when things don’t go their way.”
As previously reported, Schon and Cain have been in the news a lot lately because of their legal battles. The most recent incident had Schon sending a cease-and-desist letter to Cain over a performance of “Don’t Stop Believin’” at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
Rolling Stone’s list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time has caused a lot of controversy since its release this week, and Gene Simmons has something to say about it.
A TMZ reporter asked the KISS frontman how he felt about being left off the list, to which he replied, “Well, that’s OK,” joking, “I was thinking of buying Rolling Stone.”
“Well, it’s skewed. You have to consider who’s popular and who’s not,” Simmons elaborated. “But if you really think about it, how good somebody sings may be part and parcel of what they do. For instance, if Jimi Hendrix, who had a long, well, actually, a short career, but he was very famous, would he make it on American Idol? How about Bob Dylan … And I wrote songs with Bob Dylan; I know the guy. Would he make it on American Idol?”
He also added, “How well you sing is not the most important thing. It’s, do you have style? Do you have a fingerprint that says, ‘I know that voice immediately’?”
Simmons insists artists shouldn’t really care about the list. “If you’ve got success, that’s enough,” he says. “Accolades and all that, you get that when you do a concert or when fans come up. That’s the best thing. To be on a poll by a magazine by people in the backroom, I don’t know how much that means.”
And Simmons also shared his thoughts on Ozzy Osbourne making the list at #112: “That’s a crime.”
The Eagles aren’t ready to stop their Hotel California tour. The band just announced six new 2023 dates for the trek, beginning March 25 in Jacksonville, Florida, and running through April 7 in Newark, New Jersey.
The Hotel California tour, which the Eagles launched in 2019, has the band playing their classic 1976 album in its entirety, backed by an orchestra and choir. In addition to the album, the band also treats fans to a set of greatest hits.
Tickets for the new shows go on sale January 13 at 10 a.m. local time. Check out a complete list of 2023 HotelCalifornia dates here.
Iron Maiden is set to receive quite a unique honor. The heavy metal icons will be the subject of a new collection of stamps to be released by the Royal Mail.
The collection will feature 12 stamps: eight with pictures from their world tours, ranging from 1980 to 2018 and featuring the current members of the group, and four with their mascot, Eddie.
Founding bassist Steve Harris says the stamps “look superb,” noting, “I think they really capture the essence and energy of Maiden. We’re all very proud that Royal Mail has chosen to honor the band’s legacy like this and we know our fans will feel the same way.”
Iron Maiden is the fifth group to be honored with a stamp collection from the Royal Mail, joining TheBeatles, Pink Floyd, Queen and The Rolling Stones.
Fans can preorder the Iron Maiden stamps starting Thursday. They will be available starting January 12.
Blondie’s Debbie Harry has lent her vocals to a star-studded new single, to be featured in the upcoming movie 80 for Brady.The tune “Gonna Be You,” dropping January 20, was written by legendary songwriter Diane Warren and also features Cyndi Lauper, Gloria Estefan, The Go-Go‘s Belinda Carlisle and Dolly Parton.
80 for Brady is based on the true story of four best friends who traveled to the Super Bowl in 2017 to see then-New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady play. And the stars of the film are just as impressive as the lineup for the song: Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Sally Field and Rita Moreno. Brady also appears in the film, which arrives in theaters February 3.
“I wanted to write a song that celebrated these women’s deep friendship,” Diane says in a statement. “Since 80 was in the title I got a crazy idea, why not get some of the most iconic singers from the 80s, who are still amazing and always will be, to all sing it?!!!!”
She adds, “I’m honored to have Dolly Parton, Belinda Carlisle, Cyndi Lauper, Gloria Estefan and Debbie Harry on this song!! ‘Gonna Be You’ is that song you want to sing along to with all your good friends!!!”
Bob Weir is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his debut solo album, Ace, with a new deluxe edition and he’s giving fans a little taste of what to expect with the release.
The Grateful Dead guitarist just released a live version of the tune “Greatest Story Ever Told,” featuring Tyler Childers, which will appear on Ace: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, dropping January 13. The live version of the track was recorded at a 2020 show with his band Wolf Bros at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, where they performed the entire album live and were joined by special guests.
Ace: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition will be released as a double CD and on streaming services. It will feature a remastered new mix of Ace, along with a full Radio City performance. A black vinyl version will also be released on February 3.
Bono is spending a little more time in New York this spring. As previously reported, the U2 frontman recently announced a New York residency of his Stories of Surrender book tour, and now he’s added even more dates.
Described as “an evening of words, music and some mischief,” the residency kicks off April 16 at the Beacon Theater. He initially announced eight shows, but now Bono’s added three more: May 4, 7 and 8.
The shows have Bono recounting stories from his recently released memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, and also performing stripped down versions of U2 songs. He’ll be backed by Gemma Doherty on harp, keyboard and vocals, and Kate Ellis on cello, keyboard and vocals, with Jacknife Lee serving as musical director.
Tickets for the new dates go on sale January 9 at 10 a.m. ET.
Nirvana, Nile Rodgers, The Supremes and Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson are among the artists to be honored by the Recording Academy with 2023 Lifetime Achievement Awards, along with Bobby McFerrin, Ma Rainey, and Slick Rick “The Ruler.”
The artists will be celebrated at the Recording Academy’s Special Merit Awards Ceremony, taking place February 4th at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, the first time the ceremony is being held since 2020.
“The Academy is proud to celebrate this diverse slate of influential music people spanning numerous genres and crafts as our 2023 Special Merit Awards honorees,” Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, shares in a statement. “Each creator on this list has made an impact on our industry — from technical to creative achievements — representing the breadth of music’s diverse community.”
“We’re excited to celebrate this group of legends next month that continues to inspire and shape the music world,” Mason adds.
Lifetime Achievement Awards are given to artists who “have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording.” Previous honorees include Ray Charles, Davide Bowie, Neil Diamond, Queen, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, Diana Ross and more.
