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Sting’s ex-bandmates in the Police, guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland, have taken the singer and bassist to court, claiming he has not paid them properly for the “digital exploitation” of the band’s hits, per The New York Times. On the contrary, Sting’s lawyers argue that the frontman, born Gordon Sumner, might have “substantially overpaid” Summers and Copeland, depending on the interpretation of a 2016 agreement. Copeland and Summers argue in their lawsuit that Sting owes them “arranger’s fees” exceeding $2 million for the “digital exploitation” of the Police’s back catalog. Sting’s legal team fired back by saying all...

Nostalgia for the 1980s is so rampant that even people who weren’t alive during the glorious decade like to celebrate it as if they were. Teens today will even put on tracksuits and Kangol hats and boogie out to the likes of LL Cool J. However, those of us who witnessed the ’80s firsthand aren’t just sentimental for that bygone era. All those cultural cliches that people try to emulate? Yeah, it’s in our DNA. We are the ’80s and the ’80s are us. Keep reading to discover 50 things that any true child of the ’80s won’t just remember,...

Michael Stipe finally put to rest a nearly four-decade-long struggle to understand just what he's singing in R.E.M.'s 1987 song "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)." As fans of the song — the second single from R.E.M.'s first Top 10 and gold-selling album, Document — know, the famously incomprehensible singer fires off a string of verses that for years could only be discerned in small portions: "World serves its own needs," "Slash and burn, return, listen to yourself churn," "Leonard Bernstein!" R.E.M. rarely reprinted their lyrics in any form. Over the past...

Written in Rishikesh, ‘Dear Prudence’ has transcended its original inspiration to become one of The Beatles’ best-loved songs.Over the end of the Esher demo of “Dear Prudence,” John Lennon can be heard explaining the origin of the song: “No one was to know that sooner or later she was to go completely berserk under the care of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. All the people around her were very worried about the girl because she was going insane. So we sang to her.” The girl in question was Prudence Farrow, the 19-year-old sister of American actress Mia Farrow. During the stay, Prudence...

Daryl Hall and John Oates have resolved their dispute over Oates’ plan to sell his half of their joint venture to Primary Wave Music. Court documents filed Aug. 11 reveal the legal back-and-forth between the duo has now been privately resolved, without any additional information on their deal. The pair started litigation in 2023 when Hall launched arbitration seeking to block Oates from selling his stake in Whole Oats Enterprises — this includes the band’s name and likeness rights as well as royalties — to Primary Wave. Primary Wave has become a music-catalog marketing powerhouse over the past 15 years,...

“Shadows of the Night” endured a difficult route to becoming a global hit single in 1982 – and Pat Benatar, who made it happen, endured her own challenges along the way. The song was written by D.L. Byron specifically for the 1980 movie Times Square, but producers of the teenage runaway story felt it didn’t have hit potential, and rejected it. Subsequent versions were released in 1981 by German-based singer Helen Shneider and vocalist and actress Rachel Sweet, with modest results. As Benatar worked on her fourth album Get Nervous, she and drummer Myron Grombacher decided to reshape “Shadows of...

George Kooymans, a cofounding member of Golden Earring whose vocals and guitar were staples of the band's sound, has died at the age of 77. News of Kooyman's death comes courtesy of an attorney associated with the group, which called it quits in 2021 following the news of Kooyman's ALS diagnosis. "We say goodbye to a great musician and composer whose work extended beyond Golden Earring," reads the short statement released to the press via Kooyman's family. "George was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, but above all, a friend." "Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and the other band...

NEW YORK -- Forty years ago, the legendary Live Aid concerts aimed to do a lot of good - helping to raise over $100 million for famine relief in Ethiopia and inspiring worldwide awareness for a cause it might otherwise have ignored. Simulcast from Philadelphia and London on July 13, 1985, Live Aid was the most ambitious global television event of its time: 16 hours of live music in two different continents featuring Queen, The Who, a Led Zeppelin reunion and more. A lot has changed in the years since. "Live Aid, '85 to now, is the same distance as...

One of the biggest marketing blunders in history was rectified on July 10, 1985, when Coke executives announced that the soda’s original formula would return as Coca-Cola Classic. Less than three months earlier the soft-drink company had rolled out its updated version of Coca-Cola. Informally referred to as “New Coke,” it marked the first change to the signature soda’s recipe in 99 years. Officially, the brand claimed it was re-energizing its famous drink, but the reasoning went much deeper than that. In 1985, Coke had seen its popularity among consumers declining, with many soda drinkers switching to Pepsi during an...

We reached out to a hair metal community on Reddit and asked them to share their thoughts on what they find most annoying about the band Bon Jovi. What started as a simple question quickly spiraled into a heated discussion, with fans passionately expressing their opinions. As it turns out, Bon Jovi remains a polarizing topic even among fans of the genre, and the responses we received were nothing short of colorful.

The cast of The Breakfast Club is back together — 40 years after that fateful detention day. Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall and Emilio Estevez reunited on April 12 during a panel at C2E2, a pop culture convention in Chicago, to reminisce with fans over John Hughes's 1985 coming-of-age film. The panel was moderated by Josh Horowitz. "I feel very emotional and moved to have us all together," said Ringwald, who played the film's iconic high school "princess" Claire Standish.

The ‘heartbeat of Blondie’ and session player for the likes of Eurythmics, Bob Dylan, and Iggy Pop, died following a ‘private battle with cancer.’Clem Burke, best known as the drummer of Blondie, has died at age 70. A statement from the band said that his death follows a “private battle with cancer.” “Clem was not just a drummer; he was the heartbeat of Blondie,” the band added. “His talent, energy, and passion for music were unmatched, and his contributions to our sound and success are immeasurable. Beyond his musicianship, Clem was a source of inspiration both on and off...

David Johansen, best known as the lead singer of pioneering punk band New York Dolls and their last surviving original member, has died at the age of 75. A spokesperson for the singer confirmed the news in a statement. "David Johansen died at home in New York City on Friday afternoon holding hands with his wife Mara Hennessey and daughter Leah, surrounded by music, flowers and love," they said. "He was 75 years old and died of natural causes after nearly a decade of illness." News of Johansen's death broke less than three weeks after he went public with his...

You know you should develop a regular exercise routine, but you lack motivation. Promises to yourself are quickly broken, and you never establish enough of the workout habit to experience any rewards. Exercising as you age is important. It’s not only good for physical health to help prevent falls or enable you to do basic tasks — exercise is also superb for the mind. “If you want to be cognitively active, it is so important to be physically active,” explained Dr. Amy Eyler, a professor of public health at Washington University in St. Louis. “There is a such a strong...

Rick Buckler, drummer for acclaimed English new wave band the Jam, has died at the age of 69. The musician’s passing was confirmed by his former bandmates who took to social media to share their memories. “I'm shocked and saddened by Rick's passing,” the Jam’s frontman, Paul Weller, wrote on X. “I'm thinking back to us all rehearsing in my bedroom in Stanley Road, Woking. To all the pubs and clubs we played at as kids, to eventually making a record. What a journey! We went far beyond our dreams and what we made stands the test of time. My...

In the mid-1980s, Leonard Lake and Charles Ng raped, tortured and murdered at least 11—possibly 25 or more—men, women and children at a remote cabin near Wilseyville, Calif. Now, thanks to genetic genealogy, investigators have identified one of the bodies found in June 1985 at a crime scene linked to the Wilseyville Serial Killings. Identifinders International, working with Intermountain Forensics and the Calaveras Cold Case Task Force, used IGG to identify the body as Reginald “Reggie” Frisby. Frisby, who was born in 1956 in the state of New York, had never been reported missing and was previously not considered or...

Rock and roll evolved quite heavily in a matter of years after it became a popular genre to the masses. But one of the biggest debates, not just by purists but musical connoisseurs in general, is the endless comparisons between the ’70s and ’80s music. But first of all, in what ways do the two decades differ in terms of rock music? Let’s start with the ’70’s first, which came just right after rock n’ roll’s decade of inception. First off, the decade was derivative but refined, in a sense that it had mastered what the ’60s have developed. For...

Alright, real talk. I know most of you reading this have likely always been relatively bookish. You were probably in your high school’s AP class, loved summer reading assignments, and were thrilled when you got to show off your knowledge of Dickens, Chaucer or Shakespeare. I mean, you’re spending your free time reading a website called Book Riot. But, let’s be honest… You TOTALLY used CliffsNotes at one point. You know it, I know it, and (sorry to inform you of this, but) your teacher knew it as well. Whether it was to supplement your knowledge of a book for...

Paul Simon has abandoned one of his biggest hits, a decision that was entirely out of his control. The acclaimed singer-songwriter, now 83 years old, has been open about his ongoing battle with hearing loss. While the condition has forced him to retire from touring, Simon has continued performing occasional concerts. During a recent conversation with CBS Mornings, the musician explained how he manages his condition – and why it made him retire one of his most popular songs. “There’s only about 6% [hearing] in my left ear,” Simon explained, noting how he has to use multiple monitors during performances....

The album topped the charts in the UK, France, and Australia and became their first platinum disc in the US.On October 3, 1980, The Police delivered an album that Rolling Stone described as “near-perfect pop by a band that bends all the rules and sometimes makes musical mountains out of molehill-size ideas.” It was their third LP, Zenyatta Mondatta. A No.1 album in the UK, France and Australia, it featured two more signature hits for Messrs Sting, Summers, and Copeland, “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” and “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da.” But alongside the nonsense lyrics...