A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs Podcast By Andrew Hickey cover art

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs

By: Andrew Hickey
Listen for free

LIMITED TIME OFFER | Get 3 months for $0.99 a month

$14.95/mo thereafter-terms apply.
Andrew Hickey presents a history of rock music from 1938 to 1999, looking at five hundred songs that shaped the genre.© 2021 A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs Music Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • Song 182: “Many Rivers to Cross” by Jimmy Cliff
    Dec 18 2025

    This episode, we look at the song “Many Rivers to Cross”, the birth of reggae, and the career of the late Jimmy Cliff. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.

    Patreon backers also have a sixty-seven-minute bonus episode available, on “Return of Django” by the Upsetters.

    Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by editing, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/.

    (more…)

    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 50 mins
  • Song 181: “Proud Mary” by Creedence Clearwater Revival
    Nov 3 2025

    This episode, we look at the song “Proud Mary” and the brief but productive career of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.

    Patreon backers also have a forty-four-minute bonus episode available, on “Mendocino” by the Sir Douglas Quintet.

    Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by editing, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/.

    ERRATUM: Three times early on I talk about a 1940s label called Concord Records. That’s meant to be Coronet Records — Concord Records is the label that *bought* Fantasy Records in the early twenty-first century, Coronet Records is the label that *became* Fantasy Records.

    (more…)

    Show more Show less
    Less than 1 minute
  • Song 180: “Dazed and Confused” by Led Zeppelin, Part Two — “Inspiration is What You Are to Me”
    Sep 30 2025

    For those who haven’t heard the announcement I posted, songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the first part of a two-episode look at the song “Dazed and Confused” by Led Zeppelin, although this episode doesn’t get as far as Led Zeppelin’s formation, and is mostly about the intertwining session careers of John Paul Jones and (especially) Jimmy Page. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.

    Patreon backers also have a thirty-eight minute bonus episode available, on “Jim’s Blues” by P.J. Proby.

    Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by editing, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/

    (more…)

    Show more Show less
    Less than 1 minute

Featured Article: 20+ of the Best Music Podcasts to Play on Repeat


These are 20+ of the best music podcasts around. They're as different from one another as rock 'n' roll is from opera; some are funny and lighthearted, while others explore hefty social issues. Some focus on specific kinds of music—rap, country, classical, rock, pop—and others highlight diverse artists working in just about every musical style. Music fans are as varied as the music they listen to, but we promise there's something here for everyone.

All stars
Most relevant
You never knew all you didn’t know about rock and roll. Andrew Hickey has done a lot of work to let us in on the stories. I love this podcast. I became a patron 2 years ago, it was that good.

Deep dives!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Thank Andrew for enhancing my mornings with your awesome podcast! I look forward to them! As someone with their masters in music I have thoroughly enjoyed your research. Thank you!

Fascinating

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Enjoy every episode and admire the tremendous amount of research and insight in each. Tells the stories with sensitivity, humbleness and occasional humor. Quite a body of work being assembled in this series.

Incredible Work

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Am only 30 episodes in, but will be staying for the duration. Andrew Hickey has done his homework. This is not just a history of the music but of the times and places it comes out of. Highly recommend it for lovers of both rock and roll and contemporary history.

come for the music, stay for the backstory.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I got attracted to this podcast due to my interest and desire to learn more about rock music. In the process I have discovered many artists I was no aware of.

Subscribe and enjoy!

Excellent podcast to learn about rock and its artists

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews