Claim OwnershipHistory in Five Songs with Martin Popoff
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Description
History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff is the show that aims to make grand and often oddball hard rock and heavy metal points through a narrative built upon the tiny idea of a quintet of songs. Buttressed with illustrative clips, Martin argues quickly and succinctly why these songs - and the specific sections of these tracks - support his mad professor premise, from the wobbly invention of an “American” heavy metal, to the influence of Led Zeppelin in hair metal or to more succinct topics like tapping and twin leads. The songs serve as bricks, but Martin slathers plenty of mortar. At the end, hopefully he has a sturdy house in which this week’s theory can reside unbothered by the elements. At approximately 7000, Martin has had published in books more record reviews than anybody in the history of music writing across all genres. Additionally, Martin has penned approximately 85 books on hard rock, heavy metal, classic rock and record collecting. Proud part of Pantheon - the podcast network for music lovers.
324 Episodes
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Paying Your Dues
Black Sabbath – “Hand of Doom”
Van Halen – “On Fire”
Rush – “Best I Can”
The Clash – “Safe European Home”
Starz – “Subway Terror”
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In Episode 325 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores how Randy Bachman’s relentless pursuit of hit songs shaped BTO, Trooper, Prism, and beyond, sparking a uniquely Canadian glam-infused rock movement that left both successes and curiosities in its wake.
Trooper – “Live from the Moon” 0:28 – 0:58
Prism – “Virginia” 0:30 – 0:59
Union – “Mainstreet U.S.A.” 0:12 – 0:42
Loverboy – “Jump” 0:18 – 0:48
Bachman-Turner Overdrive – “Can We All Come Together” 0:00– 0:30
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In Episode 324 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores how outside songwriters like Desmond Child, Jim Vallance, and Diane Warren sometimes elevated bands such as Kiss, Aerosmith, and the Scorpions, showing that even rock purists can be happily fooled when the collaboration works.
Kiss – “Heaven’s on Fire”
Aerosmith – “Heart’s Done Time”
Scorpions – “Don’t Believe Her”
Ratt – “Shame Shame Shame”
Ozzy Osbourne – “That I Never Had”
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In Episode 323 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin rants about "the outside songwriter’s worst sin"—pop vocal melodies—spotlighting how they derailed bands like Aerosmith, Heart, and Ozzy Osbourne by forcing generic, label-driven hooks that undermined each artist’s authentic voice.
Aerosmith – “Magic Touch”
Heart – “All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You"
Alice Cooper – “Bed of Nails”
Ozzy Osbourne – “Patient Number 9”
Rolling Stones – “Whole Wide World"
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In Episode 322 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin delves into the tricky art of finding the ideal replacement singer, while breaking down why some frontman swaps succeed or fail—covering cases from AC/DC to Black Sabbath and AC/DC to Fleetwood Mac, Deep Purple and beyond.
AC/DC – “Flick of the Switch”
Black Sabbath – “Country Girl”
Fleetwood Mac – “Monday Morning”
Deep Purple – “Stormbringer”
Pantera – “Cowboys from Hell”
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In Episode 321 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin contemplates how the mid-'70s marked a seismic shift in rock as American hard rock, prog, and singer-songwriter acts like Kiss, Aerosmith, Kansas, the Eagles, and more began to eclipse their British counterparts, signaling a new era of U.S. dominance in popular music.
Kiss – “Rock Bottom”
The Who – “Success Story”
The Eagles – “Too Many Hands”
Styx – “Light Up”
Deep Purple – “Dealer”
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In Episode 320 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores the “curious chaos” of hair metal live albums, as he surveys the patchy, inconsistent releases of the era—ranging from double-gatefold throwbacks to scrappy singles, EPs, and bonus-track hybrids—and examines how changing technology, shifting band abilities, and label strategies shaped a messy, often underwhelming legacy.
Dokken – “Tooth and Nail”
Great White – “Bad Boys”
Y&T – “25 Hours a Day"
Scorpions – “Bad Boys Running Wild”
Guns N’ Roses – “It’s Alright”
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In Episode 319 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores “Ozzy’s Long Death Reckoning,” tracing lyrical themes of mortality, spiritual reckoning, and existential dread throughout Ozzy Osbourne’s five-decade career—from early doom-laced Sabbath tracks to solo reflections on heaven, hell, and legacy.
Ozzy Osbourne – “Centre of Eternity”
Ozzy Osbourne – “Road to Nowhere”
Ozzy Osbourne – “Facing Hell”
Ozzy Osbourne – “Life Won’t Wait”
Ozzy Osbourne – "Goodbye"
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In Episode 318 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin pays tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne by exploring the apocalyptic, anti-war, and deeply personal themes running through Ozzy’s lyrics across his career—what Martin calls “Ozzy’s warnings to the world.”
Ozzy Osbourne – “Revelation (Mother Earth)”
Ozzy Osbourne – “Thank God for the Bomb”
Ozzy Osbourne – “Whole World’s Fallin’ Down”
Ozzy Osbourne – “Black Rain”
Ozzy Osbourne – “Diggin’ Me Down”
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In Episode 317 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin
ponders the limited success and distinctive characteristics of non-American hair metal, focusing on Canada and the UK, and examining why the genre largely failed to flourish outside the U.S. despite a few notable efforts.
1. Helix – “High Voltage Kicks” 1:13 – 1:432. The Quireboys – “7 O’Clock” 0:24– 0:543. Europe – “On the Loose” 0:26 – 0:564. Scorpions – “Unholy Alliance” 0:54 – 1:245. Krokus – “Out of Control” 0:46 – 1:26
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In Episode 316 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin takes a cheeky sideways swipe at the groove: Martin lines up Deep Purple, Queen, The Jam, Boomtown Rats, and The Clash, drops the needle on their “too‑funky‑for‑their‑own‑good” moments, and shows how a fatback beat can splinter line‑ups, sideline guitars, and tank whole careers. If you’re curious why Richie Blackmore bolted, how Freddie’s dance‑floor obsession blindsided Brian May, or where Paul Weller’s mojo wandered, cue this episode and hear Martin’s vinyl‑crackling verdict on bands ruined by funk.
Deep Purple – “You Can’t Do It Right”
Queen – “Back Chat”
The Jam – “Precious”
The Boomtown Rats – “Mood Mambo"
The Clash – “Ivan Meets G.I. Joe”
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In Episode 315 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin dives deep into the fascinating world of heavy metal albums that never achieved gold certification, spotlighting legendary but commercially underperforming releases from Black Sabbath, Angel Witch, Slayer, Venom, Mercyful Fate, and more — proving that critical acclaim and genre-defining influence don't always come with big sales.
Black Sabbath – “Hot Line”
Angel Witch – “Atlantis”
Venom – “Sacrifice”
Savatage – “On the Run”
Scorpions – “Pictured Life”
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In Episode 314 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores how songwriting credits can shape — or sometimes have little impact on — our understanding of band dynamics, musical identity, and who really deserves the money and credit behind the hits.
Whitesnake – “Hot Stuff”
UFO – “Too Hot to Handle”
Scorpions – “Bad Boys Running Wild”
Ozzy Osbourne – “Believer”
Deep Purple – “Pictures of Home”
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In Episode 313 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin delves into how a wide range of hard rock and metal bands navigated the hair metal era—from those who ignored it entirely, to those who subtly adapted, stayed the course, or went in completely bizarre directions.
Black Sabbath – “Call of the Wild”
Scorpions – “Hit Between the Eyes”
Queen – “Pain Is So Close to Pleasure”
Kiss – “Good Girl Gone Bad”
Starz – “Rock Six Times”
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In Episode 312 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores a curious subset of rock history—unexpected AOR albums—by spotlighting bands like Heart and Yes that made surprising forays into glossy, radio-friendly territory during the early ’80s, blurring the lines between prog, pop, and proto–hair metal.
Heart – “Heavy Heart”
Yes – “City of Love”
Blue Öyster Cult – “Eyes on Fire”
Golden Earring – “Enough Is Enough”
Sammy Hagar – “Remote Love”
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In Episode 311 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin argues that the real nail in hair metal's coffin wasn’t grunge, but the wave of uninspired cover songs that undermined the genre’s credibility and alienated metal purists from the very start.
Quiet Riot – “Cum on Feel the Noize”
Great White – “Gimme Some Lovin’”
Mötley Crüe – “Smokin’ in the Boys Room”
Twisted Sister – “Leader of the Pack”
Poison – “Your Mama Don’t Dance”
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In Episode 310 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin wrestles with defining the genre and counts down his five favorite—yet genre-challengingly eclectic—new wave bands, kicking off with the Boomtown Rats and Devo in a tightly-defined 1979-focused episode.
The Boomtown Rats – “Keep it Up”
Devo – “Blockhead”
The Police – “No Time This Time”
The Jam – “Girl on the Phone”
XTC – “Scissor Man”
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In Episode 309 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin delves into the theory that traditional, conservative pub rock diluted the innovation of New Wave, highlighting how artists like Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, and Rockpile carried this "pub rock problem" into a genre otherwise defined by its creative and edgy origins.
Elvis Costello – “The Beat”
Joe Jackson – “Kinda Kute”
Rockpile – “A Knife and a Fork”
Talking Heads – “New Feeling”
Patti Smith – “Space Monkey”
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In Episode 308 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin dives into the murky origins of new wave music, exploring whether bands like Velvet Underground and Roxy Music truly helped invent the genre—or if new wave simply evolved without a clear starting point.
Velvet Underground – “Some Kinda Love”
Roxy Music – “All I Want Is You”
Iggy Pop – “Sister Midnight”
David Bowie – “Word on a Wing”
The Sex Pistols – “No Feelings”
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In Episode 307 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin dives into the fascinating and sometimes controversial world of UK rock stars who’ve been knighted, exploring the honors system, the cultural implications of Britishness, and spotlighting five legendary artists—like Mick Jagger, Ray Davies, and Bob Geldof—whose contributions to music (and beyond) earned them royal recognition.
Mick Jagger – “Shoot Off Your Mouth”
Ray Davies – “After the Fall”
Bob Geldof – “Love or Something”
Brian May – “Back to the Light"
Paul McCartney – “Vintage Clothes”
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Love Alice's ballads but after Killer, Billion Dollar Babies, etc, the song You and I was pretty weak tea.
I cannot disagree with your assessments of Hagar and DLR but I greatly prefer DLR VH to Van Hagar. Rawness, heaviness, and charisma count, just listen to A Different Kind of Truth. Some bands are not meant to be slick.
BTW, love The Vigil. top 5 boc song for me. love buck's solo.
still catching up on back episodes. love your candor here - BOC, my fave band, didn't do what was needed to be massive, and that's why we love them. they aren't Def Leppard, which is why we love them AND why they're less famous.
fun topic! so many great ones. three that came to mind: metallica's fade to black, vh's DOA, and ozzys tonight.
ok, Martin, figured out podcasts. loved this one and take your point that glam was less music than fashion. Listened to several other HI5S episodes and think you've got a thinking man's rock show here ... but I love it anyway! keep up the great work -- Mainzer Girl