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PODCAST

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff

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

music music history

All Episodes

33:53

History in Five Songs Episode 339: Stick Around

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/12/23

In Episode 339 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores how persistence and simply staying in the game can eventually pay off, using life-lesson stories and musical examples—from Gary Moore and John Wetton to Tommy Thayer and Derek Shulman—of artists who kept showing up, climbed the ladder in different ways, and ultimately landed career-defining gigs inside and beyond the rock world.Gary Moore – “Moving On” Gentle Giant – “All Through the Night” Kiss – “Outta This

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38:51

History in Five Songs Episode 338: Rock ‘n’ Roll...

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/12/18

In Episode 338 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores why veteran rock stars like Alice Cooper, Robert Plant, Rob Halford and others collaborate with younger musicians, examining whether it’s for creative renewal, staying culturally relevant, genuine mentorship, or tapping into youthful energy.Alice Cooper – “Dirty Diamonds” Robert Plant – “Big Love” Fight – “Immortal Sin” Bruce Dickinson – “Back from the Edge” Iggy Pop – “American Valhalla” Learn more about

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35:14

History in Five Songs Episode 337: Missed the...

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/12/09

In Episode 337 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin examines rock and metal bands that “missed the pre-grunge window” by failing to release one more album before grunge’s 1991 breakthrough wiped out their commercial momentum.Whitesnake – “Judgment Day" Foreigner – “Counting Every Minute” Accept – “Monsterman” UFO – “Mean Streets” Blue Öyster Cult – “Del Rio’s Song” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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34:51

History in Five Songs Episode 336: Snuck One in...

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/12/09

In Episode 336 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin ponders the bands who managed—through timing, luck, pivots, or pure momentum—to sneak in a successful album just before grunge exploded and reshaped the entire rock and metal landscape. Alice Cooper – “Little by Little” Pantera – “Domination” Judas Priest – “Hell Patrol” Metallica – “Holier Than Though” AC/DC – “Let’s Make It” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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34:51

History in Five Songs Episode 336: Snuck One in...

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/12/04

In Episode 336 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin ponders the bands who managed—through timing, luck, pivots, or pure momentum—to sneak in a successful album just before grunge exploded and reshaped the entire rock and metal landscape.Alice Cooper – “Little by Little” Pantera – “Domination” Judas Priest – “Hell Patrol” Metallica – “Holier Than Though” AC/DC – “Let’s Make It” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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35:37

History in Five Songs Episode 335: Motörhead and...

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/11/25

In Episode 335 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin traces the parallel rise, stumbles, and enduring legacies of Motörhead and Saxon, showing how the two bands evolved like true heavy-metal doppelgängers across debuts, classics, live albums, missteps, and comeback eras.Motörhead – “Keep Us on the Road” Saxon – “Out of Control” Motörhead – “Marching Off to War” Saxon – “Hole in the Sky” Motörhead – “When the Eagle Screams” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

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34:58

History in Five Songs Episode 334: Why a Rock ‘n’...

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/11/18

In Episode 334 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin digs into why so many rock, metal, and even punk bands slip old-school 1950s-style rock-and-roll rave-ups into their albums, exploring the roots, motives, and surprising examples behind this enduring musical quirk.Whitesnake – “Bloody Luxury” Kiss – “Let Me Go, Rock ‘n’ Roll” Accept – “Burning” The Clash – “Brand New Cadillac” Rush – “In the Mood” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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36:55

History in Five Songs Episode 333: First Track Buzz-Kill

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/11/18

In Episode 333 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin dives into those puzzling album openers that deflate excitement right out of the gate—exploring songs that worry, confuse, or misrepresent their bands, from The Who and Rush to Queen, Rainbow, and Yes. The Who – “New Song” Rush – “The Big Money” Queen – “Party” Rainbow – “I Surrender” Yes – “Going for the One” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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36:55

History in Five Songs Episode 333: First Track Buzz-Kill

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/11/11

In Episode 333 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin dives into those puzzling album openers that deflate excitement right out of the gate—exploring songs that worry, confuse, or misrepresent their bands, from The Who and Rush to Queen, Rainbow, and Yes.The Who – “New Song” Rush – “The Big Money” Queen – “Party” Rainbow – “I Surrender” Yes – “Going for the One” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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36:10

History in Five Songs Episode 332: Shockingly Not on...

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/11/04

In Episode 332 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin digs into the most surprising omissions from classic live rock albums by legends like Led Zeppelin, Queen, and Rush—spotlighting the iconic tracks that somehow never made the cut.Led Zeppelin – “Immigrant Song” Queen – “Somebody to Love” Rush – “Limelight” AC/DC – “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” Blue Öyster Cult – “Astronomy” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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36:09

History in Five Songs Episode 331: Double-Powered...

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/10/28

In Episode 331 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin ponders the bands and albums that helped invent multiple rock and metal genres at once—from Hendrix, Cream, and Pink Floyd shaping psychedelia, prog, and metal, to King Crimson, Uriah Heep, Sabbath, and Venom forging the foundations of progressive metal, power metal, goth, thrash, and black metal.Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Love or Confusion" King Crimson – “The Court of the Crimson King” Uriah Heep – “Poet’s Justice”

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32:22

History in Five Songs Episode 330: The NWOBHM in 1979

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/10/23

In Episode 330 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores the birth of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal in 1979, tracing the pivotal singles, band formations, and cultural shifts that set the stage for Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Saxon, and countless others to ignite a new era of heavy music.Girlschool – “Take It All Away” Motörhead – “Tear Ya Down” Samson – “It’s Not as Easy as It Seems” Vardis – “If I Were King” Witchfynde – “Give ‘Em Hell” Learn more about

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30:57

History in Five Songs Episode 329: American Doom in...

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/10/14

In Episode 329 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin digs through the decade’s heavy underground to find traces of early U.S. doom metal—spotlighting bands like Sir Lord Baltimore, Blue Öyster Cult, and Kiss—while concluding that true doom wouldn’t fully take shape in America until years after Black Sabbath set the template. Sir Lord Baltimore – “Kingdom Come” Blue Oyster Cult – “This Ain’t the Summer of Love” Kiss – “Strange Ways” Aerosmith – “Nobody’s Fault” Ted

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33:36

History in Five Songs Episode 328: The Last Hair...

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/10/07

In Episode 328 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores “the last hair metal album”—digging into the moment before grunge overtook the charts to pinpoint which glossy, glam-fueled record marked the true end of hair metal’s unironically flashy golden era.Guns N’ Roses – “Think About You” Trixter – “Heart of Steel” Slaughter – “Spend My Life” Extreme – “Get the Funk Out” Jackyl – “Brain Drain” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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27:24

History in Five Songs Episode 327: The Last...

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/09/30

In Episode 327 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin ponders the question of which record truly marked the end of prog’s golden era, tracing the genre’s rise from King Crimson and Genesis through Pink Floyd and Yes, and debating where the vitality of prog finally gave way to punk, new wave, and beyond.King Crimson – “Fallen Angel” Genesis – “Deep in the Motherlode” Pink Floyd – “Waiting for the Worms” Yes – “Does It Really Happen?” Rush – “The Camera Eye” Learn more

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33:20

History in Five Songs Episode 326: Punk in 1976

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/09/23

In Episode 326 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin tracks the explosive pre-album stirrings of punk—from the Ramones’ debut and the Saints’ first single to the Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, and Damned taking shape—marking the moment the underground coalesced into a global movement.Ramones – “Judy is a Punk” The Saints – “(I’m) Stranded” The Damned – “New Rose” Chris Spedding + The Vibrators – “Pogo Dancing” The Sex Pistols – “Anarchy in the UK” Learn more about your ad

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35:22

History in Five Songs Episode 325: The Cult of Randy...

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/09/16

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–

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35:59

History in Five Songs Episode 324: Happily Fooled by...

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/09/09

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” Learn more about your ad

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36:19

History in Five Songs Episode 323: The Outside...

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/09/02

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" Learn more

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39:19

History in Five Songs Episode 322: The Ideal...

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/08/26

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” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

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