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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

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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35:37

History in Five Songs Episode 321: The American...

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/08/19

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” Learn more about your ad

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34:50

History in Five Songs Episode 320: The Curious Chaos...

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/08/12

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

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40:29

History in Five Songs Episode 319: Ozzy’s Long Death...

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/08/05

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 –

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40:23

History in Five Songs Episode 318: Ozzy’s Warnings to...

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/07/29

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” Learn more about your

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37:29

History in Five Songs Episode 317: Non-American Hair...

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/07/22

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 –

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40:48

History in Five Songs Episode 316: Bands Ruined by Funk

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/07/15

Episode 316 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff 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

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37:59

History in Five Songs Episode 315: Metal Classics...

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/07/08

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

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41:46

History in Five Songs Episode 314: When Writing...

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/07/01

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” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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36:00

History in Five Songs Episode 313: What did you do...

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff ·

2025/06/24

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” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

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