Coming up, we're counting down the greatest albums of music’s greatest year, 1984... fueled by a barrage of powder kegs, including a full-on brawl between two rock icons after James Hetfield kicked Dave Mustaine's pet dog. Then there was Mutt Lange, the perfectionist producer whose drive and ambition took The Cars to the top of the charts, but drove them so hard it broke them up for good. Plus, the most haunting song of the decade by The Smiths that I guarantee will give you nightmares. Plus, the genius rocker Prince, who deleted the bass track from When Doves Cry, and it made it legendary. Plus Born in the USA, a song that may be the most misunderstood hit of all time, and another one, Summer of 69, that we all thought was completely innocent as kids, but once we got to a certain age, realized it was really dirty. And finally, the stellar rock band The Replacements, whose frontman was so worried about selling out, he ruined any chance they had at greatness. These stories, and more, on our countdown of the Top 10 Albums of 1984…NEXT…on Professor of Rock!

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Coming up, it really is our Final Yearly Songs Countdown…and we end with a bang. One of the best years ever. A year where Beck, the worst rapper in history, created the best rock song of the year: Loser. Plus the gorgeous pixie with the voice of an angel, Dolores O'Riordan, who went scorched earth on Zombie, a song with a vocal that blew up the radio but was never released as a single, even though it’s one of the most-streamed songs ever! Plus Collective Soul and Shine's classic rock chorus that came from Ed Roland singing through a roll of toilet paper. Plus Lisa Loeb, who gave her demo of Stay (I Missed You) to an actor who snuck it into his new movie. The film blew up, and the song went to #1 overnight, and Lisa didn’t even have a record deal! Plus, the indigenous chant that got sampled by an unlikely hit, Return to Innocence, that became the strangest hit of the year. Plus Stone Temple Pilots' classic hit Interstate Love Song, which was written on walkie-talkies while the band was separated on touring buses driving down the road... And the most iconic song phrase of the year, "Black Hole Sun," that came from Chris Cornell mishearing a word in a news report. It's a year of classics next on Professor of Rock.

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Coming up, Kiss, the hard rock band whose career was saved by a cheesy ballad written by a man who became a punchline due to a joke in the comedy film Office Space. After hitting it big in the 70s as one of the most iconic rock bands of the time, Kiss hit a wall and couldn’t buy a hit. So they made a bold move. They unveiled the mystery behind what had made them household names... their faces. The problem is it didn’t work and sent them into a tailspin. Some say it became a curse... Could they break it? Finally, after 12 years without a hit, Kiss released Forever, a power ballad that scorched the charts. But the song was released under a heavy dispute between a Glam Rock God and the King of early 90s Soft Rock. The Co-writing credits read that both wrote the power ballad, but what was the real story? Who really wrote it, and did they sell out for one more shot at the title? It's a story of platinum and cheese next on Professor of Rock.

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