Adam Lambert's 'Whole Lotta Love': The Story Behind The Cover

Glam rocker tackled the legendary 1970 Led Zeppelin song for 'American Idol' rock night.
By Gil Kaufman


Adam Lambert performs "Whole Lotta Love" on "American Idol" on Tuesday
Photo: R. Mickshaw/Getty Images/ Fox

Imagine a freight train speeding toward you at midnight. Or a rockslide barreling down a hill as you try to outrace it. That's the feeling of the ominous, chugging Jimmy Page riff that kicks off Led Zeppelin's 1970 Stonehenge of rock, "Whole Lotta Love." And that's before singer Robert Plant leans into one of the nastiest, ecstatic rock screams this side of the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again."

That's the song Adam Lambert chose to sing on "American Idol" rock night Tuesday (May 5), and, needless to say, it was a challenge that the eyeliner-loving Los Angeles stage veteran was more than up for, hitting a series of high notes and rock screams that would have made Plant proud. It was a risky maneuver that paid off for Lambert, who chose a tune that came in at #75 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004.

The legendary British rock act recorded the tribute to Chicago blues icon Willie Dixon during their second U.S. tour after working it out in their live show, including it on their 1969 classic album Led Zeppelin II. Like many of the songs Zeppelin performed early in their career, "Love" was a blues standard turned on its head with a heavy dose of crunching psychedelic guitar and thundering drums, courtesy of late drummer John Bonham. The song was based on a 1962 tune by another blues forefather, Muddy Waters, called "You Need Love," which was penned by Dixon.

For Zeppelin's version, Plant customized the lyrics by adding some lyrical quotes from a few other songs Dixon wrote for Howlin' Wolf, "Back Door Man" and "Shake For Me," nailing the tricky vocal in a single take. It was also inspired by 1966's "You Need Loving" from the British rock group the Small Faces, for whom Zeppelin had great affection, but they also did not credit Dixon for his part in writing the original lyrics. The song became Zeppelin's first U.S. single and their only U.S. top 10 hit. Though their manager would not let them release singles in the U.K. because he thought it cannibalized album sales, the song was finally released as the band's only British single in 1997.

Dixon sued Zeppelin over the song in 1985, claiming it borrowed too heavily from his "You Need Love," and Zeppelin reached an agreement with him, with Dixon using the money he received to set up a program that provided musical instruments for schools. A cornerstone of heavy rock, the tune -- which was the theme song for the long-running British countdown show "Top of the Pops" in the 1970s and '80s -- has been covered by dozens of artists over the years, from Tina Turner and Ben Harper to Prince, Slash, Leona Lewis, Train's Pat Monahan, the London Symphony Orchestra and Jane's Addiction.

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1610709/adam-lamberts-whole-lotta-love-story-behind-cover.jhtml

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Michael Jackson's 'Thriller': Story Behind The 'Glee' Cover

MJ classic is mashed up with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 'Heads Will Roll' for post-Super Bowl episode.
By Aly Semigran


"Glee"
Photo: FOX

Madonna, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and now, finally, Michael Jackson. The cast of "Glee" has covered plenty of icons during their first two seasons, but it's taken 33 episodes to get around to the King of Pop.

With a huge catalog of Jackson songs, the singing, dancing students of McKinley High paid homage to the late singer with one of his biggest staples (and, arguably, the greatest music video of all time) with their take on "Thriller."

The groundbreaking single from Jackson's best-selling album of the same name was mashed up with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Heads Will Roll" for the post-Super Bowl episode (titled "The Sue Sylvester Bowl Shuffle"), featuring a zombie-fied "Glee" cast.

Bound to become a smash all over again (though with its nonstop rotation at Halloween parties and wedding receptions until the end of time, it's never truly gone away), here's a brief history of the dance/pop classic.

Released on January 23, 1984, "Thriller" was the seventh, and final, single to be released from Jackson's smash record. According to the RIAA, the album (released by Epic Records) has gone gold 29 times, narrowly edging out the Eagles' Greatest Hits 1971-1975 for the title of best-selling album of all time.

In 2009, MTV News estimated that the Thriller album was poised to go triple diamond, meaning 30 million records sold in the U.S. alone.

After Thriller's other singles (including "Billie Jean," "Beat It" and "Wanna Be Startin' Something") dominated the charts, it was time for the spooky, undeniably original track to take over. The song "Thriller" also appeared on many of Jackson's other albums, including the compilations HIStory and Number Ones.

Clocking in at a little under six minutes (though the radio edit was closer to four-and-a-half), the song features pop-music mainstays like synthesizers but shakes things up with its spooky sound effects, including creaking floors, howling and thunder.

The song was produced by Quincy Jones and written and composed by Rod Tempterton and spent 14 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #4.

But it's the music video for "Thriller" that truly made it the phenomenon it was in the '80s and continues to be today. Less a music video than a mini-motion picture, the video (over 13 minutes long and directed by John Landis) won three MTV Video Music Awards and has been named the best music video of all time by many outlets, including VH1 for the special "VH1: 100 Greatest Videos."

The chiller features Jackson in that iconic red leather jacket on a date with his girlfriend (played by Ola Ray) before things go terribly awry. After all, as Jackson (whose disclaimer at the start of the video reads, "This film in no way endorses a belief in the occult") sings in the opening line, "It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark." Cue werewolves, zombies, Vincent Price's soliloquy and one of the most memorable dance sequences ever.

The video was (no pun intended) a monster hit. As the Los Angeles Times notes, "At the height of the song's popularity, MTV would run the 14-minute 'Thriller' video twice an hour."

Choreographed by Jackson and Michael Peters (who, as the LA Times also reported, appears in the video as one of the zombies) and with makeup by Oscar-winner Rick Baker (also an undead "Thriller" extra) was made with a huge budget of an estimated $500,000.

Still, the efforts paid off. Landis (who told the "Today" show back in 2009 that no one wanted to give them the funds to make the risky vid) made the accompanying 45-minute documentary about the venture, called "The Making of Thriller." Featuring the behind-the-scenes wizardry, as well as the music video in full, it would go on to move more than 10 million copies.

Since then, the signature song and video have seen their share fair of tributes in movies (notably in the 2004 comedy"13 Going on 30") and TV ("South Park," "Family Guy," "30 Rock," among others), not to mention the countless flash mobs that have gone viral. (Remember the prisoners in the Philippines who became overnight phenomenons on YouTube?)

Even with the "Glee" number, this likely won't be the last incarnation of "Thriller." Billboard reported in October that a "Thriller" film is in the works. With a plot allegedly revolving around Price's narration, Kenny Ortega, who directed Jackson's last effort, "This Is It," will reportedly helm the project.

Since Jackson's untimely passing on June 25, 2009, the song and video's legacy continue to live on. In the week following Jackson's death, "Thriller" was the best-selling track in the U.S., with sales of 167,000 copies on the Billboard Hot Digital Singles chart.

Then, in December 2009, "Thriller" was the first music video to ever be inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. It seems "no mere mortal can resist ... the thriller" after all.

What did you think of the "Thriller" mash-up on "Glee"? Let us know in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1657395/glee-thriller.jhtml

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Kim Kardashian & Kris Humphries Celebrate in Monaco

Kim Kardashian & Kris Humphries Celebrate in Monaco

During the past six months, Kris Humphries has done a pretty decent job of keeping up with fiancee Kim Kardashian's relatives. Now, it's finally time for Kim to clock some hours with her husband-to-be's clan.

Kardashian and Humphries jetted off to Monaco on Thursday, to celebrate their engagement with the basketball star's family. "I wanted to propose before the trip so we could really spend some quality time together with my family as a couple," Humphries, 26, told People. "I planned it out this way." 

"We're celebrating...on a family vacation with them," Kardashian chimed in.

While Kim soaks up some fun in the sun with the Humphries, there's already plenty of wedding talk going on back home. The reality star's sisters, Kourtney and Khloe, have been chatting non-stop about the upcoming nups, telling iVillage that there will be an all-out brawl if Kim were to pick one sister over the over to be her maid of honor.

"If she does pick one of us, there's going to be a war between Kourtney and I," Khloe said. And Kourtney and I don't really fight that often, so that won't be good."

Kim and Kris became engaged last weekend, after he surprised her with a proposal and a killer 20.5 diamond carat engagement ring.

 

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/kim-kardashian-kris-humphries-celebrate-monaco/1-a-353623

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Matthew Modine's Dark Knight Rises Role Revealed!

It's like a puzzle! Piece by piece, we're getting more and more information about the plot of this movie! Matthew Modine was recently announced as the latest actor to the join the cast of The Dark Knight Rises, and sources close to the production have revealed that he will be portraying a "politician and a key villain" [...]

Source: http://perezhilton.com/2011-05-30-matthew-modines-dark-knight-rises-role-revealed

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Jennifer Lawrence Talks Training To Play Katniss Everdeen In 'Hunger Games'

'I've done archery for about six weeks, rock climbing, tree climbing and combat and running and vaulting,' star tells MTV News.
By Kara Warner, with reporting by Josh Horowitz


Jennifer Lawrence
Photo: MTV News

For all the "The Hunger Games" fans out there — and we're talking about those who've been onboard since reading (and likely becoming obsessed with) author Suzanne Collins' spellbinding dystopian trilogy — the news surrounding Lionsgate's big-screen adaptation has been almost as intriguing as the books themselves.

MTV News has been hot on the trail of as many details we can muster, and we were lucky enough to chat recently with the young woman who will be Katniss Everdeen, Jennifer Lawrence, about landing the coveted role.

"I was a huge fan of the books before I even really knew about the movies," Lawrence said. "I met with [director] Gary Ross, and we had a very long, nice meeting before the audition," she explained. "And then by the time the audition came around, we were familiar with each other."

Lawrence also spoke about the intense amount of training she's undergone to prepare for Katniss' intense action sequences.

"It's lots of training, but the training is actually really fun," she revealed. "I've done archery for about six weeks, rock climbing, tree climbing and combat and running and vaulting," she said. "Also yoga and things like that to stay cat-like."

The 20-year-old has also addressed the group of folks who took to the Internet to express their less-than-pleased opinions about Lawrence's casting as Katniss.

"I wasn't aware that everybody was so upset until I after I got my hair dyed, and people were like, 'Oh my gosh, blond hair can turn brown. Wow. It's a miracle,' " she joked. "So now is the only time that I'm being told that people hated me at first."

Check out everything we've got on "The Hunger Games."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1664588/jennifer-lawrence-katniss-everdeen-hunger-games.jhtml

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Windows Phone 7: A Smart Cell Phone for Busy Parents

Courtesy Windows In this age of everyone and their uncle owning a smart phone it can be pretty tricky to know what kind to get. So many choices, so little time, right? Well, maybe it will help if we tell you that we?ve never seen a phone that?s more fun than a Windows Phone 7. [...]

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/H_PwyLtefrM/

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