As the media and self-anointed "slackers" christened Generation X at the start of the '90s, hair-metal and new wave acts all but disappeared in favor of an alternative nation that elected Kurt Cobain t …

Wanna know how open-minded modern rock was during the '90s? Aside from welcoming the frenzied synth pop of acid freaks ("Pepper," the sudden breakthrough of the Butthole Surfers after more than a decad …

Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get it On" may be one of Motown's best-selling singles ever, but let's be honest - when it comes to honeymoon romance, what really counts is that the song is hot. Really hot. hot.  …

Public figures' private loss led to two quintessential songs of mourning and faith in Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven" (written with lyricist Will Jennings after the fatal fall of Clapton's four-year-o …

The West, particularly the romanticized West of our imagination, Zane Grey novels, and Hollywood cowboy epics, inspired some of our most talented musicians to set themselves a task thorny as a Saguaro  …

It's one of the great American art forms, a magical mixture of sound and vision that has shaped our cultural landscape from the time when movies started singing nearly a century ago, right up to the pr …

A truly Essential movie-musical moment calls for a great song, sure, but it also takes a larger-than-life personality to put it over on that big screen. Someone like Carmen Miranda, the Brazilian bombs …

Something's really upsetting the very vocal star of the hair-raising "Scream" sound effect. Maybe she just realized she forgot to download our perfect Essentials playlist of Scary Sound Effects. …

Are you in the house alone? Then for goodness sake, don't listen to "Telephone Call Hang Up," 'cause it'll freak you out. Feeling a little queasy? By all means, avoid the nauseating zombie feast of "Fl …