Video summary

Song is SO DEPRESSING…100s Have Taken Their Life After HEARING it... Including the Singer...

Main summary

Key takeaways

News and Commentary

Overview

The video is a “Professor Rock” themed compilation episode—a countdown of 9 “greatest song stories” from rock/pop history—framed as a celebration of the channel reaching 1.5 million subscribers. The host presents stories that are sometimes familiar and sometimes framed as newly uncovered details, emphasizing how major hits often emerged from accidents, unusual creative choices, or unexpected circumstances.

Key Stories and Main Takeaways (Countdown)

#9 — “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” (Iron Butterfly)

  • Written by organist Doug Ingle, allegedly while drunk (he’s said to have had “a gallon of Red Mountain wine”).
  • When Ingle sang “in the garden of Eden,” drummer Ron Bushy transcribed what sounded like nonsense—creating the famous, garbled title.
  • The band recorded an unplanned 17-minute jam, with tape rolling during soundcheck; this became the core of the song/album experience.
  • A shortened single charted, while the full version drove major album sales.

#8 — “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” (The Tokens)

  • Explained as a Zulu song (“Mbube”) adapted into a pop hit with new English lyrics.
  • The crucial moment centers on soprano/backup singer Anita Darian, who needed an octave higher than expected.
    • Producers doubted it, but her unusually wide range and her overdub “changed everything.”
  • The song initially underperformed as a B-side, then took off after DJs flipped the record.

#7 — “Don’t You Forget About Me” (Simple Minds)

  • Written for the Breakfast Club movie by Steve Schiff, with special focus on Keith Forsey.
  • Reportedly rejected by multiple artists before being taken up—after Chrissie Hynde encouraged her husband Jim Kerr (Simple Minds) to try it, despite the band’s songwriting purist mindset.
  • The recording process is said to have taken only hours once it went from demo rejection to studio execution.

#6 — “House at Pooh Corner” (Kenny Loggins)

  • Centers on copyright/legal trouble, with Disney claiming rights to the name “Pooh Corner.”
  • Loggins relays that a Disney attorney issue prevented release, but his situation changed because he was dating the daughter of Disney’s CEO, who intervened.

#5 — AC/DC & Bon Scott’s Breakthrough

  • After Dave Evans left, AC/DC needed a new frontman.
  • Bon Scott had a severe crash/coma-like period following an incident after an argument with his previous band.
  • During recovery, he ended up as a roadie/driver, met AC/DC after they doubted him, and bonded through a late-night jam.
  • The resulting connection helped form the lineup that became legendary.

#4 — “Suicide Is Painless” (MASH)

  • Presented as the haunting TV theme behind MASH.
  • Origin traced to the 1970 MASH movie:
    • Composed by Johnny Mandel
    • Lyrics by Mike Altman (teenage son of director Robert Altman)
  • Robert Altman allegedly wanted the lyrics to be “stupidest” to match the film’s satirical approach, so he asked his teen son.
  • The instrumental opening is credited with helping set the tone for TV, even if the lyrics weren’t used as-is.

#3 — “Gloomy Sunday” (Rezso Seress)

  • Framed as a “cursed song” story with a darker tone.
  • Rezso Seress, a Hungarian trapeze artist/pianist, composed the work after a near-fatal fall left him with a permanent hand injury.
  • He used whistled melodies to compose.
  • The melody was paired with lyrics about heartbreak and suicide, later gaining fame as the “Hungarian Suicide Song” after reports tied it to self-inflicted deaths.
  • Background and later life:
    • Deported during WWII due to Jewish heritage
    • Survived, later lived in Budapest
    • The video depicts him ultimately attempting suicide, then dying by choking himself with a wire while hospitalized
  • The video presents the narrative as creepy and cautionary.

#2 — “The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet” / Like the Wind

  • A long-running mystery about an unidentified track recorded on an 1980s cassette by a teenager named Darius, taken from North German radio.
  • Attempts to identify it failed for years, eventually forming a global sleuth community (including Reddit activity by 2019).
  • The breakthrough is dated to November 2024, when an archive search referenced a band (Facts from Kiel).
  • Investigation led to former members who confirmed the song and provided proof:
    • original recordings
    • performances
    • photos
    • statements
  • The video claims the group reunited and performed it on the same radio station in Kiel nearly 40 years later.

#1 — “Incense and Peppermints” (Strawberry Alarm Clock)

  • Presented as the “coolest” story:
    • The band’s psychedelic hit was originally intended as a B-side.
    • Lyric “madness” was produced using a rhyming dictionary.
  • The band allegedly struggled to find a lead vocalist, so producer Frank Slay turned to Greg Munford, a teenage friend/onlooker at the studio.
  • Munford’s voice “clicked,” leading to the hit.
  • After success, Munford reportedly pursued formal education in music composition/musicology rather than long-term stardom.
  • Mark Weitz (co-founder) is quoted saying Munford was chosen over band members because he sounded “right.”

Presenters / Contributors (Mentioned in the Video)

  • Professor Rock (host/presenter)
  • Kenny Loggins (contributor via quoted storytelling)
  • Chrissie Hynde (mentioned as key participant)
  • Jim Kerr (mentioned as key participant)
  • Mark Weitz (Strawberry Alarm Clock co-founder; quoted contributor)
  • Greg Munford (singer; described as contributor/subject of #1)
  • Doug Ingle, Ron Bushy, Don Casale (contributors to #9)
  • Jay Siegel, Phil Margo, Mitch Margo, Anita Darian, Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, George David Weiss (contributors to #8)
  • Steve Schiff, Keith Forsey, John Hughes (contributors to #7)
  • Bon Scott, Malcolm Young, Angus Young, Dave Evans, Vince Lovegrove (contributors to #5)
  • Johnny Mandel, Mike Altman, Robert Altman (contributors to #4)
  • Rezso Seress (composer/subject of #3)
  • Darius, Lydia, Merz 1412, Michael Haedrich, Tor Rerup Vardt, Norbert Sermann (contributors to #2)

Original video