Simon Young

How one Canadian punk band turned a life-altering diagnosis into an anthem of resilience

By Simon Young published 22 March 26

Billy Talent drummer Aaron Solowoniuk told fans he was the subject of the song, This Is How It Goes

The story behind the troubled birth of Foo Fighters' second album, The Colour And The Shape

By Simon Young published 18 March 26

Despite countless setbacks and obstacles, Dave Grohl emerged from Kurt Cobain's shadow with a clutch of songs that primed Foo Fighters for stadiums

How a punk legend helped resurrect the career of an American icon in less than half an hour

By Simon Young published 15 March 26

Glenn Danzig wrote Thirteen for Johnny Cash's 1994 album American Recordings

The story behind the weirdest track on Pearl Jam's album Vitalogy – and it's not Bugs

By Simon Young published 14 March 26

The story behind the weirdest track on their third album Vitalogy – and it's not Bugs

The Bronx once turned down a pile of money to wear chicken masks for a fast food advert

By Simon Young published 14 March 26

The Bronx kept their punk rock cred intact, while the Coq Roq commercial caught the eye of Slipknot's legal team

How an email rant inspired a song worth a billion streams and picked up some iconic fans along the way

By Simon Young published 8 March 26

When the world felt very unstable in 2001, Jimmy Eat World delivered the feel good hit of the autumn

The story behind Miss Murder by AFI

By Simon Young published 7 March 26

AFI's 2006 single Miss Murder was even a Top 5 hit in Venezuela

Fishbone had the world at their feet. Then their guitarist joined a religious cult

By Simon Young published 1 March 26

This is the most unhinged chapter in Fishbone's decades-long career of funk-metal mayhem

"I could feel the power behind me and it was like being in front of a locomotive." The Swedish metal icons whose biggest hit was so confusing even Metallica's Kirk Hammett struggled to keep up

By Simon Young published 28 February 26

It's safe to day that even the most patient music teacher struggle to explain the polyrhythms that provide the backbone of this Meshuggah classic

“I think I have 11 counts of breaking and entering on my criminal record": How Nickelback's nostalgic Photograph spawned a flood of memes and the unwanted attention from a soon-to-be-impeached American President

By Simon Young published 21 February 26

This 2005 Nickelback hit single just won't go away, so you may as well read about it

"When it ended, I asked, “Do you hate it?” How an old rap-rock demo, a Chris Farley skit and an all-star jam helped turn one Canadian pop-punk band into megastars

By Simon Young published 15 February 26

Deryck Whibley said Sum 41's breakthrough hit was kicking around for 18 months

How an irate producer and 'Chris Rock' convinced Beastie Boys to finish what would be their biggest-ever song

By Simon Young published 14 February 26

Listen all of y'all, it's a Sabotage story behind the song

How living in a rat-infested squat helped turn Green Day into one of the world's biggest bands

By Simon Young published 7 February 26

While West Oakland in the late 80s sounded like a sketchy place to live, it inspired a pop punk classic

How Queens of the Stone Age got a metal legend to sing on a single US radio would not touch

By Simon Young published 4 February 26

Feel Good Hit of the Summer was a commercial flop but became an instant, messy classic

How pockets of mindless violence inspired the most important 63 seconds of punk ever

By Simon Young published 31 January 26

Even 45 years after its release, this 1981 single remains depressingly relevant today

"Quite simply, one of the very best British bands of the past three decades." Every Biffy Clyro album ranked from worst to best

By Simon Young published 22 December 25

'Mon the Biff!