Love it or loathe it, disco was the musical phenomenon of its era... in America, anyway. But disco also brought R&B finally into America's living rooms, romanticized soul, revived an earlier era of ballroom dancing, reduced funk to the basics, and birthed the entire world of modern dance music. Read all about disco -- the hits, the history, and the histrionics -- in my latest Ultimate Guide.

The "national anthem of Halloween" may be the most popular song of the costuming season, but, as this history proves, it only got that way with a lot of help. Wondering how the Hollywood Argyles' "Alley Oop," Ronny and the Daytonas, and Leon Russell fit into the picture? Curious as to how it almost never saw the light of day? Wondering what Boris Karloff and Elvis thought of it? Look no further. Read the story of "Monster Mash" here.

The latest in a series of song histories based on the classic tunes in the video game The Beatles: Rock Band... this one may be the title track from the most famous album of all time, but it wasn't even written when the album's recording began, and it wasn't part of a medley yet, either! But, hey, how many songs with French horn quartets does Jimi Hendrix bother to learn, anyway? Read a detailed breakdown of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" in my latest Beatles fact sheet.

She's already been nominated once for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and may very well finally get in come 2010. But if you don't watch David Letterman (or the Lethal Weapon movies, for that matter) you may still not be familiar with Darlene, who's only one of Phil Spector's favorite female vocalists and arguably the finest girl-group singer of all time. Learn all about Darlene Love in my latest profile.