For many years, superhero movies have been all the rage at the theaters. Droves of fans line up to watch the origin stories of their favorite characters come to life on the big screen. But Spider-Man and Batman aren’t the only people to boast interesting beginnings.
Here below, we wanted to dive into the origin stories of three of our favorite classic rock bands. When you do that, you never know what you might uncover. Indeed, these are three classic rock groups that secretly started as punk bands.
Videos by American Songwriter
R.E.M.
If you associate R.E.M. with the 1980s, there’s a good reason why. The group’s two core members met in an Athens, Georgia, record shop in January of 1980 and quickly formed a relationship based on their shared love of punk rock and proto-punk music. They loved bands like The Velvet Underground and Patti Smith. In the band’s early years during the mid-1980s, they even toured with punk groups, including Minutemen. While today, R.E.M. is known for alternative rock songs like “Losing My Religion”, they kicked it all off with roots in punk.
Talking Heads
When you listen to Talking Heads today, you can hear a great deal of musical influences. If you put on, say, Stop Making Sense (1984), you can hear rock, funk, disco, and punk rock roots. That’s because the group—and its lead vocalist, David Byrne—grew up amidst that milieu. The Talking Heads’ core members of Byrne, bassist Tina Weymouth, and drummer Chris Frantz, met in school in Rhode Island, and later they moved to New York City, where they immersed themselves in the burgeoning punk and rock scenes. In 1977, the group released their debut LP, Talking Heads: 77, which included the hit, “Psycho Killer”. How punk is that?
Blondie
Speaking of the 1970s and New York City, another all-time group came up during the time, combining punk elements with classic rock, disco, and even hip-hop. Fronted by the glamorous Debbie Harry, Blondie released their self-titled LP in 1976. You can hear the punk influences on the fast-paced tracks like “X Offender”. You can feel the punk vibes in Harry’s energy. Blondie knew how to absorb all their influences and turn them into something special.
Photo by Linda D. Robbins/Getty Images
More The List
-
CIRCA 1966: Singer Mick Jagger of the rock and roll band "The Rolling Stones" performs onstage in circa 1966. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
Aerosmith Aerosmith, Steven Tyler, Vorst-Nationaal, Brussels, Belgium, 31st October 1993. (Photo by Goedefroit Music/Getty Images) -
UNSPECIFIED – JANUARY 01: John LENNON between 1970 and 1973. (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images) -
1972: (L-R) Jim Hodder, David Palmer, Denny Dias, Donald Fagen, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and Walter Becker of the rock band "Steely Dan" pose for a portrait in 1972. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images -
Kyu Sakamoto. (1941-1985) Japanese singer, best known outside Japan for his international hit song "Ue o Muite Aruko" (known as "Sukiyaki" in English-speaking markets), which was sung in Japanese and sold over 13 million copies. It reached number one in the United States Billboard Hot 100 in June 1963, making Sakamoto the first Asian recording artist to have a number one song on the chart. (Photo by Sjöberg Bildbyrå/ullstein bild via Getty Images) -
Picture taken in 1974 in Stockholm shows the Swedish pop group Abba with its members (L-R) Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Faltskog and Bjorn Ulvaeus posing after winning the Swedish branch of the Eurovision Song Contest with their song "Waterloo". – Sweden's legendary disco group ABBA announced on April 27, 2018 that they have reunited to record two new songs, 35 years after their last single. The quartet split up in 1982 after dominating the disco scene for more than a decade with hits like "Waterloo", "Dancing Queen", "Mamma Mia" and "Super Trouper". (Photo by Olle LINDEBORG / TT News Agency / AFP) / Sweden OUT (Photo credit should read OLLE LINDEBORG/AFP via Getty Images)
