X-Plained - Stories Behind The Songs

Ian Curtis performing live onstage with Joy Division in January 1980

Why Joy Division had to change their name

Joy Division

Bastille

Why are Bastille called Bastille?

Bastille

Kurt Cobain during Nirvana's trip to Japan in February 1992

What Nirvana's Lithium says about religion and mental health

Nirvana

Radiohead - The Bends album cover

What's that on the cover of The Bends by Radiohead?

Radiohead

David Bowie promotes the release of his album Space Oddity in November 1969

How Space Oddity gave David Bowie his first hit

David Bowie

Brandon Flowers of The Killers and Sam Endicott of The Bravery

Why Brandon Flowers "trash-talked" The Bravery

The Killers

Alex Turner Alex Turner performs on stage at the T in the Park festival 2007

How Arctic Monkeys sampled Ennio Morricone in 505

Arctic Monkeys

Liam Gallagher and Noel Gallagher of Oasis perform live at the Melt! Festival in Ferropolis on July 19, 2009

What did Oasis play at their last ever show?

Oasis

Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars in November 1972

Why do bands split up? The stories behind the break-ups

Liam Gallagher in the Oasis video for Songbird

VIDEO: Is Oasis ballad Songbird Liam Gallagher's most honest track?

Oasis

obby Gillespie performing live onstage with Primal Scream

What is the sample at the start of Loaded by Primal Scream?

Primal Scream

The Charlatans, 2017

Where do The Charlatans actually come from?

The Charlatans

Nirvana in 1993

Which Foo Fighters song is about Kurt Cobain?

Foo Fighters

Oasis at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards

Bonehead cried the first time Noel Gallagher played Champagne Supernova

Oasis

The Specials in 1978: Jerry Dammers, Horace Panter, Neville Staple, Terry Hall, Roddy Byers, Lynval Golding and John Bradbury

Why The Specials recorded Ghost Town

Oasis in concert at Loch Lomond, 3 August 1996

Why didn't Liam Gallagher perform on the Oasis MTV Unplugged show?

Oasis

Latest On Radio X

Jarvis Cocker of Pulp and Justine Frischmann of Elastica

If you can get 8/10 of these Britpop lyrics right, we'll be impressed

Quizzes

Dave Grohl performs in Foo Fighters in 1996

Dave Grohl: Being a frontman was "terrifying" for the first 10 years

Foo Fighters

Bob Geldof performs in 1984

Bob Geldof on personal toll of Live Aid: "It probably ended up costing me my marriage."

Music News

Alanis Morissette in her Ironic video

Alanis Morissette talks years of “shaming” over Ironic not being ironic

Music News

Maximo Park and Gorillaz

Only a music genius can score 10/10 on this 2005 lyric quiz!

Quizzes

Live Aid In 1985

Was Live Aid the greatest gig ever?

Latest Videos

Banksy unveils new artwork on the London Underground which supports mask wearing

Banksy's mask-themed artwork removed from London Underground by TfL

News

Chris Moyles and Judge Rob Rinder discuss class and it gets a bit heated

WATCH: Chris Moyles and Judge Rinder debate who's more working class!
This week's mystery guest Ronnie Le Drew talks that naughty episode of Rainbow

WATCH: Zippy star Ronnie Le Drew talks Rainbow's "naughty" episode
Banksy unveils new artwork on the London Underground which supports mask wearing

WATCH: Banksy targets London Underground with artwork supporting mask-wearing

News