Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In rock, the voice is just as important as any other instrument in the band. But what happens when those vocals begin to fade or even fail? It’s a singer’s worst nightmare. Well, on today’s episode, we’re calling attention to three singers who have had an incredible run, but it may be time to ride off into the sunset. In the words of The Clash… It’s time to ask Should I Stay or Should I Go? On the flip side, we’ve also got three singers who we wish would come back out of retirement… because they called it quits too soon. On this countdown, we’ve got a legendary frontman, David Lee Roth, who fronted Van Halen, who actually retired a few years ago, but then came back… and it hasn’t gone so well. Then there’s Motley Crue, who signed a formal agreement back in 2014 to never tour again… So why are they back on the road? And can anyone even understand what their lead singer, Vince Neil, is singing? You need a translator because the lyrics we all know so well sound like…well, you’ll see! Plus, there’s the iconic frontwoman Kate Bush, who refused to come out of retirement even after her 37-year-old song topped the charts a few years ago. Is there anything we can do to get her back on stage?
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Executive Producer
Brandon Fugal
Honorary Producers
Holly Hammet, Remnarc, Kevin riley, Paul Moore II, CharleyAnne
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Subscribe to the Professor of Rock Podcast
Apple: apple.co/445fVov
Spotify: spoti.fi/42JpfvU
Amazon: amzn.to/44b5D6m
iHeartRadio: bit.ly/444h8MO
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Patreon: bit.ly/ProfessorofRockVIPFan
Merch Store: professor-of-rock-lsn-shop.fourthwall.com
Instagram: bit.ly/Instagram_Professor_of_Rock
#classicrock #80smusic #vinylstory #80srock
Hey Music Junkies, Professor of rock always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time. If you remember the sweet instrumental music of Hill Street Blues coming out of your TV set back in the day, you’ll dig this channel of deep musical nostalgia. Make sure to like, share, comment, and subscribe to keep this channel alive. Okay, so Thematically you could say that today’s countdown is inspired by the Clash’s 1982 punk standard Should I Stay or Should I Go. That’s because we’ve got 3 singers who, in all honesty, need to hang up the mic and ride off into the sunset… and enjoy their retirement. WE love you. You’ve made history! You’re awesome. But it’s time to stop performing live because It might be slowly strangling your legacy. I am calling this category Sunset Singers. Again, I have nothing but love for these legends. They have soundtracked some of the greatest moments of our lives… but please STOP…
For the other half of the countdown, I’m highlighting 3 singers who have a different dilemma. “Should I Stay” in retirement or “should I go” back on stage? I’m calling them comeback singers. And kicking things off at #6… I’ve got a singer that we wish would come out of retirement to sing for us at least one more time. It’s Kate Bush.
Of course, Kate emerged on the scene back in 1978 with her debut single Wuthering Heights… which actually made her the first female artist to achieve a UK #1 with a self-written song. Her early career was defined by a theatrical, avant-garde approach to pop, which resulted in her 1982 masterpiece The Dreaming. This era established her as a pioneer of the Fairlight CMI synthesizer, blending literary themes with complex soundscapes that defied conventional pop formulas. Kate’s commercial and critical peak arrived with 1985’s Hounds of Love, an album that featured “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God).” Kate then released The Sensual World in 1989 and The Red Shoes in 1993.
After that, there was an extended 12-year hiatus between albums before she returned in 2005 with the expansive double-LP Aerial. 6 years later in 2011, she released Director’s Cut, reimagining past tracks, and also 50 Words for Snow, a jazz-tinged, minimalist conceptual work… which is the last studio album to her name. But here's the thing, throughout her extensive career, Kate Bush’s touring has been a bit on the light side. Checking in on setlist.fm, Kate has only 99 performance dates listed since 1977. And she has done just one official concert tour over the course of her nearly 5-decade career… The Tour of Life in 1979. Performing in concert has just never been her thing. Bush’s withdrawal from the road following her 79 Tour is often attributed to a combination of logistical exhaustion and personal tragedy. While that debut tour was a pioneering blend of art, dance, and music… it was also an immense physical and emotional drain.
In rock, the voice is just as important as any other instrument in the band. But what happens when those vocals begin to fade or even fail? It’s a singer’s worst nightmare. Well, on today’s episode, we’re calling attention to three singers who have had an incredible run, but it may be time to ride off into the sunset. In the words of The Clash… It’s time to ask Should I Stay or Should I Go? On the flip side, we’ve also got three singers who we wish would come back out of retirement… because they called it quits too soon. On this countdown, we’ve got a legendary frontman, David Lee Roth, who fronted Van Halen, who actually retired a few years ago, but then came back… and it hasn’t gone so well. Then there’s Motley Crue, who signed a formal agreement back in 2014 to never tour again… So why are they back on the road? And can anyone even understand what their lead singer, Vince Neil, is singing? You need a translator because the lyrics we all know so well sound like…well, you’ll see! Plus, there’s the iconic frontwoman Kate Bush, who refused to come out of retirement even after her 37-year-old song topped the charts a few years ago. Is there anything we can do to get her back on stage?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Executive Producer
Brandon Fugal
Honorary Producers
Holly Hammet, Remnarc, Kevin riley, Paul Moore II, CharleyAnne
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to the Professor of Rock Podcast
Apple: apple.co/445fVov
Spotify: spoti.fi/42JpfvU
Amazon: amzn.to/44b5D6m
iHeartRadio: bit.ly/444h8MO
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patreon: bit.ly/ProfessorofRockVIPFan
Merch Store: professor-of-rock-lsn-shop.fourthwall.com
Instagram: bit.ly/Instagram_Professor_of_Rock
#classicrock #80smusic #vinylstory #80srock
Hey Music Junkies, Professor of rock always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time. If you remember the sweet instrumental music of Hill Street Blues coming out of your TV set back in the day, you’ll dig this channel of deep musical nostalgia. Make sure to like, share, comment, and subscribe to keep this channel alive. Okay, so Thematically you could say that today’s countdown is inspired by the Clash’s 1982 punk standard Should I Stay or Should I Go. That’s because we’ve got 3 singers who, in all honesty, need to hang up the mic and ride off into the sunset… and enjoy their retirement. WE love you. You’ve made history! You’re awesome. But it’s time to stop performing live because It might be slowly strangling your legacy. I am calling this category Sunset Singers. Again, I have nothing but love for these legends. They have soundtracked some of the greatest moments of our lives… but please STOP…
For the other half of the countdown, I’m highlighting 3 singers who have a different dilemma. “Should I Stay” in retirement or “should I go” back on stage? I’m calling them comeback singers. And kicking things off at #6… I’ve got a singer that we wish would come out of retirement to sing for us at least one more time. It’s Kate Bush.
Of course, Kate emerged on the scene back in 1978 with her debut single Wuthering Heights… which actually made her the first female artist to achieve a UK #1 with a self-written song. Her early career was defined by a theatrical, avant-garde approach to pop, which resulted in her 1982 masterpiece The Dreaming. This era established her as a pioneer of the Fairlight CMI synthesizer, blending literary themes with complex soundscapes that defied conventional pop formulas. Kate’s commercial and critical peak arrived with 1985’s Hounds of Love, an album that featured “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God).” Kate then released The Sensual World in 1989 and The Red Shoes in 1993.
After that, there was an extended 12-year hiatus between albums before she returned in 2005 with the expansive double-LP Aerial. 6 years later in 2011, she released Director’s Cut, reimagining past tracks, and also 50 Words for Snow, a jazz-tinged, minimalist conceptual work… which is the last studio album to her name. But here's the thing, throughout her extensive career, Kate Bush’s touring has been a bit on the light side. Checking in on setlist.fm, Kate has only 99 performance dates listed since 1977. And she has done just one official concert tour over the course of her nearly 5-decade career… The Tour of Life in 1979. Performing in concert has just never been her thing. Bush’s withdrawal from the road following her 79 Tour is often attributed to a combination of logistical exhaustion and personal tragedy. While that debut tour was a pioneering blend of art, dance, and music… it was also an immense physical and emotional drain.
