In early 1990, Nirvana were ready to start working on their second album. Their label Sub Pop recommended a producer named Butch Vig, who had produced heavier underground bands like Laughing Hyenas and Killdozer. They met up with Butch at his Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin to begin recording, laying down eight tracks before they had to head out on tour for six weeks. When they returned home, they made the difficult decision to fire their drummer Chad Channing.

Around the same time, Kurt and Krist were thinking of leaving Sub Pop, as the label was facing some financial trouble. When it came up that Sub Pop had begun talking to major labels about some kind of deal, Kurt and Krist felt they might be better off just signing directly to a major label.

While in L.A. for label meetings they caught a gig by a punk band called Scream. Kurt and Krist were impressed with their drummer Dave Grohl and they kept in touch. When Scream broke up, not long after, they called up Dave to fly out to Seattle and jam with them. Within two minutes of playing, they knew Nirvana had found their new drummer.

Gary Gersh at Geffen Records was one of the record executives looking to sign Nirvana. He had seen them play in New York with Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, who Gersh had signed to the label. Thanks to their encouragement, Geffen signed Nirvana to a deal on April 30, 1991.

Nirvana managed to convince their new label that Butch Vig was still the best producer for the next album, and with a budget of $65,000, they headed to Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California to make it.

This is the story of lead single Smells Like Teen Spirit, with newly unearthed audio from the band!

Written by Cam Lindsay for iHeartRadio Canada.

You know, one hit wonders get a bad rap.

Chumbawumba’s Tubthumping, Crazy Town’s Butterfly, Snow’s Informer, - heck even Plain White Ts’ Hey There Delilah are just a few examples off the top of my head of gimmicky little songs that were the hottest songs in music for a number of weeks or months, from bands and artists that could have been all the rage - but fizzled out of the mainstream after just a single, solitary hit.

With that fizzling out often comes a sort of cultural negativity - like “oh you liked that song? Gross - They’re a total flop.

And yes I know - plenty of artists have gone on to create cult-followings post their mass-appeal ‘moment-in-the-sun’, and not everyone can or even wants to be Taylor Swift; but in a way, that’s kind of my point!

A hit is a hit, and most of these artists shouldn’t be written off as ones who simply didn’t have what it takes; and certainly shouldn’t be maligned musically.

Not for nothing, I’m willing to bet that at almost any wedding you’ve ever been to - some of the biggest cheers of the night came when the DJ dropped the needle on a one hit wonder. And sure - you can chalk a bit of it up to a carefree mix of booze and irony, but even a guilty pleasure is one that brings joy.

One such example of a ‘one hit wonder’ by an artist that truly deserves their flowers is Vanessa Carlton’s quirky 2002 piano hit ‘A Thousand Miles’; and that is exactly what we’re going to do today.

This is the story of A Thousand Miles with newly unearthed audio from Vanessa Carlton herself.

How many Shanias do you know of? Is there such a thing as another Shania? Because when you say the name Shania, there really is just the one.

Shania Twain is without a doubt the greatest Canadian country singer of all time and arguably the person responsible for helping country music cross over into the mainstream - but her journey was not an easy one - and... her name wasn't always even Shania!

This is the story of Shania Twain's 'Man I Feel Like A Woman' with newly unearthed audio from Shania herself.

Written by Cam Lindsay for iHeartRadio Canada

Is there anything better than a song that pops up on the radio, a bar or a club - or even unexpectedly in a playlist, and it just makes you happy?

I mean, I know we’re in the business of documenting hit songs here on encore - but I’d argue that the first seconds - scratch that - milliseconds of Sean Paul’s super-hit Get Busy are some of the most euphoric moments in all of music.

There’s just something about that call-to-action ‘Shake that thing’ intro, the doubling up of syllables in Kana-Kana, and Ana-Bella that captivates you - even before the rhythm hits.

I bet - and I totally didn’t research this - Get Busy is the most fully listened to three minutes and thirty seconds in all of music; because once you press play - there ain’t no WAY you’re shutting the song off until it’s over.

This is the story of Sean Paul's Get Busy - with newly unearthed audio from Sean Paul!

Written by Clayton Taylor for iHeartRadio Canada

What would you say is the greatest music video ever made?

Rolling Stone argues that it’s “Formation” by Beyoncé for its statement on black American history. Esquire says it’s “Weapon of Choice” by Fatboy Slim. You know the one where Christopher Walken dances and levitates? Sure, that’s fun.

The AV Club insists that it’s “Sledgehammer” by Peter Gabriel, which for years was revered for its groundbreaking stop-motion animation. All of those publications picked great videos, but they are also just flat out wrong. Because the answer to that question is easily and without a doubt “Sabotage” by Beastie Boys. Yes it’s incredibly goofy and sure, it might seem insignificant compared to something like “Formation,” but it’s “Sabotage”! By Beastie Boys!

But “Sabotage” isn’t just a music video. It’s also a total banger that still feels fresh and relevant after 30 years. It helped influence the rap-rock revolution of the late ‘90s, it provided countless memorable moments in film and television, and it brought the Beastie Boys back into the mainstream after they nearly sabotaged their own careers in the late 1980s. See what I did there?

This is the story of Beastie Boys' Sabotage, with newly unearthed footage from the band themselves.

The Strokes… Music’s coolest ‘The’ Band of the early 21st century.

Along with Sweden’s The Hives, Australia’s The Vines, and Detroit’s The White Stripes - The Strokes almost certainly had no intention of getting looped into the phenomenon of wispy haired indie rock bands that all seemed to break out between the summers of 2001 and 2002; because - if we’re being honest - they didn’t exactly have what you might call an indie origin story.

Formed in New York City in as early as 1997 by Frontman Julian Casablancas, Guitarist Nick Valensi and Drummer Fabrizio Moretti at the illustrious Dwight Private School (which lists Truman Capote and Paris Hilton as Alumni) the trio would quickly recruit friend Nikolai Fraiture to play bass with them, as well as Guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. in ‘98. Hammond Jr. had just relocated to New York from Los Angeles by way of Switzerland, where he was childhood friends with Julian Casablancas - at - you guessed it - an even more illustrious Private Boarding School.

Within less than 3 years, The Strokes would completely re-define what it would mean to be a trendy modern rock band - and they did it mostly on the back of this hit single; This is the story of The Strokes Last Nite, with newly unearthed audio from the band!

Welcome to Season SEVEN of Encore with brand new host, Ruby Carr!

Boy bands - they really don’t get much cred for being musicians, performers, and entertainers, am i right? From the Jackson 5 in the mid-1960s to the current global phenomenon that is K-pop, boy bands have been a big moneymaker in music for decades now. But at the same time, they have also been subjected to plenty of ridicule, disparagement and even hatred while girl groups like Destiny’s Child, Spice Girls and TLC have earned respect and admiration for their empowering and inspirational music.

Some even say that the 'Boy Band' was essentially a music industry creation with the sole purpose of capitalizing on the love and devotion of young girls and their allowances. The boys in these bands were almost always reduced to being puppets to just sing and dance to music that was mostly written, recorded and - to use a dirty industry term - “manufactured” by professional songwriters and musicians. This music was designed to be a perfect product that girls of the tween and teen variety couldn’t resist.

HOWEVER… there is one song that goes against the grain, that breaks all the rules, and for the past quarter century that has been an exception to everything I just said. It is a song that had the likes of grown men like Adam Sandler, Paul Rudd, Jerry Seinfeld and Jon Hamm singing along to it on live television like true stans when it was performed at the Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary concert this past February. It has been used countless times in movies and TV shows, covered, sampled and parodied to no end.

Let's face it, because you can’t deny it, it is the one true boy band song that virtually everyone on Earth gives a pass to - Even more so, it’s a song that everyone flat out loves - whether they will admit it or not. That song is “I Want It That Way” by Backstreet Boys.

With Newly Unearthed audio from the Backstreet Boys & a NEW Interview with Howie D!

It's the Best of Encore Seasons 1-6 with a jam-packed Vocal Powerhouses BOXSET.

Listen to 4 episodes of Encore featuring the stories behind Mariah Carey's We Belong Together, Amy Winehouse's Rehab, Adele's Rolling in the Deep, and Lady Gaga's Bad Romance.

Listen to NEW Episodes of Encore: The Stories Behind The Songs You Love every Thursday on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your Podcasts coming soon!