McFerrin's new album coverFor a while in the '90s, before the public knew to turn to Snopes.com on such matters, an urban legend persisted that the song's originator, Bobby McFerrin, had committed suicide. Surely a song that cheerful could only lead to a heavily ironic end, no?

The No. 1 hit that won the Record and Song of the Year awards at the 1989 Grammys also began turning up in strangely post-apocalyptic contexts. It was used in the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead, and in Wall-E, where the title robot has a Big Mouth Billy Bass mounted fish that sings McFerrin's jolly tune amid the dystopian depression. There was only one explanation for this: The song made people so unbearably happy that the only antidote was to associate it with deep unhappiness, whether that involved suicide or the end of the world.

There might be a noise ordinance at your favorite relaxing vacation spot, but there’s nothing stopping you from taking a rock book to the beach and cranking up the noise in your head amid the summer tranquility.

Our list of music-based summer beach reads includes some of the top memoirs that have come out over the last six months--by the likes of Rod Stewart, Neil Young, Heart, Pete Townshend, Cyndi Lauper, and Clive Davis--along with treatises on heavy metal and prog-rock that might have you banging your sunburned head against the back of the recliner.

By Jon Wiederhorn

photo: Associated Press/Chris PizzelloHaving interviewed the guy several times, I could never have imagined that As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis could be up on charges for allegedly hiring someone to kill his estranged wife, Meggan. Yet the evidence against Lambesis seems pretty damning, which is why the singer is being held on $3 million bail at a detention center in Vista, California.

But remember, Lambesis is innocent until proven guilty, and his attorney insists proving the singer guilt is going to present a great challenge for the prosecution because his client likely was set up.

By Laura Ferreiro

(Dave J. Hogan, Getty Images)

After enduring weeks of teasers about the release of Daft Punk's highly-anticipated forthcoming album, Random Access Memories, fans of the French dance duo don't have to wait any longer. The album leaked online Monday, a week before its official release date of May 21.

By Jon Wiederhorn

Adele was six Grammy awards in 2012. (Dan MacMedan, WireImage)

No one knows yet if it will by PSY, Kenny Chesney or even Daft Punk that sweeps the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. The host of the event hasn’t even been announced let alone any of the nominees.

All anyone knows for sure, thanks to a press release that arrived Monday, is that the event will take place on January 26, 2014 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The event will air from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. EST on CBS.

Recording artists who released albums between October 1, 2012 and September 30, 2013 are eligible for awards.

David Bowie's "Space Oddity" has been taken to new heights by a Canadian astronaut. Chris Hadfield has released a video of his rendition of Bowie's 1969 classic as his swan song as he prepares to return to Earth.

By Laura Ferreiro

A woman is escorted from an airplane for refusing to stop singing a Whitney Houston song.

As it turns out, it may be easier to get kicked off an airplane than you think. In addition to wearing improper attire, swearing loudly and fighting with fellow passengers, singing a famous song – badly – can have you escorted off by officers during an emergency landing.

This is what happened when a woman refused to stop singing Whitney Houston's rendition of "I Will Always Love You" on an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to New York on Thursday.

According to the Daily Mail, the woman was escorted off the plane in handcuffs. Because of her disruption, officials diverted the six-hour flight and the pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in Kansas City.

When it comes to wacky fashion, Ke$ha undoubtedly sets the bar admirably high: The singer has a headdress made from her fans' teeth, for heaven's sake. However, she managed to outdo even herself this week with her outfit for new video "Crazy Kids."

There's not really much that can be said about this ensemble...except that it leaves the casual viewer speechless. In addition to, well, everything you see here--Ke$ha additionally accessorized with denim Daisy Dukes, lacy thigh-high stockings, and super-thick platform sneakers. We suppose she has some method or purpose to this particular style; it's just that we can't figure it out for the life of us.

(Photo: Splash News)

Ke$ha's single "Crazy Girls" featuring will.i.am was released April 29; there's also a remix featuring Pitbull.