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One of George Strait‘s No. 1 hits was actually inspired by an iconic Oscar-winning film.

“Blue Clear Sky” is one of the country legend’s many No. 1 hits, and served as the title track for his sixteenth studio album of the same name — but the 1996 track also has an unexpected connection to a beloved Tom Hanks movie.

Written by John Jarrard, Mark D. Sanders, and Bob DiPiero, “Blue Clear Sky” actually got its title from the 1994 blockbuster film Forrest Gump.

“This song got written because I went to see the movie ‘Forrest Gump,'” DiPiero once told The Boot. “In the movie, Forrest talks about, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates.’ And also, he was talking about his girlfriend, Jenny, and how she would come and go out of his life. At one point, he says, ‘And out of the blue clear sky, Jenny came back.’ And I was listening, thinking, ‘Hey! It’s clear blue sky, it’s not blue clear sky!’ Just that little turn of phrase stuck in my head.”

Initially, Strait had some questions about the wording of title. Recalling the phone conversation he had with the “Amarillo By Morning” crooner, DiPiero said, “I told him the song is all about just giving up on love and then, out of nowhere, out of the blue clear sky, comes the love of your life.”

“George was kind of quiet for a while, and then he says, ‘Well, you think there’s many Gumpsters out there?’ And I said, ‘Well, yeah, I do!’ And he says, ‘Well, all right then. We’ll be Gumpsters!’ And he said, ‘Adios,’ and he hung up.”

And the rest was history. “Blue Clear Sky” soared to the top of the country leaderboards, spending two weeks atop Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart in June 1996, becoming Strait’s 29th career single to do so.

It has since been ranked as one of the best country songs of the entire decade, according to The Boot, which ranked the Strait hit at No. 9 on its list of the Top 10 Country Songs of the 1990s. The song is also considered the No. 14 top country song of the ’90s by Pop Matters.

Related: 1983 Country Ballad, Reimagined by Ella Langley, Still Holds Up 43 Years Later

One year after Doc star Scott Wolf and his family navigated his wife Kelley Wolf‘s heart-wrenching mental health crisis, Kelley has broken her silence about the months-long ordeal and issued public apologies to her family, friends, and community.

On the evening of Friday, August 28, Kelley, 49, posted a lengthy statement on social media, shared on 11 separate images in an Instagram carousel. She captioned her post, “Sometimes words fall short… but love never does. Thank you for all the love, grace, and encouragement you have shown me and our family. My gratitude is immeasurable.”

The author and life coach, who rose to fame on MTV‘s The Real World: New Orleans in 2000 and won MTV’s The Challenge: Battle of the Seasons in 2002, began her statement by writing, “Wow…I have taken about 100 deep breaths to write this. How do I even start? It’s been a year since I recognized what everyone around me could see: I was not well, and I needed help.”

In June 2025, Kelley shocked fans by announcing in a since-deleted social media post that she and Scott were splitting after 21 years of marriage. On June 11, Scott confirmed the news in a media statement, noting that filing for divorce was “the most difficult decision of my life” and that their three children “have always been, and continue to be, the loves of our lives and our every priority.”

Two days later, Kelley was placed under a “5150” psychiatric hold at a Utah hospital, near the Wolf family’s home in Park City, after a friend requested a wellness check, People reported. In the weeks after her release, Kelley frequently posted concerning messages and videos, and Scott was granted a temporary restraining order and custody of their children. Then, in August, she was arrested and charged with “alleged online harassment and doxxing of friends and family members,” per the outlet.

In September, Kelley was admitted again to a mental health hospital. Following an interview and mental health exam, she was placed in a court-ordered, involuntary psychiatric hold for a 60 day minimum, per People.

In her August 28 statement, Kelley said that she finally understood what happened to her after working with “incredible doctors, therapists, psychologists, and healers.” Her diagnosis, she wrote, was “breakthrough drug-induced mania with psychosis — which means it had never happened before, and I pray never again — caused by stress, past trauma, hormonal shifts, and hallucinogens mixed with prescribed medications. A perfect storm.”

After writing in bold print, “I am so sorry,” Kelley apologized to Scott for putting him through a “nightmare that wouldn’t even fly in a movie script” and said nothing she wrote or shared at that time was “based in truth or reality.”

“I have spent my life believing in love, hope kindness, and compassion,” she wrote. “What I became was the opposite. Cruel. Vicious. Mean.”

In February, Scott and Kelley both posted photos of their family of five reunited for a day at Universal Studios. Scott told People at the time that after weathering the “hardest year of my life” in 2025, he chose to share their positive day publicly because “it just felt like our family deserved to have things not just sit in some kind of awful dark place in terms of perception.”

Fans quickly flooded Kelley’s August 28 post with words of support, with many expressing relief that she and their family are healing, including one who wrote, “We are human. We are imperfect. We hurt the ones we love, make amends, and then get up the next day and do better. You are a bright light, sweet Kelley. That is clear most of all now, seeing the army of love you have surrounding you. Forgive yourself. None of us can judge you. Judgment and anger are only reflections of the things we haven’t healed in ourselves. You’ve got this. You are loved. 🌙”

Scott also gave Kelley’s message his stamp of approval by posting five red heart emoji in the comment section.

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “HOME” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or visit their website.

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A colorful wreath is an easy way to brighten up your front door, and Walmart has a cheerful option that’s perfect for bringing a little sunshine to your home. The Myecovie Sunflower Wreath is currently on sale for just $22, down from $33, making it an effortless and affordable way to give your entryway a seasonal refresh.

Measuring 18 inches in diameter, this vibrant faux wreath adds an adorable pop of color to doors and walls without overwhelming the space. It features vivid yellow sunflowers and green leaves, offering a warm, inviting look that works beautifully for the summer-to-fall transition but can also complement your decor throughout the year.

Courtesy of Walmart

Handcrafted on a sturdy base designed to resemble twigs and vines, the wreath features soft, pliable faux sunflowers that can be bent, shaped, and rearranged to create a more realistic appearance. It has a timeless design that can be displayed in a variety of spaces, both indoors and outdoors. Hang it on your front door to usher in guests, place it above a mantel, or add it to a living room wall as a lovely seasonal accent piece. 

Another perk is that the wreath is easy to maintain, requiring minimal effort to keep it looking like new. Simply wipe the faux flowers and leaves with a soft, dry cloth whenever needed to remove dust. This quick, easy upkeep helps preserve its pretty, lifelike appearance season after season.

Related: Walmart’s ‘Lovely’ $10 Solar Hummingbird Wind Chime Is ‘So Colorful and Fun to Watch’ at Night

The wreath has received plenty of praise from Walmart shoppers, earning over 700 five-star ratings. Multiple reviewers praised the “beautiful” design, with one calling it “very full, very bright, and very pretty.” Another buyer said it’s “just the right size” for a front door, while a third noted that it “added a warm, welcoming touch to my home.”

• Yinghao Solar Sunflower Light 4-Pack, $27 (was $37) at Walmart
• Myecovie Artificial Sunflowers Basket, $18 at Walmart
• Myecovie Fall Wreath, $17 (was $25) at Walmart

If you’ve been looking for an easy way to refresh your space with seasonal decor, the Myecovie Sunflower Wreath is a lovely choice. Its realistic faux sunflowers and cheery color make it a welcoming accent for any home. Be sure to grab one while it’s still marked down to just $22 at Walmart.

Don’t miss future deals! Sign up for Parade Picks to receive our commerce team’s curated selection of discounts and sales, twice a week.

Today’s Strands puzzle will make you salivate before you even know what’s cooking.

Move over, Wordle, Connections, Connections Sports Edition, and Mini Crossword—there’s a new NYT word game in town! The New York Times‘ recent game, “Strands,” is becoming increasingly popular as another daily activity fans can find on the NYT website and app.

With daily themes and “spangrams” to discover, this is the latest addictive game to cross off your to-do list before a new one pops up 24 hours later.

We’ll cover exactly how to play Strands, hints for today’s Spangram, and all of the answers for Strands #909 on Saturday, August 29.

The New York Times

According to the New York Times, here’s exactly how to play Strands:

Find theme words to fill the board.

• Theme words stay highlighted in blue when found.
• Drag or tap letters to create words. If tapping, double-tap the last letter to submit.
• Theme words fill the board entirely. No theme words overlap.

Find the “spangram.”

• The spangram describes the puzzle’s theme and touches two opposite sides of the board. It may be two words.
• The spangram highlights in yellow when found.
• An example spangram with corresponding theme words: PEAR, FRUIT, BANANA, APPLE, etc.

Need a hint?

• Find non-theme words to get hints.
• For every three non-theme words you find, you earn a hint.
• Hints show the letters of a theme word. If there is already an active hint on the board, a hint will show that word’s letter order.

If that doesn’t help, here’s a hint for today’s Strands game: Onomatopoeia.

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

In today’s puzzle, there are seven theme words to find (including the spangram). Here are the first two letters for each word:

• CR
• SP
• SI
• BU
• GU
• HI
• SO (SPANGRAM)

Today’s Spangram is mostly diagonal.

Today’s Spangram answer on Today’s NYT ‘Strands’ Hints, Spangram and Answers for Saturday, August 29, 2026, is SOUNDSTASTY.

• CRACKLE
• SPLATTER
• SIZZLE
• BUBBLE
• GURGLE
• HISS
• SPANGRAM: SOUNDSTASTY

Related: The 1990s Cereal Box Toys You Couldn’t Wait to Find Are Now Worth Serious Money

Today’s New York Times Connections puzzle features clever wordplay, a riddle about dinner accouterments, things you might see a specialist about, and satisfying sounding buttons.

There’s nothing quite as exhilarating as the feeling of completing the daily New York Times Wordle, Strands, Mini Crossword and Connections Sports Edition word games in one fell swoop. But sometimes that can be easier said than done. If you need help with today’s Connections puzzle, keep reading.

Spoilers ahead! We’ve warned you. We mean it. Read no further until you really want some clues or you’ve completely given up and want the answers ASAP. Get ready for all of today’s NYT ‘Connections’ hints and answers for #1175 on Saturday, August 29, 2026.

The New York Times

If you’ve been having trouble with any of the connections or words in Saturday’s puzzle, you’re not alone, and these hints should definitely help you out. Plus, I’ll reveal the answers further down.

Related: The 26 Funniest NYT Connections Game Memes You’ll Appreciate if You Do This Daily Word Puzzle

1. “There’s a clicking sound, and it won’t turn over.”
2. Would you like soup or….?
3. ___ + alt + delete
4. Stories of Gods and monsters.

Related: 300 Trivia Questions and Answers to Jumpstart Your Fun Game Night

Ready for the answers? Scroll below this image (the image that represents your very appreciated patience!).

iStock

1. UNDER THE HOOD OF A CAR: ALTERNATOR, BATTERY, ENGINE, RADIATOR
2. KINDS OF SALAD: CHOPPED, GREEK, HOUSE, WEDGE
3. KEYBOARD KEYS: CONTROL, ESCAPE, SHIFT, SPACE
4. STARTING WITH FIGURES FROM GREEK MYTH: AT LAST, HERALD, HYDRANT, TRITONE

How’d you do?

Up Next:

– 15 Fun Games Like Connections to Play Every Day
– Hints, Clues and Answers to the NYT’s ‘Mini Crossword’ Puzzle

Did You Miss a Few Days? Let’s Catch You Up With Recent Connections Answers

Related: The 23 Best Dolly Parton Recipes You’ll Want to Make on Repeat

Today’s NYT Wordle answer makes some people squeamish—except maybe Dracula.

But the day just isn’t complete until I’ve solved all of the free word games from the New York Times, including Connections, Connections Sports Edition, Strands, and Mini Crossword. If you’re stuck on today’s Wordle answer, we’re here to help—but beware of spoilers for Wordle #1897 ahead.

Let’s start with a few hints.

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There are two vowels in today’s five-letter word.

Today’s Wordle begins with a consonant.

There are double letters in today’s Wordle.

A hint for today’s Wordle is: It’s thicker than water.

OK, that’s it for hints—I don’t want to totally give it away before revealing the answer!

Related: 16 Games Like Wordle To Give You Your Word Game Fix More Than Once Every 24 Hours

We’ll have the answer below this friendly reminder of how to play the game.

SPOILERS BELOW—do not scroll any further if you don’t want the answer revealed.

The New York Times

Today’s Wordle answer on Saturday, August 29, 2026, is BLOOD.

-If you missed it, catch up with the answer to yesterday’s Wordle.

Related: Every 5 Letter Word Wordle Hasn’t Used Yet (Updated Daily)

Those who attended one of the three sold-out Jonas Brothers concerts at Madison Square Garden were graced with a song they never heard before.

And now, “Listen When Sad” has officially dropped for the masses. Fans certainly seem pleased based on the social-media response.

The three bros took to Instagram late Thursday, August 27 to unveil their “back to the basics” track, as the outfit’s recent press release puts it. You can tell they’re leaning into their old-school roots by utilizing a compact-disc animation for the reel — see below.

Fans have since flooded the post’s comments section to show their support for the longtime band and their new song. “Simply beautiful and nostalgic! We look forward to seeing you in Cordoba, Argentina when you decide to come back! We love you and thank you for coming back with your lyrics, they are a caress to the heart ❤️🙌,” wrote one Instagram user, while another person commented, “My millennial emo heart is so happy 🥲🖤✌🏻🫶🏻.”

“We debuted this song last weekend at Madison Square Garden, and it felt fitting since those shows were a homecoming in so many ways, and that’s how this song feels for us too,” the Jonas Brothers said in a recent statement. “‘Listen When Sad’ was influenced by so many of the emo and alternative bands we grew up idolizing. This song feels like a little piece of where we came from, but made for where we are now. We hope you love it as much as we do.”

In addition to their current Burning Up Tour All Over Again, Camp Rock 3 recently premiered on Disney Channel before making its streaming debut on Disney+, arriving nearly two decades after the original film debuted.

Plus, Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas and Nick Jonas were all inducted as Disney Legends on August 16, recognizing their impact on music, film and TV.

In 1970, Chris Copping faced a choice between two careers that could hardly have been more different.

The English musician had studied chemistry at Leicester University and continued into postgraduate work, putting him on a path toward a PhD. But Copping also had some rather accomplished old school friends: Gary Brooker and Robin Trower.

Copping had played with both men in the early ’60s in the Paramounts, an R&B group that also included future Procol Harum drummer B.J. Wilson. Copping left to pursue chemistry while the Paramounts went professional. Years later, his old bandmates came calling again.

By then, they were members of Procol Harum, the band behind one of the defining songs of the late ’60s, “A Whiter Shade of Pale.”

Copping left academia behind and rejoined his old friends, beginning a new chapter that would keep him with Procol Harum through much of the 1970s.

Copping wasn’t simply replacing one departing musician when he joined Procol Harum.

Organist Matthew Fisher and bassist Dave Knights had both left the group, and Copping effectively filled both vacancies, playing organ and bass. He would ultimately perform on seven Procol Harum albums and tour extensively with the group throughout the United States and Europe.

His first album with the band was 1970’s Home, followed by Broken Barricades in 1971. Copping also appeared on Live in Concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Grand Hotel, Exotic Birds and Fruit, Procol’s Ninth and Something Magic before leaving the group in 1977.

“The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll” notes that Procol Harum had already established itself alongside the Moody Blues as an early British “classical rock” band with the worldwide success of “A Whiter Shade of Pale.”

The song’s distinctive sound combined mystical lyrics and a somber tempo with an organ line drawn from Bach’s Suite No. 3 in D Major. It went on to sell more than 6 million copies worldwide and was covered in soul, jazz and country versions.

Decades later, “A Whiter Shade of Pale” received another distinction when it was selected for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Singles category in 2018.

Copping’s tenure came during an evolving period for Procol Harum.

According to “The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia,” Home pushed the group in a harder-rocking direction with Trower’s guitar taking a more prominent role. Trower departed in 1971, but Copping remained as the band’s lineup continued to change.

By the time of 1973’s Grand Hotel, Procol Harum had scored a modest resurgence, while the group’s 1972 live album with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra had found success with its orchestral reworking of “Conquistador.”

Copping eventually left Procol Harum in 1977, the same year the band initially broke up.

But leaving the group didn’t mean leaving music behind.

Copping eventually moved to Australia, where his work took another unexpected turn. He composed music for documentaries and television commercials and continued recording from his home studio.

Among his more unusual projects was a musical setting of The British Meteorological Office’s Shipping Forecast, the famously hypnotic broadcast of weather reports for the waters surrounding the British Isles.

It’s a fittingly unconventional résumé for someone whose career could have gone in an entirely different direction.

Copping turns 81 on Aug. 29, more than five decades after walking away from chemistry and returning to music with the old friends who had become Procol Harum.

Related: ’60s Hit, By a 19-Year-Old Dubbed ‘Britain’s Answer to Bob Dylan,’ Became a No. 1 Smash 60 Years Ago Today

It’s not very often that a song manages to hit the top of the charts once, let alone twice…but three times? That’s what “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” did, though, thanks to a couple of covers that took the classic track in very different directions.

Originally released by the Supremes in 1966, “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” became one of only six songs to reach #1 by two different musical acts in the first 32 years of the Billboard Hot 100 when Kim Wild‘s electronic dance version reached the highest chart position in 1987. In between, psychedelic rockers Vanilla Fudge made it all the way to #6 in 1967.

Apparently, the legendary songwriting team of Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland knew what they were doing when they wrote “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” which was recorded over the course of eight sessions at Motown’s Hitsville studio, according to Rolling Stone.

“‘You Keep Me Hanging On’ was about a girl complaining about the guys fooling around and we knew all about that because that was what we did,” Dozier said. “We considered ourselves to be playboys.”

“We wanted to make it believable, add some everyday talk, like the girl was really going through this predicament,” Dozier explained in a Songfacts interview. “When you get to a certain point with a situation, you realize, ‘Hey, there ain’t nothing I can do about it,’ because you’re so wrapped up with this individual that you can’t run, you can’t hide, and there’s nothing you can do about it. So, you just deal with it the best you can.”

The jilted girlfriend concept was flipped in Vanilla Fudge’s 1967 cover. The band was skilled at reinterpreting other people’s material, such as “People Get Ready,” “Eleanor Rigby,” “I Want It That Way” and “Tearin’ Up My Heart.” “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” was no different.

“We used to slow songs down and listen to the lyrics and try to emulate what the lyrics were dictating,” Carmine Appice told Ray Shasho in 2014.

“That one was a hurtin’ song; it had a lot of emotion in it,” he continued. “‘People Get Ready’ was like a Gospel thing. ‘Eleanor Rigby’ was sort of eerie and church-like…like a horror movie kind of thing. If you listen to ‘Hangin’ On’ fast…by the Supremes, it sounds very happy, but the lyrics aren’t happy at all. If you lived through that situation, the lyrics are definitely not happy.”

As for what the Supremes thought of these later versions of “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” it’s rumored that Diana Ross wasn’t a huge fan of Wild’s cover.

“We had feedback from the writers, who were absolutely delighted with it. But I never actually had any contact with her,” Wild told the BBC, per Songfacts, adding, “I did hear thirdhand that they were not too impressed, but the writers were, and that means more to me than anything.”

Perhaps Ross had the last laugh, since it was the Supremes’ original “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” that was included on Rolling Stone‘s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list.

Related: 1968 Rock Masterpiece, Reimagined by Joe Cocker, Was Written by a 21-Year-Old

If you’re in your 50s and you’ve spent your life thus far in good health, you likely haven’t worried too much about your heart. While it’s certainly not good for your mental health (or heart, for that matter) to lose sleep worrying about your cardiovascular health, it is important to be aware of how heart health changes as we age.

“As we age, the cardiovascular system changes. Arteries tend to become stiffer, blood pressure rises and plaque can build up in the arteries over time,” says Dr. Alberto Morales, MD, the owner of South Tampa Cardiology with expertise in preventive cardiology and advanced cardiac imaging, including the use of Arineta’s SpotLight CT scanner to support earlier detection of cardiovascular disease. 

Related: We Asked 3 Cardiologists What Heart Disease Symptom You Should Never Ignore, and They All Said The Same Thing

This is why the risk for heart disease increases with age. At the same time that arteries are becoming stiffer and plaque is building up, Dr. Morales says that metabolic changes commonly occur with aging, including higher cholesterol, insulin resistance, changes in body fat and increased inflammation, all of which contribute to increasing cardiovascular risk as we get older. 

“These changes can eventually lead to heart disease, which remains a leading cause of death for women,” Dr. Morales says.

Having heart-healthy habits in place can help lower your risk of cardiovascular disease. With that in mind, we asked two cardiologists what afternoon habit they wish women 50 and older would break. They both had the exact same answer.

Related: The Supplement Cardiologists Say Is a Waste of Money for Heart Health 

Dr. Nisha Parikh, MD, MPH, the director of cardiovascular medicine at the Katz Institute for Women’s Health and the system director of the Women’s Heart Program in the Department of Cardiology at Northwell Health, says that the risk of heart disease increases for all women with age. 

Dr. Parikh explains that as risk factors accumulate in women (such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, prediabetes and diabetes), the heart muscle can thicken. It can also have a harder time relaxing, and the arteries often stiffen and can develop lipid plaque. “Over time, these changes can lead to heart failure, heart attacks and stroke,” she says.

On top of that, Dr. Morales says that menopause brings with it another added risk. He explains that estrogen provides cardiovascular protection, so as it declines during menopause, that protection is lost. 

If during pregnancy you experienced preeclampsia, gestational diabetes or preterm delivery, Dr. Parikh says it’s extra important to be mindful of your heart health as you age because these adverse pregnancy outcomes are associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease later in life.

Related: Cardiologists Swear by a Heart Health ‘Rule’ That’s Shockingly Easy

When asked what afternoon habit they wish women 50 and older would avoid as a way to support their heart health, they both had the exact same answer: being sedentary after eating.

“Rather than sitting and digesting, I recommend taking a 10 to 15-minute walk after eating. Blood sugar and cholesterol levels tend to spike after a meal, so staying active during that time is a simple, healthy habit,” Dr. Morales says.

Dr. Parikh adds to this, saying that the insulin spikes are especially common after eating something sweet. That means you could definitely benefit from going on a short walk after enjoying a sweet afternoon treat. 

Both cardiologists point out that being sedentary is a risk factor for heart disease. According to a 2025 scientific analysis published in Medicine, the more time people spent watching TV, the greater their risk was for cardiovascular disease. Researchers also found that physical activity mitigated this risk.

“Over time, not taking a short walk after eating can lead to eating more, moving less and weight gain. As we age, that weight tends to accumulate in the belly, where it may be even more harmful to the heart,” Dr. Parikh says.

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Dr. Morales says that one of the best ways to support heart health is to integrate physical activity into your daily routine. That way, it becomes an automatic habit that you don’t have to think about. Going on a short walk after eating lunch or an afternoon snack is a great example of this.

When you are deciding what to eat for an afternoon snack, Dr. Parikh recommends grabbing a handful of nuts and some fruit. This two-ingredient snack takes zero prep or cooking time and is packed with nutrients that support heart health. Nuts and fruit are both high in fiber and antioxidants, while the nuts are a good source of unsaturated fats, which help lower cholesterol and inflammation. The unsaturated fats are also satiating. That way, you won’t be hunting around for another snack 30 minutes later.

“Many risk factors for heart disease are reversible with a heart-healthy diet and movement. It’s never too late to make improvements and increase heart health, wellness and longevity,” Dr. Parikh says.

By going on a short walk after lunch or your afternoon snack, you’ll be taking literal steps to benefit your heart. That’s something future you will definitely be grateful for.

Up Next:

Related: ‘I’m a Cardiologist—This Is the Simple Dinner Swap That Makes a Big Difference in Heart Health’

• Dr. Alberto Morales, MD, the owner of South Tampa Cardiology with expertise in preventive cardiology and advanced cardiac imaging, including the use of Arineta’s SpotLight CT scanner to support earlier detection of cardiovascular disease.
• Heart Health and Aging. National Institute on Aging.
• Dr. Nisha Parikh, MD, MPH, director of cardiovascular medicine at the Katz Institute for Women’s Health and the system director of the Women’s Heart Program in the Department of Cardiology at Northwell Health.
• Xiang, D., Liu, Y., Zhou, S., et al. (2021). Protective Effects of Estrogen on Cardiovascular Disease Mediated by Oxidative Stress. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. doi: 10.1155/2021/5523516.
• Cao, Y., Hao, Q., Xia, N., et al. (2025). Exploring the causal relationship between sedentary behavior and cardiovascular disease: A two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis. Medicine. 104(37):e44543.

On August 28, 1976, Ronnie Milsap’s song “(I’m a) Stand by My Woman Man” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country chart, the same day Tammy Wynette wrote and recorded her country classic “Stand by Your Man” in 1968. The songs had more in common than a shared history at the end of August. Milsap’s song had such a recognizable piano lick that it inspired a lawsuit, one that would earn Wynette a writing credit on Milsap’s hit, forever tying the two songs and singers together in music history.

By 1976, Ronnie Milsap was one of country music’s biggest stars. That year, he released a playful answer song to Tammy Wynette’s classic “Stand by Your Man,” titled “(I’m a) Stand by My Woman Man.” The song was written by Kent Robbins and spent two weeks at the top of the country charts, becoming Milsap’s sixth No. 1.

The song’s success, however, was not without controversy.

Honky Tonk Town_Ronnie Milsap – (I’m A) Stand By My Woman Man⧸Daydreams About Night Things 1976

During the recording session at RCA Studio A, producer Tom Collins asked pianist Hargus “Pig” Robbins to play a piano lick, instructing him to play something he might have played on a George Jones or Tammy Wynette song. Pig Robbins had previously played on “Stand by Your Man.” The resulting piano lick sounded similar to the piano work associated with Wynette’s hit.

“Stand By Your Man” is a country music song co-written by Tammy Wynette and Billy Sherrill, and performed by Tammy Wynette. Released in 1968. The song’s lyrics advise women to stand by their husbands through difficult times, emphasizing loyalty and forgiveness. #StandByYourMan #TammyWynette #CountryMusic #ClassicCountry #CountryLegend #BillySherrill #CountryHits #1960sMusic #MusicHistory #IconicSongs #CountryClassics #GrammyHallOfFame #FirstLadyOfCountryMusic #TimelessMusic #CountryIcons #CapCut #capcutedit #capcuttemplate

That similarity did not go unnoticed and caught the attention of publisher Al Gallico, who pursued a copyright lawsuit against Collins. That legal battle changed the official songwriting credit, eventually giving shared songwriting credit to Kent Robbins, who wrote Milsap’s hit, and Tammy Wynette and Billy Sherrill, Wynette’s producer and co-writer on “Stand by Your Man.”

The Ronnie Milsap hit, written as the male answer to Tammy Wynette’s famous song, eventually gave Wynette an official songwriting credit on the very song written in response to hers.

The song went on to become one of Ronnie Milsap’s biggest hits. His sixth career No. 1 country hit, the song won the Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male, in 1977. Songwriter Kent Robbins also received a Country Music Association nomination for Best Country Song.

Related: 1973 Country Classic Written the Same Day as ‘I Will Always Love You’ Named Dolly Parton’s Best Ever by Rolling Stone

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As Buc-ee’s continues popping up across the country, the company’s CEO is shedding some light on where the travel stop could appear next.

Buc-ee’s co-founder, president, and CEO Arch Aplin III spoke about the chain’s growth during the grand opening of its first Arkansas location in Benton back on August 17. Joined by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Sen. Tom Cotton, Aplin praised the reception the company received while bringing the massive store to the state.

“We have a lot of opportunities,” Aplin said in a video shared to Huckabee Sander’s Facebook. “We’re growing, we’re building in a lot of places, but when you find a conservative, business-friendly state with a phenomenal workforce, it makes a difference.”

Aplin went on to suggest that having state and local leaders who welcome the company could influence where Buc-ee’s chooses to invest its time and resources. “I’m starting to realize life’s too short to try to build in places that people don’t appreciate what you’re bringing,” he continued.

READ MORE: Buc-ee’s Announces 15 New Store Locations: Is One Opening Near You?

Aplin specifically praised what he described as a “conservative, business-friendly, family-oriented concept,” saying it works better when that attitude extends from the governor’s office down through local leadership. And Benton apparently checked those boxes. “What we found when we got here into Benton was a business-friendly town,” Aplin said.

After the video started circulating online, the internet had split opinions on Aplin’s comments.

“Tracks pretty well with them suing small businesses into the ground because they dare use an animal mascot, right?,” one shared on Reddit, referring to the store’s recent lawsuits.

One Facebook user wrote, “It shouldn’t matter where you place a Buc-ee’s, blue or red or even purple state. What did the owner say in blue states? They’re found thriving there too. This place is loved by all.”

Another said, “You should work on bringing people together and not division.”

Others defended the comments. “Businesses often choose business friendly states, Buc-ee’s is just saying it out loud,” a Redditor shared.

Another Facebook user noted, “Maybe blue states can be more business friendly then huh?”

Of course, that doesn’t mean Buc-ee’s is steering clear of blue states altogether. The chain already has a store in Colorado, which backed the Democratic presidential nominee in 2024, and another is moving forward in Wisconsin, a swing state where Democrat Tony Evers is governor.

Buc-ee’s is in the midst of a major national expansion. The Benton location followed a new San Marcos, Texas, store that opened August 12, while Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is scheduled to welcome Buc-ee’s on November 16.

And there are plenty more on the way. Six locations are planned for 2027, including stores in Louisiana, Kansas, Tennessee, Florida, Texas and Georgia. Additional travel centers are expected in North Carolina and Louisiana in 2028, followed by locations planned for Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky and South Carolina through 2031.

Related: This State Is Getting Its First Buc-ee’s Next Week and It’s Bringing Major Changes to the Area

Buying a bookcase sounds simple enough. Find one you like, make sure it fits the wall and call it a day, right? Not quite. A bookcase is one of those pieces of furniture that can look perfectly reasonable online only to become a very different story once you’re standing in your living room trying to figure out where everything else is supposed to go.

That’s because choosing a big piece of furniture takes a little more research than picking out a throw pillow. You’ll want to know the actual dimensions—not just whether it’s described as “compact” or “spacious”—along with how deep the shelves are, how much weight they can hold and whether they’ll accommodate the books, baskets or tchotchkes you actually own. Assembly and stability matter, too, particularly when you’re dealing with a tall bookcase.

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Target

In other words, this is a purchase worth measuring twice. Target’s new Lantine 6-Tier Arched Bookshelf is absolutely gorgeous, blending farmhouse style with a vintage silhouette. But you’ll want to measure your own space before you click purchase on this beauty.

Related: A 1981 Bar Jukebox Favorite Is Immortalized on a $5 Five Below T-Shirt

The bookcase stands 77.16 inches tall, and has six tiers to stack books and other collectibles on, but make note of the fact that at its base the shelf is 31.5 inches wide and 11.81 inches deep. Will that fit in the room you’re considering placing it? If so, amazing! Hard no? Then you’re going to want to look for something that matches the dimensions of your space.

Because, here’s the thing: Despite the fact that the Lantine Arched Bookshelf is a stunner and on sale (it’s currently 15 percent off), none of that matters if it’s going to overpower your room.

If you’ve decided this is the bookshelf for you, Target offers it in three lovely colorways: black, brown and white. It also includes an anti-tip kit in case you want to anchor the shelf to the wall for extra safety. This piece of furniture does weigh just over 70 pounds so if you have kiddos running around your house, anchoring it could be your best bet. One more important thing to note: the shelves are fixed—you won’t be able to adjust them to different heights depending on what you were planning on storing in the bookcase.

Related: Aldi’s 2-Piece Glass Cake Dome Set Is Giving Pottery Barn Vibes on a Budget

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Apple picking, pumpkin patches, hayrides, and cider runs are even better when you’re dressed for the occasion, and right now, Amazon’s Rumia Crewneck Sweatshirt is on sale for just $10 in three plaid versions, including brown, coffee, and red and blue. If plaid isn’t your thing, there are 25 styles overall, including striped and solid options at various prices. The plaid styles run from small to extra large, while other versions go up to XXL. 

The sweatshirt is made from very soft 90% polyester and 10% spandex, with a casual crewneck silhouette, long sleeves, and a longer tunic-style length. It also has two hidden side pockets, which is a nice little bonus when you’re walking around an orchard and need somewhere to stash your phone or warm your hands.

Courtesy of Amazon

You can throw it on with jeans and sneakers for apple picking, pair it with leggings for a farmers market run, or add boots before heading to a pumpkin patch. The plaid design already offers all the fall vibes you need, so you don’t have to do much else to make it feel seasonal. And unlike some sweatshirts with bulky pockets that stick out at the sides, these are tucked into the seams for a cleaner look.

There’s also no shortage of positive feedback about how soft it is. One reviewer said, “This sweater is so super buttery soft and comfortable,” while another called it “perfect for fall.” Someone else described it as the “coziest sweatshirt ever” and loved its oversized look, and another shopper even said that “it feels like velvet.” The sweatshirt also boasts over 1,400 five-star ratings.

Related: Amazon’s ‘Soft’ $29 Pointelle Knit Cardigan Has the Prettiest Scalloped Hem and Comes in 8 Fall-Ready Colorsv

The low price is hard to beat if you like having a few casual tops in rotation once cooler weather arrives. All three plaid versions are just $10, so you could even grab more than one for around what many similar sweaters cost at full price. And since plaid works well beyond pumpkin patches and apple orchards, you can keep reaching for it throughout the rest of fall.

• Wiholl Crewneck Tunic Sweater, From $13 (was $24) at Amazon
• Prettygarden Fuzzy V-Neck Cardigan, $20 (was $37) at Amazon 
• Wiholl V-Neck Sweatshirt, From $18 (was $33) at Amazon

Whether you’re wearing it with cozy leggings and boots for a day at the farm or curling up on the couch for a scary movie marathon, the Rumia Crewneck Sweatshirt is versatile enough for both. And at just $10 for the plaid versions, it’s a no-brainer if you want something cute, cozy, and inexpensive for the season. Snag yours now while it’s still marked down this low on Amazon.

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It’s safe to say the ’60s was one of the most groundbreaking decades ever for rock music, and it’s just as reasonable to credit the Yardbirds with being among the most innovative of the era. Case in point: “Shapes of Things,” released as a single in 1966, is considered to by some to be the first psychedelic rock song in history (more on that later).

“Shapes of Things” peaked at #3 on the U.K. charts and #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. A significant accomplishment, as Yardbirds drummer Jim McCarty told Songfacts, was “probably the hardest thing to try and do.”

“Every time we tried to do that it never really succeeded,” McCarty explained. “I suppose we were lucky in that when we did ‘Shapes of Things’ it was like a hit song, but we were really coming from not trying to create a sort of a 3-minute piece of music, it was just something that seemed natural to us.”

“We started with the rhythm, we used a bass riff that came from a jazz record, got a groove going with that and then added a few other bits from elsewhere, other ideas that we’d had. And I think it was a great success for us, it was a good hit record that wasn’t really selling out. And it was original,” McCarty explained.

According to the drummer, he came up with a “marching type of rhythm that I tried to make interesting” for the song.

“And at the end of each line we’d build up like we used to do with some of our stage stuff — the rave ups,” he continued. “And then the bass riff came on top of that. And the bass riff was loosely based on a Dave Brubeck song, sort of a jazz song, around a doo doo doo doo doo doo, and then the chords came over that. The chords were very basic, came between the two tones, I think G and F, and then resolving it in D, each verse. And then the tune came on top of that. In fact, I remember putting the backing track down, which sounded great. I wasn’t at the session where Keith [Relf, singer] made up the tune, and when I heard the tune, I thought, Oh, that’s great. It’s a real surprise. He made up the tune, and then we had this sort of ‘Come tomorrow,’ but that was part of the song, anyway, at the beginning. So it was an exciting song to be involved in.”

Lyrically, “Shapes of Things” was “very much about the state of the situation in the country with the Vietnam War, so it was sort of an anti-war song.”

Shapes of things before my eyes
Just teach me to despise
Will time make man more wise?
Here within my lonely frame
My eyes just hurt my brain
But will it seem the same?

Related: 1967 Classic, Originally a Sarcastic Jab at the Monkees, Became a Timeless Rock Anthem

As David Simonelli wrote in Working Class Heroes: Rock Music and British Society in the 1960s and 1970s, “Shapes of Things,” which released a month before the Byrds’ “Eight Miles High,” was likewise considered to be the first psychedelic hit, making the Yardbirds the “first British band to have the term applied to one of its songs.” Simonelli went on to praise Jeff Beck‘s “wild guitar solo…a long drone that gave the song a psychedelic feel well before such a sound was popular in rock music.”

In The Emergence of Rock and Roll: Music and the Rise of American Youth Culture, Mitchell K. Hall agreed, writing, “The Yardbirds March 1966 single ‘Shapes of Things,’ with its blending of feedback, sudden rhythmic changes, exotic melody, and random lyrics about the predicament of humanity, is often noted as the first psychedelic rock song.”

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recognized the song’s significance by including “Shapes of Things” among the “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll,” while Q Magazine ranked the song at #61 on a list of the “100 Greatest Guitar Tracks of All Time.”

Related: 1965 Classic Rock Hit, Written by an 18-Year-Old, Was Rejected by Record Label Before Topping the Charts

To solve today’s NYT Mini Crossword puzzle, you’ll need to know a little bit about the Founding Fathers, Supreme Court justices, common turns of phrase, have an idea of what capacity things can hold, and know a thing or two about sitcoms.

Working on the daily Connections, Connections Sports Edition, Wordle, and Strands is a whole ritual for many of us. And we can’t forget about the NYT’s The Mini Crossword, too!

Although the NYT is known for “The Crossword,” a larger puzzle for paid subscribers, The Mini has quite the fan following as well. This particular game resets at 10 p.m., unlike some of the others that start over at midnight.

So, if you’re working on today’s Mini Crossword on Saturday, August 29, and need some help (I’ve been there), get ready to read the clues and solutions for each line. We have them separated into hints first for both “Across” and “Down” words, followed by “Across Answers” and “Down Answers,” so be careful if you want to avoid spoilers as you scroll!

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Here are additional clues for each of the words in today’s Mini Crossword.

1 Across: “___, oh, ___!” — HINT: Starts with the letter “M”

4 Across: Wordle and Scrabble, for two — HINT: Ends with the letter “S”

6 Across: “Heading over now!” — HINT: Starts with the letter “O”

8 Across: Totally awesome — HINT: Ends with the letter “D”

9 Across: So-called “frankenfood,” for short — HINT: Ends with the letter “O”

10 Across: The University of Michigan has the largest one in the U.S., seating over 107,000 people — HINT: Starts with the letter “S”

12 Across: Go “Zzzz” — HINT: Ends with the letter “E”

13 Across: “Don’t worry, ___ pass” — HINT: Starts with the letter “I”

Related: 16 Games Like Wordle To Give You Your Word Game Fix More Than Once Every 24 Hours

1 Down: First Muslim mayor of N.Y.C. — HINT: Ends with the letter “I”

2 Down: All: Coney Barrett of the Supreme Court — HINT: Ends with the letter “Y”

3 Down: Fox sitcom set in a Los Angeles loft — HINT: Starts with the letter “N”

4 Down: Tiny summer pests — HINT: Ends with the letter “S”

5 Down: ___ Adams, Founding Father for whom a beer is named — HINT: Starts with the letter “S”

6 Down: Surgery sites, for short — HINT: Ends with the letter “S”

7 Down: ___ Kippur — HINT: Ends with the letter “M”

11 Down: Bit of Braille — HINT: Starts with the letter “D”

Don’t go any further unless you want to know exactly what the correct words are in today’s Mini Crossword.

1 Across: “___, oh, ___!” — MAN

4 Across: Wordle and Scrabble, for two — GAMES

6 Across: “Heading over now!” — ONMYWAY

8 Across: Totally awesome — RAD

9 Across: So-called “frankenfood,” for short — GMO

10 Across: The University of Michigan has the largest one in the U.S., seating over 107,000 people — STADIUM

12 Across: Go “Zzzz” — SNORE

13 Across: “Don’t worry, ___ pass” — ITLL

1 Down: First Muslim mayor of N.Y.C. — MAMDANI

2 Down: All: Coney Barrett of the Supreme Court — AMY

3 Down: Fox sitcom set in a Los Angeles loft — NEWGIRL

4 Down: Tiny summer pests — GNATS

5 Down: ___ Adams, Founding Father for whom a beer is named — SAMUEL

6 Down: Surgery sites, for short — ORS

7 Down: ___ Kippur — YOM

11 Down: Bit of Braille — DOT

Related: I Recreated the Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars Every ’90s Kid Loved

“There’s Your Trouble,” The Chicks’ Grammy-winning mega-hit and one of the most enduring songs from the trio’s catalog, is getting a fresh, new life. Nearly three decades later, elements of the tune have resurfaced in a new summer track by rising star Stella Lefty.

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Released in March 1998 on Wide Open Spaces, “There’s Your Trouble” was written by Mark Selby and Tia Sillers and became a No. 1 country hit, propelling the Chicks into country-rock stardom. Though their song has been covered a time or two—including by Machine Gun Kelly as a twangy acoustic rendition for Spotify Singles after performing it live at CMA Fest—it hasn’t surfaced as an interpolation. Until now.

Lefty’s “Summer You Were Mine,” released Aug. 21, 2026, interpolates parts of the recognizable melody and phrasing of “There’s Your Trouble,” resulting in an upbeat, nostalgic country bop. It’s featured on her debut album, Long Way Home, whose lead single, “Boston,” has proved to be a massive breakout hit for the singer-songwriter.

According to Rolling Stone, fans began to notice the similarities between the two songs after Lefty released her album, with the original songwriters initially absent from the credits. The magazine later confirmed with Lefty’s team that the omission was a streaming-platform error and that the song had been properly cleared as an interpolation.

Sillers and Selby were then added to the official credits after the streaming error was corrected.

“We wrote a bang-up, awesome song,” Sillers, whose husband, Selby, died in 2017, told Rolling Stone. “People are gonna fall in love with Stella’s song, but then they’re also gonna hopefully learn that it’s an interpolation of ‘There’s Your Trouble,’ and for a generation that might not know that song, they might go and discover that one too.”

Proof that great songs will always find new audiences, and sometimes the most unexpected way to revisit an old favorite is to make it part of something entirely new.

Related: 1990 Hit, Once Passed On by George Strait, Ranked No. 1 Greatest Country Song of All Time

Dolly Parton was regarded as one of the best singer-songwriters in country music. Her ability to turn personal heartbreak and emotion into something universally relatable made her songs crossover hits that have resonated across generations and genres. Following Dolly’s death at the age of 80 on August 25, Rolling Stone took on the insurmountable task of naming the best Dolly Parton song of all time. One of the most covered songs of all time, Dolly Parton’s 1973 classic tale of jealousy, “Jolene,” is ranked the best Dolly Parton song ever.

Here’s why:

“Marking her first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100, ‘Jolene’ provided a showcase for the singer-songwriter at her most vulnerable, which made it all the more relatable.”

52 years of “Jolene!” 💖 🎶

“Jolene” has been covered over 400 times, from artists as varied as Miley Cyrus and Beyoncé, each singing the iconic song as if they’d written it themselves. That’s because Dolly Parton’s gift as a songwriter was her ability to make the personal feel relatable.

The story of “Jolene,” inspired by a red-haired bank teller who used to flirt with Dolly’s husband, Carl Dean, when the two were newlyweds, is the stuff of legends. The song is more a plea, woman to woman, than a grand confrontation.

“Jolene” is Dolly at her most vulnerable. There is no revenge plot, nor does Dolly attempt to make herself seem stronger than she feels. She simply admits she’s scared of losing the man she loves and appeals to the other woman not to take him.

That vulnerability is what makes “Jolene” so impactful.

Dolly’s narrator isn’t really angry at Jolene. Instead, Parton the songwriter approaches the concept of the other woman with a kind of admiration. She knows why Jolene is a threat and is honest enough to admit that she doesn’t believe she can compete. The combination of jealousy, admiration and fear makes the song feel more like a sophisticated story of heartache than a typical love triangle. There is nothing typical about the way Dolly Parton crafts “Jolene,” in the end creating one of the most enduring country anthems of all time and, in Rolling Stone’s opinion, Dolly Parton’s best.

Related: 2006 Novel About a Forbidden Romance Inside a Traveling Circus Was One of Dolly Parton’s Favorites

Have I ever told you all the story behind Jolene? @pitchfork

One of the most remarkable details about “Jolene” is that Dolly also wrote “I Will Always Love You,” which would also become one of the defining compositions of her career, during the same creative period.

Dolly originally said she wrote both songs on the same day, later clarifying that she wasn’t certain if they were written on the exact same night after discovering the songs on the same cassette tape.

The songs feel like natural companion pieces, born from the same time in Dolly Parton’s journey as a songwriter. One song is about trying desperately to hold on to someone. The other is about having the courage to let someone go.

That contrast is what makes Dolly Parton’s songwriting so enduring. She’s not simply trying to create country hits. She’s writing about two completely different kinds of heartbreak at almost the same time in her life, both created from the kind of vulnerability and emotional honesty that made Dolly Parton’s songs resonate with just about anyone who hears them.

Related: Lily Tomlin Reacts to the Death of Her Beloved ‘9 to 5’ Costar Dolly Parton

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In 1994, the Cranberries scored a U.S. hit with “Dreams,” one of the songs that helped turn the Irish rock band into international stars.

Now, 32 years later, the song is climbing the charts again, thanks in part to Peacock’s The Five-Star Weekend.

“Dreams” lands at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top TV Songs chart for July 2026 after its use in the Jennifer Garner-led series, which premiered July 9. During the month, the song racked up 11.8 million U.S. streams and 3,000 downloads, according to Luminate.

It’s an impressive new chapter for a song that originally peaked at just No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Based on Elin Hilderbrand’s 2023 novel of the same name, The Five-Star Weekend stars Garner as Hollis Shaw, a food influencer who brings together four friends from different periods of her life for a weekend on Nantucket following the death of her husband.

Gemma Chan, D’Arcy Carden, Regina Hall and Chloë Sevigny round out the central group. The series premiered in July and was renewed for a second season in August.

Music plays an important role in Hilderbrand’s original novel, with Hollis creating playlists for her friends. The television adaptation carried that idea forward with a soundtrack spanning decades, and “Dreams” was also prominently used in the show’s trailer.

The Cranberries aren’t the only artists benefiting from the show’s soundtrack. Maggie Rogers’ “Light On” ranks No. 5 on Top TV Songs, while Leon Bridges’ “River” lands at No. 8.

But “Dreams” has climbed higher than either of them.

“Dreams” dates all the way back to the Cranberries’ earliest days.

Originally released in 1992 and later included on the band’s 1993 debut album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?, the song was written by Dolores O’Riordan and Noel Hogan. A subsequent 1994 release helped send it onto the Hot 100.

For O’Riordan, its inspiration was intensely personal.

“I wrote that about my first love when I was living in Ireland,” she once explained, adding, “It’s about feeling really in love for the first time.”

Along with “Linger,” the song appeared on an early demo that helped generate attention for the young band. Those two songs would eventually become enduring pieces of the Cranberries’ legacy.

Hogan admitted that it took O’Riordan’s death in 2018 for him to fully appreciate just what they had created when they were young.

“They were just songs in the set list for us; everybody else was losing their mind about them,” Hogan told NME in 2019.

Looking back at “Dreams” and “Linger,” he marveled at “how great they are for someone so young,” adding, “We’re so lucky to have left that behind, to have that legacy.”

More than three decades later, “Dreams” is proving that legacy has plenty of life left in it. Thanks to The Five-Star Weekend, a song that reached only No. 42 during its original Hot 100 run is suddenly near the top of a Billboard chart 32 years later.

Related: 1980 Country Hit Is Surging 46 Years Later After ‘Dutton Ranch’ Revival

Winger is wingin’ it. The ’80s hard rock, glam metal band thought Aug. 31, 2025, might be its final bow, but after stepping back from touring, the group has returned for a handful of 2026 U.S. dates and keeps adding to the schedule. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

According to Ultimate Classic Rock, Winger performed at a festival in April at Bangers Open Air in São Paulo, Brazil. At the time, the band had only one other confirmed U.S. appearance on its calendar. However, “Winger has continued adding dates, including an upcoming Florida stop that also includes a guest appearance by Steelheart.”

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Seemingly self-aware of the potential whiplash to fans, the band addressed their decision to change the trajectory of their future.

“So, we knew it was coming,” drummer Rod Morgenstein said earlier this year, per UCR. “The last gig that we did, at the concert, instead of saying, ‘This is the last show. You’ll never see Winger again,’ we said, ‘Never say never. Circumstances change.’”

The initial urge to retire, Morgenstein said, wasn’t simply that they were tired of being a band. Instead, he discussed the physical difficulty of maintaining the band’s high vocal ranges after nearly 40 years. Now 73, he said they’ve been talking about the end of the band for years.

As for frontman Kip Winger, he agreed, but his reasons for bowing out were also so he could pursue a solo career.

“Listen, we’re not a huge band—we don’t fly around in our own Learjet—so it tends to take a toll on you,” he said, per UCR. “And then, all of a sudden, all my personal goals just end up drifting away in an airport somewhere in Chicago.”

Formed in New York City in 1987, Winger originally consisted of Kip Winger on vocals and bass, Reb Beach on guitar, Paul Taylor on keyboards and guitar, and Morgenstein on drums. They saw peak success in the ’80s and ’90s with hits like “Seventeen,” “Headed for a Heartbreak,” and “Miles Away,” with their melodic hard rock and complex prog-rock arrangements earning them a loyal following.

Their last album, 2023’s Seven, leaned into the band’s heavier, more progressive metal side. Following its debut and positive reception, Kip said he had no qualms about calling it quits.

“I’ve made my final statement on the last Winger record,” he said. “And a lot of people think that’s, like, if not our best record, it’s close to being our best, along with Pull. And I brought back the original guys and put the original logo on and gave it a nice full circle.”

It seems, however, like he’s changed his tune. Winger is definitely back on the road for at least three more shows, including stops in Detroit, Michigan, solo; in Shipshewana, Indiana, with FireHouse; and in St. Petersburg, Florida, with Steelheart.

Tickets, dates, and venues are available at wingertheband.com.

Related: ’90s Alternative Rock Legends Make History With ‘Greatest Hits’ Spending a Decade on the Charts