LYRICS FOR LUNCH

What do you get when you cross a pair of middle-aged former bullfighters, a Venezuelan flamenco dancer, the casual racism of corporate radio, and  choreography that "even a child with no sense of rhythm" could perform? Only one of the biggest singles of all time! This week on Lyrics for Lunch, we dive into the strange, twisty, contradictory history of "The Macarena." More than 25 years later,...

The tumultuous story of Eric and Pattie reaches its gut-wrenching conclusion with Clapton's miserable "love" song, "Wonderful Tonight." It won't be the last song Eric writes about Pattie, but it will be the worst. This week, we find out how Eric managed to survive the 70s and 80s and only impregnate two women who weren't his wife. Then, after Eric and Pattie finally split (good riddance), we disco...

In January 1966, model/photographer Pattie Boyd married George Harrison at the height of the Beatles' popularity. They moved into a dope house, went to India to meditate, and did other fun Beatley things. So then how did a heroin-addicted philanderer (spoilers, it's Eric Clapton) convince Boyd into leaving her marriage? We've got this story and more this week as we embark on the unsettling tale of...

In the late 90s, Titanic broke the bank (and our hearts and brains) before becoming the highest grossing film of its time. But Jack and Rose’s epic love story was never supposed to end with a sappy pop song. Or was it? This week: Studio feuds, the tyranny of James Cameron, the rise of Celine Dion, and the real centenarian who inspired the multi-platinum single that helped carry Cameron’s blockbust...

This week, the conclusion of the Phil Spector story. Murder! Wigs! Murder and wigs! We get into the life and crimes of Famous Monster Phil Spector including the abuse of his wife Veronica Bennett of the Ronnettes, and, of course, the 2003 murder of actor Lana Clarkson, of which Spector was found guilty of in 2009. But the fun doesn't stop there. We explore his musical evolution from one of his fir...

In the second edition of our Famous Monsters series (with Lindsay's mic still haunted by the ghost of Charles Manson) we do a deep Devo dive into the art-rock band responsible for the 80s megahit "Whip It." Forged in the wake of the Kent State massacre, Devo weirded out audiences for years before their biggest success was inspired by Roy Orbison, Thomas Pynchon's novel Gravity's Rainbow, and the d...

In 1968, a chance encounter set off a chain reaction that led to (arguably) the most famous murder in american history. This encounter also led to the 1968 Beach Boys track "Never Learn Not To Love," a song credited to Dennis Wilson, brother of Beach Boys wunderkind Brian Wilson. However, the truth behind the song is far more sinister--first written by Charles Manson. Today we discuss the tragedy...

In the early '80s, yacht rock group Toto needed a hit or else risk being dropped by its record label. Keyboardist David Paich, allegedly inspired by his catholic upbringing and late-night Africa documentaries, penned much of what would become Toto's biggest hit in less than ten minutes. But is "Africa" a harmless monument to kitsch--or a prime example of poorly aged cultural appropriation and harm...

On her Grammy-winning album Folklore, Taylor Swift regales listeners with a tale of the eccentric dance patron and philanthropist Rebekah Harkness — who once owned Swift's Watch Hill, Rhode Island mansion (aptly named "Holiday House"). But there are way too many peculiarities to Rebekah's story than could ever fit within 3 minutes and 50 seconds. That's where we come in. From fish tanks filled wit...

We've got the dirt behind Olivia Rodrigo's monster breakout hit "Drivers License" and its followup companion piece, "Déjà vu"—Plus all the teenage Disney drama and TikTok love-triangle theories our little hearts could handle.

How the tragic 1997 disappearance of Lela and Raymond Howard inspired a megahit that saved Disney's Hollywood Records.