LYRICS FOR LUNCH

In May 2021, a video of a teenage punk band went viral. The original song they were performing in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month was an anti-hate original they’d written in the wake of pandemic lockdown as anti-Asian sentiments were growing among racists everywhere. “Racist, Sexist Boy” caught the attention of some heavy hitting musicians — and today the Linda Li...

Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth have been off and on since they were teenagers. More than a decade later, Miley’s burning it all down. But what are the circumstances that led to her mega-hit breakup anthem “Flowers”? And what exactly does Bruno Mars have to do with it? Did Miley and Dolly Parton start a cult to get kicked out of elementary school? We’ve got the whole scoop, this week on Lyrics for...

In 1991, an eerie, grunge tale of teen violence swept popular culture. The rumor mill went wild: Was Jeremy about a school shooting? Revenge for childhood bullying? An evil kid with Daddy issues? But the true story of Jeremy Wade Dell is a lot more complicated than the chorus of a song. And the problems that led to his death have heart-wrenchingly only gotten worse over the past two decades. Join...

It has been said that “Fat Cats, Bigga Fish” by the band The Coup “is to hip hop what Alan Ginsberg’s Howl is to poetry, Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue” is to Jazz, or Marx’s Das Kapital is to socialist theory.” This week, Lindsay and Aviv take a deep dive into a hip hop record and a lyricist, Boots Riley, who has always weirdly been able to predict the future, maybe even 9/11. Let's just hope he's wr...

In late 2004, an anonymous 18-year old uploaded a webcam video to the internet with the sole intention of making his friends smile. Little did he know he was about to define what it means to go viral. The boy? Gary Brolsma. The song? Dragostea Din Tei — an absolute banger that would turn Gary into an international superstar. Or was it the other way around? Did the song make Gary a sensation or did...

Lindsay is in the driver's seat this week as we cruise down the dark desert highway. Is The Eagles' Hotel California a backmasked, Satan-worshiping pop odyssey? A cannibalistic reggae riff? A thinly veiled metaphor for a trip the the mental institution, hidden to protect copyright? Or something far more sinister, a commentary on the music industry itself? All that and more, this week...

How did a sexed-up blues ditty become a non-sensical ode to ... Italian ice cream? We've got the scoop, this week, as we we take a look at the life and times of one Richard Wayne Penniman.

There's been 10 mass shootings in the US since we recorded this episode less than 6 days ago. This week, we set out to tell the story of a misunderstood "hangover" anthem — an epic tune for every case of the Mondays with a dark origin and an unlikely killer. But as we move into this holiday weekend, we find ourselves at a loss for words. All we can say is hold your loved ones close, and your gover...

Lindsay is back! This week with the unlikely story of two Germans whose quirky coping mechanisms evolved to transform the fabric of Las Vegas as we know it. That’s right, it’s Siegfried & Roy! From their humble beginnings to their real-life Jurassic Park spectacular’s 13-year run and run-ins with the law (oh, and did we mention a theme song from Michael Jackson?), we’ve got all there is to know ab...

With Lindsay down and out after a botched wisdom tooth extraction, we sadly had to take a week off from the show. But in honor of her troubles, we're calling on our friend Matt from Pick A Disc podcast, where Aviv guest hosted last year to talk about one of his favorite albums "You're My Lover Now" by The Teeth (get it?). We wish Lindsay a speedy recovery and we'll be back next week with a regular...

This week, special guest TikTok's Patrick Hicks regales us with the tale of Mariah Carey's rise to stardom (hint: it all started at a Holiday party), her lasting influence in pop and hip-hop, and her secret Grunge project that's blowing the internet's mind. That's one talented CHICK.  

Our long awaited ABBA episode (says Aviv): The Winner Takes it All. What do you get when you take four Swedish superstars, a victim of a Nazi eugenics program, a Eurovision won, 9/11, and two doomed marriages? The greatest pop band of all time (says Aviv).

In 1987, R.E.M. released an album that would catapult the band from Slightly Obscure to Mainstream Rock Heroes — inspiring Rolling Stone to declare the Georgian quartet: "America's Best Rock & Roll Band"! And on that Little Album That Could was a 4-minute ode to the End of Days, a word salad delivered with such erratic fury that more than 20 years later, it still compels listeners in their darkest...

The Cure is perhaps as influential as 80s bands get. The post-punk groups’s emotive love songs famously evolve from despair to euphoria and back again with a casual elegance achieved by very few. So who - or what? - inspired enraptured heart-wrenchers like “Just Like Heaven” and “Pictures of You”? We’ll give you one guess :) This week when we deep dive into the band that seamlessly bridged pop, ne...

By listener request, this supersized episode covers the history of the Sex Pistols from the perspective of their two "visionaries": Malcolm MacLaren and John Lydon (Johnny Rotten). Who was actually in creative control of the band? And more importantly, who was more full of shit? The history of the seminal punk band has a lot more twists and turns that you might think — with detours to Buster Poind...

Matthew Ducey joins us once again for the thrilling conclusion to the Lou Pearlman story. In addition to fleecing two of the biggest singing groups of all time, Lou is also responsible for one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in American history. The commission of which takes us on an international manhunt. All this and more, this week on Lyrics for Lunch.

This week, for our extra spectacular 50th episode, we are joined by Matthew Ducey, producer of The Boyband Con: The Lou Pearlman Story. In this long awaited episode, we discuss the rise of Lou Pearlman, creator (and sixth member) of the Backstreet Boys, N*Sync, LFO, O-Town, and many more bands. We explore Pearlman's humble beginnings from bling crashing and insurance fraud to becoming one of the b...

Are you a bitch? a mother? a goddess under cover? Do you know where there this earworm of empowerment even came from? Did you think it was Alanis Morissette? This week, we welcome guest host Amory Sivertson of the Endless Thread podcast to enlighten us about the origins of Meredith Brooks’ angsty ode to feminine multiplicity. We know you wouldn't want it any other way.

What do time travel, tinfoil hats, Russian TV, Dan Rather, and the plot of Twelve Monkeys all have in common? This episode, of course. Listen this week as we uncover the many mysteries surrounding one of R.E.M.'s most popular jams. 

This week, Aviv gives Lindsay the best gift of all: the knowledge that this song exists, Accidental Racist by Brad Paisley and LL Cool J. How could this have happened? Is it possible that a song *on its face* allegedly meant to promote racial understanding does way more harm than good? Spoilers: YES. And what does all this have to do with Cracker Barrel? We have the unfortunate details. 

This week, Aviv ruins another childhood favorite of Lindsay's: Ace of Base. How much of their sound do they owe to the reggae band that practiced next door to them? What made their lead singer want to give up touring? And just how many of them were white nationalists? We’ve got the upsetting details.

You'd be hard pressed to ignore that something is going on with Taylor Swift this week. The release of her re-recorded 2012 album Red (Taylor's Version) last Friday — complete with 14 never released tracks and a 10-minute version of fan-favorite heartbreak anthem "All Too Well" — sent Swiftie's on a tizzy of epic proportion. And in classic Swift "Style," Queen Tay did not disappoint: surprise drop...

In 2013, Robin Thicke catapulted to stardom with an R&B single that spent 16 weeks at number 1 — becoming the biggest hit of the entire year. Mired in controversy from the get-go, the song (and its x-rated video) was quickly recognized for its creepy, coercive sexual messaging and banned by everyone from student unions to YouTube. Eight years later, after a nearly decade-long copyright battle...

Thanks to listener Jenna for writing in with this week's song suggestion! In this episode, Aviv and Lindsay discuss one of the most recognizable songs of all time, "You Are My Sunshine." Despite its familiarity, the song has 5 verses that are much harder to recall. The authorship of the yodely lullaby is most often credited to two-time Louisiana Governor Jimmie Davis, but the song's true origin is...

In 1998, Ben Affleck brandished brand-new pearly whites in an end-of-the-world asteroid movie so nice they made it twice (well, kind of). Despite having more plot holes than questionable one-liners, the apocalyptic blockbuster earned over $553 million globally. The movie's theme song, surprisingly inspired by a certain gay icon's heterosexual romance, spent 77 weeks on the charts. This week, we've...