Stereothematica

Grab your quarters and head to the jukebox. We're gonna sing our blues away this week! Ever curious about the history of the jukebox? It's an American classic and something that's still fun for music lovers and diner-goers alike. When you're playing music on the jukebox, you're in control! SONGS: Spirit in the Night: Bruce Springsteen (1973) Bobbie Gentry: Fancy (1969) RES...

Sometimes we learn about songs in ways we can't explain easily. A failed Shazam of a song at a restaurant, a captivating tune on a cool girl's hair-do how-to video. This week we're exploring the sometimes convoluted ways we discover music. SONGS: Dara Puspita: A Go Go (1967) Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band: Love For The Sake Of Dub (2024) RESOURCES AND REFERENCES: The Power of Dara Pu...

Jaws. Halloween. The Exorcist. These classic horror movies wouldn't be nearly as scary if it weren't for their titillating scores and soundtracks. This week we dive into two new horror classics (ok, maybe not both are new classics) and talk about how music makes movies 10x scarier. Listener beware!   SONGS: Michael Abels, Luniz, Michael Marshall: I Got 5 On It - Tethered Mix from US (201...

Grab your cowboy hat, lederhosen, and/or Peppermint Patty . We're gonna yodel this week! SONGS: Dolly Parton: Mule Skinner Blues (Blue Yodel No. 8) (1970) Hank Williams: Lovesick Blues (1949)   RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:  The Lonely Goatherd - Sound of Music (1965) Maria Von Trapp Teaches Julie Andrews to Yodel (Rogers & Hammerstein) York Peppermint Patty Commercial (1986) Yodel-ay-ee-oooo...

What's the heartbeat of a city? It might be the song that makes you feel like you're living within its very chambers. Join us on the journey through the pulsing heart of NYC and Los Angeles on this week's episode!  SONGS: Donna Summer: I Feel Love (1977) Sparks: Tryouts for the Human Race (1979) RESOURCES AND REFERENCES: BBC Soul Music: I Feel Love Song from the Future: The Story of...

October 5 is Global James Bond Day ! What better way to celebrate than with pickle juice martinis (the antithesis of 007) and a deep dive with our editor and self proclaimed Bond Enthusiast, Tamas Harangi, to talk about the franchise and the iconic songs that help make it relevant to this day. Please share your favorites with us !   SONGS: Duran Duran: A View to a Kill (1985) Nancy Sinatra: You On...

Do you listen to music everyday? Do you like it when a song mentions every day of the week? We do! At least some songs. Let's see if we can catch every single day in our song picks!  SONGS: Cherrelle feat. Alexander O'Neal - "Saturday Love" (1985) The Clash: Police On My Back (1980) RESOURCES AND REFERENCES: Friday I'm In Love - The Cure Lady Madonna - The Beatles  Sublime...

This week, we share songs we really like... that is, until the singing starts.  And brace yourself for a twist!  SONGS: Yes: Heart of the Sunrise (1971) The Boomtown Rats: I Don’t Like Mondays (1979) RESOURCES AND REFERENCES: Say Less Meaning (The Idioms) The Band: Stage Fright ( 1970) At the Movies - Deep Cuts Lost & Found Podcast Buffalo 66 - Heart of the Sunrise Scene (1998) Yes - Fragile -...

Sometimes the sounds of your hometown can move you to tears... and sometimes they can make you want to move your body... and if you're moving away from your hometown, you just might want to get sentimental and gush about what makes your hometown sound unique. Join us as we dive into the sounds of Houston, Texas, and Huntington Beach, California, this week!  SONGS: DJ DMD [feat. Lil' Keke...

Whether it's been a summer bummer or summer lovin', we've got the grooves to meet your mood and carry you through the rough and the smooth! SONGS: Peki Momés: Yildiz (Estrelar) (2025) Ohtis: Schatze (feat. Stef Chura) (2021) RESOURCES AND REFERENCES: Contenders for 2026 Song of the Summer (Pitchfork) Marcos Valle: Estrelar (Original Video, 1983) Os Flippers: Estrelar (1983, Mr. Bong...

Gotcha! This isn't X-rated, ya freaks. We're talking about tunes where the singer tells us exactly what the song is about in the opening lines. You know, "This is a song about..." love, life, loss, summer, a girl named " Lucky ." Just kidding about that last one.  SONGS: Janet Jackson: And On and On (1994) Raye: Goodbye Henry (feat. Al Green) (2026) RESOURCES AND REFE...

Ever have a song that gets stuck in your head... and you might try all the tricks to get it out of your head and you're still stuck humming (or singing!?) wide awake at 3 a.m. We've been there! And this week we're talking about the music we don't mind getting stuck in our heads! And, as you can probably guess, these tunes aren't your... typical earworms! SONGS: Riton &...

The feeling of rediscovering a song you once loved but forgot about is better than a cold breeze on a hot day. Well, almost. This week we dive into some once-forgotten jams and reconnect with the people we were when we originally discovered them. Join us on a trip down memory lane!  SONGS: NRBQ: Magnet (1972) Plastilina Mosh: Boombox Baby (2000) RESOURCES AND REFERENCES: Super Socks - Mister S (19...

Get your minds out of the gutter. There's only one type of horniness that we'd be talking about...  SONGS: Fela Kuti: Water No Get Enemy (1975) The Bar-Kays: Soul Finger (1967) RESOURCES AND REFERENCES: FelaKuti. Com Fela Kuti: Fear No Man (Podcast Series, 2025) Finding Fela - Full Documentary (Kino Lorber, 2014) Fela Ransome Kuti and His Koola Lobitos (1965) Water No Get Enemy: How Fela...

Whether you're being taken out to the ball game or pumping up the jam... or maybe even being wowed by the Skate Circle DJs in Central Park... you can't deny that sports and music go hand in hand. And this week, we're revisiting the World Cup music of today and yesteryear and doing a deep dive into the sweet sounds of roller rink tunes to get our blood pumping and give our ears a wor...

We’re taking another week off, so we’re revisiting one of our most controversial episodes: Movie Sing-Alongs. And since we’re on the topic of movie music, Christine gives an update about her magical night at the Hollywood Bowl for Music from the Films of Wes Anderson. Special thanks to the concert obsessed Nancy German for capturing the evening. In case, you missed it, here are a few highlights wi...

We're taking a little break to do some birding , cloud spotting , and maybe even some trippin' ! In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this re-release of “Genre Bending" with some bonus giddiness at the top. And we'll be back on July 28, commemorating the completion of the World Cup with an episode dedicated to sports songs.  --- What happens when music refuses to stay in its lane...

The future is now, or maybe a second from now. THE FUTURE is also a vibe, and we’ve got music to match it or maybe even set the stage for it. No transhumanistic fantasies here, just some transcendent tunes to cope with the downfall of humanity perpetrated by tech billionaires.  SONGS: Jantra: Gedima (2023) Javelin: Estevez (2011) RESOURCES AND REFERENCES: Jantra on Bandcamp ( Ostinato Records ) Th...

Have you ever been on hold and all of a sudden you find yourself dancing to the sweet, sweet hold music? Or maybe a friend sends you a song saying, "Hey, I think you might like this!" And even though you don't think you will... you do? Well, welcome to the unexpected jams episode! We're going to dive into some weird places where the music is unexpected and yet still hits. SONGS...

They're not all creepy! And sometimes they actually make a great song greater, or a bad song better. Biases aside, in this episode we celebrate the contributions of children to music history.  SONGS: Joubert Singers: Stand on the Word (1982) Human Skab: Screamin' Demon (1986) RESOURCES AND REFERENCES: PS 22 Chorus’s YouTube page The Tangled History of the Joubert Singers’ “Stand on the W...

What started as another theme turned into a real life pity party when Christine and Christina recorded in person for the first time EVER. And we had a rich conversation about one of music's most self-pitying artists—Harry Nilsson. We hope you join our pity party this week and learn more about Nilsson's legend status and stick around for some truly despicable imitations . SONGS: Harry Nil...

Ever hear a song and say, "Yeah, this is nice. But what would it sound like in French/Spanish/Greek/Swahili/Urdu?" Well, then, friends, you're in the right place. This week we take songs that are already good in English and some how get even better in a foreign language. And the best news? No one picked "Yesterday"! SONGS: Freedom Fry: Stayin’ Alive (Cover 2021) (Bee Gees...

Happy Pride Month! Queer and LGBTQ music is incredible for ALL audiences, every day of the year (not just Pride month, of course!). This week we share some under the radar gay anthems and celebrate the queer musicians who made them. SONGS: Lavender Country: "Cryin' These Cocksucking Tears" (1973) Elton John: Philadelphia Freedom (1975) RESOURCES AND REFERENCES: Hundreds Turn Out for...

Shortest songs don't always yield the shortest episodes, but they do pack a punch! And while this isn't technically our shortest episode, it does come in second, after our SECOND episode Pump Up Songs . Enjoy the brevity and levity, and please share your favorite shorties on Instagram.  SONGS: ¡Ay, Paquita! (Performed by Rosalía) - Paquita Salas (2018) Dang Me - Roger Miller (1964)   RES...

The Seattle sound. Flannel shirts. Rejecting conformity. Embracing dirty hair. What is "grunge"? Join us this week as we dive into a couple of grunge songs (and make some interesting connections to musical influence on the grunge scene).  SONGS: Silverchair: Tomorrow (Australian version, 1995) Nirvana: Turnaround (1990) RESOURCES AND REFERENCES: Hey Millennials, Grunge Was Never A Moveme...