Strong Songs

Kirk digs into Fiona Apple's breakneck 1999 single "Fast As You Can," a cornerstone in her late 90s collaborations with Jon Brion, as well as her work with drummer Matt Chamberlain. Written by: Fiona Apple Produced by: Jon Brion Album: When The Pawn..., 1999 Listen/Buy via Album. Link ALSO REFERENCED/DISCUSSED: Jon Brion in Performing Songwriter Magazine , 2000 "Criminal" by Fiona Apple from Tidal...

Strong Songs Season Seven kicks off with two of the most famous songs ever recorded, from one of the biggest bands in the world. U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" and "With or Without You" make up two-thirds of the three-song "suite" of hit singles that kicked off their 1987 album The Joshua Tree. As it turns out, the two songs have a lot to say to one another! They also have a lot to say abou...

In between seasons, Kirk re-ran a bunch of old episodes and prefaced each one with a new music recommendation. He's taking those down recasts in preparation for season seven, but it seemed like a good idea to put all the music recommendations in one place. So that's what this episode is! DISCUSSED AND RECOMMENDED: "The Meadow" by Nickel Creek from Celebrants , 2023 "Chip Monkey" by Kick the Cat fr...

In light of Janis Stockhouse's unexpected death at the tail end of 2024, we're re-posting Kirk's 2019 interview with her for anyone who might want to listen to it. Janis started teaching at North high school in Bloomington, Indiana, in the early 1980s. It was a time when "jazz education" as a concept was still a relatively new thing. She retired 38 years later, having grown the North band program...

Kirk talks with Wesley Morris and Josh Gwynn about the endless world of Stevie Wonder. Morris and Gwynn are host and producer, respectively, of the brilliant new six-part podcast series The Wonder of Stevie . Check out Josh Gwynn's terrific pop culture podcast Back Issue , Wesley Morris's culture podcast Still Processing , and Morris' essential writing on Aretha Franklin , Jam & Lewis , Meshell Nd...

A cross-post of the first episode of "The Wonder of Stevie," a new six-part podcast series from Higher Ground and Pineapple Street Studios. It's a great show - find it on Apple , Amazon , Spotify ... it's a podcast, you know the deal. Next week, we'll run a conversation between Kirk, host Wesley Morris, and producer Josh Gwynn all about what they learned making the show, and how they've come to th...

Back in August, Kirk went on Dave Hamilton's music podcast "Gig Gab" to talk about music, Strong Songs, podcasting, and life. It was a fun conversation, and seemed worth republishing here. You can find the full show notes here , watch a video version here , and can check out Gig Gab at giggabpodcast.com or anywhere you get podcasts. -------------------- 💃STRONG SONGS LIVE!🕺 July 11, 2026 | Portl...

An update on what's next now that Season Six is complete, along with some book and music recommendations! BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS The History of Jazz by Ted Gioia, 3rd edition - 1997, revised 2021 Guitar Zero: The New Musician and the Science of Learning by Gary Marcus, 2012 MUSIC RECOMMENDATION LINKS Steve Pardo - DOS - (also in Video Game form on Steam ) Completions - I Needed Help Ruth Moody - Wan...

In the season six finale, Kirk takes a deep dive into Bruce Springsteen's signature song, 1975's "Born to Run." It's all here: tremolo guitar riffs, glockenspiel arpeggios, endless sus chords, and a sax solo for the ages. Baby, we were born for it. Written by: Bruce Springsteen Produced by: Springsteen, John Landau, and Mike Appel Album: Born to Run , 1975 Listen/Buy via Lynkify ALSO REFERENCED/DI...

As Season Six draws to a close, Kirk opens up the Strong Songs mailbag to answer a bunch of listener questions on topics ranging from Diablo's use of lydian to what he means when he talks about "transcribing." REFERENCED/DISCUSSED: "Tristram" by Matt Uelman from Diablo , 1997 "Blast Inc. (feat. Jorgen Munkeby)" by Haunted Shores from Viscera, 2015 "One Down, One Up" by John Coltrane from New Thing...

Stage left! It's time for Strong Songs to talk about XTC. Stage right! Now the song is picked, analysis can begin. Stand up! If we listen close, we'll hear some lovely notes... On this episode, Kirk takes the stage alongside "Easter Theatre," the first single off of XTC's 1999 experimental symphono-pop album Apple Venus: Vol. 1 . Bring on the bassoons and power up the mellotron; we've got some sha...

Phish may be known for their 30-minute live jams, but turns out you can distill their best qualities into a song one-tenth that length. To that end, Kirk picks apart and reassembles their 1998 studio recording of "Limb By Limb" in all its polyrhythmic, guitarpeggiated glory. Music by: Trey Anastasio, with Page McConnell, Mike Gordon & Jon Fishman Lyrics by: Tom Marshall & Scott Herman Album: The S...

You came, you saw, you voted, and you picked Blondie as Strong Songs' first listener-selected artist! After weighing a number of possible songs to focus on, Kirk decided to go with the 1978 hit that took them from the punk clubs of New York to dance floors around the world. Wanna pick an artist for Season Seven? Go join the Patreon ! Written by: Deborah Harry and Chris Stein Produced by: Mike Chap...

Meshell Ndegeocello is: a fearless songwriter, an outrageously funky bassist, and a groundbreaking producer who knows just how to get the most out of each musician she hires. On this episode, Kirk takes a deep dive into "The Way," the second track off of her 1996 record Peace Beyond Passion , and shines a light on some of the things that make her one of the greats. Written by: Meshell Ndegeocello...

For the third edition of Strong Covers, Kirk takes on two famous covers of two equally famous songs: Jimi Hendrix's 1968 cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," and The White Stripes' early 2000s cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene." Written by: Bob Dylan & Dolly Parton Albums:  Bob Dylan: John Wesley Harding , 1967 — Jimi Hendrix: Electric Ladyland , 1968 Dolly Parton: Jolene , 1973 — White...

Kirk digs into the work of master composer Antônio Carlos Jobim via his timeless 1974 duet with Elis Regina on his song "Águas de Marçco," known Stateside as "The Waters of March." He's joined by special guest Frederico Barros, Professor of Musicology at Federal University of Rio De Janeiro. Written by: Antônio Carlos Jobim Performed by: Jobim and Elis Regina Album: Elis & Tom (1974) Listen/Buy vi...

Turns out some songs stand on their own, however memorable-slash-horrifying their music video might have been. Written by: Chris Cornell Produced by: Michael Beinhorn Album: Superunknown (1994) Listen/Buy via Songwhip ALSO DISCUSSED: "Spoonman" and "The Day I Tried to Live" by Chris Cornell and Soundgarden from Superunknown , 1994 Kim Thayil interview at Songfacts Norah Jones' cover of "Black Hole...

Strong Songs Season Six kicks off with a widely requested classic: Peter Gabriel's 1986 yearner "In Your Eyes." Because why hire one rhythm section when you can hire two for twice the price? Written by: Peter Gabriel Produced by: Daniel Lanois Album: So (1986) Listen/Buy via Songwhip ALSO DISCUSSED: Rick Beato's Interview with So producer Daniel Lanois "DIY" by Peter Gabriel from Peter Gabriel 2:...

On this bonus episode from May 2022, Kirk goes through a handful of other covers of the three Beatles songs he recently discussed on the show. "Gotta Get You Into My Life" by Paul McCartney/Lennon-McCartney as covered by Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers (1966) and Blood, Sweat & Tears (1975) "Eleanor Rigby" by Paul McCartney/Lennon-McCartney as covered by Aretha Franklin (1968), Cody Fry (2021)...

(Originally recorded in May 2022) There's always more to say about Sonny Rollins, so Kirk shares a few of his other favorite Sonny moments, along with some additional love for Max Roach's drumming on Saxophone Colossus . REFERENCED: "St. Thomas" and "Blue 7" by Sonny Rollins from Saxophone Colossus , 1956 "St. Thomas" as performed by Joshua Redman on Spirit of the Moment: Live at the Village Vangu...

Weird Al has been writing songs and recording parodies for four decades, and his musical footprint is unfathomably wide. In this minisode, originally released in October 2022, Kirk gets into a few things he didn't have room for in the main feed episode about "The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota." FEATURED/DISCUSSED: "Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies" by Yankovic, a parody of "Money for Not...

Recorded in August 2022 as an addendum to the main feed episode "Strong Grooves, Volume 1," special guest Russ Kleiner takes Kirk through the evolution of James Brown drummer Clyde Stubblefield's playing from 1967 to 1970. FEATURED/DISCUSSED: "Cold Sweat" (1967), "I Got The Feelin'" (1968), "Mother Popcorn" (1969), "Funky Drummer" (1970), all feat. Clyde Stubblefield on drums. SPECIAL GUEST: Russ...

For the Season Five finale, Kirk takes a look at The Band and Martin Scorsese's beloved 1978 concert film The Last Waltz - "The beginning of the beginning of the end of the beginning." Featuring music by The Band: Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson Directed by: Martin Scorsese Album: The Last Waltz (1978) Listen/Buy via Songwhip ALSO DISCUSSED/REFERENCED: "T...

It's time for another mailbag episode, as Kirk takes on questions about Evanescence piano, Kelis bells, and counting in songs by Phish, Vessels, Ten Years After, and Kishi Bashi. All that, and a friendly dispute about a Taylor Swift song. "Milkshake" by Neptunes/Kelis from Tasty, 2003 "Going Under" by Evanescence from Fallen, 2003 Joe Lovono plays the Aulochrome Pat Metheney plays the Pikasso 42-s...

The electric guitar is a beautiful, maddening instrument, and man does it sound good in the right hands. On this episode, Kirk takes a deep dive into solos by guitar legends Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery, Jimi Hendrix, and Larry Carlton. FEATURED/DISCUSSED: "Seven Come Eleven" by Charlie Christian and Benny Goodman, recorded by the Benny Goodman Sextet in 1939 "Fried Pies" by Wes Montgomery fr...