Ethan Teaches You Music Podcast

Music in this episode: Robert Johnson - “Terraplane Blues” (1936) (I said it was recorded 100 years ago, it was actually recorded 90 years ago, math is hard) Stevie Wonder - “Superstition” (1972) Dan Bubien & the Delta Struts - “Terraplane Blues” (2022) Eric Clapton - “Terraplane Blues” (2004) John Lee Hooker - “Boogie Chillen” (1948) For a nuanced discussion of Robert Johnson and Eric Clapton, I...

Music in this episode: Jamey Aebersold - “Fm Ebm Dm 8 Bars Each” (1967) The Temptations - “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” (1972) Bo Diddley - “Bo Diddley” (1955) Aretha Franklin - “Chain of Fools” (1967) Eddy Grant - “Electric Avenue” (1982) Mobb Deep - “Shook Ones Part II (Instrumental)” (1994) Common/Slum Village - “Thelonius (Instrumental)” (2000) The Grateful Dead - “Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the...

Music in this episode: The Orb - “Little Fluffy Clouds” (1991) Brian Eno - Ambient 1: Music for Airports - “1/1” (1979) Rickie Lee Jones - “Chuck E.’s in Love” (1979) A Conversation with Rickie Lee Jones (1989) Ennio Morricone - “L’uomo dell’armonica" from C’era Una Volta Il West (1968) Harry Nilsson - “Jump into the Fire” (1971) Twin Hype - “Serious Attitude” (1989) Pat Metheny - “Electric Counte...

Music in this episode: Michael Stein & Kyle Dixon - “Stranger Things Title Sequence” (2016) Kate Bush - “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” (1985) The Clash - “Should I Stay or Should I Go” (1982) The Who - “Baba O’Riley (ConfidentialMX Remix)” (2019) Cyndi Lauper - “Time After Time” (1983) Wham! - “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” (1984) Madonna - “Material Girl” (1984) Metallica - “Master of Pu...

Music in this episode: Michael Jackson - “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” (1982) Manu Dibango - “Soul Makossa” (1972) Manu Dibango - “Mouvement Ewondo” (1972) A Taste of Honey - “Boogie Oogie Oogie” (1978) Manu Dibango - “Electric Africa” (1985) Michael Jackson - “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ (home demo)” (1979) Fugees - “Cowboys” (1996) Will Smith - “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” (1997) Lord Tariq & Peter Gu...

Music in this episode: The Beatles - “Yesterday” (1965) James Brown - “The Payback” (1973) Parliament - “Flashlight” (1978) Michael Jackson - “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” (1979) Dizzy Gillespie - “Manteca” (1957) Small correction: I describe this as a one-chord groove. It mostly is, but it has a B section with a complex jazz chord progression. Underworld - “Rez” (1993) The Orb - “Little Fluffy...

Music in this episode: Sonny Rollins - “Sonnymoon For Two” (1958) Sonny Rollins - “Sonnymoon for Two” (1958) Charles Mingus - “Mood Indigo” (1960) Charles Mingus - “Jelly Roll” (1959) Melvin Bliss - “Synthetic Substitution” (1973) Miles Davis - “Oleo” (1954) Miles Davis - “Doxy” (1954) Sonny Rollins - “St Thomas” (1957) George Symonette - “Sponger Money” (1957) Here’s a chart of my “Sonnymoon for...

Music in this episode: Duke Ellington and His Orchestra - “Mood Indigo” (1950) The Harlem Footwarmers - “Mood Indigo” (1930) The Boswell Sisters - “Mood Indigo” (1933) Thelonious Monk - “Mood Indigo” (1955) James Brown - “The Funky Drummer” (1970) Diverse - “Move” (2001) Rosemary Clooney and Duke Ellington - “Mood Indigo” (1956) Ella Fitzgerald - “Mood Indigo” (1957) Charles Mingus - “Mood Indigo”...

Music in this episode: Stevie Wonder - “Sir Duke” (1976) Duke Ellington - “Mood Indigo” (1950) Count Basie - “One O’Clock Jump” (1937) Glenn Miller - “In the Mood” (1939) Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” (1956) Duke Ellington - “The New East St. Louis Toodle-Oo” (1956) Ella Fitzgerald - “How High The Moon?” (1960) Ohio Players - “Love Rollercoaster” (1975) Du...

Music in this episode: The Beatles - “Blackbird” (1968) Paul McCartney on Parkinson (2005) JS Bach - Bourée from Suite in E Minor, BWV 996 performed by Andres Segovia (c. 1708-1717) The Beatles - “Mother Nature’s Son” (1968) Paul McCartney & Wings - “Bluebird” (1973) Paul McCartney - “Jenny Wren” (2005) Brad Mehldau - “Blackbird” (2021) Billy Preston - “Blackbird” (1972) Crosby, Stills & Nash - “B...

Music in this episode: Johnny Cash - “Big River” (1958) Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash - “Big River” (1969) Johnny Cash - “A Boy Named Sue” (1969) Woody Guthrie - “The Biggest Thing That Man Has Ever Done” (1946) Grateful Dead - “Big River” (1975) Grateful Dead - “Truckin’” (1970) Quotes are from Bob Dylan’s The Philosophy of Modern Song Get full access to Ethan teaches you music at ethanhein.substack.co...

Learn more about Tuniversity and sign up for our first Tune-Up event . Music in this episode: Derek Fawcett - “Just In Case” (2016) Derek Fawcett - “Runnin’ Outta Somedays” (2022) Dolly Parton - “Jolene” (1973) Dolly Parton - “9 to 5” (1980) Zingara - “Another Place” (2025) Björk - “Jóga” (1997) Get full access to Ethan teaches you music at ethanhein.substack.com/subscribe

Music in this episode Aretha Franklin - “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” (1972) Tennessee Ernie Ford - “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” (1958) Elizabeth Cotten - “In The Sweet Bye and Bye/What a Friend We Have in Jesus” (1958) Willie and Bobbie Nelson - “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” (1996) The Campbell Brothers with Katie Jackson - “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” (1997) Mahalia Jackson - “Dark...

Music in this episode: Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” (1981) Aretha Franklin - “I Say A Little Prayer” (1968) Jimi Hendrix - “Hey Joe” (1967) Grateful Dead - “Jack Straw” (1972) Bing Crosby - “Clementine” (1941) Lightnin’ Hopkins - “My California” (1948) JS Bach - Violin Partita No 3 in E Major - Prelude (1720) - performed by Viktoria Mullova The Allman Brothers Band - “Blue...

Music in this episode: The Band - “The Weight” (1968) Bob Dylan - “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” (1965) The Canadian Squires - “Uh Uh Uh” (1965) Ronnie Hawkins - “Mary Lou” (1959) Peter, Paul & Mary - “Puff, the Magic Dragon” (1963) The Staple Singers - “The Weight” (1968) The Band feat. The Staple Singers - “The Weight” (1976) James Carr - “The Dark End of the Street” (1967) The Band - “Up...

Music in this episode: Fleetwood Mac - “Dreams” (1977) The Temptations - “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” (1972) The Bee Gees - “Stayin’ Alive” (1977) Deee-Lite - “Groove is in the Heart” (1990) Johann Sebastian Bach - Prelude No. 1 in C major from The Well-Tempered Clavier performed by Glenn Gould (1722) A Tribe Called Quest - “Can I Kick It?” (1990) The Fugees - “Ready or Not” (1996) Sabrina Carpenter...

Music in this episode: Miles Davis - “In a Silent Way/It’s About That Time” (1969) Joe Zawinul - “In A Silent Way” (1971) Miles Davis - “Directions I” (1968) Frankie HI-NRG MC - “Faccio La Mia Cosa” (1993) Les Sages Poètes de la Rue - “Ne Cours Pas” (1995) Neffa e I Messaggeri Della Dopa - “Dopamina” (1996) Akotcha - “Sound Burger” (1997) Miles Davis - “It’s About That Time” (1970) Miles Davis - “...

Music in this episode: Miles Davis - “Shhh/Peaceful” (1969) Charlie Parker - “Donna Lee” (1947) Miles Davis - “Four” (1954) Miles Davis - “Milestones” (1958) Miles Davis - “Freedom Jazz Dance” (1967) Mahavishnu Orchestra - “Birds Of Fire” (1973) Donald Byrd - “Fufu” (1969) Miles Davis - “Shhh/Peaceful (Early Version)” (1969) Subterra - “Celestial” (2009) Lala Sinephro - “Space 1” (2021) Here’s a t...

Music in this episode: Grateful Dead - “Beautiful Jam (Live in Port Chester, February 18, 1971)” Update: after recording this, David Gans informed me that he named the Beautiful Jam, and also recommended its inclusion on the So Many Roads box set. You can hear David play the recording for Phil Lesh on the Grateful Dead Hour in 1997 ; it was the first time Phil had heard it since performing it. Hea...

Music in this episode: Martha Reeves & The Vandellas - “Dancing In The Street” (1964) The Beatles - “The End” (1969) Santana - “Oye Como Va” (1970) Pink Floyd - “The Great Gig In The Sky” (1973) The JBs - “Doing It To Death” (1973) Bob Marley - “Lively Up Yourself” (1974) Stevie Wonder - “I Wish” (1976) Grateful Dead - “Fire On The Mountain” (1977) Parliament - “Flashlight” (1978) Michael Jackson...

RIP Bob Weir , who sang the Grateful Dead’s cover of this song. Music appearing in this episode: Martha Reeves & the Vandellas - “Dancing in the Street” (1964) Sly & the Family Stone - “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” (1969) Grateful Dead - “Dancing in the Street” (1977) David Bowie & Mick Jagger - “Dancing In The Street” (1985) Ramsey Lewis Trio - “Dancing in the Street” (1967) For backg...

Correction: the trumpet on “Playa Playa” is by Roy Hargrove, not Ray. Also, I said that the song samples “Players Balling” by the Ohio Players, but it really interpolates it. Music in this episode: D’Angelo - “Brown Sugar” (1995) A Tribe Called Quest - “Buggin’ Out” (1991) J Dilla - “Kamaal” (2003) D’Angelo - “Playa Playa” (2000) Jimi Hendrix - “Foxy Lady” (1967) D’Angelo - “The Root” (2000) Charl...

This is the first episode to include a guest, namely, my nine year old daughter, who is the world’s biggest David Byrne fan. Music in this episode: Talking Heads - “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” (1983) Talking Heads - “Houses In Motion” (1980) David Byrne - “Everybody Laughs” (2025) David Byrne - “Everybody’s Coming to My House” (2020) David Byrne - “Burning Down the House” (2020) David B...

Music in this episode: JS Bach - Violin Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004, 5. Chaconne (c. 1717-1720) performed by Viktoria Mullova Juan Arañés - Una sarao de la chacona, “A la vida bona" (1624) performed by Piffaro Francesca Caccini - "Ciaccona" (c. 1620) performed by Cappella di Santa Maria degli Angiolini & Gian Luca Lastraioli Andrea Falconieri - "Ciaccona" (c. 1650) performed by Josetxu Obre...

Paid subscribers get notated transcriptions and other musicological goodies Music in this episode: The Beatles - “The End” (1969) The Swan Silvertones - “ Oh Mary Don't You Weep ” (1959) Eddie Harris - “Listen Here” (1961) James Brown - “Maybe The Last Time” (1964) The Cannonball Adderley Quintet - “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” (1966) Joe Cocker - “Feelin' Alright” (1969) The Rolling Stones - “You Can't A...