I'm In Love With That Song Podcast

Pink Floyd released "Us & Them" in 1973, but it feels like it could've been written yesterday. Can we ever get past our compulsion to separate "us" from "them"? This is a song for the ages, with some brilliant performances across the board from everyone involved-- band members, guest artists, backing singers and recording engineers alike. Let's try to listen to this song afresh and rediscover what...

This being Episode # 57, I thought it would be fun to revisit '57 -- as in the year 1957. With the loss of Little Richard recently, virtually all of the early pioneers of Rock 'n' Roll are gone now, so let's take a look back at the music and the musicians behind rock's first big year. This episode was also inspired by the book "The History Of Rock & Roll, Volume 1" by Ed Ward. Most of the research...

Earth, Wind & Fire's 6th album, That's The Way of The World, was ostensibly a soundtrack album; when the film bombed, the album was on the verge of fading away, too-- until "Shining Star" was released as a single and it became their first (and surprisingly only) #1 Top 10 Hit. The whole band is on fire here; beneath the pop sheen is the heaviest of funk grooves, with particularly tasty guitar & ba...

A Todd Rundgren album can vary between pure pop to bossa nova, guitar rock to wild experimentation; like the proverbial box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get with the next Rundgren album. Released in 1989, the Nearly Human album is Todd at his best, a pop masterpiece of well-crafted songs performed impeccably, live-in-the-studio. "Parallel Lines" is one of the strongest cuts, ini...

The best British band from the '60's that never hit the bigtime in America-- Small Faces. Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenny Jones and Ian McLagan would become rock legends due to their future projects (Humble Pie, The Who, The Faces, etc) , but it all started for them here. Small Faces recorded a number of psychedelic pop gems, but "Tin Soldier" may be the pinnacle. Shall we have a listen? Small...

Back in '77, one thing UK punk bands didn't have much use for was love songs. But Pete Shelley of the Buzzcocks wrote what could be called "modern love songs"; honest songs about longing, romance, loneliness, and yes, love -- all laced with self-deprecating humor. But their music was aggressive, all raging guitars, pounding drums & pummeling bass. With those thoughtful (dare I say, sensitive) lyri...

"War" was originally written for The Temptations, but when Motown was too squeamish to have one of their top acts release an overtly anti-Vietnam song, Edwin Starr stepped up and secured his place in history. His no-holds-barred delivery of "War" resulted in one of the most commercially successful protest songs ever recorded. Though Edwin Starr never reached these heights again, he left his mark w...

It Came From Boston (Vol. 2): Local boy from Wellesley, MA pays his dues in & around Boston and New York; eventually becomes a solo artist and strikes gold on his 2nd solo album, Don't Say No. "Lonely Is The Night" was the 2nd single and my favorite track from the album, so let's have a listen to this classic song from the early '80's.   "Lonely Is The Night" (Billy Squier) Copyright 1981 Songs Of...

For the 50th episode of the podcast, we're mixing it up a bit. I just finished reading a fascinating book by Andrew Grant Jackson where he lays out his belief that 1965 was "The Most Revolutionary Year In Music". Let's have a listen to some of the sounds of '65 and see if we agree. The Beatles, the Stones, the Byrds, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Motown... it's all there. You can find a copy of his bo...

A Robyn Hitchcock song is so unique, it could only come from the mind of Robyn Hitchcock. From his first recordings with The Soft Boys in the '70's through to his solo work today, Robyn is a singular artist with a vision all his own. This is a track from my favorite Hitchcock album, Element Of Light.   "Airscape" (Robyn Hitchcock) Copyright 1986 August 23rd/Bug Music As mentioned during the podcas...

Wealth and excess go together; emptiness and detachment are right around the corner. This song delves into all of that, along with a particular obsession. What do you do when money no longer buys you a thrill? Bryan Ferry has some thoughts... NOTE: Though there's no profanity used in this episode, the discussion does involve sexual activities so be warned... you might wanna listen to this one on h...

To say Rush has a devoted fan base would be an understatement. I know, because I was a card-carrying member of the "Rush Backstage Fan Club" back in the '80's. Perhaps no Rush song connected so directly with their fans as "Subdivisions". On this episode, we celebrate Neil Peart with a deeper look at this fan favorite. "Subdivisions" (Music by Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson, Words by Neil Peart) Copyrigh...

On this episode, we revisit the great '70's hard rock/power pop album Attention Shoppers! by Starz. "X-Ray Spex" is a blast of punky pop with some interesting use of studio effects. Turn it up!   "X-Ray Spex" (Peter Sweval, Joe X. Dube, Michael Lee Smith, Brendan Harkin & Richie Ranno) Copyright 1978 Starzongo Music, Inc/Rock Steady Music, Inc/ASCAP Related Episodes: https://lovethatsongpodcast.co...

On this special Bonus podcast, it's time for another holiday pick. Here's an ol' Christmas classic with a power pop twist: "We Three Kings" by Odds. Happy Holidays, everyone!  "Kings Of Orient (We Three Kings)" (Traditional) Odds, 1991 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Carpenter is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer & engineer from Australia who, in a better world, would be a lot more famous. A master of hooks & harmony, he's one of the best modern power pop artists out there. Here's a track that's a personal favorite of mine. Check it out & then go buy some of his music.  "Kailee Anne" (Michael Carpenter) Copyright 2000 Michael Carpenter; Cop...

It Came From Boston: 5 experienced musicians come together to make something new: keyboard whiz Greg Hawkes; the bassist with the killer voice, Benjamin Orr; drummer David Robinson from the legendary Modern Lovers; one of the tastiest guitarists in the business, Elliot Easton; and singer/songwiriter/guitarist & mastermind Ric Ocasek. Merging classic guitar rock with the burgeoning synth-pop sounds...

There's no shortage of great songs in the Rolling Stones catalog, but "Gimme Shelter" may be the song that tops them all. Dark and foreboding as only the Stones can do, this track has all the hallmarks of the Rolling Stones at their best: iconic guitar riffs by Keef, Jagger at the top of his game, and the Watts/Wyman rhythm section doing what they do best (plus Nicky Hopkins on piano).  But what p...

"Rain" was the first glimpse of The Beatles exploration of psychedelia. Perhaps more than any other Beatles track, this song highlights the rhythm section with brilliant performances by Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney. Add Lennon's lyrics and great vocals, and you've got one of the best songs to come out of the trippy, mind-expanding '60's. On this episode, we take a closer look at the individual p...

The Temptations' first #1 Hit on the Billboard "Hot 100" chart was "My Girl" in 1965. 4 years later, they had their 2nd #1 with "I Can't Get Next To You", and the difference between these 2 songs tells you a lot about the 1960's. "I Can't Get Next To You" features a different lead vocalist, a more aggressive, funky beat and a trippy vibe courtesy of producer & songwriter Norman Whitfield. The earl...

If you know Richard Lloyd at all, it's either as a member of Television (the first band to play CBGB's) or as the guitarist on many of Matthew Sweet's best tracks. But Richard released some great solo work in between those gigs, including an album called Field Of Fire. Overlooked & forgotten, this is one of the best records of the 1980's (in my opinion, of course). The title song features some of...

The Kinks earned their place in Rock History on the basis of "You Really Got Me", "All Day & All Of The Night", and "Where Have All The Good Times Gone" alone. But it didn't take long for Ray Davies to stretch out beyond riff-driven, teenage anthems to write songs that could only have come from his imagination. "Autumn Almanac" is one of the first Kinks songs to show Davies reaching for a whole ne...

Stevie Wonder was on an unrivaled creative streak starting in 1972, releasing 5 brilliant albums in a row, culminating with Songs In The Key Of Life in 1976. That album spawned 2 hit singles, including "I Wish", the subject of this episode. A masterpiece blending funk with pop sensibilities, it's a celebration of youthful innocence and simpler times. How does this song make *you* feel? Let me know...

After a few longer-than-usual episodes, I thought it was time for a quick take on a straight-forward rocker with a premise not often heard in rock, pop, metal or rap -- Graham Day & The Gaolers (pronounced "Jailers") with "Glad I'm Not Young".  "Glad I'm Not Young" (Graham Day) Copyright 2008 Graham Day (MCPS) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Few bands have changed their sound as drastically as Yes did on their 90125 album, a radical departure from their previous progressive rock style. But it ended up giving them their one & only #1 hit, "Owner Of A Lonely Heart". In this episode, we follow the song's evolution from Trevor Rabin's solo demo to the final production, including its innovative production techniques (such as being one of t...

50 years ago today -- July 16, 1969 -- Apollo 11 was launched and human beings first stepped on the moon. Let's celebrate that occasion with the most famous song about space travel: David Bowie's "Space Oddity", a song that exploits our fear and wonder of the final frontier. In lesser hands, this track could've been nothing more than a goofy, one-joke song for the Dr. Demento crowd, but the clever...