Mark And Sarah Talk About Songs

Welcome to America's Damp 40, our season dedicated to ranking the moistest soft rock hits of all time. In this episode, we explain the premise, discuss how our rankings will work, reveal the songs in contention, and talk about all the shag carpeting on which a person can make love. Our intro is by Andrew Byrne, and our outro is by The Association. To contact us or buy our books, visit MarkAndSarah...

In our most meta episode ever, we're ranking 13 songs with the word "song" in the title, which allows us to discuss everything from Weird Al to porpoises to the very best times to sound like Simon and Garfunkel. Our intro is by David Gregory Byrne, Andrew Byrne, Laura Barger, AND Jack Baldelli. (Truly!) Our outro is by Soykus Paynoot. To contact us or buy our books, visit MarkAndSarahTal...

The ostentatious awesomeness of Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” gets us talking about songs you can’t possibly sing along to and the various reasons Freddie Mercury is eternal. Our intro is by Andrew Byrne and our outro is by PJ Harvey. To contact us or buy our books, visit  MarkAndSarahTalkAboutSongs.com . To become a patron of the show, visit  patreon.com/mastas . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz co...

Our intro is by David Gregory Byrne and our outro is by Patsy Cline. To contact us or buy our books, visit MarkAndSarahTalkAboutSongs.com . To become a patron of the show, visit patreon.com/mastas .   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Will this be Mark's favorite song of the year? And can he convert Sarah? The maturity ship sails with mentions of Alanis, Miranda Lambert, Hopkins (drink!), and the cool girl looming large. Our intro is by David Byrne (not that one), and our outro is by Ivy. For more episodes and/or to buy our book, visit our website at markandsarahtalkaboutsongs.com , and get even more eps and discussion on our P...

We both had taste in 7th grade. Was it good taste? Listen to us discuss our favorite songs from that long-ago time and then decide! Our intro is by Laura Barger and Jack Baldelli, and our outro is by A.B. Logic. To contact us or buy our books, visit MarkAndSarahTalkAboutSongs.com . To become a patron of the show, visit patreon.com/mastas . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Califo...

There are MANY songs about how hard it is to be famous, but which one is the best? In this ranking episode, we anoint the most valuable tune in the "I hate my rockstar life" canon. Our intro is by Andrew Byrne, and our outro is by Ray Charles. To contact us or buy our books, visit MarkAndSarahTalkAboutSongs.com . To become a patron of the show, visit patreon.com/mastas . See Privacy Policy at http...

We're going all the way back to Bon Jovi's first hit single, "Runaway" -- and we're digging into Journey keyboards, bad daddies, and lyrical choices that hit differently today than they did back then. Our intro is by Andrew Byrne, and our outro is by Joe Jackson. To contact us or buy our books, visit MarkAndSarahTalkAboutSongs.com . To become a patron of the show, visit patreon.com/mastas . See Pr...

Joey Lawrence once released a teen pop album, and three of its songs demand attention. Join us for an investigation of white-boy rapping, smoove grooves, and the best way to hold your butt. Our intro is by David Gregory Byrne, and our outro is by The Archies. To contact us or buy our books, visit MarkAndSarahTalkAboutSongs.com . To become a patron of the show, visit patreon.com/mastas . See Privac...

Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" gets us talking about no-good boyfriends, drums that arrive at just the right time, and structural choices that make a song more exciting. Our intro is by Laura Barger and Jack Baldelli and our outro is by Lyn & The Invaders. To contact us or buy our books, visit MarkAndSarahTalkAboutSongs.com . To become a patron of the show, visit patreon.com/mastas . See Privacy Polic...

Etta James is ready for love (and other things), and we're ready to listen to her sing about it in "Something's Got a Hold On Me." All that, plus Xtina, palimpsests, and songs that make you feel cute. Our intro is by Laura Barger and Jack Baldelli, and our outro is by Sarah's true beloved, Def Jef. To contact us or buy our books, visit MarkAndSarahTalkAboutSongs.com . To become a patron of the sho...

We're ranking every song on the "Clueless" soundtrack, which means we're talking about '90s fashion, the essence of college rock, and the justice we want for No Doubt. Our intro is by Andrew Byrne, and our outro is by DJ Tei Towa. To contact us or buy our books, visit MarkAndSarahTalkAboutSongs.com . To become a patron of the show, visit patreon.com/mastas . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com...

We're discussing The Replacements' "Alex Chilton" with special guest Taylor Cole ( The Great American Pop Culture Quiz Show ). The conversation covers everything from the pop music history of the mandolin to the changing nature of selling out. Our intro is by Andrew Byrne and our outro is by The Queers. To contact us or buy our books, visit MarkAndSarahTalkAboutSongs.com . To become a patron of th...

Have you noticed that "The Tracks of My Tears" is a perfect song? We dig into the excellence of Smokey Robinson and The Miracles' original version, the precision of the songcraft, and the narrative complexity of the background vocals. Plus, we've got a pop-chart astrology reading! Our intro is by Andrew Byrne and our outro is by The Hollies. To contact us or buy our books, visit MarkAndSarahTalkAb...

It's a battle of the Genesis frontmen as we consider Peter Gabriel's "Digging in the Dirt" and Phil Collins's "Thru' These Walls," two songs about dudes with serious issues. Only one, however, is about a grade-A creep. Can you guess which? Our intro is by Laura Barger and Jack Baldelli and our outro is, naturally, by Genesis. To contact us or buy our books, visit MarkAndSarahTalkAboutSongs.com . T...

Lyle Lovett's "If I Had a Boat" gets us talking about surreal lyrics, traditional country, and at least one great film starring Christina Ricci. Our intro is by Andrew Byrne, and our outro is by Band of Horses. To contact us or buy our books, visit MarkAndSarahTalkAboutSongs.com . To become a patron of the show, visit patreon.com/mastas . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Califor...

We're digging deep into Netflix's eight-part docuseries This Is Pop. Join us as we discuss women in country, the merits of AutoTune, and the value of taking silly songs quite seriously. Our intro is by Andrew Byrne, and our outro is by Kraftwerk. To contact us or buy our books, visit MarkAndSarahTalkAboutSongs.com . To become a patron of the show, visit patreon.com/mastas . See Privacy Policy at h...

A pair of songs from The Killers' latest album (and a k.d. lang guest vocal) get us on some of our favorite subjects: death as pop-music fodder, poetic strategies in lyrical storytelling, and the definition of "Marknip." Our intro is by David Gregory Byrne, and our outro is by Cat Power. To contact us or buy our books, visit MarkAndSarahTalkAboutSongs.com . To become a patron of the show, visit pa...

As we talk about George Benson's cover of "On Broadway," Mark makes visceral sounds about the singing, Sarah makes a case about the lyrical storytelling, and we both make references to chair-dancing. Our intro is by Laura Barger and Jack Baldelli, and our outro is by The Candy Skins. To contact us or buy our books, visit MarkAndSarahTalkAboutSongs.com . To become a patron of the show, visit patreo...

Is Lenny Kravitz undervalued? As we discuss "Are You Gonna Go My Way," we talk about his hot licks, his knack for controlling what consumes other artists, and his ability to make the phrase "rub-a-dub" sound sexy. Our intro is by Andrew Byrne, and our outro is by Jimi Hendrix. To contact us or buy our books, visit MarkAndSarahTalkAboutSongs.com . To become a patron of the show, visit patreon.com/m...

Yes, Rihanna's "We Found Love" is joyous, but it's also aching, sophisticated, and Calvin Harris-y. We're talking about all that...and Hostess Cakes. Our intro is by David Gregory Byrne, and our outro is by the Soup Dragons. To contact us or buy our books, visit MarkAndSarahTalkAboutSongs.com . To become a patron of the show, visit patreon.com/mastas . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/priva...

We're ranking every song on The Postal Service's album "Give Up," which means we're bleeping and blooping about grad school fan networks, lyrics with the right amount of self-consciousness, and intros that go on forever. Our intro is by David Gregory Byrne, and our outro is by The Knife. To contact us or buy our books, visit MarkAndSarahTalkAboutSongs.com . To become a patron of the show, visit pa...

We're going back to the '50s with "Thirteen Women," Bill Haley's ditty about the ladies who will pleasure him during nuclear winter. Naturally, this makes us think about Greek tragedy, documentary films, and the subtle sexuality of jelly rolls. Our intro is by Laura Barger and Jack Baldelli, and our outro is by the Stills. To contact us or buy our books, visit MarkAndSarahTalkAboutSongs.com . To b...

A listener request has us discussing the (very long) (frequently inaccurate) history lesson in Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." We've also got a birthday chart reading about a massively popular novelty song. Our intro is by Andrew Byrne, and our outro is by Bob Dylan. To contact us or buy our books, visit MarkAndSarahTalkAboutSongs.com . To become a patron of the show, visi...

Tease up those bangs, because we're talking about Trisha Yearwood's 1991 country hit "She's in Love With the Boy." Why is Mark crying? Why is Sarah talking about subversive feminine narratives? Why are we using these accents? Listen and find out! Our intro is by David Gregory Byrne, and our outro is by Steve Wariner. To contact us or buy our books, visit MarkAndSarahTalkAboutSongs.com . To become...