Saturn’s Favorite Music the Podcast

Justin and Jane are back! We talk tremendous tremolo, zero hit wonders, and early MTV weirdness. We discuss whether MTV hurt some artists more than it helped, and ask if the 80s produced the worst band names of all time. There is an S&M-themed pop song by Depeche Mode that leads to a discussion of whether being banned by the BBC is a good career move. We wonder at the fact that a ubiquitous al...

Laura welcomes Eric Shoars, editor of Life Goes On: Lessons We Learned from 80s Music. The two former DJs reminisce about the early days of radio automation, the TV show WKRP in Cincinnati, and songs that got played even if they weren't hits-- or did they? (Laura isn't entirely sure.) Eric reveals the Beatles song that scared him, and a Phil Collins track leads to a discussion of divorce songs and...

Comedian, musician and music journalist Steven Morgan joins Laura to discuss a mystery of the Canadian music charts, whether a singer can be a bit too perfect and whether Toad the Wet Sprocket is the worst band name ever. Featured songs are Janet Jackson's "Miss You Much," Whitney Houston's "I'm Your Baby Tonight," Go West's "Faithful" and "Walk on the Ocean" by Toad the Wet Sprocket. 

Jenny Hunter returns to make a case for Cleveland as the rock n roll capital. She takes a test to determine if she qualifies as a "die hard Huey Lewis and the News fan," as Laura wonders if she could pick any of The News out of a lineup. Jenny wonders if she's qualified to stand in judgement of the genius that is Bob Dylan, while Laura takes a stab at a Dylan impression. Finally, Laura and Jenny t...

Laura is joined by Paul Stroessner of the Gen X Journeys Podcast to journey through the songs an afternoon DJ plays in protest during a staff meeting announcing the sale of the radio station. We ask the questions "What would a punk rock version of 'You're No Good' sound like?"; "If there's no crying in baseball, why is this song from the movie 'A League of Their Own' so sad?";  "What if 'We Gotta...

This episode might blow up and kill the guest. We welcome back our very first guest Doc Shea for a conversation that touches on country line dancing, disco falsetto and prog rock bands meeting the MTV era. OK Go!, Weird Al, Yes, and The Monkees sneak their way into the episode. Plus we attempt to answer the questions: Why did Genesis lip synch to a ballad played back at the wrong speed? Can two fa...

Nick Bean and Denise Goetz are back, and with these two the energy is high. We discuss just how many CDs you could get for one penny, why Denise called herself the "Motor City Mama," and the pros and cons of having actresses from mermaid movies in your pop song. Then we get into a heated debate about whether Duran Duran was really Duran Duran after it shed a couple of Taylors or whether it was onl...

We get on the blue bus with Justin and Jane and travel to a spooky funeral for a horror film star, a sweaty beer filled UK dance club, and a smoke filled room with velvet curtains and we run screaming instead of walking on down the hall. On the way we take detours into British cuisine, songs you should not put on mix tapes and a missed opportunity to see The Beatles in concert. We try to avoid usi...

Laura and guest Mary Lanphier talk sensual zombies, the musical uses of press on nails, and compare Genesis's 1970s way out prog rock sound to its 1980s adult contemporary incarnation. Plus we cover what may be the greatest key change in pop music history. Songs include Harry Belafonte's "Zombie Jamboree," Dolly Parton's "9 to 5," Genesis' "Land of Confusion," and Whitney Houston's "I Will Always...

Jenny is back. In this episode we discuss a Kinks song that turns personal tragedy into warm nostalgia and we wonder at the delta between the influence of Kinks songs and their U.S. chart positions. We veer between trying to figure out what electric boots and mohair suits look like and exploring Biblical references in Elton John songs. And no mere mortal can resist the evil of our last selection....

Jamie Robinson of the classic hip hop podcast Mr. Throwback Thursday is here to discuss progressive rock, 90s power ballads, and yacht rock harmonica because, why not? We get into the bpm of "Hold on to the Nights" by Richard Marx, and what the Moody Blues "Nights in White Satin" has in common with "O.P.P." by Naughty By Nature. Laura reveals the first single she ever bought. Plus we add two songs...

We welcome self-proclaimed adult contemporary fan Denise Goetz for an episode with musical styles that range from Christian rock to grunge. Denise explains her judging system, “If I can’t sing along or be part of it, I’m not interested." We discuss exclusive versions of songs created by vinyl skips, take a nostalgic look back at Detroit's City Club and revisit the spat entertainment reporters trie...

Jenny and Kara Hunter join us in an episode dedicated to 1970s guilty pleasures. There is discussion of picardy thirds, paradiddles, classical music radio voices and cold endings. We wonder at the plethora of versions of "I Write the Songs" released in 1975. Kara decides to change her name to Dragon and reveals her dream radio format-- all Abba all the time. We consider whether you can still be a...

In this episode of the Saturn's Favorite Music podcast, guests Justin and Jane return to explore the adult contemporary phenomenon of sophisti-pop and ask whether Air Supply could crash the world economy. There is a hit song that you might not know was co-written by Kenny Loggins, a duo who met during a tour of Jesus Christ Superstar, and a song that managed to land entirely off Justin's radar des...

In this episode Laura and music teacher Kara Hunter examine the songs that two DJs would have put on the air in 1992 if their adult contemporary format would have allowed it. Only one of the songs in this episode cracked the top 40. Can you guess which one it is? Along the way we discuss sonic departures including the Kinks' social commentary in "Shangri-La," and a very non-extreme track by the ba...

Laura and author Lisa Peers discuss Detroit's influence on music, rock inspired novels, where rock stars do their laundry and a bagpipe infused cover of a song originally recorded by a Dutch Elvis impersonator.  Songs this episode include Rod Stewart's "Rhythm of My Heart," Sting's "Fortress Around Your Heart," Wilson Philip's "Hold On" and The Surfaris "Wipe Out." Plus they talk about Lisa's new...

In Episode 12 of the Saturn's Favorite Music podcast, Justin and Jane return to revisit songs about the seas. Justin explains why he is not a fan of the title of the Little River Band's "Cool Change." We discuss days of the week songs with the Mamas and the Papas' "Monday Monday." We go acoustic with Jim Croce's "Operator" and peak 1992 adult contemporary with Celine Dion's "If You Asked Me To." ...

Jenny Hunter is back for an episode that is surprisingly upbeat for a set of songs that cover the temporal nature of existence, nostalgia and the end of the world as we know it. Also Leonard Bernstein. Songs include Al Stewart's "Year of the Cat" and "Time Passages," Chicago's "Beginnings" and R.E.M.'s "It's the End of the World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine)," the only track that is less than si...

Laura calls in musician Will Hoppey to talk about  Don McLean's “American Pie” and Steely Dan's “Deacon Blues” — two very different long songs with one thing in common: they’ve rescued a lot of DJs and working players over the years. The conversation wanders from radio-cart disasters and EBS tests gone wrong and why surrounding yourself with better musicians is the best career move you can make.

Nick Bean is back to talk about Broadway, Liza Minelli and jazz hands. Nick laments never being rickrolled when Rick Astley's “Never Gonna Give You Up” was a meme. Bruce Springsteen's “Human Touch” leads to a discussion of when you need an uplifting song and when it's more cathartic to wallow in the sadness. And there are divergent opinions on Arlo Guthrie's “Alice's Restaurant.” One of the hosts...

Vinyl rules in this episode. A 1969 stoner anthem crashes a small-market radio shift as the wrong Lee Michaels song is played on air, the conversation wanders through hidden vinyl tracks, chateau recording studios in France with Elton John, the surprise appearance of Styx’s “Plexiglass Toilet,” and the classical roots of Eric Carmen’s All By Myself. Plus, a personal bombshell: Jenny reveals her al...

Fan favorites Jane Taylor and Justin Miller are back for an episode that starts on a yacht and ends in a hotel you may never be able to leave. They kick things off with Christopher Cross’s “Sailing,” which leads to waiting room music, funerals with questionable playlists, and the stodginess of the Grammy Awards. They compare and contrast Cross's “yacht rock” with the MTV video yachts of Duran Dura...

In this episode, Laura is joined by performer and self-proclaimed “lyric guy” Nick Bean to talk through a deceptively simple stretch of early-90s radio playlists — and the rules hiding inside them. From the Dave Clark Five's blunt persistence to Rod Stewart’s affectionate Motown tribute that buries The Temptations deep in the mix, the conversation moves to inspiration, authority, and who gets posi...

On this episode of Saturn’s Favorite Music, Laura Lee welcomes back fan-favorite guest Jenny Hunter for a deep dive into adult-contemporary greatness, confusion, and accidental murder ballads. They tackle the eternal sing-along that is The Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” grade Phil Collins’ infinitely repeating “One More Night,” question the chart-smashing mystery of Kenny G’s “Sentimental,” and attempt to s...

Clara hangs her first apartment posters in Saturn’s Favorite Music—and Episode 4 dives into the soundtrack behind them. Laura Lee sits down with her niece, Sophia, a musical-theater fan, who listens to Primal Scream, The Sugarcubes, The Cure, and The Stone Roses for the very first time. From the surreal swirl of “Birthday” to the moody sprawl of “Fascination Street,” Sophia gives fresh, sharp take...