The Great Song Podcast

It's '70s September, and we're rocking out with one of the all-time "dark metal" classics--the über-famous, über-controversial, ümlaut-loving Blue Oyster cult and their signature hit, "Don't Fear the Reaper." Rolling Stone's Song of the Year for 1976 gives us plenty to chew on, especially with BOC's Joe Bouchard to walk us through some history, including: - Ghost stories, seances and haunted hotel...

"Come On Eileen" is one of the most beloved and enduring UK hits of the '80s, and former Dexys Midnight Runners musical director and violinist Helen O'Hara is here to tell us all about it! '80s August wraps up with a 4th straight #1 hit as we kick off Season 10. Also: - How this song is twice-stolen - The original lyrics and topics of “Come On Eileen” - An arsenal of fiddles! - Helen being “more a...

Just who is MC Skat Kat, and what's he hiding? Well it's a complicated answer, but part of it involves a lot of awesome Prince stories, a lesson in helpful premature confidence, and some rotoscoping animation. Paula Abdul's debut album "Forever Your Girl" remains one of the landmark debut albums, and we're digging into the smash hit duet "Opposites Attract" this week with the singing voice of MC S...

'80s August and Season 10 slam forward with another #1 hit! "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" (Tonight?) is one of the '80s most enduring rock hits, and Cutting Crew frontman and writer Nick Van Eede is with us to discuss the legendary track, along with a surprising number of revelations, including, and we kid you not--how the tragic death of Kobe Bryant almost saved the life of an American brand icon,...

We're kicking off Season 10 with '80s August, and with one of the HUGEST bands of that decade, and really, of all time. One of Australia's greatest exports, INXS, delivered one of the ultimate '80s albums with Kick, and Andrew Farriss was half of the duo that wrote the whole shebang. He joins us to recall his favorite sentiments from the iconic video shoot, fighting with the record company over Ki...

Jacob Yoffee and Roahn Hylton are making it happen in LA. This powerhouse duo of composer/producers are nominated for an Emmy for their main title song for ABC's "The Wonder Years," and their diverse body of work continues to grow and impress. Their production credits to this point include names no less impressive than Lebron James, Kevin Hart, and oh yeah, a little Nicki Minaj ditty called "Super...

Our postseason tour of the music industry continues with a guy living our dream life--rubbing elbows with music stars and legends as both an editor for Premier Guitar magazine, and as a podcaster and podcast producer. You'll love Jason's candor, and there might be more SNDPM (sweet name drops per minute) here than any other episode ever. Also: - Podcasting tips and hard knocks! - The incredible at...

Guitar god Martin Miller is one of the new-school virtuosos of the instrument, and his YouTube channel is absolutely chock full of incredible music, not the least of which are his mind-blowing medleys. As our music industry bonus tour continues, Martin talks with us about rehearsing meticulous music with a studio band, getting surprised with his signature model Ibanez, and much more. Enjoy! martin...

An absolutely legendary engineer, mixer and producer, Bill Schnee's credits are almost innumerable, and his influence can't really be overstated. They don't come more respected than "The Chairman at the Board" himself, and we're thrilled to have Bill as our next guest in our tour of the music industry. He's got stories you won't believe--goosebumps stuff for both of us, including: We’ll find out w...

Friend of the show “Soni” Sonefeld, drummer of Hootie and the Blowfish, has been around the universe and back as a writing, touring, and recording musician. He’s seen and done it all, and been at the absolute peaks and lowest lows. He’s faced down personal demons and lived to tell the tale, and he does it with great aptitude in his new memoir, “Swimming with the Blowfish: Hootie, Healing, and One...

STANK FACE WARNING. Philip Lassiter is one of the most sought-after arrangers in all of pop music, and his work speaks for itself. An accomplished trumpet player, pianist and funk master, his work has graced the music of top artists of all genres worldwide. He led the biggest, baddest horn section Prince ever toured with, and he puts out record after record of the highest-quality funk. Our music i...

Our between-season tour of the music industry begins with writer and artist Rosi Golan, fantastic craftswoman of the art and beloved by movie and TV productions of all kinds, from Vampire Diaries to Mulan, and, oh right, that Pantene ad. We'll talk with Rosie about her craft, co-writing, and the massive Coca-Cola campaign that almost was. Enjoy! For more: rosigolan.com

Our Season 9 finale finds us in deep conversation with Spin Doctors frontman Chris Barron, as part of our loving coverage of 1991's firecracker album "Pocket Full of Kryptonite," an album we both dearly love. And the hits, oh the hits! From "Two Princes," "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong," and our favorite jukebox jam "Shinbone Alley/Hard to Exist," we'll squeeze the juice out of every delicious track....

The time has come in which once per season we agree to disagree, and season 9 has led us to The Great Rob Thomas Showdown. One of us loves the Matchbox 20 era, one the Rob Thomas solo era, and we will make our cases for and against each as we bring our arguments before you.  Also: - “I like Rob Thomas with some money.” - Rob’s shameful secret ---- Join us on PATREON for early access, extended...

Our 200th episode comes with a very special guest, guitar and jam band icon Warren Haynes! We're talking about a song that somehow it feels like everyone knows from birth, the Allman Brothers and Gov't Mule classic, "Soulshine," hitting our usual shenanigans, and more, like: - Jam chemistry - Tradition vs invention - Magic with Dave Matthews Thanks so much for listening! Here's to 200 more! --- Th...

Ladies' Month concludes with a tough track from punk-spirited Scottish rocker KT Tunstall, from her debut album "Eye to the Telescope." We'll discuss why this album was immediately re-released, the power of early American Idol, and of course KT's favorite gas station snack. Plus: - The Power of early American Idol - Automatic writing and connecting to your subconscious - “Punk Spirit” - When the m...

You surely know big brother James, but have ya met Sister Kate? As unpredictable a career as you could imagine, and as sweet a soul as you could meet, Kate Taylor reunited with an amazing who's who crew in 2021 to release her latest record "Why Wait!" But Kate also was the first to record several well-known favorites, and we're going to dig into a couple on this week's episode. Gilmore Girls, anyo...

Tracy Bonham is the woman who broke the algorithm. After "Mother Mother" in 1996, no other female solo artist topped the modern rock charts until Lorde in 2013(!). In this week's episode we break down her breakout single and lament, once more, the industry politics that kept her next album on the shelf for 4 years before its release. Plus we talk to Tracy about her passion for music education, her...

"Kiss Me" is one of the biggest hits of the '90s, and the self-titled Sixpence None the Richer album is an enduring classic full of rich songs and complex emotions, a real standout in the CCM genre, and a major pop crossover that *should* have won the band a couple of Grammys--but we'll get into that. Lead singer Leigh Nash joins us to talk about her Sixpence days, her latest project "The Tide," a...

Cardinal Black are so new they don't even have an album out yet. But when we heard them, we couldn't wait to talk to you about them. One of the smoothest, most interesting groups to come along in a while is bound to be one of your new favorites, and they're a perfect way to close out Modern Men of Pop month. Enjoy meeting Cardinal Black! Also: The “Clue” of pop/rock bands One of the literal Best N...

Modern Men of Pop Month continues with one of our favorite up-and-coming acts, who we've affectionately dubbed "The Ultimate Touring Partner." Stephen Day can do it all, and we're digging into his musical fun-bag this week. We'll talk about a few favorite tracks, and the diversity of his latest project, "The Shapes I'm In." Also In this episode: “Just based on his face, I would trust Stephen Day i...

The Whitney Houston of male singer-songwriters (there's more context in the Patreon version, but that'll do for now) brought us a fire album in 2014 appropriately titled "Heatwave," and the opening track "Get to You" is our focus this week for Modern Men of Pop month. We'll chat with Matt Wertz about insecurity, jorts, and much more. Oh, and we have an impromptu rap battle. Join us on PATREON for...

Modern Men of Pop month kicks off with boy genius Cody Fry, a brilliant young talent whose sentimental anthems and grooving pop tracks have set TikTok and Spotify ablaze. We'll talk about the opening track to his 2021 album Pictures of Mountains , as well as several other tracks from that album and his career, including his latest gorgeous outing, Symphony Sessions. Also: “Cody Fry will give you f...

YES, it's baseball season once again, and we're celebrating in style with not one, but TWO of our favorite baseball-related creators, social media legend Aaron Chewning and Atlanta Braves organist Matthew Kaminski ! We're fully covering two songs, both connected to baseball and specifically the Braves, and believe us when we tell you--you have no IDEA the impact of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." P...

The ultimate trio of adult contemporary powerhouse dudes gave us one of the absolute hardest movie songs of all time, so it's only fitting that we become a trio once again with our very own D'Artagnan, mister Dave Barnes! We dig deep into this incredible track from Disney's The Three Musketeers soundtrack, plus discussions of all things relevant, and some of course irrelevant. Check out Dave's lat...