As we celebrate ASWIAB's 10th episode, join us as we jump into one of the top 10 songs of all time, “Hey Jude” by The Beatles. While we’re aware of the song’s folklore, we also consider interpretations that involve gender identity, futurizing dialogue, and why we’d love a stepmom like Yoko Ono. 

This week, we try to determine exactly what it means to be a “Gold Digger,” and what inspired Kanye West to transform the Ray Charles classic, “I Got a Woman,” into a modern tale of manipulation, mistrust, and, well, misogyny.

In this time of social unrest, rampant illness, and political corruption, what better way to divert ourselves than with “Goodbye Earl,” a song that manages to both minimize intimate partner violence AND celebrate vigilante homicide! 

Join with us and “The Chicks” (f/k/a "The Dixie Chicks," re-est. 2020) as we explore this tale of serious violence disguised as a very not-serious romp through revenge-killing and jam-making with your bestie. 

In honor of our very first special guest, Eurovision walks into our bar this week, touting the undeniably catchy “Think About Things,” by Icelandic gangle-crooner Da∂i Freyr. The delightful Samantha Ross, longtime Eurovision blogger (ESCInsider.com), podcaster (12 Points from America, ESC Insight), and media personality joins us as we bust out our awkwardest dance moves to celebrate this sparkly pop gem with an unexpected story of love.  

This week, we have our first special throwback episode, A Jukebox Walks Into a Bar. With us is the spirit of legendary songstress Nina Simone, and we explore her now-classic anthem from the tumultuous 1960s, "Feeling Good." Spend some time feelin' good with us as we contemplate social justice, Disney princesses with animal friends, and the evolution of this jam from Broadway showstopper to Volkswagen jingle.

ASWIAB's special Independence Day episode releases Friday this week! Our goal is to make you go “Ahh! Ahh! Ahh!” in the most direct way possible, while also getting our respective colors to burst fully. From the lady who taught us that cherry chapstick is a bi-curious girl’s best friend, Katy Perry regales us with an anthem to fight the plastic baggery of life: “Firework.” 

Where do we draw the line between self-identity and delusion? How about the line between photographer and stalker? Join us as we ponder the patriarchal implications of “Paparazzi” by Lady Gaga, and contemplate the age-old question: Is “garage-glamorous” ever fashionable?

This week, we take a lesson in finessin' from Bruno and Cardi, and we consider an important question: Is this an unapologetic nod to self-assuredness, or is it actually a cleverly disguised satire of self-centeredness? Join us for another exhilarating virtual happy hour when this song walks into a bar... 

In this week's episode, we honor the obsessive, potentially unstable young fan in all of us: Stan. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, I stan, you stan, we all stan for this Stan, the ultimate fan of the one-and-only, Slim Shady. And boy, when it comes to Stan, shady doesn't quite begin to cover it.

In our premiere episode, we honor the trying times we're living through by delving into an 80's classic about two tough kids in love who also find themselves livin' on a prayer!