How We Heard It

On this episode of "How We Heard It," the guys talk about some of the greatest ballads in classic and modern pop music.

Well, first they argue about what a ballad even is, but once they settle on a definition, they talk about how a performer's authenticity makes all the difference between a song that inspires you and a song that's just generic garbage.

If you've ever been moved by a song and you can't explain why, maybe this can help you figure it out!

The movie industry has buckled under intense challenges in recent years - including a devastating pandemic that shut down theaters for months, labor strikes that disrupted the production process and release schedules, a glut of streaming services that fragmented distribution ... and not least of all, a lack of innovative thinking at the top, where the same basic movies are constantly being greenlighted to lukewarm (or even cold) reception.

In this episode of "How We Heard It," veteran entertainment journalists and longtime movie fans Wayne Bledsoe and Chuck Campbell dissect where the film industry keeps getting it wrong and what it's doing right to keep hope alive.

Spoiler alert: The world doesn't need all these comic-book-based movies. Also, some of best ideas these days are coming from, improbably enough, horror films ...

Change is inevitable.

When you live in the day-to-day world of popular music, you might not notice, but the music industry is endlessly changing. It's a revolving door of artists and a rise and fall of genres. Also, the recording process and delivery system for music is constantly pivoting, and the audiences themselves are cycling in and out as their wants and needs shift.

This week on "How We Heard It" we ring in the second half of the 2020s by looking at just how much has changed in music from decade to decade in the past 50 years.

Then the team looks into the future with their hopes and fears: How will music change between now and 2035?

Songs can make you blush and songs can make you mad, but should they ever be banned?

Veteran music journalists Wayne Bledsoe and Chuck Campbell take a look at how and why artists have been censored and how others have avoided it. And no, it doesn't always make sense.

They also look at the fickle world of cancellation and how some artists get whacked while others get a pass. (Plus, sometimes artists even ban their own songs.)

One thing's for sure: History shows that whatever you think is OK by today's standards will probably come under fire years from now.

Sometimes performers and journalists hit it off beautifully, and the result is a fun and breezy piece that engages and informs fans.

This episode of "How We Heard It" isn't about those stories. Instead, veteran entertainment journalists Wayne Bledsoe and Chuck Campbell share their experiences in which musicians lied about who they were as well as interviews that were beyond awkward - including the time when a woman cornered Wayne to talk about her multiple personality disorder and the time when Chuck sat down with a 1970s icon and their conversation got so weird they had to get away from each other.

These are the stories journalists rarely tell.

If singers talked the way they sing, you might think they were having a stroke.

From The Beatles and Nat "King" Cole to The Police and Beck to Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter, singers have been making up words, started counting or spelling for no reason, and they've had weird bouts of repeating select words.

Sometimes they're avoiding censorship, sometimes it just inexplicably sounds right ... and sometimes, well, maybe they ARE having a stroke.

In this episode of "How We Heard It," Chuck and Wayne explore modern and classic songs featuring weird lyrics that have entertained, and irritated, them for years.

And the haters can just hate, hate, hate, hate, hate.

You might enjoy a couple of those old Christmas movies and TV shows that you watch every year, but let's face it: Most of that stuff is looking awfully dusty these days.

It's time for a reset.

In this episode of "How We Heard It," veteran entertainment journalists Chuck Campbell and Wayne Bledsoe catch you up on a bunch of more recent holiday movies and TV shows you may have missed - and also throw in some older fare that might have eluded you.

The debut album is a monumental accomplishment for a music artist. It's an announcement that you've arrived, an introduction to your heart and soul that just anyone can explore.

But debut albums aren't always such a wonder for the listener. The artist might still be rough around the edges, the production might be shoddy, the songwriting might be clunky, and the artistic vision might be blurry.

It's no wonder that many performers don't hit stride until their third or fourth albums.

Yet sometimes an artist gets it just right with their very first release, and in this episode of "How We Heard It," your fearless hosts make a case for some of the best debut albums in the history of popular music.

As another Christmas rolls around, you might want to enjoy something more than the same stale songs you hear every year.

This episode Chuck and Wayne dig through a sleigh full of albums to find the right match for you, including more than a dozen newish albums you maybe didn't know about (from Sabrina Carpenter to electronica) as well as older music you may have missed.

Whether you prefer remakes of classic songs by new artists or new songs by classic artists, and whether you like your music lavishly produced or humorous and weird, they've got you covered.

So freshen up your holidays and ho-ho-ho ...

There are breakups and there are BREAKUPS songs.

If you've ever been through a BREAKUP, and even if you haven't, you know nothing gets you through drama like the right breakup song.

But what is the right breakup song? Do you need a good cry or a good laugh ... or maybe a good scream?

In this episode of "How We Heard It," veteran music critics Wayne Bledsoe and Chuck Campbell sort through some of the best, and worst, songs to help you move on from a broken relationship. From classic rock and country to modern pop and hip-hop, there's something for you.

And you don't even have to be breaking up with anyone to enjoy.