Inside The Hits

Inside The Hits

By Edward RussellMusicMusic Commentary
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Inside The Hits episodes

  • The story of Duran Duran's 'The Reflex'

    With the record company not believing it was single material, the third single from the band's third album would need a remix from Nile Rodgers before it was not only good enough - but would go no.1 in the UK.

    20 min
  • The story of Britney Spears' 'Toxic'

    The making of one of the best pop songs - EVER! Along with details of the writers, including veteran pop poet Cathy Dennis, this episode includes tons of outtakes of Britney sing the song - giggles and all! It also make a few revelations, playing huge chunks from the studio session that never made the final mix. 

    23 min
  • The story of Deee-Lite's 'Groove Is In The Heart'

    This evergreen dance floor filler is now over 30 years old but its basis is a track dating from the mid 1960s. Hear how a a Manhattan clothes designer, a Russian DJ and a Japanese record collector collaborated to record one of the best club tracks of all time. Also, get to hear studio outtakes from Bootsy Collins and finally you can learn Q-Tip's rap as it's broken down for you.

    21 min
  • The story of Pet Shop Boys' 'It's A Sin'

    The lead single from PSB's second album, Actually, was the boy's second no. 1 single: beginning their Imperial Phase, but it had originally been written in 1982, recorded again in '83 before a third attempt yielded the final version complete with catholic chanting and thunder cracks. Hear the story of its origin along with individual samples from the 1987 recording session.

    23 min
  • The story of Dua Lipa's 'Don't Start Now'

    The lead single from Dua's all-conquering Future Nostalgia, 'Don't Start Now' was written after a night our in a dive bar in Wymonig. It went on to be the fourth best-selling single of 2020 in the UK. Hear about her rise to fame and how this landmark song was created.

    19 min
  • The story of Fleetwood Mac's 'Dreams'

    Recorded in 1976, this is the band's only US no.1 single, but its legacy extends to today after it was used in a Tik Tok viral post. Written by Stevie Nicks as a response to former lover Lyndsey Buckingham's 'Go Your Own Way', this episode explains how and where it was written along with its recording process. Hear the original demo and the isolated takes from the multitrack to discover why this song is still popular 45 years on.

    24 min

About Inside The Hits

From the publisher's feed

Every episode takes a classic pop song from the past 50 years and dissects its creative process - telling the story of how it was written, produced and recorded and playing demos, outtakes and…