LYRICS FOR LUNCH

In 2013, Robin Thicke catapulted to stardom with an R&B single that spent 16 weeks at number 1 — becoming the biggest hit of the entire year. Mired in controversy from the get-go, the song (and its x-rated video) was quickly recognized for its creepy, coercive sexual messaging and banned by everyone from student unions to YouTube. Eight years later, after a nearly decade-long copyright battle with the Marvin Gaye estate, the song is in the news once again thanks to a leaked excerpt from a forthcoming collection of essays from "Blurred Lines" supermodel Emily Ratajkowski revealing that Thicke not only wrote a song promoting sexual assault (...or did he?), he also committed it on the "Blurred Lines" video set. Did all these "blurred lines" spawn a feminist movement? We think not, but the UK's Telegraph isn't so sure. Plus! Aviv gets his mind blown by the second-biggest single of 2013 — Macklemore & Ryan Lewis's "Thrift Shop" (smells like R. Kelly's sheets!). YOU KNOW YOU WANT IT!

Thanks to listener Jenna for writing in with this week's song suggestion! In this episode, Aviv and Lindsay discuss one of the most recognizable songs of all time, "You Are My Sunshine." Despite its familiarity, the song has 5 verses that are much harder to recall. The authorship of the yodely lullaby is most often credited to two-time Louisiana Governor Jimmie Davis, but the song's true origin is a bit more of a mystery. We're here to take you on the long journey of the song's history and the psychological reasons we sing sad songs like this to our kids!   

In 1998, Ben Affleck brandished brand-new pearly whites in an end-of-the-world asteroid movie so nice they made it twice (well, kind of). Despite having more plot holes than questionable one-liners, the apocalyptic blockbuster earned over $553 million globally. The movie's theme song, surprisingly inspired by a certain gay icon's heterosexual romance, spent 77 weeks on the charts. This week, we've got the scoop on how arena rock band Aerosmith finally made its way to number 1 after decades of not-quite-number-1 hits -- and all it took was Steven Tyler sweetly serenading his daughter while she made love to a cookie. 

What do you get when you cross a pair of middle-aged former bullfighters, a Venezuelan flamenco dancer, the casual racism of corporate radio, and  choreography that "even a child with no sense of rhythm" could perform? Only one of the biggest singles of all time! This week on Lyrics for Lunch, we dive into the strange, twisty, contradictory history of "The Macarena." More than 25 years later, who is responsible for the song's popularity? And why is it definitely Al Gore? We've got answers. 

What's cooler than being cool? How about an infectious dance track that took a double-album triple platinum in a month flat, simultaneously becoming the first song to ever reach a million downloads on iTunes? This week, we break this thing down for just a few seconds: How OutKast's "Hey Ya" inspired a generation to shake it like a Polaroid picture, blissfully ignoring a not-so-hidden message about the bleak state of modern love. Guest appearances by Rosario Dawson, the Beatles, Woody Allen (regrettably), Ryan Phillippe, and of course, all Beyoncés and Lucy Lius .... you know what do. 

Grime (not to be confused with Canadian music sensation Grimes) is the edgy electronic style of rap music that emerged in London in the early 2000s as an evolution of the city's garage music scene of the 1990s. But lately, the genre has seen a bit of a resurgence across the pond in the Great White North — thanks to known Anglophile and pride of Toronto, Drake. For this week's episode we invited very special guest Sonja Cori Missio (writer, music academic, and fellow Torontonian) to school us about the underground scene and the energetic sound that boasts 140 beats per minute. And we always mind our Ps and Qs.

The tumultuous story of Eric and Pattie reaches its gut-wrenching conclusion with Clapton's miserable "love" song, "Wonderful Tonight." It won't be the last song Eric writes about Pattie, but it will be the worst. This week, we find out how Eric managed to survive the 70s and 80s and only impregnate two women who weren't his wife. Then, after Eric and Pattie finally split (good riddance), we discover Eric Clapton's true love—racism. Buckle up, babes. 

Murder! Manipulation! Beatle affairs! Golden brown! The horror continues this week as we look, maybe a little too close, at how Eric Clapton's adulterous anthem became all he ever dreamed of and more. 

In January 1966, model/photographer Pattie Boyd married George Harrison at the height of the Beatles' popularity. They moved into a dope house, went to India to meditate, and did other fun Beatley things. So then how did a heroin-addicted philanderer (spoilers, it's Eric Clapton) convince Boyd into leaving her marriage? We've got this story and more this week as we embark on the unsettling tale of how Eric Clapton's best-known song came to be. 

This week, Aviv takes us through the tale of 2006's "Hey There Delilah" (soon to have its own TV show adaptation). In 2002, only three years after a near-fatal car crash, Plain White T's singer Tom Higgenson met Delilah DiCrescenzo through a mutual friend. Tom was interested, Delilah wasn't, but as their relationship transitioned to AOL Instant Messenger, Tom promised to write Delilah a song that would get them both invited to the Grammys. Little did either of them know that Tom's prediction would come true. "Hey There Delilah" became a number one hit in the summer of 2007, and with it Delilah kissed her anonymity goodbye. Depending on who you ask, and when, this was either a dream come true or a nightmare. And what would Delilah's longtime boyfriend Will have to say (and do we even care)?

Don't forget to enter our giveaway to win the vinyl record of your choice from @newtownbookandrecordx at @lyricsforlunch on Instagram!