LYRICS FOR LUNCH

LYRICS FOR LUNCH

By Lindsay Tucker & Aviv RubinstienMusicMusic Commentary
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LYRICS FOR LUNCH episodes

  • "My Heart Will Go On" Goes On
    The conclusion of our Titanic double header! In 1996, an Australian newspaper printed a letter claiming that the Titanic never sank at all -- that it was her nearly identical sister ship, the Olympic, which was purposefully derailed as part of an insurance scam. Twenty-five years later, the rumor still runs rampant on TikTok, reddit, and all the places conspiracy theories lurk. But could it be true? We've got all the details and the answer to one burning question: Which ship sank? The Titanic or the Olympic?
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    Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lyricsforlunch/support
    1 hr 22 min
  • Celine’s Titanic love ballad “My Heart Will Go On”

    In the late 90s, Titanic broke the bank (and our hearts and brains) before becoming the highest grossing film of its time. But Jack and Rose’s epic love story was never supposed to end with a sappy pop song. Or was it? This week: Studio feuds, the tyranny of James Cameron, the rise of Celine Dion, and the real centenarian who inspired the multi-platinum single that helped carry Cameron’s blockbuster to box office billions.

    1 hr 49 min
  • Famous Monsters: Phil Spector (Part 2) "To Know Him is to Love Him"

    This week, the conclusion of the Phil Spector story. Murder! Wigs! Murder and wigs! We get into the life and crimes of Famous Monster Phil Spector including the abuse of his wife Veronica Bennett of the Ronnettes, and, of course, the 2003 murder of actor Lana Clarkson, of which Spector was found guilty of in 2009. But the fun doesn't stop there. We explore his musical evolution from one of his first singles: To Know Him Is To Love Him, to his masterpiece: River Deep, Mountain High, to his final production: his third wife Rachelle Spector's here in my heart, off of her 2010 album "Out of My Chelle."

    Sources: https://www.songfacts.com/facts/the-righteous-brothers/youve-lost-that-lovin-feelin

    https://societyofrock.com/the-story-behind-youve-lost-that-lovin-feelin-by-the-righteous-brothers/

    https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303343404577519042622092010

    https://www.britannica.com/art/blue-eyed-soul

    https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/music-black-culture-appropriation.html?mtrref=www.google.com&gwh=73F0357B264979EEE94F8CD7E0EAF8D7&gwt=pay&assetType=PAYWALL

    https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200811-why-be-my-baby-is-the-perfect-pop-song

    https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=8993130

    https://www.grunge.com/258491/the-tragic-real-life-story-of-ronnie-spector/

    https://www.the-sun.com/news/2166243/phil-spector-ronnie-spector-assassinate-stage-gold-coffin/

    https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/dec/12/ronnie-spector-i-love-metoo-and-times-up-because-mens-time-is-up

    https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evil-deeds/201303/dangerous-genius-the-rise-and-fall-phil-spector

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/apr/14/phil-spector-lana-clarkson-murder

    https://www.biography.com/musician/phil-spector

    https://www.npr.org/2021/01/17/528954909/phil-spector-legendary-record-producer-and-convicted-murderer-has-died-at-81

    https://www.npr.org/2021/01/17/528954909/phil-spector-legendary-record-producer-and-convicted-murderer-has-died-at-81

    https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/17/arts/music/phil-spector-dead.html

    1 hr 49 min
  • Famous Monsters: You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling (Part 1)

    In the mid-1960s, the success of the Four Tops’ first Motown single “Baby I Need Your Loving” was the envy of an evil genius who responded by puppetmastering the Righteous Brothers' chart-topper "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling"—and just like that "Blue Eyed Soul" was born. This week in the continuation of our Famous Monsters series: The appropriation of soul music, Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, the McMartin preschool trial, and ... a Karen murder.

    Sources: https://www.songfacts.com/facts/the-righteous-brothers/youve-lost-that-lovin-feelin

    https://societyofrock.com/the-story-behind-youve-lost-that-lovin-feelin-by-the-righteous-brothers/

    https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303343404577519042622092010

    https://www.britannica.com/art/blue-eyed-soul

    https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/music-black-culture-appropriation.html?mtrref=www.google.com&gwh=73F0357B264979EEE94F8CD7E0EAF8D7&gwt=pay&assetType=PAYWALL

    https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200811-why-be-my-baby-is-the-perfect-pop-song

    https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=8993130

    https://www.grunge.com/258491/the-tragic-real-life-story-of-ronnie-spector/

    https://www.the-sun.com/news/2166243/phil-spector-ronnie-spector-assassinate-stage-gold-coffin/

    https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/dec/12/ronnie-spector-i-love-metoo-and-times-up-because-mens-time-is-up

    https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evil-deeds/201303/dangerous-genius-the-rise-and-fall-phil-spector

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/apr/14/phil-spector-lana-clarkson-murder

    https://www.biography.com/musician/phil-spector

    https://www.npr.org/2021/01/17/528954909/phil-spector-legendary-record-producer-and-convicted-murderer-has-died-at-81

    https://www.npr.org/2021/01/17/528954909/phil-spector-legendary-record-producer-and-convicted-murderer-has-died-at-81

    https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/17/arts/music/phil-spector-dead.html 

    1 hr 38 min
  • Hallelujah! It's the Shrek Song — Part 2

    This week, we look at how Leonard Cohen's most-popular work was co-opted by pop-culture to become the poster song for Big Emotional Moments and Sad Montages everywhere. Plus!—An update on the long-lost versus (hint, there are more than 15!), Aviv's dad tells a Bible story, and why author Alan Light calls "Hallelujah" a musical Rorschach test.


    Some additional sources: 

    Michael Barthel

    Alan Light

    The Forward

    New York Times


    1 hr 53 min
  • Hallelujah, it's the Shrek Song — Part 1
    How Leonard Cohen's initially rejected, melancholic tribute to love, sex, euphoria, and disappointment became the poster song for Big Emotional Moments everywhere. In part one of this two-part series, we look at the inception of Cohen's most-famous work, the meaning behind his iconic lyrics, how the many verses came to be, and how, over the span of four decades, the song has become one of the most performed standards of all time.
    1 hr 36 min
  • Famous Monsters Part 2: I Desire to Whip It — Devo's Satirical Stuntery and the Man Who Shot Reagan
    In the second edition of our Famous Monsters series (with Lindsay's mic still haunted by the ghost of Charles Manson) we do a deep Devo dive into the art-rock band responsible for the 80s megahit "Whip It." Forged in the wake of the Kent State massacre, Devo weirded out audiences for years before their biggest success was inspired by Roy Orbison, Thomas Pynchon's novel Gravity's Rainbow, and the drummer for Captain Beefheart. For their next album, however, Devo would find their strangest collaborator yet—would-be Reagan assassin John Hinckley. 
    Additional sources: https://dangerousminds.net/comments/de-evolution_devo_talks_groupies_the_gop_and_the_future
    https://www.salon.com/2017/09/16/33-13-devo-excerpt/
    https://www.vice.com/en/article/43p97n/devo-mark-mothersbaugh-gerald-casale-anniversary-interview-2018
    https://www.spin.com/2010/07/secret-history-devo/
    https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/devo-sixties-idealists-or-nazis-and-clowns-119053/
    1 hr 31 min
  • Famous Monsters Part 1: The Beach Boys and the Manson Murders

    In 1968, a chance encounter set off a chain reaction that led to (arguably) the most famous murder in american history. This encounter also led to the 1968 Beach Boys track "Never Learn Not To Love," a song credited to Dennis Wilson, brother of Beach Boys wunderkind Brian Wilson. However, the truth behind the song is far more sinister--first written by Charles Manson. Today we discuss the tragedy of the Wilson Brothers and the bizarre truth of how they contributed to the Manson Family’s Helter Skelter--in the first episode of a mini-series we’re calling Famous Monsters

    1 hr 24 min
  • What Gives Toto's "Africa" its Staying Power?

    In the early '80s, yacht rock group Toto needed a hit or else risk being dropped by its record label. Keyboardist David Paich, allegedly inspired by his catholic upbringing and late-night Africa documentaries, penned much of what would become Toto's biggest hit in less than ten minutes. But is "Africa" a harmless monument to kitsch--or a prime example of poorly aged cultural appropriation and harmful stereotyping? This episode examines the lore behind the writing of perhaps the most memeified song of all time--and what it means today and yesterday. 

    1 hr 17 min
  • Talking Heads' Ballad of Manic Middle-Class Monotony

    Well, how did we get here? This week we've got the story behind Talking Heads' sleeper hit "Once In A Lifetime," a 1980s preacher-inspired tune that permeates pop culture even today -- perhaps because it's so damn relatable to the masses. Special appearance by Kermit The Frog. You're welcome. 

    1 hr 12 min

About LYRICS FOR LUNCH

From the publisher's feed

A podcast serving up the snackable stories behind your favorite songs.