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.

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

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 

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

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

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. 

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.