This 1993 song gives focus to so much, including emotional men struggling with their feels (or their apathy) and their words. How can the Smooth music listener contend with the voice of Satan and still get to yoga on time? Childhood mini-traumas. The Ying and Yang of Hair and skin pigments. Canadian contributions to culture and the cinematic climax of Dumb and Dumber. Pretentious use of the word "vignette". Othering. C+C Music Factory and Arsenio Hall. The inertia of hair colour. Biosafety. PentaCostco and godly or Nazi salutes. The mystery of skin and hair conditions, and the bigger mystery of "reaction videos". Albino witchcraft and preventative murder in Africa. Corrective Frankenstein shoes. Empathy-gasms. Extra teeth and extra toes. Total Recall mutations. Weird Al Yankovic. Venom versus the Melanocyte. Marie Antoinette. Stem cells. Cancel culture and cosmetic clinics. Anal probes. Who hasn't seen "Sling Blade"? Audio soundscapes of pizza. Door handle life-hacks.

Would you like to appear (well, vocally) on the show? Do you have a pop song or ear-worm from the SMOOTH FM genre that’s infested your mind and needs to be investigated? Visit this page anchor.fm/peter-davis6 and press the message button to record me your own voicemail hot-take on your specific smooth song of suckiness. You can be on a future episode! (you can always email sound files or text your thoughts to [email protected] if that's easier). Cheers!

Sound clips are included for educational reference, criticism, satire and parody in fair use. Clips remain the property of the respective rights holder and no endorsement is implied. All information and opinion is performed and expressed in-character and does not reflect reality or genuine commentary on any persons (living or dead), bands or other organisations, or their works, and is not recommended listening for anyone, anywhere.

A short song that has it all, including the Oedipus complex, the Beatles, moisture content, birth experiences, Pavarotti, screaming, lots of sweat, Spice Girls, Genesis, hot mamas, Jessie's and Jimmy's and Stacey's Mom, Hello Fresh meal deliveries, even the sweet lips of Jesus, bad impressions (again), tunnel-boring machines, CHUDs, and remote drones.

Would you like to appear (well, vocally) on the show? Do you have a pop song or ear-worm from the SMOOTH FM genre that’s infested your mind and needs to be investigated? Visit this page anchor.fm/peter-davis6 and press the message button to record me your own voicemail hot-take on your specific smooth song of suckiness. You can be on a future episode! (you can always email sound files or text your thoughts to [email protected] if that's easier). Cheers!

Sound clips are included for educational reference, criticism, satire and parody in fair use. Clips remain the property of the respective rights holder and no endorsement is implied. All information and opinion is performed and expressed in-character and does not reflect reality or genuine commentary on any persons (living or dead), bands or other organisations, or their works, and is not recommended listening for anyone, anywhere.

Wham!!! It’s a bumper Christmas edition. What is LAST CHRISTMAS potentially about? Incest, terrorism, Jeffrey Epstein parties, heart transplants, a cursed brooch and more. A special hello to those playing WHAMAGEDDON this month - best of luck!

We've got exclamation marks, the war on Christmas, a smidge of Ridge, Barry Manilow, short-shorts, sad Christmas songs, we OUT George Michael (a bit late), heteronormative showbusiness, Greek origins and bad accents, first-name surnames, the Cola wars, regifting hearts and foot-spas, making George love other people and things, Richard Gere, miniature donkeys and tiny ponies, Arnold Schwarzenegger, a change of heart, consent, arranged marriages, key parties, brooch metaphors, brooches for men? Sick burns, Indian-giving, sooky tantrums, Boy George Michael, bleach and blow-dryers, big hair as a metaphor for happiness, fake girlfriends and sex-workers, merciless repetition, merciless repetition, the lost fad of changing ring-tones, peer pressure, beds are burning, Taylor Swift, George as a dumper, George as a terrorist, George struggles with codes and explosives, James Bond, Tears For Fears as enemy spies, bitter-sweet Christmases, choose life, choose McDonalds, choose to throw pickles at the window, choose promos, choose tweenage angst, a pity-cheeseburger, Groundhog/Christmas day, webbed fingers/feet, experimenting on rabbits, Christmas emotional pressure, getting jelly, 80s shoulders, taking advantage emotionally, the big brooch-move, the movie tie-in with spoilers, and giving your heart-transplant away.

Would you like to appear (well, vocally) on the show? Do you have a pop song or ear-worm from the SMOOTH FM genre that’s infested your mind and needs to be investigated? Visit this page https://speakpipe.com/lyrics to record us your own voicemail hot-take on your specific smooth song of suckiness. You could be on a future episode! (you can always email sound files or text your thoughts to [email protected] if that's easier). Cheers!

Find us on Twitter, Facebook and all your favourite podcasting platforms.

Sound clips are included for educational reference, criticism, satire and parody in fair use. Clips remain the property of the respective rights holder and no endorsement is implied. All information and opinion is performed and expressed in-character and does not reflect reality or genuine commentary on any persons (living or dead), bands or other organisations, or their works, and is not recommended listening for anyone, anywhere.

We've dipped way back into the early 70s again to assess Carly Simon's break-up revenge hit. It's pretty much all in the title ... plus drunk party guests, fruity accessories, bees, gavotting, fighting a mirror, a self-fulfilling prophecy, horribly-wounded cats, pentium computing, Space Cadet Pinball, clues and insult-puzzles, stir your coffee, narcissistic personality disorder, paranoia, haunting teeth, stalking, and online quizzes.

What does it say about her ex(es)? What does it say about her? How is a Japanese businessman involved? What does Marie Kondo have to say about all this? Enquiring minds want to know!

If you want to play along at home, try this (way too) short NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY DISORDER quiz (https://www.mind-diagnostics.org/narcissism-test)

Would you like to appear (well, vocally) on the show? Do you have a pop song or ear-worm from the SMOOTH FM genre that’s infested your mind and needs to be investigated? Visit this page anchor.fm/peter-davis6 and press the message button to record me your own voicemail hot-take on your specific smooth song of suckiness. You can be on a future episode! (you can always email sound files or text your thoughts to [email protected] if that's easier). Cheers!

Sound clips are included for educational reference, criticism, satire and parody in fair use. Clips remain the property of the respective rights holder and no endorsement is implied. All information and opinion is performed and expressed in-character and does not reflect reality or genuine commentary on any persons (living or dead), bands or other organisations, or their works, and is not recommended listening for anyone, anywhere.

It's a listener-driven episode, as Jennifer raises Billy Joel's hit from the early 70s and recalls the uncomfortable "raw sexuality" of his stage performance. Dave's scientific background comes to the fore as he prepares a drink they call "loneliness" and we explore the ultimately tragic or heroic backstory to the song. Should pianists sing in a lounge bar or stay in the background? Did anyone ask for the harmonica? Is it a Gay Bar? We also discuss ableist dwarf-jokes, www.celebheights.com, feeling orright, self-aggrandising, clever or dumb, constrictive garments and recall, the wrestling origins, asking neighbours for underwear, rocketman or pianoman, the justice league of bar characters, don't feed pianomen bread, and businessmen getting stoned?

It's completely wrong in every regard but understanding Piano Man is like climbing Everest and our thoughts are like the first frozen corpses you come across before you've even left base camp.

Would you like to appear (well, vocally) on the show? Do you have a pop song or ear-worm from the SMOOTH FM genre that’s infested your mind and needs to be investigated? Visit this page anchor.fm/peter-davis6 and press the message button to record me your own voicemail hot-take on your specific smooth song of suckiness. You can be on a future episode! (you can always email sound files or text your thoughts to [email protected] if that's easier). Cheers!

Sound clips are included for educational reference, criticism, satire and parody in fair use. Clips remain the property of the respective rights holder and no endorsement is implied. All information and opinion is performed and expressed in-character and does not reflect reality or genuine commentary on any persons (living or dead), bands or other organisations, or their works, and is not recommended listening for anyone, anywhere.

It's a confession-packed episode, as one should expect when men blithely discuss what women want. Thankfully, there's an appearance by Lenny (sounds like a man's name but she identifies as female) to save it from being an unpalatable sausage-fest of Peter, Dave, and random internet message-board dudes. Also there's surprising depth to be discovered in the lyrics of Cyndi's breakout hit of 1983. Certainly shocked me. Enjoy!

"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" features flirting with danger while dancing with the devil, getting titular, police reviews, types of fun, movie tie-ins, nerds and incels have their say, introspective video games and the joy of resource management, bad impressions, work ethics and unproductive fun, more bad impressions, silly syllables, hiccups, outing a podcaster, contractual negotiations, women's rights to fun, global organisations on fun, male origins and hypocrisy, switching meanings and perspectives, Israelites and The Hooters, creepy rapist friends, kale and covid, complex fun, disdain for boy-fun.

Would you like to appear (well, vocally) on the show? Do you have a pop song or ear-worm from the SMOOTH FM genre that’s infested your mind and needs to be investigated? Visit this page https://speakpipe.com/lyrics to record us your own voicemail hot-take on your specific smooth song of suckiness. You could be on a future episode! (you can always email sound files or text your thoughts to [email protected] if that's easier). Cheers!

Find us on Twitter, Facebook and all your favourite podcasting platforms.

Sound clips are included for educational reference, criticism, satire and parody in fair use. Clips remain the property of the respective rights holder and no endorsement is implied. All information and opinion is performed and expressed in-character and does not reflect reality or genuine commentary on any persons (living or dead), bands or other organisations, or their works, and is not recommended listening for anyone, anywhere.

Welcome back from our break. No, that sounds wrong ... if we've been away, surely it's you that should be welcoming us back? ... Thanks, it's lovely to be back here again and you're looking great.

Dave and I have made up for the absence with a bumper 22 minute podcast, and you pretty much need every second of that if you're going to tackle a subject like Starship's much maligned 80s hit.

"We built this city on rock and roll" achieves a beautiful unification that only mutual hate can bring, and we consider inappropriate protest anthems, load-bearing instruments and warranty issues, destructive sound waves, city planning and engineering, metaphors and chief exports, demolition-sustain, illicit hoopla, snakey radio slang, tax evasion, beats and choke-holds, streetwise 50 year old kids; Alfred Hitchcock, airplanes and starships, in-song advertising, Bernards, Elton John, acoustic levitation, stealing plans from Superman, snake-charming in an alternate universe, dementia, tearing a sonic hole in the space-time continuum, and feedback from Rolling Stone, Blender and GQ magazines.

Play along with the lyrics:

[Chorus]

Skip to sections we cover:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:02) Song details, current reaction

(03:20) The title, metaphor, construction safety

(06:38) Individual lyrics examined

(11:26) Commercial hypocrisy 

(13:45) Counterpoints by Dave

(19:43) Conclusions

(20:27) Acknowledgements, sponsor thanks, close

Would you like to appear (well, vocally) on the show? Do you have a pop song or ear-worm from the SMOOTH FM genre that’s infested your mind and needs to be investigated? Visit this page anchor.fm/peter-davis6 and press the message button to record me your own voicemail hot-take on your specific smooth song of suckiness. You can be on a future episode! (you can always email sound files or just text to [email protected] if that's easier). Cheers

Sound clips are included for educational reference, criticism, satire and parody in fair use. Clips remain the property of the respective rights holder and no endorsement is implied. All information and opinion is performed and expressed in-character and does not reflect reality or genuine commentary on any persons (living or dead), bands or other organisations, or their works, and is not recommended listening for anyone, anywhere.

My guest expert contributors this week are Dave and Lenny, bravely confronting the lyrics of Whitney Houston and "The Greatest Love of All" which features narcissism, sociopaths, self-love-making, living eternally through clones or children, scientific ethics, Whitney versus Mariah, Lord of the Rings, Muhammad Ali, audio-black-face, Saturday morning cartoons, a white lady called Linda, self-help, self-made, haunting your ex and possession, dignity and celebrity magazines, fairy sparkle sounds, and Bobby Brown.

Play along with the lyrics:

[Verse 1]

[Pre-Chorus]

[Chorus]

[Verse 2]

[Pre-Chorus repeats]

[Chorus repeats]

[Outro]

Would you like to appear (well, vocally) on the show? Do you have a pop song or ear-worm from the SMOOTH FM genre that’s infested your mind and needs to be investigated? Visit this page anchor.fm/peter-davis6 and press the message button to record me your own voicemail hot-take on your specific smooth song of suckiness. You can be on a future episode! (you can always email sound files or just text to [email protected] if that's easier). Cheers!

Sound clips are included for educational reference, criticism, satire and parody in fair use. Clips remain the property of the respective rights holder and no endorsement is implied. All information and opinion is performed and expressed in-character and does not reflect reality or genuine commentary on any persons (living or dead), bands or other organisations, or their works, and is not recommended listening for anyone, anywhere.

My guest expert contributors this week are Dave and Gillian. We form a three-pronged trident* of cancel-culture and our words-of-woke may skewer any pop song you might have previously enjoyed. You're welcome.

"Upside Down" features a lyrical crime spanning hundreds of years, Shakespearean translations, being respectful about your abuse, the sun's eventual burn-out, disorientation in pop music, prolapses, homicidal astronauts, ruptured lungs, gender politics, mediaeval torture, and infidelities with Ground Control.

*is there any other kind?

Play along at home with the lyrics:

[Intro]

[Chorus]

[Verse 1]

[Chorus]

[Verse 2]

[Chorus]

[Verse 1]

[Chorus]

[Outro]

Would you like to appear (well, vocally) on the show? Do you have a pop song or ear-worm from the SMOOTH FM genre that’s infested your mind and needs to be investigated? Visit this page ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://speakpipe.com/lyrics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to record us your own voicemail hot-take on your specific smooth song of suckiness. You could be on a future episode! (you can always email sound files or text your thoughts to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if that's easier). Cheers!

Find us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc @LyricsPodast ... and we're on all your favourite podcasting platforms.

Check out our ⁠⁠⁠merchandise shop⁠⁠⁠ just for a laugh!

Sound clips are included for educational reference, criticism, satire and parody in fair use. Clips remain the property of the respective rights holder and no endorsement is implied. All information and opinion is performed and expressed in-character and does not reflect reality or genuine commentary on any persons (living or dead), bands or other organisations, or their works, and is not recommended listening for anyone, anywhere.

For this inaugural episode, I'm joined by Dave, music expert and possible unabomber, as we take a very deep dive into a very shallow pop song, risking severe spinal injury. 

"Give it up" has amateurish romance, coercion, status-theft, goitres, parasitic twins, gas-lighting, possessiveness, drooling libido, hobby ideas, the id/ego/super-ego, donuts, Julia Roberts, the films of Richard Curtis, game-players, and basic instincts.

Risk is integral to all new ventures, so we appreciate that you've risked your time on this new podcast. Tell your friends! (if you like it)

Play along at home with the lyrics:

Everybody wants you
Everybody wants your love
I'd just like to make you mine, all mine

Na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na-na-na now
Baby, give it up
Give it up
Baby, give it up
Na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na-na-na now
Baby, give it up
Give it up
Baby, give it up

Everybody sees you
Everybody looks and stares
I'd just like to make you mine, all mine

Na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na-na-na now
Baby, give it up
Give it up
Baby, give it up
Na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na-na-na now
Baby, give it up
Give it up
Baby, give it up
Give it up

Na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na-na-na, now
Baby, give it up
Give it up
Baby, give it up
Na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na-na-na, now
Baby, give it up
Give it up
Baby, give it up

Everybody wants you
Everybody wants your love
I'd just like to make you mine, all mine

Na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na-na-na now
Baby, give it up
Give it up
Baby, give it up
Na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na-na-na, now
Baby, give it up
Give it up
Baby, give it up

Can you give it?
Can you give it?
Give it up
Come on, baby
I need your love (Give it up, give it up, baby, give it up)
Do you know I want you baby
Come on baby I want your love (Give it up, give it up, baby, give it up)
Give it up, some of your love
Come on and play the game of love (Give it up, give it up, baby, give it up)
Everybody, is it me, give it up
Come on, baby
I need your love (Give it up, give it up, baby, give it up)
Can I touch you, can I love you?
Come on, baby, baby
I love you (Give it up, give it up, baby, give it up)

Can you give it, give it up?
Come on, baby
Give me your love (Give it up, give it up, baby, give it up)
Don't you know I want your love?
Come on, baby, I need your love

Would you like to appear (well, vocally) on the show? Do you have a pop song or ear-worm from the SMOOTH FM genre that’s infested your mind and needs to be investigated? Visit this page ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://speakpipe.com/lyrics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to record us your own voicemail hot-take on your specific smooth song of suckiness. You could be on a future episode! (you can always email sound files or text your thoughts to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if that's easier). Cheers!

Find us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc @LyricsPodast ... and we're on all your favourite podcasting platforms.

Check out our ⁠⁠⁠merchandise shop⁠⁠⁠ just for a laugh!

Sound clips are included for educational reference, criticism, satire and parody in fair use. Clips remain the property of the respective rights holder and no endorsement is implied. All information and opinion is performed and expressed in-character and does not reflect reality or genuine commentary on any persons (living or dead), bands or other organisations, or their works, and is not recommended listening for anyone, anywhere.