Is Mark going to flake it up? He can’t figure out what the heck key is TLC’s 1992 jam “Baby-Baby-Baby” in. The internet thinks it knows, but maybe we’re better off embracing the mystery.. Nichole certainly thinks she knows for sure who the best girl group of all time is, though, and shares some thoughts on the fascinating dynamics of the group. We end with one big question: what three 90s albums best embody our hosts’ personalities?

Other music heard in this episode: TLC - "Waterfalls,” Des'ree "You Gotta Be", Psychedelic Furs - "Love My Way", Fleetwood Mac - "Dreams", Incubus - "Dig"

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Should artists always get a share of the songwriting credit? This week, we discuss songwriting and who exactly deserves the credit and profit from a successful song. Also, Mark looks back on how his view of authorship and his own songwriting priorities have changed over the years. Check us out next week for a new full episode!

Music heard in this episode: Claude Debussy - “Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune”

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Was this song written just for this podcast? Tears for Fears’ 1985 smash “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” is so perfect that even the band name is a psychology reference. Oh, and the album title is a callout to dissociative identity disorder. Mark takes that and runs, connecting that to the unusual pace the chords of the song shift. Nichole also wonders: does everybody actually want to rule the world?

Other music heard in this episode: Tears for Fears - "Mothers Talk," Tears for Fears - "Head Over Heels", Tears for Fears - "I Believe," Tears for Fears - "Mad World," Miles Davis - "So What", Earth, Wind & Fire - "Shining Star", Live,- "Lightning Crashes"

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Wait, we have ad music? In this sidetrack, Nichole hears the podcast theme music and ad music for the first time. She has her favorites and… um, what’s the opposite of favorite? See you next week for a full episode!

Music heard in this episode: Mark Popeney - Nevermind the Music Theme, The Slackademics - "This Dance", The Slackademics - "Outrageous Vibe"

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Why won’t someone help that poor man carry his piano? Here we sweat over Bruno Mars’ 2010 hit ‘Grenade.’ Mark thinks a lot of the heaviness of this song is due to the use of an interesting tweak on the minor key, while Nichole tries to get to the bottom of what might be going on in the head of the song’s sad protagonist.

Other music heard in this episode: Kesha - “We R Who We R”, Bruno Mars - “The Lazy Song”, Adele - “Rolling in the Deep”, Hall & Oates - “Maneater”, Bruno Mars - “Treasure”, Bruno Mars - “Lock Out of Heaven”, Bruno Mars - “Finesse”

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Can you sing like Michael McDonald? Probably not, but it’s fun to try! In this Sidetrack, Mark makes the case that the 1978 Doobie Brothers gem is the greatest song of all time. Well, it and all the other songs it shares that title with. Can he convince Nichole? See you next week for a full episode!

Music heard in this episode: The Doobie Brothers - “What a Fool Believes”, Jimmy Fallon - “I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)", Kenny Loggins - “What a Fool Believes”

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What does that bling mean, Drake? Tell us! Here we’re picking apart Drake’s 2016 meme-factory “Hotline Bling.” Mark really wants to talk about how this song is built on a series of surprises and interruptions, and Nichole… well let’s just say Nichole wants to pick a fight. Ever since I left the city…

Other music heard in this episode: ToonLink/Nosquist - "Wii Shop Bling", Timmy Thomas - "Why Can't We Live Together", Drake - "Come Through", Drake - "Furthest Thing", Drake - "March 14", Kendrick Lamar - "Sing About Me,, I'm Dying of Thirst", The Beatles - "A Day in the Life", OutKast - "Ghettomusick"

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How do you balance change and tradition? In this Sidetrack, we talk about either the geekiest cool thing, or the coolest geeky thing in the world: barbershop quartet music! Mark shares some music and stories, and brings up a confusing tension he has seen within the music. This one gets surprisingly “real.” Catch us next week for a full episode!

Music heard in this episode: Rockapella - “Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?”, The Buffalo Bills - “Sweet Adeline”, Boyz II Men - “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday”, The Be Sharps - “Baby on Board” - The Buffalo Bills - “It’s You”, American Quartet - “Denver Town”, Bluegrass Student Union - “Swanee”, Bluegrass Student Union - “Stardust”

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Without love, where would you be now?Join us as we inhale some of that 1973 classic “Long Train Runnin’” by The Doobie Brothers. Mark draws our attention to a chord that finds a powerful new meaning in this song, which reminds Nichole of how our strongest memories are very much dependent on the context. But seriously, everyone, Tom Johnston or Michael McDonald?

Other music heard in this episode: The Doobie Brothers - “Listen to the Music”, The Doobie Brothers - “Minute By Minute”, Chuck Berry - “Johnny B. Goode”, Soul Brother Six - “Some Kind of Wonderful”, Bluegrass Student Union - “Goodbye My Coney Island Baby/We All Fall”, Bonnie Raitt - “I Can’t Make You Love Me”, Muse - “Big Freeze”, fun. - “We Are Young”

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Einstein on the what? Follow Mark and Nichole down the rabbit hole (or up to the loft apartment in Manhattan) as we talk about musical minimalism, a quirky and surprising style that still influences music today. Join us next week for another full episode!

Music heard in this episode: Steve Reich - "Piano Phase", Steve Reich - "Electric Counterpoint", The Who - "Baba O'Reilly", Terry Riley - "A Rainbow in Curved Air", Philip Glass - "Einstein on the Beach", Arvo Part - "Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten"

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