The gateway drug to the Hold Steady. An entrant in the lost best-of-the 2000s Rhino compilation. A straight ahead pop-rock song with verses and choruses and refrains. A backing singer. An emotional gut punch. A study in narrative denial. And a fairly simple song to discuss. That's track 3 on Separation Sunday, the single "Little Hoodrat Friend."

Shawn Westfall, Mike Taylor, and Daniel Shvartsman talk about why the song works, and why you don't have to dig too deep to figure it out.