Stereothematica

Sometimes we learn about songs in ways we can't explain easily. A failed Shazam of a song at a restaurant, a captivating tune on a cool girl's hair-do how-to video. This week we're exploring the sometimes convoluted ways we discover music.

SONGS:

Dara Puspita: A Go Go (1967)

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band: Love For The Sake Of Dub (2024)

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:

The Power of Dara Puspita: How Four Girls From Indonesia Brought Rock N’ Roll to the World (Summerlin, 2012)

Spirit of Dara Puspita - Bersama Fleur Live (Synchronize Fest, 2022)

Interview with Dara Puspita Coverband FLEUR! (NME, 2022)

Dick Tamini was accused of smuggling gold into Thailand. Then he produced an all-girl band (ABC News, 2024)

Dara Puspita - Radio Diffusion Blog

Dara Puspita - Garage Hangover

Pitchfork Review of Koes Bersaudara (2010)

Koes Bersaudara: Bis Sekolah (1962) 

The Act of Killing (Director’s Cut) (2012)

Holistic Hairstylist

The Toasted Coconut, Houston, TX

Montell Jordan - Get It On Tonite (YouTube)

CLAUDJA BARRY Love For The Sake Of Love (YouTube)

Songs that Sampled Love for the Sake of Love by Claudja Barry (whosampled)

Da Brat, Tyrese - What'chu Like (2000)

Kiss You Forever - Poolside (2012)

Gun Love - Prodigy feat. Slick Rick (1999)

UNSOLICITED ADVICE

Kate Berlant: Parmesan (Trailer)

Kate Berlant on Good Hang

Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!

If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.

And email us at [email protected]! We will write back! 

Jaws. Halloween. The Exorcist. These classic horror movies wouldn't be nearly as scary if it weren't for their titillating scores and soundtracks. This week we dive into two new horror classics (ok, maybe not both are new classics) and talk about how music makes movies 10x scarier. Listener beware!  

SONGS:

Michael Abels, Luniz, Michael Marshall: I Got 5 On It - Tethered Mix from US (2019)

Bauhaus: Bela Lugosi’s Dead (1979)

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:

Horror Movie Music

Halloween - John Carpenter 

Tubular Bells (The Exorcist) - Mike Oldfield 

Jaws Theme - John Williams 

Rosemary's Baby - Krzysztof Komeda

Nightmare on Elm Street - Jump Rope Girls Evolution

What horror movie theme music is most iconic or memorable for you? (Reddit)

US - Related

Us Official Trailer (YouTube)

Hands Across America 1986 (YouTube)

Story Of Luniz 'I Got 5 On It' + 'Us' Horror Movie Trailer by Jordan Peele (Heit the Great, YouTube)

Anempathetic Music (Us - J. Peele) (YouTube)

I Got Five On It (Luniz) | Us Dance Fight Scene | TUNE (YouTube)

Michael Abels - Omar 

Us | Jordan Peele Gives Us a Glimpse Into Us (YouTube)

The ending credits Jordan Peele’s US, Les Fleurs - Minnie Riperton (YouTube)

The Hunger-Related

The Hunger Opening Credits (1982)

Bauhaus: Bela Lugosi’s Dead Live Riverside (BBC, 1982)

Bauhaus Perform Bela Lugosi’s Dead at Coachella (2005)

14 Things You Didn’t Know About the Hunger 

Schubert: Trio in E-Flat (Bowie Can’t Sleep - The Hunger)

Schubert: Schubert Piano Trio No. 1 in B flat D898 II. Andante un poco mosso (Bowie, Deneuve and Alice jam)

Delibes: Lakmé - Flower Duet (Deneuve seducing Sarandon scene)

The History of Bauhaus (Art School, Getty)

The Story of Goth in 33 Songs (Pitchfork, 2017)

Bauhaus and the Birth of Goth (Sound of History, 2026)

Goth Talk w/Christina Ricci (SNL, 1999)

Peter Murphy Tells Us About Writing the Greatest Goth Song of All Time (2019)

LA Weekly Ranks 20 Best Coachella Sets of All Time (2016)

The 30 Greatest Rock N Roll Moments (Rolling Stone, 2021)

The 50 Best Uses of Songs in Movies (TimeOut, 2024)

UNSOLICITED ADVICE:

Scary Songs Playlist

Scary Songs Episode Pt. I (Apple)

Scary Songs Episode Pt. I (Spotify)

Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!

If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.

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Grab your cowboy hat, lederhosen, and/or Peppermint Patty. We're gonna yodel this week!

SONGS:

Dolly Parton: Mule Skinner Blues (Blue Yodel No. 8) (1970)

Hank Williams: Lovesick Blues (1949) 

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES: 

The Lonely Goatherd - Sound of Music (1965)

Maria Von Trapp Teaches Julie Andrews to Yodel (Rogers & Hammerstein)

York Peppermint Patty Commercial (1986)

Yodel-ay-ee-oooo: The Secret History of Yodeling (Plantegna, 2004)

Mandy Torgerson - The Dying Art of Yodeling (2025)

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (2025)

Switzerland’s Yodeling Tradition is Changing. Here’s How to Experience It (2023)

NTS Dolly Deep Dive

What Vowels Can Tell Us About the Evolution of Music

No Mules Were Skinned: The History of Muleskinner Blues (Sander, 2015)

Interview with Dolly Parton on How She Ended Up Covering Mule Skinner Blues (DollyMania)

Tom Dickson: Labor Blues (1928) 

Jimmy Rodgers: Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas) (1928)

Jimmy Rodgers: Blue Yodel No. 8 (1930)

Bill Monroe: Mule Skinner Blues (1940)

Woody Guthrie: Mule Skinner Blues (1944)

Odetta: Mule Skinner Blues (1957)

The Fendermen: Mule Skinner Blues (1960)

Harry Belafonte Singing Muleskinner on the Ed Sullivan Show (1962)

Bob Dylan attempting Mule Skinner Blues (with a yodel) (1962)

Hank Williams Jr.: Mule Skinner Blues (1965)

Merle Haggard: Mule Skinner Blues (1969)

Dolly Parton Singing Mule Skinner Blues on the Porter Wagoner Show (1970)

Dolly Parton Singing Mule Skinner Blues on the Porter Wagoner Show (1971)

Dolly Parton, Bill Monroe - Mule Skinner Live (1978)

The Cramps: Muleskinner Blues (1989)

Dolly Parton Answers the Web’s Most Asked Questions (Wired, 2020)

Dolly Parton on Hee Haw (1974)

Dolly Parton on Johnny Carson (1979)

Opening & Closing Credits of 9 to 5 (1980)

How Yodeling Walmart Kid Gave New Life to Hank Williams Lovesick Blues (Rolling Stone, 2018)

Tin Pan Alley (Wikipedia)

Oh, Ernest! Musical (IBDB)

Rex Griffin - Lovesick Blues (YouTube)

10 Fascinating Facts about the Louisiana Hayride

Hank Williams Sings “Lovesick Blues” For Your Aching Hearts (Country Thang Daily)

Jambalaya (On the Bayou) (first Hayride appearance) Hank Williams, Sr. ~ (1952/2000)

The Life and Times of Hank Williams (Documentary Circa 1995) YouTube 

Country Music Hall of Fame: Hank Williams

Hank Williams - Hey Good Lookin' (YouTube)

UNSOLICITED ADVICE:

Dolly Parton’s America Podcast (WNYC, 2019) 

Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!

If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.

And email us at [email protected]! We will write back! 

What's the heartbeat of a city? It might be the song that makes you feel like you're living within its very chambers. Join us on the journey through the pulsing heart of NYC and Los Angeles on this week's episode! 

SONGS:

Donna Summer: I Feel Love (1977)

Sparks: Tryouts for the Human Race (1979)

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:

BBC Soul Music: I Feel Love

Song from the Future: The Story of Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder’s “I Feel Love” (Pitchfork)

How Donna Summer's I Feel Love changed pop (The Guardian)

Donna Summer - Love To Love You Baby (YouTube)

Pete Bellotte got everything in synth (DJ History)

Giorgio Moroder – his 20 greatest songs, ranked! (The Guardian)

Daft Punk - Giorgio by Moroder (Official Audio)

The Enduring Legacy of Donna Summer for Gay Men (My Fabulous Disease) 

Letter Shows Donna Summer Defending Herself Against Alleged Anti-Gay Comments (ABC) 

Giorgio Moroder Brings Back the Days of Disco at ‘I Feel Love’ Immersive Event (Billboard)

Tryouts for the Human Race (Official Video, 1979)

Sparks Brother Documentary (2021) 

Sparks: No. 1 Song in Heaven (Featuring Jimmy Somerville) (Plagiarism, 1997)

Sparks: No. 1 in Heaven 9.4 Review (Pitchfork)

Sparks Spectacular / 21 Albums in 21 Nights (2008)

Sparks: I Am a Bookworm 

Sparks Creates New Bookworm Theme (2010)

Sparks on Bookworm (KCRW, 2009)

Bronski Beat & Marc Almond Cover/Medley: I Feel Love/Love to Love You/Johnny Remember Me (1984)

Sparks: Heaven Sent (Electronic Sound, 2019)

Moroder Week Day 1: Sparks - Tryouts for the Human Race (Post-Punk Monk, 2020) 

How many artists did David Bowie refer to as the “Future of Music” (Reddit)

UNSOLICITED ADVICE

vote.org 

Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!

If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.

And email us at [email protected]! We will write back! 

October 5 is Global James Bond Day! What better way to celebrate than with pickle juice martinis (the antithesis of 007) and a deep dive with our editor and self proclaimed Bond Enthusiast, Tamas Harangi, to talk about the franchise and the iconic songs that help make it relevant to this day. Please share your favorites with us!  

SONGS:

Duran Duran: A View to a Kill (1985)

Nancy Sinatra: You Only Live Twice (1967)

Gladys Knight: License to Kill (1989)

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:

A View to a Kill - Opening Credits Sequence (1985)

Zorin Blimp Scene from A View to a Kill 

Zorin Spars with May Day - A View to A Kill

Coming to Terms with James Bond’s Flawed Past—as a fan and a critic (NPR, 2021)

Dr. No Theme Song (Norman and Barry, 1962) 

Shirley Bassey & Tom Jones Rockprofile -  "I am the voice of Bond, darling!" 

Björk: You Only Live Twice (1997)

Björk: Bachelorette (1997)

UNSOLICITED ADVICE:

NTS Radio Live

NTS Supporter Radio: Dancing 

Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!

If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.

And email us at [email protected]! We will write back! 

Do you listen to music everyday? Do you like it when a song mentions every day of the week? We do! At least some songs. Let's see if we can catch every single day in our song picks! 

SONGS:

Cherrelle feat. Alexander O'Neal - "Saturday Love" (1985)

The Clash: Police On My Back (1980)

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:

Friday I'm In Love - The Cure

Lady Madonna - The Beatles 

Sublime's "What I Got" Inspired By This Beatles Song

7 Days - Craig David

R&B Songstress Cherrelle on Singing Sweetly About Cheating on Your Lover (SF Weekly)

Never on a Sunday - The Chordettes

Lawrence Welk - SNL

Never on Sunday (IMDB)

Jimmy Jam on how Alexander O’Neal Fumbled the Bag… (YouTube)

Alexander O’Neal holds no grudges against Prince

Who Sampled: Saturday Love

SATURDAY LOVE SAMPLES

The Equals: Police On My Back (1967)

Eddy Grant: Electric Avenue (1982)

Eddy Grant: I Don’t Wanna Dance (1982)

Eddy Grant: Romancing the Stone (1984)

Eddy Grant: Gimme Hope Jo’Anna (Nelson Mandela Concert, 1988)

Qué diá de la semana ha inspirado más hits? (Univision, 2016)

One Song Podcast London Calling w/Fred Armisen (2025)

Eddy Grant on Music is My Life Podcast (Berklee, 2020)

Police on My Back and the Postcolonial Experience (Stratton, 2026)

The Story of Subculture: The Rude Boy & Rude Girl (Underground, 2021)

Rude Boy Style Can’t Fail (NYT, 2015)

The Clash: Music That Matters (Fletcher, 2012)

“You Don’t Bring Flowers From There To Here” – Eddy Grant Speaks To EP About New Venture United DJs, Life, Music, and Politics (Pop Essentials, 2018)

Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys: The Story of the Pioneering Interracial Rockband The Equals (Pitchfork, 2016)

Trump Loses Electric Avenue Song Legal Fight (BBC, 2024)

Other “Police On My Back” Covers discussed:

Amparanoia: La Semana (1997)

Asian Dub Foundation and Zebda: Police On My Back (2003) 

Lethal Bizzle: Police On My Back (2007)

Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!

If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.

And email us at [email protected]! We will write back! 

This week, we share songs we really like... that is, until the singing starts.  And brace yourself for a twist! 

SONGS:

Yes: Heart of the Sunrise (1971)

The Boomtown Rats: I Don’t Like Mondays (1979)

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:

Say Less Meaning (The Idioms)

The Band: Stage Fright (1970)

At the Movies - Deep Cuts Lost & Found Podcast

Buffalo 66 - Heart of the Sunrise Scene (1998)

Yes - Fragile - Classic Music Review (Altrockchick.com, 2026)

Heart of the Sunrise (Songfacts)

Yes World Discography - Fragile 

First Listen - Heart of the Sunrise

Yes World - Fragile

Yes Fragile Documentary (Rael's Prog Rock Documentaries)

The Story Behind Yes’ Remake of Simon & Garfunkel's America (American Songwriter)

LCD Soundsystem: Tired (Live - ending with Heart of the Sunrise, 2011)

Lizzo: Boys (Live - starting with Heart of the Sunrise, 2022)

Other Yes Favorites

Survival (Yesterdays, 1969)

Time and a Word (Time and a Word, 1970) - One of Rush’s Geddy Lee’s all-time faves.

Then (Time and a Word, 1970 - at 2:30, hearing the origins of “Heart of the Sunrise”)

A Venture (The Yes Album, 1971)

Roundabout (Fragile, 1971)

America (Written by Paul Simon, 1968) (Close to the Edge, 1972) - Possible recitation: Angine de Poitrine's Mata Zyklek

And You and I (Close to the Edge, 1972) - Possible recitation: Pescado Rabioso's Cantata de Puentes Amarillos -  even the album’s green cover is similar

Least Favorite

Yes: Owner of Lonely Heart (1983 - Only Yes song to reach #1 on Billboard Hot 100)

The Boomtown Rats (Punk 77)

Teds and Punks (Punk 77)

Teddy Boys (Wikipedia)

Do They Know It’s Christmas? (YouTube)

Cleveland Elementary School shooting (Wikipedia)

‘I Don’t Like Mondays’: The harrowing story behind the 1979 smash hit and Bob Geldof’s big regret (Far Out Magazine)

Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!

If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.

And email us at [email protected]! We will write back! 

Sometimes the sounds of your hometown can move you to tears... and sometimes they can make you want to move your body... and if you're moving away from your hometown, you just might want to get sentimental and gush about what makes your hometown sound unique. Join us as we dive into the sounds of Houston, Texas, and Huntington Beach, California, this week! 

SONGS:

DJ DMD [feat. Lil' Keke & Fat Pat] - 25 Lighters

The Vandals: Don’t Stop Me Now (2004)

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:

10 Essential Screwed Up Click Albums

How Swishahouse became Houston rap's North Star

25 Lighters - Genius 

The Historical Legacy of the Hip-Hop Line '25 Lighters On My Dresser'

Backseat Freestyle · Kendrick Lamar

ZZ Top - I Gotsta Get Paid

DJ Screw lays down the June 27th Freestyle

DJ Screw: A Life in Slow Revolution by Lance Scott Walker

Christina’s swang n bang playlist on Spotify

Top 25 Greatest Orange County Bands of All Time (OC Weekly, 2012)

No Doubt: Trapped in a Box (1992)

The Vandals: Urban Struggle (1982)

The Vandals: Legend of Pat Brown (1982)

From Punk to the Paranormal - A Backseat Story with Joe Escalante (2025)

Poorman’s 15 Minutes of Fame: Joe Escalante (2025)

Joe Escalante Interviews the Sugar Cubes (Bjork and Siggi) (KDOC, 1992)

The Vandals on Request Video “Devo is the best band in the universe.” (KDOC, 1991)

Request Video (KDOC)

In the 80s “Request Video” was Essential TV for SoCal Music Nerds (LA Taco, 2021) 

Tour of Punk Rock Museum with Warren Fitzgerald  in Las Vegas (2023)

LLS Profile of Joe Escalante 

Live Fast Diabetes by Warren Fitzgerald

Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!

If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.

And email us at [email protected]! We will write back! 

Whether it's been a summer bummer or summer lovin', we've got the grooves to meet your mood and carry you through the rough and the smooth!

SONGS:

Peki Momés: Yildiz (Estrelar) (2025)

Ohtis: Schatze (feat. Stef Chura) (2021)

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:

Contenders for 2026 Song of the Summer (Pitchfork)

Marcos Valle: Estrelar (Original Video, 1983)

Os Flippers: Estrelar (1983, Mr. Bongo, 2019)

Marcos Valle: Estrelar Live (2020)

Mr. Bongo Record Club Volume 3 (2019)

WhoSampled: Marcos Valle Estrelar

Estrelar is Born - How Marcos Valle’s Workout Hit Took Over the World (Mr. Bongo, 2021)

Marcos Valle: Samba de Verão (1968)

Peki Momés 10 Picks for Durum Records (Spotify Playlist)

Durum Records Interview with Peki Momes 

Seismo Talk w/Dr. Cornelia Lund, Peki Momés & Dustin Braun (Refuge Worldwide, 2025)

ByteFM with Peki Momés

Mr. Bongo Record Club Volume 3 (2019)

“Schatze” (ft. Stef Chura) - Ohtis (Pitchfork)

Ohtis – 'Schatze' (When the Horn Blows)

Ohtis (First Avenue & Seventh St. Entry)

Runnin - Ohtis (YouTube)

Stef Chura 

BONUS DAVID BYRNE PSYCHO KILLER CONCERT FOOTAGE!! (Hollywood Bowl 2026, Nancy German)

CORRECTION: When referring to the movie "I Love Boosters," Christina accidentally said Bootsy Collins when she meant to say Boots Riley. She knows the difference, whereas Christine knows the difference between the cognates but was legitimately hoping Bootsy Collins directed a movie. A girl can dream.

Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!

If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.

And email us at [email protected]! We will write back! 

Gotcha! This isn't X-rated, ya freaks. We're talking about tunes where the singer tells us exactly what the song is about in the opening lines. You know, "This is a song about..." love, life, loss, summer, a girl named "Lucky." Just kidding about that last one. 

SONGS:

Janet Jackson: And On and On (1994)

Raye: Goodbye Henry (feat. Al Green) (2026)

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:

Britney Spears - Lucky (Official HD Video)

Absolutely (Story of a Girl) by Nine Days

Rhiannon live at the Forum - 1977

What is your opinion on And On And On? (reddit)

Janet and Michael Jackson: Scream (1995)

Bob Dylan: Hurricane (1976)

Raye: WHERE IS MY HUSBAND / Nightingale Ln. (Live at Brit Awards 2026)

Rolling Stone Review of This Music May Contain Hope (2026)

Pitchfork Review of This Music May Contain Hope (2026)

Zane Lowe Interview with Raye (2026)

Riton & Raye: I Don’t Want You (2021)

The Next British Invasion is Here, and It’s Led By Women (NYT, 2026)

Songfacts - Goodbye Henry

Raye: Escapism (SNL, 2024)

EXPLICIT CORRECTION: At 19:32, Christine mistakenly says “minimalism,” when she meant “maximalism.” She just wanted to make sure you knew she knew. She also remembered “Scream” after watching the video.

Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!

If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.

And email us at [email protected]! We will write back!