Stereothematica

Ever have a song that gets stuck in your head... and you might try all the tricks to get it out of your head and you're still stuck humming (or singing!?) wide awake at 3 a.m. We've been there! And this week we're talking about the music we don't mind getting stuck in our heads! And, as you can probably guess, these tunes aren't your... typical earworms!

SONGS:

Riton & Kah-Lo: Fake I.D. (2018)

Shannon and the Clams: What You’re Missing (2024)

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:

Dissecting an Earworm: Melodic Features and Song Popularity Predict Involuntary Musical Imagery (Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts, 2016)

A Natural History of the Earworm – The Song That Won’t Get Out of Your Head (British Psychological Society, 2009)

Earworms (Discovery Orchestra, 2014)

Your Brain on Music: Earworms (Kennedy Center)

Stephen King on Songs that Stick in Your Head (Entertainment Weekly, 2009)

Earworms - Songs that Stick in Your Head - Interview with Daniel Levitin (NakedScientists, 2007)

Review of Foreign Ororo (Native Magazine, 2018)

Riton (feat. Kah-Lo): Rinse and Repeat (2016)

Four on the Floor Rhythm Explained (MasterClass, 2021) 

Four on the Floor with Musical Examples (YouTube)

The Man Who Was Always There (ZeroNine)

Get to Know Kah-Lo, The Grammy-Nominated Nigerian MC (MixMag)

The Difference Between Afrobeat and Afrobeats (Revolt)

Francis Mercier (feat. Wyclef Jean and Kah-Lo): Take Me Home (2026)

Selena Gomez lip-syncing Fake ID (2018)

Shirley Ellis: The Clapping Song (1965)

Fake I.D. Lyrics (w/some annotation) (Genius)

Shannon and The Clams - 'What You're Missing' in PBS Studio 5 Live January 28, 2025

ALBUM REVIEW: Shannon and the Clams Carry Grief Unflinchingly Through ‘The 

Moon Is in the Wrong Place’ (No Depression)

Shannon and The Clams Triumph on The Moon Is In The Wrong Place (Paste)

LA Phil: Shannon and the Clams

Shannon & the Clams - The Boy [Official 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! 

The feeling of rediscovering a song you once loved but forgot about is better than a cold breeze on a hot day. Well, almost. This week we dive into some once-forgotten jams and reconnect with the people we were when we originally discovered them. Join us on a trip down memory lane! 

SONGS:

NRBQ: Magnet (1972)

Plastilina Mosh: Boombox Baby (2000)

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:

Super Socks - Mister S (1972)

Get that Gasoline Blues (YouTube)

NRBQ - Music Museum of New England 

NRBQ - Omnivore Recordings

Unscripted: NRBQ continues to inspire after a half-century

Various Artists - The Q People: A Tribute To NRBQ

The Q People - A Tribute To NRBQ (Discogs)

Little Floater's Wild Weekend (YouTube) 

Little Floater’s Wild Weekend (Fandom)

Plastilina Mosh: Mr. P Mosh (1998)

Plastilina Mosh: Human Disco Ball (2000)

Plastilina Mosh: International Stereo (Bassass) (2000)

Plastilina Mosh: Peligroso Pop (2003)

Plastilina Mosh is Having So Much Fun It Hurts (LAT, 1998)

Plastilina Mosh “Juan Manual” Astralwerks (LAT, 2000)

Molotov: Voto Latino (1997)

Y Tu Mamá Tambien (2001) 

The Avanzada Regia: How Monterrey Changed Mexican Rock (2024)

Kinky: Cornman (2002)

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! 

Get your minds out of the gutter. There's only one type of horniness that we'd be talking about... 

SONGS:

Fela Kuti: Water No Get Enemy (1975)

The Bar-Kays: Soul Finger (1967)

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:

FelaKuti.Com

Fela Kuti: Fear No Man (Podcast Series, 2025)

Finding Fela - Full Documentary (Kino Lorber, 2014)

Fela Ransome Kuti and His Koola Lobitos (1965)

Water No Get Enemy: How Fela Kuti Predicted the Global War for the River (Rivermixer, 2026)

What “Water No Get Enemy” Says About Fela Kuti (Mayomifull, 2026)

Femi Kuti, D’Angelo, Macy Gray: Water No Get Enemy (For Red, Hot & Riot, 2002)

D’Angelo and Lauren Hill Interpolation of Water No Get Enemy  (Unreleased) 

How Fela Kuti’s 1975 Track Inspired D’Angelo 25 Years Later

Analytical study of “Water No Get Enemy” by Fela Anikulapo Kuti (Funmi RaphealJohn, 2025)

Fela Kuti & Africa 70 Live in Berlin (1978)

Fela Kuti is the first African pop star to enter the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (NPR, 2026)

The Legacy of Fela Kuti's Music of Resistance: Hear 15 Essential Songs (NYT, 2020)

Everytime Burna Boy Has Sampled Fela Kuti

Femi, Made, Seun cover “Water No Get Enemy” (Global Citizen Live 2021)

Afrodicia with Nnamdi Moweta (KPFK 90.7 - Saturdays 4-6 p.m. PT)

The Bar-Kays (Memphis Music Hall of Fame)

Album Essentials: Bar-Kays - "Soul Finger" (The Summit FM) 

The Innovators: Stax Artist Spotlights - The Bar-Kays

A Look Back: Ben Cauley on the plane crash that took the life of Otis Redding and members of the Bar-Kays (Commercial Appeal)

The 20 Best Stax Records Songs (Paste) 

Wattstax (1973) - Theatrical Trailer (YouTube)

More Horniness

Raul de Souza: Sweet Lucy (1977)

Fanfare Ciocarlia - Tiny Desk Concert (NPR, 2014) 

Fela Kuti: Lady (1972)

Fela Kuti: Zombie (1976)

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 you're being taken out to the ball game or pumping up the jam... or maybe even being wowed by the Skate Circle DJs in Central Park... you can't deny that sports and music go hand in hand. And this week, we're revisiting the World Cup music of today and yesteryear and doing a deep dive into the sweet sounds of roller rink tunes to get our blood pumping and give our ears a workout! 

SONGS:

Shakira: Waka Waka (This Time for Africa - Official FIFA World Cup Song) (2010)

De La Soul: A Roller Skating Jam Named “Saturdays” (1991) 

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:

The unifying power of music in sports (DLMDD)

NBA Space Jam Get ready for this (YouTube)

Wait, Why Was Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Controversial? (Rolling Stone)

New Order - World In Motion (Official Music Video)

Kraftwerk - Tour De France (2009 Remaster) (YouTube)

Special Report Kraftwerk At The Tour De France (Electronic Sound)

List of FIFA World Cup songs and anthems (Wikipedia)

Golden Sounds - Zangalewa (YouTube)

Gloryland 1994 World Cup Song (YouTube)

Anastacia - Boom, FIFA World Cup 2002 (YouTube)

World Cup Song by Shakira Stirs Controversy (PBS)

K'NAAN - Wavin’ Flag (YouTube)

Herbert Grönemeyer feat. Amadou & Mariam: Celebrate the Day (2006 FIFA Official World Cup Song)  

Saturdays’ Samples! 

Who Sampled for “A Roller Skating Jam Named 'Saturdays”

DJ Sam Redmore’s Instagram Every Sample from “A Roller Skating Jam Named ‘Saturdays’”

Instant Funk: I Got My Mind Made Up (1978)

Mighty Ryeders: Evil Vibrations (1978)

De La Soul Sampling Stereothematica Favorite “Ma Quale Idea” in their Promo

Roller Skating!

Horrible Histories John Joseph Merlin’s Roller Skates

Father of Modern Roller Skates

United Skates Trailer (HBO, 2018)

Central Park Dance Skaters Association

PBS Short Documentary on Central Park Dance Skaters

How Black Culture Made Roller Skating Popular (LA Times Video, 2020)

An Oral History of LA’s Black Indoor Roller Skating Scene (LA Times, 2025)

The History Behind the Roller Skating Trend (JSTOR Daily, 2023)

Skate Culture and Black Women Rollin’

Rapper Nipsey Hussle Helps Beloved Mid City Roller Rink World on Wheels Get Rolling Again (LA Times)

Gene Kelly performs “I Like Myself” in It’s Always Fair Weather” (1955)

More Del La Soul

De La Soul - Live Performing Me, Myself & I at Tramps NYC 1996 (We Hate This Song)

De La Soul on Arsenio (1989)

De La Soul is Streaming (NPR, 2023)

De La Soul: Transmitting Live From Mars (1989)

The Turtles: You Showed Me (1968)

Trugoy Obituary and Tribute (NPR, 2023)

De La Soul: Tiny Desk (NPR, 2026)

De La Soul’s Maseo and Posdnuos Pen Tributes to Trugoy the Dove (Pitchfork, 2023)

Required Listening

Questlove’s Interview with Posdnuos (2026)

One Song: De La Soul’s “Buddy” (2024) 

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! 

We’re taking another week off, so we’re revisiting one of our most controversial episodes: Movie Sing-Alongs. And since we’re on the topic of movie music, Christine gives an update about her magical night at the Hollywood Bowl for Music from the Films of Wes Anderson. Special thanks to the concert obsessed Nancy German for capturing the evening. In case, you missed it, here are a few highlights with many more on Nancy’s YouTube page:

Devo - Gut Feeling (Slap Your Mammy) - So technically this wasn’t the opening number, but it was the first one that Christine lost it over. 

Beck - Alone Again, Or

Karen O - Making Time

Jackson Brown - These Days

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Movie magic is back (again)! This time we’re talking sing-alongs! Not the big staged numbers, but those unplanned, diegetic moments when characters just start singing along to a song because they must. Whether it’s in a bar, a bus, or a car, these are the scenes that sneak up on you and stick around long after the credits roll.

VIDEOS

The Deer Hunter - Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You 

Almost Famous - Tiny Dancer

!!!THE RULES!!!

WHAT DOES NOT COUNT:

Lip Syncing  

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Anything A Capella

The Breakup - Move Yourself

Stepbrothers - Sweet Child Of Mine  

Vacation - Mockingbird 

Clearly Choreographed Performances

10 Things I Hate About You - Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You 

Bridesmaids - Hold On (Sorry, Christina! Staged and lip syncing from main cast)

Karaoke (Limbo)

Lost In Translation - Brass in Pocket & More Than This (And God Save the Queen)

Debatable 

C & C Singalong - Tiny Dancer

WHAT WORKS:

Broadcast News - Edition Speciale

Before Sunset - Just in Time (49 on NYT list)

Magnolia - Wise Up

Wayne’s World -  Bohemian Rhapsody (debatable)

Jerry McGuire - Free Falling

Tommy Boy - Superstar

Barbie - Closer to Fine

Harold and Kumar - Hold On

Heartbreak Kid - Medley

Átame - Resistiré  (CZP's original favorite) 

The Silence of the Lambs - American Girl  

 EXTRAS

Interview Magazine - Cameron Crowe

Vulture - The Real Penny Lane Has a Few Things Left to Say About Almost Famous

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! 

We're taking a little break to do some birding, cloud spotting, and maybe even some trippin'! In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this re-release of “Genre Bending" with some bonus giddiness at the top. And we'll be back on July 28, commemorating the completion of the World Cup with an episode dedicated to sports songs. 

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What happens when music refuses to stay in its lane? It gets some major Stereothematica love. 

This week we talk about the artists who blur boundaries, break molds, and bend genres in ways that feel both surprising and inevitable. These are sounds shaped by curiosity, contradiction, and a refusal to be easily defined.

Videos:

Arthur Russell: This is How We Walk on the Moon (1994)

Yellow Magic Orchestra: Simoon (1979)

Extras:

Psycho Killer feat. Arthur Russell playing cello

Wild Combination documentary

"My favorite song" by Ramesh Srivastava

“‘I Want to See All My Friends At Once’: Arthur Russell and the Queering of Gay Disco” Journal of Popular Music Studies

Live Version of Simoon

The Music That Shaped Haruomi Hosono

Crafting the Sound of the Future

Michale Jackson cover of Behind the Mask

De La Soul Sampling YMO in Big Brother Beat 

Reddit - Let’s Talk Music: YMO 

The Amazing History of YMO

YMO on Soul Train - Tighten Up cover 

Archie Bell and the Drells: Tighten Up 

YMO on Soul Train - Firecracker 

Firecracker Samples:

Afrika Bambaataa: Death Mix II

Mariah Carey: Loverboy

Jennifer Lopez (Featuring Ja Rule): I’m Real

De La Soul: Funky Towel

2 Live Crew: Mega Mixx II

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! 

The future is now, or maybe a second from now. THE FUTURE is also a vibe, and we’ve got music to match it or maybe even set the stage for it. No transhumanistic fantasies here, just some transcendent tunes to cope with the downfall of humanity perpetrated by tech billionaires. 

SONGS:

Jantra: Gedima (2023)

Javelin: Estevez (2011)

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:

Jantra on Bandcamp (Ostinato Records)

The Making of Synthesized Sudan (Short)

Trailer for the Synthesized Sudan Album

All About Jantra’s Synthesized Sudan (PAM)

Electronic Jaglara: The Cosmic Dance Music Rocking Rural Sudan (Middle East Eye)

Jantra: the Sudanese Synth Wizard Waging Raves Against War (Far Out Magazine)

Synthesized Sudan Review (KLOF)

Interview with Jantra (The Guardian)

Background on the Civil War in Sudan (Council on Foreign Relations)

Amnesty International - Emergency 2X Match for Sudan

Example of Sera Rhythm

Sudanese Electronic Music (Refuge Worldwide with Cosmos and Tabidee)

Interview with Vik Sohonie on Jazziz Podcast (Not related to Jantra’s album, but a great interview and you can learn more about Ostinato’s other records)

Synthesizing the Silk Roads / Sounds from 1980s Soviet Central Asia

Recording Special: Javelin (American Songwriter)

Canyon Candy: Javelin (Luaka Bop)

Riding Into Canyon Candy: Q&A with Javelin (Kickstarter) 

Javelin and Mike Anderson Dream Westward (Interview) 

UNSOLICITED ADVICE:

Memorize By Heart 

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! 

Have you ever been on hold and all of a sudden you find yourself dancing to the sweet, sweet hold music? Or maybe a friend sends you a song saying, "Hey, I think you might like this!" And even though you don't think you will... you do? Well, welcome to the unexpected jams episode! We're going to dive into some weird places where the music is unexpected and yet still hits.

SONGS:

Tim Carleton: Opus No. 1 (1989)

Foxygen: Shuggie (2013)

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:

SaxBoyBilly18 on Instagram

Thundercloud Subs jingle

This American Life: Stuck In The Middle (2014)

The Most Overused Piece of On-Hold Music in History?

Tim Carlton’s Spotify page

Bud Light (Ft. Miles and Keleigh Teller) | Super Bowl 2023 LVII (57) Commercial (YouTube)

‘Everyone knows the Centrelink song’: how we learned to love – and remix – hold music

TikTok creator Lyanna Kea dances to Centrelink's call waiting track

LaLaMilan on TikTok

r/synthrecipes: Tim Carleton’s Opus No. 1 

r/obscuremedia: Tim Carleton and Darrick Deel- "Opus Number 1" (1989)

How to Dress Well: Precious Love

Puppet Regime: Trump in holding pattern -- and not mad at it

Pitchfork Review: Take the Kids off Broadway (2011/12)

Pitchfork Review: We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic (2013)

Pitchfork Interview with Foxygen (2013)

Foxygen Full Set - Pitchfork Music Festival Paris (2014)

Foxygen Full Set - KEXP (2014)

A Breath of Foxygen (Interview)

Foxygen: We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic (Video)

Foxygen: No Destruction

Foxygen: Avalon (2017)

Shuggie Otis: Bootie Cooler (1970)

The Rise and Fall of the ‘Hipster Music’ Era, 2000-2014: VICE’s Definitive Timeline

UNSOLICITED ADVICE:

Poets.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! 

They're not all creepy! And sometimes they actually make a great song greater, or a bad song better. Biases aside, in this episode we celebrate the contributions of children to music history. 

SONGS:

Joubert Singers: Stand on the Word (1982)

Human Skab: Screamin' Demon (1986)

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:

PS 22 Chorus’s YouTube page

The Tangled History of the Joubert Singers’ “Stand on the Word” (Aaron Gonsher for Red Bull Music Academy)

Tony Humphries Remix of Stand on the Word

Industry Season 2 Has the Best Soundtrack of the Year (GQ)

David Byrne’s Desert Island Discs (BBC) - Even David Byrne refers to Larry Levan's remix

Dimitri from Paris Remix of Stand on the Word (2016)

L’Imperatrice Cover of Stand of the Word (2018)

Keedz Version of Stand on the Word (2008 - Used for the opening of Le Grand Journal) 

Larry Levan Set at Paradise Garage (1979)

Discogs - Somebody Prayed for This

Best of Tony Humphries at Zanzibar (1988)

The Divine Sounds of Gospel Disco (Bandcamp)

Stand on the Word (Official Video, Elias)

Paradise Garage, A Gay Club That Forever Changed Nightlife (NYT)

Soundtrack of My Life: Elijah Wood (NME)

The Human Skab: A Documentary Film

Tape Findings: Human Skab

Family Vineyard Records: Human Skab

The Independent Critic: Human Skab

Murderland book

Extra: Tape Findings: Kids Making Music

UNSOLICITED ADVICE:

Legs Up the Wall (Yoga With Adriene)

Impact of Yoga-based Interventions on Cognitive and Autonomic Functions in Major Depressive Disorder Population (JFMPC)

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 started as another theme turned into a real life pity party when Christine and Christina recorded in person for the first time EVER. And we had a rich conversation about one of music's most self-pitying artists—Harry Nilsson. We hope you join our pity party this week and learn more about Nilsson's legend status and stick around for some truly despicable imitations.

SONGS:

Harry Nilsson: I Said Goodbye to Me (1968) 

Harry Nilsson: Gotta Get Up (1971)

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:

Christina’s “Music to Cry To” Spotify playlist

Movies

THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD | Official Trailer

Practical Magic - 'Midnight Margaritas'

He Needs Me  (Popeye)

He Needs Me  (Scene from Punch Drunk Love)

How About You (The Fisher King)

Miss Butter’s Lament (Frances Ha)

Midnight Cowboy (Everybody’s Talkin’)

Goodfellas (Jump Into the Fire)

Nilsson Sings the Closing Credits of Skidoo

Misc.

Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)? (Full Documentary) | Amplified (YouTube)

Harry Nilsson’s 10 Best Songs (according to Farout Magazine)

"Russian Doll": The Story behing the song that's probably stuck in your head right now (IndieWire)

The Trouble with Harry Nilsson (Frieze) 

The "Russian Doll" Soundtrack Feels Like Trying to Take Control in a Chaotic New York (Pitchfork)

Pitchfork’s 9.4 Review of Nilsson Schmilsson

Harry Nilsson: The Point (1971 - Ringo Starr Narration)

Harry Nilsson: You’re Breaking My Heart (1972)

Harry Nilsson: Si No Estas Tu (Without You - Self Cover) 

Harry Nilsson: I’d Rather Be Dead (1972)

Fuck You, Harry Nilsson - Funeral Singalong Started by George Harrison

Russian Doll Season 1 Playlist

Russian Doll Season 2 Playlist 

The Tragic Story of How Mama Cass and Keith Moon Died in the Same Apartment

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!