This is a "Songs that Suck" episode.

Additional Audio Excerpts: Walter Murphy (“A Fifth of Beethoven"), Toto ("Pamela"), Color Me Bad (“I Wanna Sex You Up”), Billy Joel (“Scenes From an Italian Restaurant", "And So It Goes", "I Go To Extremes"), R.E.M. (“It's the End of the World As We Know It"), Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader (theme song), Family Guy ("We Didn't Start the Fire" scene)

This is a "Songs that Suck" episode.

Additional Audio Excerpts: Walter Murphy (“A Fifth of Beethoven"), Toto ("Pamela"), Color Me Bad (“I Wanna Sex You Up”), Billy Joel (“Scenes From an Italian Restaurant", "And So It Goes", "I Go To Extremes"), R.E.M. (“It's the End of the World As We Know It"), Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader (theme song), Family Guy ("We Didn't Start the Fire" scene)

“Mambo Sun” / “Cosmic Dancer” / “Jeepster” / “Monolith” / “Lean Woman Blues” / “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” / “Girl” / “The Motivator” / “Planet Queen” / “Life’s a Gas” / “Rip Off”

Additional Audio Excerpts: The Mountain Goats (“This Year"), John Mellencamp  (“Jack and Diane”), Led Zeppelin (“Whole Lotta Love”, “Heartbreaker”, “Moby Dick”, “The Battle of Evermore"), Massive Attack 3 (soundtrack), REM (“The Lifting"), Bruce Springsteen (“Tenth Avenue Freeze Out”, “She’s the One"), The Smiths (“There is a Light That Never Goes Out”), The Black Keys (“Everlasting Light”), Bachman Turner Overdrive (“Taking Care of Business"), Chase (“Get It On"), The Who (“We Won’t Be Fooled Again"), Bob Dylan (“Maggie’s Farm"), Kiss (“Rock and Roll All Nite"), Guns ’n Roses (“Welcome to the Jungle"), Poison (“Unskinny Bop"), Sex Pistols (“God Save the Queen"), Def Leppard (“Rock of Ages"), Genesis (“Supper’s Ready"), Pink Floyd (“The Great Gig in the Sky”)

"Elevate" (St. Lucia, 2013)

"Gobbledigook" (Sigur Rós, 2008)

"Holy Holy" (Wye Oak, 2011)

Additional Audio Excerpts: Opiuo (“Robo Booty"), Black Lace (“Agadoo” / "Have a Screw" / "Gang Bang"), Chumbawamba (“Agadoo" - Black Lace cover), Kelloggs' Vanilla Mini-Wheats commerical (“Agadoo" parody), History of the World Part I - excerpt (outdoor chess scene), Back to the Future - soundtrack (main theme), Los del Rio (“Macarena”), George Michael (“Careless Whisper”), Owen Pallett ("This Lamb Sells Condos"), Joan Osborne (“What If God Was One of Us"), Crazy Frog (“Axel F."), The Hampsterdance song, Bombay Bicycle Club (“Shuffle"), Dirty Loops (“Lost In You"), Tune-Yards (“Water Fountain" / "Real Thing"), Sonic Youth (“100%"), Phil Collins ("In the Air Tonight"), Toto (“Pamela"), Sigur Rós (“Saeglopur" / "Svefn-g-englar"), Radiohead (“Kid A”), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - video game soundtrack (“Casino Night Zone” - single player version), Mumford and Sons (“The Cave"), T. Rex (“Mambo Sun")

Aaron's Top 5              Will's Top 5 

"Pamela"                              "I'll Supply the Love"

"Stop Loving You"             "Caught in the Balance"

"Africa"                                "Without Your Love"

"Hold the Line"                  "The Turning Point"

"Georgy Porgy"                   "Rockmaker"

Will and Aaron face off in a Top 5 Toto playlist battle.  Aaron offers a historical perspective on Toto and their members' work as studio musicians in the late 70s and early 80s (including on Michael Jackson's monster album, Thriller).  Will takes us through his playlist and makes a comically absurd analogy between the work of a studio musician (a "Rockmaker") and that of a McDonald's hamburger maker.  Aaron offers his playlist and admits that he hates the chorus of "Georgy Porgy."  Everyone wholeheartedly agrees except for Will who is shamed for his taste.  Ryan attempts to contain his rage as he compares Toto's music to the paintings of Thomas Kincaid and bad Sonic the Hedgehog video game music.  Jon confesses that after initially hating the idea of listening to a lot of Toto, he realized that he already knew some of Toto's music and now likes a good bit more of it.  And while Nate enjoys "Africa," he finds the ballads interminable, comparing them to a giant dry sandwich and Toto's oeuvre to circus peanuts.  

Further discussion includes the merits (or lack thereof) of "Georgy Porgy," "Pamela," and "Africa," our different listening strategies, and the role of live performance with Toto.  The episode closes with voting on the best playlist and the doling out of punishment for the loser.

Additional Audio Excerpts:  Katie Melua (“A Happy Place”), The Wailin’ Jennys (“All the Stars”), Sarah Jarosz (“Annabelle “Lee), Lucy Rose (“Shiver”), The Head and the Heart (“Shake” / “Lost In My Mind”), Future Islands (“On the Water”), Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (“Moonland”), Jamiroquai (“Seven Days in Sunny June”), No Doubt (“Spiderwebs”), Joy Division (“Shadowplay” / “She’s Lost Control”), New Radicals (“Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too” / “You “Get What You Give”), M83 (“Midnight City”), The Killers (“This Is Your Life” / “Human”), Steely Dan (“Bad Sneakers / “Home At Last”), Seals and Crofts (“Get Closer”), Boz Scaggs (“Lowdown” / “Lido Shuffle” / “What Can I Say”), Leo Sayer (“We Can Start It All Over Again”), Michael Jackson (“Human Nature”), Pulp Fiction - movie (“This IS a tasty burger” - Samuel L. Jackson quote), David Hasselhoff (“Du”), Disney’s The Lion King - movie (“Hakuna Matata”), Cheryl Lynn (“Got To Be Real”), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - video game (“Casino Night Zone” — multiplayer version), The Backstreet Boys ("I Want It That Way"), Foreigner (“Feels Like the First Time”), Seinfeld - TV show (“This is a terrible sandwich…” - Michael Richards quote), The Princess Bride - movie (“Anyone want a peanut?” — André the Giant quote), Stan Kenton & His Orchestra (“The Peanut Vendor”), Boston (“More Than a Feeling”), Daft Punk (“Give Life Back To Music”), Black Lace (“Agadoo”), Sigor Rós (“Gobbledigook”), Wye Oak (“Holy Holy”), St. Lucia (“Elevate”), Toto (“Child’s Anthem” / “Hydra” / “I’ll Be Over You” / “I Won’t Hold You Back” / “99” / “Endless” / “Rosanna” — live in Paris, 2007)

"Coming of Age" (Foster the People, 2014)

"Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" (U2, 1995)

"Hold On, Hold On" (Neko Case, 2006)

Additional Audio Excerpts:  The Killers (“This Is Your Life"), Fitz and the Tantrums (“The Walker”), NONONO (“Pumpin' Blood"), Monty Python - Spamalot (“Always Look on the Bright Side of Life"), St. Lucia (“Elevate”), Banks (“Before I Ever Met You”), Journey (“Don't Stop Believin'”), Armin van Buuren (“This is What it Feels Like”), Syn Cole ("Miami 82" - Avicii edit), Jack White (“High Ball Stepper” / "Sixteen Saltines"), Michael Jackson (“Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'” / "Thriller"), Arcade Fire (“Reflektor”), Bruce Springsteen (“Born To Run” / "Jungleland"), Foster the People (“Nevermind" / "Are You What You Want To Be?" / "Pumped Up Kicks" / "Pseudologia Fantastica"), Coldplay (“Viva la Vida"), Weird Al (“Cavity Search"), Method Man ("The Riddler"), The Flaming Lips (“Bad Days"), Nick Cave (“There is a Light"), Michael Hutchence (“Passenger”), Seal (“Kiss From a Rose”), Mel Carter (“Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me"), U2 (“Sweetest Thing” / "Sunday Bloody Sunday"), Dave Matthews Band ("#41"), The New Pornographers ("Challengers"), Neko Case ("Runnin' Out of Fools" (Aretha Franklin cover) / "Rated X" (Loretta Lynn cover) / "Night Still Comes"), Björk ("Human Behavior")

Iron & Wine, The Shepherd's Dog (2007)

Additional Audio Excerpts: Michael Stanley & Cleveland Browns All-Star Band (“Here We Go Again"), Miley Cyrus (“Wrecking Ball”), Bruce Springsteen (“Wrecking Ball” / “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” / "Night" / "Santa Clause is Coming to Town"), Kenny G (“Santa Clause is Coming to Town"), Al Green (“Let's Stay Together”), Phantogram (“Black Out Days”), The Joy Formidable (“This Ladder Is Ours”), Bob Dylan (“Like a Rolling Stone”), Snow White (Poison apple excerpt), Walk the Moon (“Anna Sun”), Teddy Pendergrass (“One Shining Moment”), Starfucker (“Reptilians”), Megadeth (“Holy Wars…The Punishment Due”), Protest the Hero (“Bloodmeat"), Shattered (“Face"), Dream Theater (“Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper"), Phish ("Revolution" -- live cover of the Beatles' White Album), Deaf Pedestrian (“We the Sheeple"), Iron & Wine (“Such Great Heights”--The Postal Service cover / "Walking Far From Home"), Beck (“Guess I'm Doing Fine”), Fleet Foxes (“Helplessness Blues”), Sesame Street (“Everyone Makes Mistakes”--Big Bird), Toto (“Child's Anthem”)

Iron & Wine, The Shepherd's Dog (2007)

Additional Audio Excerpts: Michael Stanley & Cleveland Browns All-Star Band (“Here We Go Again"), Miley Cyrus (“Wrecking Ball”), Bruce Springsteen (“Wrecking Ball” / “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” / "Night" / "Santa Clause is Coming to Town"), Kenny G (“Santa Clause is Coming to Town"), Al Green (“Let's Stay Together”), Phantogram (“Black Out Days”), The Joy Formidable (“This Ladder Is Ours”), Bob Dylan (“Like a Rolling Stone”), Snow White (Poison apple excerpt), Walk the Moon (“Anna Sun”), Teddy Pendergrass (“One Shining Moment”), Starfucker (“Reptilians”), Megadeth (“Holy Wars…The Punishment Due”), Protest the Hero (“Bloodmeat"), Shattered (“Face"), Dream Theater (“Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper"), Phish ("Revolution" -- live cover of the Beatles' White Album), Deaf Pedestrian (“We the Sheeple"), Iron & Wine (“Such Great Heights”--The Postal Service cover / "Walking Far From Home"), Beck (“Guess I'm Doing Fine”), Fleet Foxes (“Helplessness Blues”), Sesame Street (“Everyone Makes Mistakes”--Big Bird), Toto (“Child's Anthem”)

"Hound Dog" (Big Mama Thornton, 1953)

"One of These Things First" (Nick Drake, 1970)

"Written In Reverse" (Spoon, 2010)

Additional Audio Excerpts:  IAmArique (“Random Access Fhqwhgads” - YouTube), Michael Jackson (“Get On the Floor"), David Bowie (“Where Are We Now?” / “How Does the Grass Grow?”), The Beatles (“Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows" - from Love album), Strange Talk (“Young Hearts”), Grace Potter & the Nocturnals (“Paris (Ooh La La)”), Youngblood Hawke (“We Come Running”), Foster the People (“Pseudologia Fantastica” / “Are You What You Want To Be?”), Snarky Puppy (“Skate U”), The Seatbelts (“Tank”), Chris Thile & Michael Daves (“Sleep With One Eye Open”), Madvillain (MF DOOM & Madlib) (“All Caps”), Disney Soundtrack - Frozen (“Let It Go” / “For the First Time In Forever”), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (“I’m On Fire” scene), Eric Calderone (“Let It Go (from Frozen) Meets Metal” - YouTube), The Simpsons (The Simpsons Theme Song / Smithers & Burns: “Dogs Are Idiots” excerpt), Elvis Presley (“Hound Dog” / “Jailhouse Rock” / random movie quotes), Ben E. King (“Stand By Me”), Justin Timberlake (“Sexyback”), Freddie Bell and the Bellboys (“Hound Dog"), Rufus Thomas (“Bear Cat”), Joe Cocker (“With a Little Help From My Friends”), James Taylor (“Millworker”), Nick Drake (“Black-eyed Dog”), The Tick - the cartoon (“Spoon!”), Spoon (“The Underdog”), Neko Case (“Hold On, Hold On”), Foster the People (“Coming of Age”), U2 (“Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me”), Batman Forever - movie (Jim Carrey: “Nice form, a little rough on the landing”)