Tina Turner, Brian Wilson, Cher - most people know those names of the iconic stars whose music defined a generation and continue to be chart-toppers. Basically, they wrote bops. But did you know that those artists probably wouldn’t have written said bops if not for a core group of session musicians who played an instrumental role (the pun was necessary, we promise) in rock and roll sound?

Ray teaches Daniel and Rob all about “The Wrecking Crew,” a select group of musicians whose reliability and talent made them beloved throughout the industry; what made Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound” such a revolution; why Hal Blaine’s mistake made the opening of “Be My Baby” that much better; the names behind some of Rob’s most beloved TV theme songs; and whether session musicians nowadays have the same clout or opportunities as they did in days gone by.

If you like what we’re doing, please support us on Patreon, or you can subscribe to our bonus content on Apple Podcasts. And we’d love to find even more listeners, so if you have time, please leave us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you have any other thoughts or feedback you’d like to share with us, we’d love to hear from you - feel free to email us or send us a message on social media. 

Thank you as always for your support, and if you have any thoughts or feedback you’d like to share with us, we’d love to hear from you - feel free to send us a message on social media! And we’d love to find even more listeners, so if you have a second, please leave us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts.

Ray Hebel

Robert W. Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Natalie DeSavia

Frank Sinatra - Strangers in the Night | Lyrics Meaning | @FrankSinatra

The Mamas & the Papas - California Dreamin’

The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations (Official Music Video)

The Ronettes - Be My Baby

You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’

The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man

Theme From the Monkees

Tina Turner - River Deep, Mountain High (1966 Phil Spector version)

Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves

The 5th Dimension - Aquarius / Let the Sunshine in (The Flesh Failures)

The Association Windy

Sonny & Cher - I Got You Babe

Batman Opening and Closing Theme 1966 - 1968 With Snippets

Bonanza Theme Song

Green Acres Intro

A Song for You

Fats Domino - the Fat Man (Version 1) - December 10, 1949

“This Was A Thing” Theme Songs composed by Billy Recce

"Happy Bee” and “Dead Drop”

• Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

• Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Additional Sound Effects from Final Cut Pro, iLife, and Logic Pro

If winter’s got you down and you’re in need of some extra pizzazz to get you through the day, we’ve got just the medicine: our classic episode on the “The Super Bowl Shuffle.” Once you add this chart-topping tune to your playlist, we guarantee you’ll be bopping all the way to your weekly Fred Silverman fan club meeting (we’ll see you there). Enjoy!

~~~

There hasn’t been anything quite like “The Super Bowl Shuffle”… And for good reason. Professional athletes can be boastful from time to time, but in 1985, it was taken to a whole new level! All lead by Bears Wide Receiver, Willie Gault. 

The Chicago Bears would produce a single (the first of its kind on Audio Cassette), film a music video (Second in sales to “Thriller”), and win a Super Bowl (beating those darn Patriots!) all in the course of an NFL season. “The Super Bowl Shuffle” was a sensation! Most of the team wanted in, but there were some that had their doubts. But not Mike Ditka! Just don’t ask him to be involved… 

This week Ray teaches Rob about the game of football, why they called William Perry “The Refrigerator”, what a touchdown is, how Mike Ditka did his own music video (of which he has no recollection), and why the Average Joe is now forever to be referred to as a “Grabowski”.

DAAAAA BEARS!

If you like what we’re doing, we’d love if you could spread the word by sharing the episode with a friend or leaving us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, or you can subscribe to our bonus content on Apple Podcasts. And we’d love to find even more listeners, so if you have time, [please And if you have any other thoughts or feedback you’d like to share with us, we’d love to hear from you - feel free to email us or send us a message on social media. 

Ray Hebel

Robert W. Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

Chicago Bears

Pro Football Reference

The Super Bowl Shuffle Lyrics

Grantland

ESPN

USA Today Bears Wire

NFL

Fly Paper

The Super Bowl Shuffle Music Video

Bill Swerski’s Super Fans - SNL

Boost Mobile Shuffle

LA Dodgers - We Are The Champions (1981)

New England, The Patriots, and We Music Video

Packarena

Mike Ditka - The Grabowski Shuffle Music Video

The Curly Shuffle Music Video

Pub Background Noise Sound Effect by Lurgs How To Guides

Bar Glass Clinks & Slides Sound Effect by n Beats

“Fast Ticking clock sound effect” by Silhouette Gears

You know that phrase, “All’s fair in love and war”? Even though “politics” isn’t on that list, nowadays I’m sure seems like it could be. The smear campaigns, the attack ads - sometimes it just feels like politician care more about making their opponents look bad rather that actually talking about their own policies and strengths (wait a second…). And even though these kind of tactics have probably been around forever, there’s one year and one election in particular where they took centerstage.

Rob teaches Ray and Daniel all about the U.S. presidential election of 1988 and the numerous defining moments from the campaign of that year; the notorious political operator Lee Atwater and his bag of “dirty tricks”; Michael Dukakis’s unfortunate use of military headgear in one of his ads; Rob’s feelings on why debates have gone so downhill in the last few decades; and how Lee Atwater’s coded “Southern Strategy” has given way in modern times to a more explicit expressions of prejudice.

If you like what we’re doing, please support us on Patreon, or you can subscribe to our bonus content on Apple Podcasts. And we’d love to find even more listeners, so if you have time, please leave us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you have any other thoughts or feedback you’d like to share with us, we’d love to hear from you - feel free to email us or send us a message on social media.

Ray Hebel

Robert W. Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

Gov. Clinton at 1988 Democratic National Convention

Bentsen vs. Quayle: The 1988 vice presidential debate

Lee Atwater’s 1981 Interview on the Southern Strategy

Bentsen vs. Quayle: The 1988 vice presidential debate

George Bush Debate - SNL

“Happy Bee”

• Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

• Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Additional Sound Effects from Final Cut Pro, iLife, and Logic Pro

In solidarity with the brave souls who've resolved to make 2024 a year of health and wellness, we're playing our in the fitness sphere and leading by example by doing the strenuous, backbreaking work...of publishing a podcast. But if that's too intense for you, don't worry - Suzanne Somers is here in this Classic episode from Season 1 to help you get more toned and trim than you could have ever imagined. Enjoy!

~~~

Happy New Years, dear listener! Getting healthy is a classic New Years Resolution and what better way to get trim than with Thigh Master! Thigh Master had a major grip on early 90’s fitness, but it wouldn’t get to the top without the help of a wonderfully peppy spokesperson Suzanne Somers. Yes, Chrissy Snow from “Three’s Company”, herself! She “used to do aerobics ‘til she dropped! Then she found Thigh Master!”

This week, Ray teaches Rob the secret to shapely thighs, talks about an important meeting in Palm Springs, Suzanne’s storied career, and how a device designed for physical therapy took over at home exercise.

…and just what IS the right resistance?...

If you like what we’re doing, please support us on Patreon, or you can subscribe to our bonus content on Apple Podcasts. And we’d love to find even more listeners, so if you have time, please leave us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you have any other thoughts or feedback you’d like to share with us, we’d love to hear from you - feel free to email us or send us a message on social media.

WEBSITES

Suzanne Somers Website

Buy Thigh Master!

ARTICLES

New York Times

Los Angeles Times

Huffington Post

Entertainment Weekly

NBC News

American Express

Orange County Register

Entrepreneur

Shape

AUDIO/VISUAL

Thigh Master Commercial (1991)

Thigh Master Vibrato

Three's Company Opening

She's The Sheriff Opening

Step By Step Opening

Keeping Secrets (1991 TV Movie)

Reunion with Joyce DeWitt

Suzanne on her DWTS Elimination

Suzanne's Live Stream During Break In

Music and Sound Effects

90s TV Show Music by Dar Golan

“Happy Bee” by Kevin McLeod

• Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
• Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0
• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Happy holidays, listeners! We’ve got a delectable episode for you today, featuring a toy that has been a household staple for more than 60 years and is still going strong. In fact, it would be just the thing if you’re looking for some help with holiday baking, as long as you don’t mind your baked goods being on the miniature side…and possibly losing a finger or two in the process… 

Daniel teaches Ray and Rob about the Easy-Bake Oven’s origins at the renowned toy company Kenner Products; how New York pretzel vendors played an essential role in providing inspiration for the product; all the different ways the word “cookies” can be pronounced; the battle to make a version of the Easy-Bake that wasn’t explicitly marketed for girls; and how this kitchen toy has influenced everyone from amateur bakers to professional chefs and which, despite its ups and downs, remains one of the most fondly remembered toys of all time.

If you like what we’re doing, please support us on Patreon, or you can subscribe to our bonus content on Apple Podcasts. And we’d love to find even more listeners, so if you have time, please leave us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you have any other thoughts or feedback you’d like to share with us, we’d love to hear from you - feel free to email us or send us a message on social media. 

Ray Hebel

Robert W. Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

“How Easy-Bake Ovens Work” by Nathan Chandler

Easy-Bake Evolution: 50 Years of Cakes, Cookies, and Gender Politics | Collectors Weekly

Light Bulb Baking: A History of the Easy-Bake Oven

“Easy-Bake Oven Gourmet” by David Hoffman

Easy-Bake Oven: Ronald Howes (Toy Stories)

National Easy-Bake Oven Day

Information about the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007)

Original Easy-Bake Oven Patent

Easy-Bake Oven - The Strong National Museum of Play

New Easy-Bake Oven Recall Following Partial Finger Amputation; Consumers Urged to Return Toy Ovens

Easy-Bake Oven enters Toy Hall of Fame

McKenna Pope’s Campaign

McKenna Pope’s Change.org Petition

The Untold History of the Easy-Bake Oven

Easy-Bake Oven Commercial (1963)

Jim’s Red Book: Easy Bake Oven Commercial

Queasy Bake Cookerator “Mud & Crud Cakes” Commercial (2002)

Easy-Bake Oven Recall Retrofit Kit

Easy Bake Oven for Boys: Girl, 13, Helps Transform Easy-Bake Oven Into Unisex Toy

A Cameo Appearance From the Easy-Bake Oven

Easy-Bake Ultimate Oven Commercial (2011)

“Happy Bee” and “Jingle Bells”

• Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

• Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Additional Sound Effects from Final Cut Pro, iLife, and Logic Pro

Alas, holiday sickness has descended upon us here at This Was A Thing, which means we’ve needed to put some of our episode plans on hold - but never fear! We’ve picked a delicious classic episode for you fresh off the Vine. And even though it’s not six seconds, we think you’ll like this trip down viral video lane. Enjoy!

~~

Can you put together a meaningful thought or idea in six seconds or less? What about a moderately funny video? It’s hard! But there was some GOLD in them there Vine hills!

Ray teaches Rob about how Vine helped launch the careers of Shawn Mendes, King Bach, and yes, even Jake and Logan Paul. We also revisit some of our favorite Vines of years past including Rob’s favorite – a teacher’s reaction to having a piece of paper thrown at them. “Whoever threw that paper, your mom’s a…”

If you like what we’re doing, please support us on Patreon, or you can subscribe to our bonus content on Apple Podcasts. And we’d love to find even more listeners, so if you have time, please leave us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you have any other thoughts or feedback you’d like to share with us, we’d love to hear from you - feel free to email us or send us a message on social media.

TEAM:

Ray Hebel

Robert W Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

ARTICLES

The Verge

BBC

The Guardian

Pitchfork

Ad Week

Media Post

Medium

The Verge

AUDIO/VISUAL

Iconic Vine Compilation

"Whoever threw that paper..." Vine

"I'm in my Mum's Car" Vine

Paul Brother Vine Compilation

Brittany Furlan Vine Compilation

King Bach Vine Compilation

Shawn Mendes Vine Compilation

Finatticz - Don't Drop That Thun Thun Video

Music and Sound Effects

“Club Diver” by Kevin MacLeod

• Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
• Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0
• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

“Walkie-Talkie Radio Static” by Everyday Cinematic Sounds

“Various Intercom Tones” by STS Technologies

"Fast Ticking clock sound effect" by Silhouette Gears

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since 2023 is coming to a close in a few weeks, we're bringing back an episode all about the near-catastrophe (or was it?) of Y2K. And because we care about you, this episode can also be a helpful reminder: don't accidentally set up their digital infrastructure on a system that might cause the downfall of a country. Enjoy!

~~~

In honor of the 2022 New Year, This Was A Thing is making some serious resolutions. 

1. We're going to find even more ways to work Bea Arthur into future episodes.

2. Ray and Rob are going to start a new Patreon perk - "Fight Club with Fred Silverman."

3. We will not program any computers in any way that could even possibly cause an infrastructure catastrophe.

If that last resolution sounds oddly specific and familiar, then you’re probably remembering 1999 - when the entire country (and world) was asking itself: will we make it to Y2K?

Rob teaches Ray about how the world nearly experienced a computer crisis at the turn of the millennium; why two extra digits make a world of difference; how the Backstreet Boys prep for the digital apocalypse; and how the fear of a global shutdown 23 years ago compares to the recent real-world pandemic experience.

If you like what we are doing, please support us on Patreon.

Ray Hebel

Robert W. Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

New Year’s Eve, 1999 Into 2000 - YouTube

Y2K - www.NBCUniversalArchives.com - YouTube

Y2K Bug: Much Ado About Nothing? | Retro Report | The New York Times - YouTube

The Y2K Scare | National Geographic - YouTube

Y2K Survival Kit Ad - YouTube

Y2K: Are You Ready? A Drill for Y2K Preparedness (1999) - YouTube

Y2K: Tensions in the Last Days of the 1900’s - YouTube

Warrior News ~ Predictions For Y2K Millenium Bug - YouTube

From Freaked to Fine: Celebs React to Y2K (1999) | MTV News - YouTube

KGBT 4 Archives - Valley Residents Prepare For Y2K (December 28, 1999) - YouTube

WPXB TV-60 (PAX) May 26th 1999 Commercial Breaks - YouTube

Looking back 20 years at the fears of Y2K: From the Vault - YouTube

1999 - Millennium Y2K Prep - Las Vegas New Years Eve - KVBC TV - YouTube

Y2K News Report - YouTube

Y2k Family Survival Guide With Leonard Nimoy [1999] [VHSRIP] - YouTube

20 years after Y2K panic, what happened to the guy with a bunker of food? - YouTube

“Happy Bee” and “Variation on Egmont”

• Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

• Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Additional Sound Effects from Final Cut Pro, iLife, and Logic Pro

Happy Belated Thanksgiving, dear listeners! It’s a time of gratitude (and delicious food), and when it comes to things in our lives we’re grateful for, one thought comes to mind immediately. No, Rob, not the seven perfect seasons of “The Golden Girls,” although Bea Arthur is always the right answer. It’s the fact that we can order whatever our hearts desire and have it delivered in two days or less. In fact, it’s such a cornerstone of modern life that you’re probably asking yourself, how did people even survive before we could get huge boxes of toilet paper to just show up at our door with a single click? Well, as it happens, ordering items for delivery is hardly a new concept, and two entrepreneurial go-getters in the late 19th century built a merchandise empire upon just that concept.

Ray teaches Daniel and Rob about Rich Sears and Alvah Roebuck, the founders of the eponymous mail-order catalog which upended the store-based retail industry; how the combination of Rural Free Delivery and westward expansion inspired their novel approach to sales; why your house might be worth more than you thought; some of the strangest and most concerning items contained in the pages of the catalog through the decades; and how this once-trailblazing concept - selling and shipping directly to consumers - has now become the predominant method of shopping.

If you like what we’re doing, please support us on Patreon, or you can subscribe to our bonus content on Apple Podcasts. And we’d love to find even more listeners, so if you have time, please leave us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you have any other thoughts or feedback you’d like to share with us, we’d love to hear from you - feel free to email us or send us a message on social media. 

Ray Hebel

Robert W. Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

Sears Air Conditioner Commercial

Sears ‘Where America Shops’ Commercial (1976)

Sears “Softer Side” Commercial 1998

“Happy Bee” and “Drankin Song”

• Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

• Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Additional Sound Effects from Final Cut Pro, iLife, and Logic Pro

Cyber Monday and Black Friday: the essential American holidays of buying stuff we don't need but really want. Maybe you got yourself something nice (Ray made sure to get his eighth copy of "Liza With a Z", and Daniel bought enough ice cream pints to stay stocked for at least another three months), or maybe you picked up a gift for a friend or loved one, you thoughtful, kind soul. Whatever you did or didn't buy, we can guarantee the day wasn't as crazy as back in the 1980s, when the rush for Cabbage Patch dolls caused literal riots in stores across the country. So in honor of going bananas about a fad that will fade as quickly as it appeared, here's our Cabbage Patch Kids episode from season 1. Enjoy!

~~~

Remember Cabbage Patch Kids..... those odd looking dolls with hard plastic heads that took the 80’s by storm? And how that storm turned into riots? In 1983 Cabbage Patch Mania ruled the holiday season and parents just HAD to get their hands on one for Little Carol and even Littler Patti.

This week, Ray teaches Rob all about Bunny Bees, BabyLand General Hospital, and how creator Xavier Roberts MAY have stolen the idea for these dolls from a woman named Martha Nelson Thomas who he met at a small Kentucky craft fair. Plus discovering that Roberts' signature was on every doll’s bottom.....Yes, you read that correctly… The 80’s were weird…

If you like what we’re doing, please support us on Patreon, or you can subscribe to our bonus content on Apple Podcasts. And we’d love to find even more listeners, so if you have time, please leave us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you have any other thoughts or feedback you’d like to share with us, we’d love to hear from you - feel free to email us or send us a message on social media.

Ray Hebel

Robert W Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

Cabbage Patch Kids Official Site

Fantasy: The Incredible Cabbage Patch Phenomenon

The New York Times 1

The New York Times 2

Time Magazine 1

Time Magazine 2

Consumer Product Safety Commission

Yahoo!

Justia US Law

American Obsessions - VICE

Riots News Report 1

Riots News Report 2

Totally Obsessed

Garbage Pail Kids Report

“Wish Background,” “Jingle Bells,” and “Up on a Housetop” by Kevin MacLeod

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re idealists here at This Was A Thing, and what’s more idealistic than the American Dream? And if there’s one person who personifies that embodies that dream to a tee, it’s this week’s subject. A man who pulled himself up by his own bootstraps, as well as by the wheelchair handles of his much older spouse, and who went to extraordinary lengths to secure his legacy: becoming one of the most notorious gold-diggers in modern history.

Rob teaches Ray and Daniel all about the unconventional marriage between Mr. Mark Harris and Colonel Martha “Maggie” Raye; Mr. Harris’s history of dabbling in everything from cosmetology to producing for Eddie Fisher; Martha’s risqué adventures with ThWAT-favorite Skip E. Lowe; Howard Stearn’s role in elevating Mark Harris’s status and notoriety; the denture cleaner that we should all be using; Martha’s rocky relationship with her daughter; and what ultimately happened to this unconventional marriage that captured the attention of the public and the tabloids.

If you like what we’re doing, please support us on Patreon, or you can subscribe to our bonus content on Apple Podcasts. And we’d love to find even more listeners, so if you have time, please leave us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you have any other thoughts or feedback you’d like to share with us, we’d love to hear from you - feel free to email us or send us a message on social media. 

Thank you as always for your support, and if you have any thoughts or feedback you’d like to share with us, we’d love to hear from you - feel free to send us a message on social media! And we’d love to find even more listeners, so if you have a second, please leave us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts.

Ray Hebel

Robert W. Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

Mark Harris’ Many Failed Projects

Martha Raye - Pig Foot Pete (Keep ’Em Flying, 1941)

Martha Raye Receives the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: 1969 Oscars

Martha Raye–Polident Commercial, 1982 TV

Mark Harris–1993 Tv Interview, Husband of Martha Raye

Mark Harris Compilation Part 1

Howard Stern Interviews Mark Harris 90s

Skip, Grace Robbins, Birthday 88, Barbara McNair, Mamie Van Doren, Mark Harris

Mark Harris Dear President Clinton debut

Mark Harris, Linda Hopkins, Barbara McNair singing

1994 - the Death of Martha Raye

Howard Stern: Mark Harris Exits Closet to Discuss His F*g Hag Martha Raye’s Assassination (1994)

Mark Harris - Tasty Travels

Mark Harris - Elizabeth Taylor (2004)

Mark Harris’ Post 9 11 Patriotic song

Mark Harris - I’m a Gay Papa

“Happy Bee”

• Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

• Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Additional Sound Effects from Final Cut Pro, iLife, and Logic Pro