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Breakups That Weren’t About Love explores the songs that sounded like heartbreak but were actually written about band tension, burnout, or fractured friendships. From Badfinger to the Beatles to Guns N’ Roses, this episode uncovers the real stories behind some of the biggest rock and pop hits of the seventies, eighties, and early nineties.

Hear how Badfinger’s exhaustion shaped Without You, why Paul McCartney and John Lennon traded musical jabs after the Beatles split, what Ace’s How Long was really about, why Sting wrote So Lonely from struggle not romance, how Jeff Lynne pushed himself to the edge making Out of the Blue, why Roger Hodgson walked away from Supertramp, and what was quietly breaking inside Guns N’ Roses during Don’t Cry.

The Cocktail: Creative Differences
A split base Old Fashioned that matches the theme of musical tension.

Ingredients
• 1 oz rye whiskey
• 1 oz aged rum
• 1⁄4 oz demerara syrup
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 dash orange bitters

Instructions
• Stir with ice
• Strain over a large cube
• Express an orange peel

A perfect episode for listeners who love music history, classic rock storytelling, deep cut song origins, and discovering what was really happening behind the music.

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Who Ordered the Pie? a music history podcast with custom cocktail pairings.
Show notes, recipes, and extras: WhoOrderedThePie.com
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Why would anyone walk away from the band that made them famous?

In this episode of Who Ordered the Pie, we climb Solsbury Hill with Peter Gabriel as he leaves Genesis at the height of 1970s progressive rock. What sounds like a gentle folk-rock tune in 7/4 is actually a coded resignation letter,  born from a moment of clarity overlooking the English countryside.

We explore the pressures of Genesis fame, the hillside experience near Bath that sparked Gabriel’s decision, and a guided lyric breakdown revealing themes of identity, intuition, and rebirth. We also listen closely to the song’s sonic craft, from heartbeat-like drums to subtle flanging and a widening mix, that mirrors his step into the unknown. His bold exit opened the door to a remarkable solo career, while Phil Collins carried Genesis forward.

The Solsbury Spritz 

•  • 2 oz London dry gin
•  • 1 oz elderflower liqueur (we recommend St‑Germain)
•  • ¾ oz fresh lemon juice
• Top with sparkling wine or Prosecco, stir gently
• Garnish with a lemon wheel + sprig of thyme.

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Who Ordered the Pie? a music history podcast with custom cocktail pairings.
Show notes, recipes, and extras: WhoOrderedThePie.com
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A simple seven-note riff.

A childhood mispronunciation.

And somehow… a stadium chant that circled the globe.

In this episode, we uncover how The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” broke free from Detroit garage rock and became the soundtrack of sports crowds everywhere; from Belgian soccer bars to the World Cup and beyond. Jack White thought the riff was too simple for a single. The world had other plans.

We’ll follow the chant across continents, hear the moment Jack realized it no longer belonged to him, and count down the top five stadium anthems that get crowds shaking the rafters.

Then we’ll cool down at the bar with a drink inspired by the band’s bold red and white aesthetic.

Today’s cocktail is the Red Stripe Rum Punch

• 2 oz dark rum - I recommend Planteray "Original Dark"
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• 1 oz grenadine - I prefer Fever-Tree “True Grenadine”
• Top off the glass with Red Stripe lager

Build in a tall Collins glass with ice
Stir gently and garnish with a lime wheel

Bold. Simple. Unforgettable... Just like the riff.

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Who Ordered the Pie? a music history podcast with custom cocktail pairings.
Show notes, recipes, and extras: WhoOrderedThePie.com
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Some songs make you move without thinking. Others make you pay attention. This week, we explore the hooks that turned lyrics into spelling lessons, from Nat King Cole’s velvet charm to Aretha Franklin’s call for dignity to the sweaty-garage swagger of Gloria.

Christopher traces how letters became legends, how chants like Y.M.C.A. and S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night shook stadium walls, and why these spell-it-out classics; from Bo Diddley to The Kinks to John Cougar Mellencamp, are still burned into our brains.

It’s a crash course in musical wordplay featuring soul, rock, country, and disco icons who proved that spelling could groove just as hard as singing.

A music-history podcast where songs, stories, and cocktails mix.

Cocktail – The Spelling Bee
2 oz bourbon
¾ oz fresh lemon juice
¾ oz honey syrup (equal parts honey and hot water)
¼ oz Cointreau

Shake hard with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon wheel and a drizzle of honey. Smooth, bright, and just sweet enough to make studying taste good.

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Who Ordered the Pie? a music history podcast with custom cocktail pairings.
Show notes, recipes, and extras: WhoOrderedThePie.com
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Some songs give you goosebumps, others leave a mark. These aren’t horror novelties or Halloween gimmicks, they’re the tracks that make you uneasy without raising their voice. Songs that whisper tragedy, disguise horror in harmony, and tell stories most artists would never dare to write.

Five songs that don’t just scare you, they stay with you.
From quiet killers to cheerful melodies hiding something unspeakable, these tracks reveal the darkest corners of popular music and the true stories that inspired them.

Christopher takes you through songs from artists like Bruce Springsteen, Nick Cave, The Buoys, Bloodrock, and Suicide, exploring the moments when music stopped being entertainment and started feeling like confession.

It’s a top-five countdown of songs you don’t just hear, you endure. Pour something dark, keep the lights low, and listen at your own risk.

The Cocktail: The Black Dahlia

•  2 oz vodka
•  ½ oz Kahlúa
•  ½ oz black raspberry liqueur (like Chambord)

Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice; shake until chilled; then strain into a coupe glass. Express an orange peel over the top and drop it in. Smooth, dark, and a little dangerous; the perfect companion for a night of uneasy listening.

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Who Ordered the Pie? a music history podcast with custom cocktail pairings.
Show notes, recipes, and extras: WhoOrderedThePie.com
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Some of the most unforgettable guitar moments in music history didn’t come from the band at all, they came from the shadows of the studio.

In this episode, Christopher explores the secret world of session players and the legendary guitarists who quietly shaped the sound of generations. From Eric Clapton’s collaborations with The Beatles and Roger Waters, to Duane Allman’s lightning strike on Layla, and Jimmy Page’s early years ghosting through 1960s pop hits, these are the unseen hands that defined entire eras of sound.

We’ll also uncover how Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart, Eddie Van Halen, and Michael Jackson crossed paths in unexpected ways, creating music that still gives you chills when the solo hits.

A music-history podcast where songs, stories, and cocktails mix.

Cocktail - The Session Player

How to make it:
 • 2 oz vodka
 • ¾ oz Cocchi Americano (or Lillet Blanc)
 • ½ oz fresh lemon juice

Shake all ingredients with ice, strain over a large cube in a rocks glass, and finish with a twist of lemon peel.
 Bright, smooth, and perfectly in tune, just like the musicians who inspired it.

Updated October 2025 – Revised for rights compliance.

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Who Ordered the Pie? a music history podcast with custom cocktail pairings.
Show notes, recipes, and extras: WhoOrderedThePie.com
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Sometimes the biggest stars weren’t in the spotlight, they were singing just behind it.

This week, Christopher explores the secret world of backing vocals and superstar cameos, those hidden voices that quietly transformed great songs into classics. From 1970s icons like Carly Simon and David Bowie to soft-rock favorites from Fleetwood Mac and Toto, we’ll uncover how a few famous friends helped shape unforgettable hits.

It’s a journey through friendship, fate, and the kind of studio magic that happens when legends like Mick Jagger, John Lennon, and Stevie Nicks decide to step out of the spotlight and let someone else take the lead.

A music-history podcast where songs, stories, and cocktails mix.

Cocktail: The Harmony Highball

How to make it:
• 2 oz blended Scotch
• Top with chilled ginger ale
• Garnish with a lemon twist

To prepare:
Fill a highball glass with ice. Add the Scotch, then top with ginger ale. Give it a gentle stir, garnish with the lemon twist, and enjoy.

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Who Ordered the Pie? a music history podcast with custom cocktail pairings.
Show notes, recipes, and extras: WhoOrderedThePie.com
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Sometimes the biggest surprise in a hit song isn’t what you’re hearing, it’s who.

This week, we pull back the curtain on the hidden voices behind some unforgettable tracks — the background singer who stole Elvin Bishop’s spotlight in Fooled Around and Fell in Love, the new guy Elvis Costello pushed to the mic for Squeeze’s Tempted, the folk singer who stepped into Pink Floyd’s studio for Have a Cigar, and the quiet Beach Boy who sang the band’s most beautiful ballad, God Only Knows.

It’s a lineup of musical switch-ups, ghost vocals, and unexpected stars who proved that sometimes the song’s soul belongs to someone else.

Stick around for the cocktail segment too, we’ll be shaking up The Spotlight Sour, a smooth twist on a classic Whiskey Sour that gives one unexpected ingredient its moment to shine.

A music-history podcast where songs, stories, and cocktails mix.

Cocktail - The Spotlight Sour

Ingredients:

• 2 oz bourbon
• ¾ oz fresh lemon juice
• ½ oz simple syrup
• ½ oz Cointreau (for brightness)
• 1 egg white
• Garnish: orange slice and cherry

Instructions:

• Add all ingredients to a shaker without ice and dry shake to blend the egg white.
• Add ice, then shake again until well chilled and frothy.
• Strain into a chilled coupe or rocks glass.
• Garnish with the orange slice and cherry.

Flavor note:
Smooth, classic, and familiar, until that bright splash of Cointreau steps into the spotlight.

Support the show

Who Ordered the Pie? a music history podcast with custom cocktail pairings.
Show notes, recipes, and extras: WhoOrderedThePie.com
Follow: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • YouTube • Instagram

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The debut episode of Who Ordered the Pie? drops the needle on a cultural revolution, the birth of MTV and the song that started it all, “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles.

Host Christopher shares the family story that inspired the show’s name, then explores how one quirky new-wave track forever changed music history, launching both the music-video era and a new wave of 1980s pop culture.

Meet Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes, and Bruce Woolley, the creative minds behind the hit, and discover how a young Hans Zimmer made a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in the groundbreaking MTV video. You’ll hear how their futuristic synth sound, layered harmonies, and witty lyrics captured the moment when technology and artistry collided.

To top it off, Christopher mixes the perfect cocktail pairing, the legendary Tommy’s Margarita, bright, balanced, and a toast to creative reinvention.

A music-history podcast where songs, stories, and cocktails mix.

Cocktail - Tommy's Margarita

• 2 oz of a good reposado tequila
• 1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 oz agave nectar

Add everything to a shaker filled with ice. Give it a good shake so the agave blends in, then strain into a salt-rimmed glass over fresh ice.

Support the show

Who Ordered the Pie? a music history podcast with custom cocktail pairings.
Show notes, recipes, and extras: WhoOrderedThePie.com
Follow: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • YouTube • Instagram

Send us a text

Welcome to Who Ordered the Pie? - a new podcast where music history, nostalgia, and cocktails collide. If you ever made the perfect mix tape, waited by the radio to record your favorite song, or memorized every detail of a record sleeve, this show is for you. Each episode, Christopher drops the needle on the stories behind the songs you thought you knew, paired with a cocktail you can make at home.

Here’s to loud riffs, quiet sips, and the stories in between.

Support the show

Who Ordered the Pie? a music history podcast with custom cocktail pairings.
Show notes, recipes, and extras: WhoOrderedThePie.com
Follow: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • YouTube • Instagram