The Story Song Podcast
THE STORY SONG PODCAST is the music review, comedy, pop culture podcast that provides commentary, analysis, and the history of narrative songs from all genres and all eras—from obscure one-hit wonders to well-known classics, and some of the biggest hits of all time. Join your hosts as they discuss details only hinted at in the lyrics and speculate about every aspect of each song. We tell the story of the songs that tell a story.
Our Editor's Take
Michael Gazen, Rachel O'Conner, and Dan McArdle host The Story Song Podcast. In it, the three friends tell the stories behind their favorite story songs. It is also a comedy podcast, but it features facts and trivia.
The podcast reviews classic rock staples, Grammy Award–winning songs, and obscure songs. The general music taste and pop culture perspective feels like these three met at a small liberal arts college in the Northeast US. The podcast's theme song sounds like something by a '70s blue-eyed-soul singer/songwriter. The hosts talk about lyrical choices made by artists such as Prince.
One podcast episode is about "Tom's Diner" by Suzanne Vega. This song happens, as the title suggests, in a diner. The host's first thoughts are, "Who has time to stay somewhere and drink coffee before work?" They joke and riff about how common this trope is. They also provide facts about the song. Many people are familiar with a remix of the song and don't realize it's not the original. Michael, Rachel, and Dan also analyze the lyrics. They begin by playing the song's first verse, then dissect each line.
"Hotel California" by The Eagles is a classic pop-rock song whose lyrics are mysterious. In this Story Song Podcast episode, the hosts have fun mocking the words. Rachel advises Don Henley, who sings the song, to read the fine print next time he makes a hotel reservation. That's where the hotel might mention such things as being able to check out but never being able to leave.
The "Minisodes" are shorter than the regular episodes, which are about 90 minutes long. They feature several songs that share a theme, such as summer. In one episode, hosts begin by discussing tunes of joyful anticipation. Then they move on to pop hits like Bananarama's "Cruel Summer." Midway through July in the US, the heat and humidity make life unpleasant. This leads the trio on a tangent about air-conditioned public transit.
These fun digressions make The Story Song Podcast accessible to even a casual music listener. New episodes come out every other Monday.
Episodes
