Passive-Aggressive Playlists

What Makes a Song Work?

Songwriter, producer, author, and songwriting mentor Greig Watts joins Laura to talk about four songs and why some give you the feels and others leave you flat. Along the way they touch on the Eurovision Song Contest, the impact of the soap opera Neighbours on the UK charts, and just how many tracks a record could have before it stopped counting as a single. They explore how the context, from radio airplay to MTV to smoky blues bars affect how a song is received and give a pair of vocalists high marks but find their songs a bit lacking. Artists this episode include INXS, Sade, Janet Jackson and Jon Secada.  Do you agree with the guests? It's your turn to vote. Find the full list of episode songs via the link below and send in your top and bottom 10. We'll countdown the winners and losers at the end of the series. https://lauraleeauthor.substack.com/p/its-your-turn-to-rate-the-songs?r=a1m6a [https://lauraleeauthor.substack.com/p/its-your-turn-to-rate-the-songs?r=a1m6a]

UK Hits, US Misses

Justin and Jane are back! We talk tremendous tremolo, zero hit wonders, and early MTV weirdness. We discuss whether MTV hurt some artists more than it helped, and ask if the 80s produced the worst band names of all time. There is an S&M-themed pop song by Depeche Mode that leads to a discussion of whether being banned by the BBC is a good career move. We wonder at the fact that a ubiquitous alternative club anthem by The Smiths never charted in the US. Finally, we rate just about every U2 song, besides the one on our list. Jane picks a deep cut as her favorite.

Radio Days, Automation and Break Up Songs

Laura welcomes Eric Shoars, editor of Life Goes On: Lessons We Learned from 80s Music. The two former DJs reminisce about the early days of radio automation, the TV show WKRP in Cincinnati, and songs that got played even if they weren't hits-- or did they? (Laura isn't entirely sure.) Eric reveals the Beatles song that scared him, and a Phil Collins track leads to a discussion of divorce songs and how one person's authenticity can be another person's lie. Does Phil Collins belong on the 80s music Mount Rushmore? Tune in to find out.

Whitney, Janet, Toad the Wet Sprocket and a Canadian Favorite

Comedian, musician and music journalist Steven Morgan joins Laura to discuss a mystery of the Canadian music charts, whether a singer can be a bit too perfect and whether Toad the Wet Sprocket is the worst band name ever. Featured songs are Janet Jackson's "Miss You Much," Whitney Houston's "I'm Your Baby Tonight," Go West's "Faithful" and "Walk on the Ocean" by Toad the Wet Sprocket.

Songs of Comeuppance and The News

Jenny Hunter returns to make a case for Cleveland as the rock n roll capital. She takes a test to determine if she qualifies as a "die hard Huey Lewis and the News fan," as Laura wonders if she could pick any of The News out of a lineup. Jenny wonders if she's qualified to stand in judgement of the genius that is Bob Dylan, while Laura takes a stab at a Dylan impression. Finally, Laura and Jenny try to imagine just what is coming in the air tonight, and what crime the narrator of the song thinks he witnessed. There is Schadenfruede, revenge, and working for a living. Oh, and Jenny goes on a mini-rant about grammar mistakes on beer t-shirts at rock concerts.