Spoon — “The Underdog” episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 26, 2026 · 1H 36M

Spoon — “The Underdog”

from 60 Songs That Explain the '90s · host The Ringer

Today, Rob explains how even after five successful studio albums, Spoon still felt vengeful enough to write the most triumphant song about being the underdog. He reflects on how Spoon's major label dropped the Austin rockers and became the opposite of a muse for the band, shaping their swaggery image. Finally, he is joined by music critic Ryan Dombal who greatly appreciates the snobbery of Spoon and the rockstar frontman energy of Britt Daniels. (00:00) Intro: The three phases of major-label rock stardom (21:23) This week’s song: “The Underdog” by Spoon (25:39) Britt Daniel’s origins and ‘Telefono’ (34:56) How Spoon got dropped from Elektra Records (40:48) Spoon’s evolution as the 21st century's most consistent band (56:44) “The Underdog,” the ultimate mouth-horn song (01:02:28) Interview with Ryan Dombal (01:33:02) Outro Host: Rob Harvilla Producers: Olivia Crerie, Julianna Ress, Chris Sutton, and Justin Sayles Guest: Ryan Dombal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/60songsthatexplainthe90s/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@60songsthatexplainthe90s?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 26, 2026

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Spoon — “The Underdog”

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