Tuner Migration

Episodes

1. 13

   #13: Same Old Song and Dancehall

   When Rihanna released her song “Work,” one publication described its style as “tropical house-flavored.” That didn’t sit well with today’s special guest, music writer Bianca Gracie, who argued that the song owes more of a debt to the genre called dancehall. In this episode, we listen to…

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   Jul 29, 2016

   17m
2. 12

   #12: House of the Rising Hanson

   Hanson’s “MMMBop”—one version of it, anyway—turned twenty years old this March. While discussing the anniversary in a recent interview, the Hanson brothers revealed that we’ve all been singing it wrong this whole time. In this episode, we take a listen to the mid-90s smash hit to sort out what…

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   May 16, 2016

   16m
3. 11

   #11: With a Little Helper from My Friends

   More often than not, April Fools' jokes just aren’t that funny. Especially when they’re part of a company’s branding strategy. But this year General Mills bucked that trend with the release of a five-track, Hamburger Helper-themed mixtape—cuts that the internet has deemed ‘fire.’ In this episode,...

   Apr 4, 2016

   13m
4. 10

   #10: Here, There, and Everywhere You Look

   The opening of ABC’s “Full House” is full of memorable moments: the Golden Gate Bridge, the beautiful old house, the family out on a picnic. But most memorable of all is the show’s theme song, “Everywhere You Look.” When Netflix launched a sequel to the show, they tasked Carly Rae Jespen with...

   Mar 4, 2016

   15m
5. 9

   #9: Can You Seal the Love Tonight

   Fans love to debate musical genres: which ones we like, which ones we don’t, which songs fit into which genres—you know the drill. But, it turns out, genre is really hard to define. This week, we use the idea that genre might be more like a contract than a quality to listen to Seal’s “Kiss From A...

   Feb 8, 2016

   16m
6. 8

   #8: Ain't No Valli Low Enough

   In the pantheon of pop classics, Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” has to rank near the top. A funny thing about classics, though, is that their fame and reputation can lull us into thinking that they’re all-too-normal. So, this week, we’ll listen for all the odd and surprising things...

   Jan 25, 2016

   17m
7. 5

   Tiny Tuner: Frankincense, Gold, and Mariah

   Twenty-one years after its debut, Mariah Carey’s Christmas anthem “All I Want For Christmas Is You” finally broke into the Billboard Top Twenty for the first time this year. In this special Tiny Tuner bonus episode, we listen to the ways it uses the template for hits of Christmas past to make a...

   Dec 25, 2015

   12m
8. 6

   #6: Bat Out Adele

   Adele is setting insane records with her new album. Everyone is talking about her, and it seems like everyone loves her. Well, almost everyone. On today's show, we look at Adele's "Hello" to try to get to the bottom of why John doesn't like one of the most beloved voices in pop music.

   Dec 14, 2015

   13m
9. 5

   #5: If I Needed Some One Direction

   Boy bands come and boy bands go. But the Beatles seem like they might stick around forever. This week, we listen to “Olivia,” a track off of One Direction’s new (and probably last) album to hear how the pop vocabulary of the Beatles continues to inform our musical sensibilities.

   Nov 23, 2015

   14m
10. 4

    #4: Hamiltuner

    The musical “Hamilton” and its cast album have become something of a sensation. Today, we look at the song “My Shot” to explore how it uses musical tactics both old and new to introduce us to an ambitious founding father.

    Nov 9, 2015

    18m
11. 3

    #3: Thrill Crazy After All These Years

    Michael Jackson's "Thriller" is arguably the greatest pop song ever. And it's definitely the scariest. This Halloween, we thought we'd take a crack at finding out what makes it so spooky, and why we can't stop listening to it.

    Oct 26, 2015

    17m