Nevermind the Music

Can you still feel the butterflies? In this episode, Mark gives five reasons why Jimmy Eat World’s 1999 hidden gem “For Me This is Heaven” could possibly be the greatest song of all time. Nichole starts off very, very skeptical. Will Mark be convincing? Come back next week for a full episode!

Music heard in this episode: Jimmy Eat World - “The Middle”, Jimmy Eat World - “For Me This is Heaven”, Jimmy Eat World - “Sweetness”, Jimmy Eat World - “Polaris”, Jimmy Eat World - “Lucky Denver Mint”, Radiohead - “Let Down”, Jimmy Eat World - “Table for Glasses”, Jimmy Eat World - “Your New Aesthetic”, Jimmy Eat World - “Just Watch the Fireworks”, Jimmy Eat World - “Blister”

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Who needs silence when you can have music? We break down Depeche Mode’s melancholy 1990 gem “Enjoy the Silence.” While Nichole can appreciate that silence, and shares how introversion and extroversion shape our personalities, Mark would rather blab about how the song’s chords and guitar riff are interconnected in a really cool and surprising way. 

Other music heard in this episode: Adele -  "Someone Like You", Sponge - "Molly"

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What’s wrong with a little celebration, now and then? In this sidetrack, Mark gets nostalgic for his old band, Dream Hydra, who released their debut (and only) album, Radiant, exactly ten years ago. He takes Nichole on a tour of the band’s music and we discuss songwriting, being in a band in LA, and more. Check us out next week for a full episode!

Music heard in this episode: Dream Hydra - “Lethal Affinity”, The Eagles - “One of These Nights”, Dream Hydra - “Checkmate”, Dream Hydra - “In the Ether”, Dream Hydra - “Let Go”, Journey - “Lights”, Dream Hydra - “Music Man”, Dream Hydra - “Burns Up”, Dream Hydra - “Never Gonna Stop” - Dream Hydra - “Writing on the Wall”, Dream Hydra - “The Rain”, Noteworthy - “The Rain”, Jimmy Eat World - “Just Watch the Fireworks”, Dream Hydra - “End of Time”, RX Bandits - “Overcome (The Recapitulation)”, Dream Hydra - “Numb”, Dream Hydra - “Four Prayers”, Dream Hydra - “Wake Up”

The “In The Ether” music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI1lmWwhLMU

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Ladies, did you leave your man at home? Leap into Destiny’s Child’s 1999 hit “Jumpin’ Jumpin’.” Mark talks about how a big part of what makes this song’s melody so cool is that it is so….um… jumpin’!, and Nichole explains what makes certain moments like this song catch the attention of our brain and memory. So, let’s make it hot, hot!

Other music heard in this episode: TLC - "No Scrubs", Whitney Houston - "Heartbreak Hotel", Donell Jones - "You Know What's Up", Destiny's Child - "Independent Women, Part II", Destiny's Child - "Say My Name", Destiny's Child - "Bills, Bills, Bills", Benjamin Britten - "Billy Budd", Buju Banton - "Boom Bye Bye"

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Is an 80%-quality pop song good enough for you? What about 80%-quality therapy? Here we sidetrack on the growing role of artificial intelligence in songwriting and mental health services. Oh, and we hang our heads at what it’s doing to college classes… Be sure to join us next week for a full episode!

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Don’t you just love a good clean <BLEEP> in the middle of a pop song? Cover the kids’ ears as we curse about Third Eye Blind’s iconic 1997 hit “Semi-Charmed Life.” We deep dive into the strange edits made to the radio and video versions of this song, and also chatter about radio edits in general. Hot take: one of us may prefer the clean versions of our some recent hits. I’m not listening when you say goodBYEEEEEEE!

Other music heard in this episode: Prince - "When Doves Cry," Cee-Lo Green - "Fuck You" and - "Forget You", Gayle - "ABCDEFU" (various versions), Lizzo - "Truth Hurts", Kidz Bop - "Truth Hurts", The Wiggles - “Toot Toot, Chugga Chugga, Big Red Car”, The Presidents of the United States of America - “Peaches”, Caspar Babypants - “I Found You”

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Should Mark be practicing the guitar while he sleeps? The hosts talk about how much sleep they each need to function, and Nichole shares the crazy “world” of lucid dreaming and sleep paralysis. Wake up next week for another full episode!

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Why worry? In this episode, we fret over Stevie Wonder’s 1973 hit “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing. As Nichole ponders the good and bad sides of why we worry, Mark talks descending chromatic scales and how they give this song its playful intensity. Also, staying completely on topic, the hosts rank Illumination animated movies and talk great stage names.

Other music heard in this episode: Frankie Vallie - "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You", JS Bach - "Crucifixus" from B Minor Mass, Boyz II Men - "Thank You", Getz/Gilberto - "Girl From Ipanema", Stevie Wonder - "Sir Duke"

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How can something bad be good? In this outtake from our conversation about “Tha Crossroads,” Nichole explains why she thinks grief is a beautiful, uniting emotion, and shares a poignant metaphor. See you next week for a full episode!

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Do you remember the nervous energy that filled the room at your first school dance?  Mark wasn’t there, but Nichole remembers. Slow dance with us to Spandau Ballet’s 1983 classic “True”? Mark does have some theories about how certain chords and melody notes give the song its emotional punch, and Nichole talks us through the brain chemistry of love, and how it changes as we grow. The hosts also answer an important question: whether they’ve ever had a song written about them.

Other music heard in this episode: The Beatles - "I Dig a Pony," Marvin Gaye - "What's Going On," Al Green - "Let's Stay Together," Charlie Puth - "Attention," Common Plight - "Problems Over", Backstreet Boys - "I Want it That Way"

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Can a cover ever be better than the original? In this episode, we ask that unthinkable question as we each bring in three of our personal favorite cover versions. See you next week for a full episode!

Music heard in this episode: David Bowie - “The Man Who Sold the World”, Nirvana - “The Man Who Sold the World”, The Moody Blues - “Your Wildest Dreams”, Harley Allen - “Your Wildest Dreams”, Sublime - “Doin’ Time”, Lana Del Rey - “Doin’ Time”, Bad Religion - “We’re Only Gonna’ Die”, Sublime - “We’re Only Gonna Die for Our Own Arrogance”, Taylor Swift - “Shake it Off”, Ryan Adams - “Shake it Off”, The Beatles - “Yesterday”, Boyz II Men - “Yesterday”, Paul McCartney - “Maybe I’m Amazed” 

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Do you have a go-to song when all a thug can do is cry, cry? Maybe you should consider Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s 1996 outpouring “Tha Crossroads.” Mark describes how the song hits so hard in part because of the unique rhythmic identity from each of the members of the group, while Nichole takes us through the stages of grief.

Other music heard in this episode: Steven Sondheim - "Being Alive", Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - "Flow Motion," Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - "Crossroad", The Isley Brothers - "Make Me Say it Again Girl", Tre - "Mary Don't You Weep," Migos - "Bad and Boujie," Public Enemy - "Bring the Noize," Jurassic 5 - "Quality Control"

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But where do you belong? In this episode, we break down Ace of Base’s 1993 not-quite reggae dance-pop megahit “The Sign.” Mark thinks he’s cracked the code on how the band used weird key changes to top the chart several times over. Meanwhile Nichole muses about whether this song’s lyrics relate to some fun ideas about the collective unconscious. Can the hosts get to the bottom of why Swedish pop music is so darn catchy?

Other music heard in this episode: Night Ranger - "Sister Christian," Motorhead - "Ace of Spades," The Beatles - "The Fool on the Hill," Elton John - "I'm Still Standing," Ace of Base - "All That She Wants," Ace of Base - "Don't Turn Around," Tina Turner - "Don't Turn Around," Aswad - "Don't Turn Around" 

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Wait, what exactly do you get when you let your heart win?! Here we tease apart Paramore’s 2007 power pop anthem of youthful mistakes, “That’s What You Get.” Mark thinks this song is such a banger because of a very old songwriting technique, and Nichole takes us on a journey of how our brain chemistry can lead us to make bad decisions - and then regret them.

Other music heard in this episode: Paramore - "Misery Business," Ludwig von Beethoven - "Symphony No. 5", Frank Sinatra - "The Way You Look Tonight," Lipps Inc. - "Funkytown,"

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In this sneak peak, hosts Nichole (psychology professor) and Mark (music professor) banter about their new music podcast, Nevermind the Music. Join us each week as we light-heartedly pick apart a classic pop song from the perspectives of a songwriter and a psychologist. Nevermind the Music launches in September 2024!

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