Stereothematica

Grab your cowboy hat, lederhosen, and/or Peppermint Patty. We're gonna yodel this week!
SONGS:
Dolly Parton: Mule Skinner Blues (Blue Yodel No. 8) (1970)
Hank Williams: Lovesick Blues (1949) 
RESOURCES AND REFERENCES: 
The Lonely Goatherd - Sound of Music (1965)
Maria Von Trapp Teaches Julie Andrews to Yodel (Rogers & Hammerstein)
York Peppermint Patty Commercial (1986)
Yodel-ay-ee-oooo: The Secret History of Yodeling (Plantegna, 2004)
Mandy Torgerson - The Dying Art of Yodeling (2025)
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (2025)
Switzerland’s Yodeling Tradition is Changing. Here’s How to Experience It (2023)
NTS Dolly Deep Dive
What Vowels Can Tell Us About the Evolution of Music
No Mules Were Skinned: The History of Muleskinner Blues (Sander, 2015)
Interview with Dolly Parton on How She Ended Up Covering Mule Skinner Blues (DollyMania)
Tom Dickson: Labor Blues (1928) 
Jimmy Rodgers: Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas) (1928)
Jimmy Rodgers: Blue Yodel No. 8 (1930)
Bill Monroe: Mule Skinner Blues (1940)
Woody Guthrie: Mule Skinner Blues (1944)
Odetta: Mule Skinner Blues (1957)
The Fendermen: Mule Skinner Blues (1960)
Harry Belafonte Singing Muleskinner on the Ed Sullivan Show (1962)
Bob Dylan attempting Mule Skinner Blues (with a yodel) (1962)
Hank Williams Jr.: Mule Skinner Blues (1965)
Merle Haggard: Mule Skinner Blues (1969)
Dolly Parton Singing Mule Skinner Blues on the Porter Wagoner Show (1970)
Dolly Parton Singing Mule Skinner Blues on the Porter Wagoner Show (1971)
Dolly Parton, Bill Monroe - Mule Skinner Live (1978)
The Cramps: Muleskinner Blues (1989)
Dolly Parton Answers the Web’s Most Asked Questions (Wired, 2020)
Dolly Parton on Hee Haw (1974)
Dolly Parton on Johnny Carson (1979)
Opening & Closing Credits of 9 to 5 (1980)
How Yodeling Walmart Kid Gave New Life to Hank Williams Lovesick Blues (Rolling Stone, 2018)
Tin Pan Alley (Wikipedia)
Oh, Ernest! Musical (IBDB)
Rex Griffin - Lovesick Blues (YouTube)
10 Fascinating Facts about the Louisiana Hayride
Hank Williams Sings “Lovesick Blues” For Your Aching Hearts (Country Thang Daily)
Jambalaya (On the Bayou) (first Hayride appearance) Hank Williams, Sr. ~ (1952/2000)
The Life and Times of Hank Williams (Documentary Circa 1995) YouTube 
Country Music Hall of Fame: Hank Williams
Hank Williams - Hey Good Lookin' (YouTube)
UNSOLICITED ADVICE:
Dolly Parton’s America Podcast (WNYC, 2019) 
Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!
If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.
And email us at stereothematica@gmail.com! We will write back!

What's the heartbeat of a city? It might be the song that makes you feel like you're living within its very chambers. Join us on the journey through the pulsing heart of NYC and Los Angeles on this week's episode! 
SONGS:
Donna Summer: I Feel Love (1977)
Sparks: Tryouts for the Human Race (1979)
RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:
BBC Soul Music: I Feel Love
Song from the Future: The Story of Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder’s “I Feel Love” (Pitchfork)
How Donna Summer's I Feel Love changed pop (The Guardian)
Donna Summer - Love To Love You Baby (YouTube)
Pete Bellotte got everything in synth (DJ History)
Giorgio Moroder – his 20 greatest songs, ranked! (The Guardian)
Daft Punk - Giorgio by Moroder (Official Audio)
The Enduring Legacy of Donna Summer for Gay Men (My Fabulous Disease) 
Letter Shows Donna Summer Defending Herself Against Alleged Anti-Gay Comments (ABC) 
Giorgio Moroder Brings Back the Days of Disco at ‘I Feel Love’ Immersive Event (Billboard)
Tryouts for the Human Race (Official Video, 1979)
Sparks Brother Documentary (2021) 
Sparks: No. 1 Song in Heaven (Featuring Jimmy Somerville) (Plagiarism, 1997)
Sparks: No. 1 in Heaven 9.4 Review (Pitchfork)
Sparks Spectacular / 21 Albums in 21 Nights (2008)
Sparks: I Am a Bookworm 
Sparks Creates New Bookworm Theme (2010)
Sparks on Bookworm (KCRW, 2009)
Bronski Beat & Marc Almond Cover/Medley: I Feel Love/Love to Love You/Johnny Remember Me (1984)
Sparks: Heaven Sent (Electronic Sound, 2019)
Moroder Week Day 1: Sparks - Tryouts for the Human Race (Post-Punk Monk, 2020) 
How many artists did David Bowie refer to as the “Future of Music” (Reddit)
UNSOLICITED ADVICE
vote.org 
Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!
If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.
And email us at stereothematica@gmail.com! We will write back!

October 5 is Global James Bond Day! What better way to celebrate than with pickle juice martinis (the antithesis of 007) and a deep dive with our editor and self proclaimed Bond Enthusiast, Tamas Harangi, to talk about the franchise and the iconic songs that help make it relevant to this day. Please share your favorites with us!  
SONGS:
Duran Duran: A View to a Kill (1985)
Nancy Sinatra: You Only Live Twice (1967)
Gladys Knight: License to Kill (1989)
RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:
A View to a Kill - Opening Credits Sequence (1985)
Zorin Blimp Scene from A View to a Kill 
Zorin Spars with May Day - A View to A Kill
Coming to Terms with James Bond’s Flawed Past—as a fan and a critic (NPR, 2021)
Dr. No Theme Song (Norman and Barry, 1962) 
Shirley Bassey & Tom Jones Rockprofile -  "I am the voice of Bond, darling!" 
Björk: You Only Live Twice (1997)
Björk: Bachelorette (1997)
UNSOLICITED ADVICE:
NTS Radio Live
NTS Supporter Radio: Dancing 
Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!
If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.
And email us at stereothematica@gmail.com! We will write back!

Do you listen to music everyday? Do you like it when a song mentions every day of the week? We do! At least some songs. Let's see if we can catch every single day in our song picks! 
SONGS:
Cherrelle feat. Alexander O'Neal - "Saturday Love" (1985)
The Clash: Police On My Back (1980)
RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:
Friday I'm In Love - The Cure
Lady Madonna - The Beatles 
Sublime's "What I Got" Inspired By This Beatles Song
7 Days - Craig David
R&B Songstress Cherrelle on Singing Sweetly About Cheating on Your Lover (SF Weekly)
Never on a Sunday - The Chordettes
Lawrence Welk - SNL
Never on Sunday (IMDB)
Jimmy Jam on how Alexander O’Neal Fumbled the Bag… (YouTube)
Alexander O’Neal holds no grudges against Prince
Who Sampled: Saturday Love
SATURDAY LOVE SAMPLES
The Equals: Police On My Back (1967)
Eddy Grant: Electric Avenue (1982)
Eddy Grant: I Don’t Wanna Dance (1982)
Eddy Grant: Romancing the Stone (1984)
Eddy Grant: Gimme Hope Jo’Anna (Nelson Mandela Concert, 1988)
Qué diá de la semana ha inspirado más hits? (Univision, 2016)
One Song Podcast London Calling w/Fred Armisen (2025)
Eddy Grant on Music is My Life Podcast (Berklee, 2020)
Police on My Back and the Postcolonial Experience (Stratton, 2026)
The Story of Subculture: The Rude Boy & Rude Girl (Underground, 2021)
Rude Boy Style Can’t Fail (NYT, 2015)
The Clash: Music That Matters (Fletcher, 2012)
“You Don’t Bring Flowers From There To Here” – Eddy Grant Speaks To EP About New Venture United DJs, Life, Music, and Politics (Pop Essentials, 2018)
Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys: The Story of the Pioneering Interracial Rockband The Equals (Pitchfork, 2016)
Trump Loses Electric Avenue Song Legal Fight (BBC, 2024)
Other “Police On My Back” Covers discussed:
Amparanoia: La Semana (1997)
Asian Dub Foundation and Zebda: Police On My Back (2003) 
Lethal Bizzle: Police On My Back (2007)
Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!
If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.
And email us at stereothematica@gmail.com! We will write back!

This week, we share songs we really like... that is, until the singing starts.  And brace yourself for a twist! 
SONGS:
Yes: Heart of the Sunrise (1971)
The Boomtown Rats: I Don’t Like Mondays (1979)
RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:
Say Less Meaning (The Idioms)
The Band: Stage Fright (1970)
At the Movies - Deep Cuts Lost & Found Podcast
Buffalo 66 - Heart of the Sunrise Scene (1998)
Yes - Fragile - Classic Music Review (Altrockchick.com, 2026)
Heart of the Sunrise (Songfacts)
Yes World Discography - Fragile 
First Listen - Heart of the Sunrise
Yes World - Fragile
Yes Fragile Documentary (Rael's Prog Rock Documentaries)
The Story Behind Yes’ Remake of Simon & Garfunkel's America (American Songwriter)
LCD Soundsystem: Tired (Live - ending with Heart of the Sunrise, 2011)
Lizzo: Boys (Live - starting with Heart of the Sunrise, 2022)
Other Yes Favorites
Survival (Yesterdays, 1969)
Time and a Word (Time and a Word, 1970) - One of Rush’s Geddy Lee’s all-time faves.
Then (Time and a Word, 1970 - at 2:30, hearing the origins of “Heart of the Sunrise”)
A Venture (The Yes Album, 1971)
Roundabout (Fragile, 1971)
America (Written by Paul Simon, 1968) (Close to the Edge, 1972) - Possible recitation: Angine de Poitrine's Mata Zyklek
And You and I (Close to the Edge, 1972) - Possible recitation: Pescado Rabioso's Cantata de Puentes Amarillos -  even the album’s green cover is similar
Least Favorite
Yes: Owner of Lonely Heart (1983 - Only Yes song to reach #1 on Billboard Hot 100)
 
The Boomtown Rats (Punk 77)
Teds and Punks (Punk 77)
Teddy Boys (Wikipedia)
Do They Know It’s Christmas? (YouTube)
Cleveland Elementary School shooting (Wikipedia)
‘I Don’t Like Mondays’: The harrowing story behind the 1979 smash hit and Bob Geldof’s big regret (Far Out Magazine)

Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!
If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.
And email us at stereothematica@gmail.com! We will write back!