Stereothematica

Gotcha! This isn't X-rated, ya freaks. We're talking about tunes where the singer tells us exactly what the song is about in the opening lines. You know, "This is a song about..." love, life, loss, summer, a girl named "Lucky." Just kidding about that last one. 
SONGS:
Janet Jackson: And On and On (1994)
Raye: Goodbye Henry (feat. Al Green) (2026)
RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:
Britney Spears - Lucky (Official HD Video)
Absolutely (Story of a Girl) by Nine Days
Rhiannon live at the Forum - 1977
What is your opinion on And On And On? (reddit)
Janet and Michael Jackson: Scream (1995)
Bob Dylan: Hurricane (1976)
Raye: WHERE IS MY HUSBAND / Nightingale Ln. (Live at Brit Awards 2026)
Rolling Stone Review of This Music May Contain Hope (2026)
Pitchfork Review of This Music May Contain Hope (2026)
Zane Lowe Interview with Raye (2026)
Riton & Raye: I Don’t Want You (2021)
The Next British Invasion is Here, and It’s Led By Women (NYT, 2026)
Songfacts - Goodbye Henry
Raye: Escapism (SNL, 2024)
EXPLICIT CORRECTION: At 19:32, Christine mistakenly says “minimalism,” when she meant “maximalism.” She just wanted to make sure you knew she knew. She also remembered “Scream” after watching the video.
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!

Ever have a song that gets stuck in your head... and you might try all the tricks to get it out of your head and you're still stuck humming (or singing!?) wide awake at 3 a.m. We've been there! And this week we're talking about the music we don't mind getting stuck in our heads! And, as you can probably guess, these tunes aren't your... typical earworms!
SONGS:
Riton & Kah-Lo: Fake I.D. (2018)
Shannon and the Clams: What You’re Missing (2024)
RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:
Dissecting an Earworm: Melodic Features and Song Popularity Predict Involuntary Musical Imagery (Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts, 2016)
A Natural History of the Earworm – The Song That Won’t Get Out of Your Head (British Psychological Society, 2009)
Earworms (Discovery Orchestra, 2014)
Your Brain on Music: Earworms (Kennedy Center)
Stephen King on Songs that Stick in Your Head (Entertainment Weekly, 2009)
Earworms - Songs that Stick in Your Head - Interview with Daniel Levitin (NakedScientists, 2007)
Review of Foreign Ororo (Native Magazine, 2018)
Riton (feat. Kah-Lo): Rinse and Repeat (2016)
Four on the Floor Rhythm Explained (MasterClass, 2021) 
Four on the Floor with Musical Examples (YouTube)
The Man Who Was Always There (ZeroNine)
Get to Know Kah-Lo, The Grammy-Nominated Nigerian MC (MixMag)
The Difference Between Afrobeat and Afrobeats (Revolt)
Francis Mercier (feat. Wyclef Jean and Kah-Lo): Take Me Home (2026)
Selena Gomez lip-syncing Fake ID (2018)
Shirley Ellis: The Clapping Song (1965)
Fake I.D. Lyrics (w/some annotation) (Genius)
Shannon and The Clams - 'What You're Missing' in PBS Studio 5 Live January 28, 2025
ALBUM REVIEW: Shannon and the Clams Carry Grief Unflinchingly Through ‘The 
Moon Is in the Wrong Place’ (No Depression)
Shannon and The Clams Triumph on The Moon Is In The Wrong Place (Paste)
LA Phil: Shannon and the Clams
Shannon & the Clams - The Boy [Official Video]
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!

The feeling of rediscovering a song you once loved but forgot about is better than a cold breeze on a hot day. Well, almost. This week we dive into some once-forgotten jams and reconnect with the people we were when we originally discovered them. Join us on a trip down memory lane! 
SONGS:
NRBQ: Magnet (1972)
Plastilina Mosh: Boombox Baby (2000)
RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:
Super Socks - Mister S (1972)
Get that Gasoline Blues (YouTube)
NRBQ - Music Museum of New England 
NRBQ - Omnivore Recordings
Unscripted: NRBQ continues to inspire after a half-century
Various Artists - The Q People: A Tribute To NRBQ
The Q People - A Tribute To NRBQ (Discogs)
Little Floater's Wild Weekend (YouTube) 
Little Floater’s Wild Weekend (Fandom)
Plastilina Mosh: Mr. P Mosh (1998)
Plastilina Mosh: Human Disco Ball (2000)
Plastilina Mosh: International Stereo (Bassass) (2000)
Plastilina Mosh: Peligroso Pop (2003)
Plastilina Mosh is Having So Much Fun It Hurts (LAT, 1998)
Plastilina Mosh “Juan Manual” Astralwerks (LAT, 2000)
Molotov: Voto Latino (1997)
Y Tu Mamá Tambien (2001) 
The Avanzada Regia: How Monterrey Changed Mexican Rock (2024)
Kinky: Cornman (2002)
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!

Get your minds out of the gutter. There's only one type of horniness that we'd be talking about... 
SONGS:
Fela Kuti: Water No Get Enemy (1975)
The Bar-Kays: Soul Finger (1967)

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:
FelaKuti.Com
Fela Kuti: Fear No Man (Podcast Series, 2025)
Finding Fela - Full Documentary (Kino Lorber, 2014)
Fela Ransome Kuti and His Koola Lobitos (1965)
Water No Get Enemy: How Fela Kuti Predicted the Global War for the River (Rivermixer, 2026)
What “Water No Get Enemy” Says About Fela Kuti (Mayomifull, 2026)
Femi Kuti, D’Angelo, Macy Gray: Water No Get Enemy (For Red, Hot & Riot, 2002)
D’Angelo and Lauren Hill Interpolation of Water No Get Enemy  (Unreleased) 
How Fela Kuti’s 1975 Track Inspired D’Angelo 25 Years Later
Analytical study of “Water No Get Enemy” by Fela Anikulapo Kuti (Funmi RaphealJohn, 2025)
Fela Kuti & Africa 70 Live in Berlin (1978)
Fela Kuti is the first African pop star to enter the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (NPR, 2026)
The Legacy of Fela Kuti's Music of Resistance: Hear 15 Essential Songs (NYT, 2020)
Everytime Burna Boy Has Sampled Fela Kuti
Femi, Made, Sean cover “Water No Get Enemy” (Global Citizen Live 2021)
Afrodicia with Nnamdi Moweta (KPFK 90.7 - Saturdays 4-6 p.m. PT)
The Bar-Kays (Memphis Music Hall of Fame)
Album Essentials: Bar-Kays - "Soul Finger" (The Summit FM) 
The Innovators: Stax Artist Spotlights - The Bar-Kays
A Look Back: Ben Cauley on the plane crash that took the life of Otis Redding and members of the Bar-Kays (Commercial Appeal)
The 20 Best Stax Records Songs (Paste) 
Wattstax (1973) - Theatrical Trailer (YouTube)
More Horniness
Raul de Souza: Sweet Lucy (1977)
Fanfare Ciocarlia - Tiny Desk Concert (NPR, 2014) 
Fela Kuti: Lady (1972)
Fela Kuti: Zombie (1976)
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!

Whether you're being taken out to the ball game or pumping up the jam... or maybe even being wowed by the Skate Circle DJs in Central Park... you can't deny that sports and music go hand in hand. And this week, we're revisiting the World Cup music of today and yesteryear and doing a deep dive into the sweet sounds of roller rink tunes to get our blood pumping and give our ears a workout! 
SONGS:
Shakira: Waka Waka (This Time for Africa - Official FIFA World Cup Song) (2010)
De La Soul: A Roller Skating Jam Named “Saturdays” (1991) 
RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:
The unifying power of music in sports (DLMDD)
NBA Space Jam Get ready for this (YouTube)
Wait, Why Was Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Controversial? (Rolling Stone)
New Order - World In Motion (Official Music Video)
Kraftwerk - Tour De France (2009 Remaster) (YouTube)
Special Report Kraftwerk At The Tour De France (Electronic Sound)
List of FIFA World Cup songs and anthems (Wikipedia)
Golden Sounds - Zangalewa (YouTube)
Gloryland 1994 World Cup Song (YouTube)
Anastacia - Boom, FIFA World Cup 2002 (YouTube)
World Cup Song by Shakira Stirs Controversy (PBS)
K'NAAN - Wavin’ Flag (YouTube)
Herbert Grönemeyer feat. Amadou & Mariam: Celebrate the Day (2006 FIFA Official World Cup Song)  
Saturdays’ Samples! 
Who Sampled for “A Roller Skating Jam Named 'Saturdays”
DJ Sam Redmore’s Instagram Every Sample from “A Roller Skating Jam Named ‘Saturdays’”
Instant Funk: I Got My Mind Made Up (1978)
Mighty Ryeders: Evil Vibrations (1978)
De La Soul Sampling Stereothematica Favorite “Ma Quale Idea” in their Promo
Roller Skating!
Horrible Histories John Joseph Merlin’s Roller Skates
Father of Modern Roller Skates
United Skates Trailer (HBO, 2018)
Central Park Dance Skaters Association
PBS Short Documentary on Central Park Dance Skaters
How Black Culture Made Roller Skating Popular (LA Times Video, 2020)
An Oral History of LA’s Black Indoor Roller Skating Scene (LA Times, 2025)
The History Behind the Roller Skating Trend (JSTOR Daily, 2023)
Skate Culture and Black Women Rollin’
Rapper Nipsey Hussle Helps Beloved Mid City Roller Rink World on Wheels Get Rolling Again (LA Times)
Gene Kelly performs “I Like Myself” in It’s Always Fair Weather” (1955)
More Del La Soul
De La Soul - Live Performing Me, Myself & I at Tramps NYC 1996 (We Hate This Song)
De La Soul on Arsenio (1989)
De La Soul is Streaming (NPR, 2023)
De La Soul: Transmitting Live From Mars (1989)
The Turtles: You Showed Me (1968)
Trugoy Obituary and Tribute (NPR, 2023)
De La Soul: Tiny Desk (NPR, 2026)
De La Soul’s Maseo and Posdnuos Pen Tributes to Trugoy the Dove (Pitchfork, 2023)
Required Listening
Questlove’s Interview with Posdnuos (2026)
One Song: De La Soul’s “Buddy” (2024) 
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!