Recent Posts
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The Cultural Bouillabaisse of Red Red Wine by UB40
Red Red Wine by British reggae band UB40 charted twice in the ‘80s, once in 1984 and again in 1988. UB40 brought a “modern beat” to this cover of reggae […]
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The Aphrodisiac of Funky Cold Medina by Tone Loc
Today we talk about the Aphrodisiac of Funky Cold Medina by Tone Loc! Tone Loc’s “Funky Cold Medina” went to #3 in the U.S. in 1989, written by Young MC […]
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Dire Straits’ Money For Nothing and the Problematic F Word
Dire Straits’ “Money For Nothing’ ” went to #1 in the US and Canada in 1985. Driven by frontman Mark Knopfler’s strong guitar riff and an iconic guest vocal from […]
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Cult of Personality by Living Colour is a Song for Our Times
Living Colour’s “Cult of Personality” went to #13 in 1988, inspired in part by the media-savvy actor-turned president, Ronald Reagan. The band drew notoriety for their melding of heavy metal […]
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Little Pink Houses in My Hometown of Allentown
Several big 80’s hits by prominent rockers detailed the decline of industrialized jobs and the death of middle America and indicted America for failing to live up to its promises: […]
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Introducing the Sick Burns! Spotify Playlist
Follow our Spotify playlist to listen to all the songs we mention on the podcast:
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Mexican Radio by Wall of Voodoo
While some might chalk L.A.-based new wave band Wall of Voodoo’s big hit “Mexican Radio” up as a novelty song, it touches on some surprisingly relevant themes. Inspired by the […]
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Taunting Virtue with Adam Ant’s Goody Two Shoes
Goody Two Shoes by Adam Ant was a hit in 1982, reaching number 12 in the US and number 1 in the UK. How did Ant shape this common taunt […]
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Fat by “Weird Al” Yankovic
In this episode, we unpack “Weird Al” Yankovic’s hit 1988 song “Fat,” a parody of Michael Jackson’s “Bad,” and discuss how it mocks heavy people in a way we now […]
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The Adorable Cynicism of Richard Marx’s Don’t Mean Nothing
In this episode we discuss Richard Marx’s breakout hit, Don’t Mean Nothing (1987). It may be one of the most cynically painted rock portraits of Hollywood in the 1980s, with […]