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It’s November 1955, and the airwaves are thick with sweat, smoke, and the occasional baritone moral crisis. Three songs: “Sixteen Tons,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” and “Cry Me A River” show that even in Eisenhower’s America, sin and sorrow could still top the charts.
Contributing Author DJ Professor Dan sifts through the dust, danger, and dinner-jacketed despair to tell us why seventy years later, these songs still sound alive.
Deliver Me From Nowhere lingers on a conflicted artist and the making of the seminal Springsteen album Nebraska. Contributing Author Bill Bois guides us through the intimacy, the music, and the quieter corners of The Boss’s world.
It’s the debut of Contributing Author Music Historian, dutifully surveying the foggy landscape of the forgettable 1990 year of pop: where charted hits came and went without fanfare. No judgement here: we promise not to keep score of how many you’ve forgotten to remember.
It’s The Hits Of September-ish 1965!
Contributing Author DJ Professor Dan dives headfirst into September 1965, where John Lennon’s coded S.O.S., Wilson Pickett’s dance-floor thunder, and Nina Simone’s biblical firestorm collided.
The Real Truth About The Vapors’ Biggest Song
Pop culture loves a indelicate legend, but Contributing Author Bill Bois sets the actual record straight on “Turning Japanese”, showing how clever hooks and catchy choruses fueled its rise.
Late Career Beach Boys, Vol. II
Contributing Author Stobgopper chronicles the final hurrah in this review of late-stage Beach Boys. Some songs try, most coast, and Pacific Coast Highway closes the set with polite inevitability.
Musician Cara Richard
Catch up with 12-year-old Cara Richard in a TNOCS interview, where every note she plays bubbles with purpose and joy.
Proof positive that passion and talent can’t be measured by years.
The Popular Mix
He knows his way around a pop chart rabbit hole, and this volume lands us right in the middle of a trove of unforgettable duets. The handoffs are smooth, the commentary sharp, and the listening pure pleasure — exactly what we’ve come to expect from Contributing Author Chuck Small .
It’s The Hits Of September 1955!
This week’s time-capsule tour of September 1955 reminds us that pop history is equal parts brilliance, bravado, and beans. Returning after a short sabbatical is Contributing Author DJ Professor Dan, proving that (other than Pat Boone) the mid-50s were anything but dull.
The English Beat’s Accidental DADAAD Classic
What happens when a teenage tuning mistake becomes a rock classic? Contributing Author and Music Historian Bill Bois tells the story with wit, history, and a ringing chord or two.
A piece that hits like “Save It For Later” itself: unexpected, melodic, and unforgettable.
Charting the Highest Notes Ever Sung by Male Singers in Popular Music
Hypoxia never sounded so good: This soaring playlist rockets into the musical stratosphere, leaving you dizzy with delight.
Contributing Author Rollerboogie delivers a note-by-note adventure through the highest male vocals ever caught on record.
(That Will Make You Think You’re Listening to Eight Different Bands)
Musical identity crises can be messy. Luckily, this can also make for a very entertaining and eclectic playlist.
Late Career Beach Boys (1970 – 2012)
New Series! This time out: It’s a safari trough the less-charted jungles of Beach Boys history. Equal parts harmony, oddity, and unexpected delight, courtesy of tour guide and Contributing Author Stobgopper It’s a mix of humor, deep listening, and brave song choices, proving that even the “mud balls” of music deserve their moment.