Stereothematica

Brr. Did someone just open a window? Or did I catch a crazy vibe from this funky ass song? Ok enough silliness. This week we deep dive into the songs that give us the literal chills. You know, the type of song that makes the hairs on your arm stand up. A song that makes you sit up a little straighter... makes you "lock in" as the youth say. And no, we DIDN'T just explore this theme with "Visceral." That's different. We insist. 

SONGS:
Herbie Hancock: Watermelon Man (1973)
Rosalía: Berghain (2025)
RESOURCE AND REFERENCES:
Watermelon Man - 1962 version
Hindewhu flute performance
The Ethan Hein Blog - Watermelon Man
Herbie Hancock on Watermelon Man
Watermelon Sacrifice at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
Pygmy POP. A Genealogy of Schizophonic Mimesis
Rosalia Explains Lux: 13 Languages! Heartbreak! Betrayal! Björk! (& ‘Euphoria’) - Popcast
What Do Rosalia’s Lyrics Actually Mean By Michelle Santiago Cortes
Rosalía's Berghain is a thunderous goth-pop hit -- but is it opera? By Laura Snapes (The Guardian)
Rosalia’s Lux is Operatic, but is it Opera? By Joshua Barone (NYT)
Another article by Snapes wherein Rosalía is quoted as being “hot for God” (The Guardian)
Decoding the Language and Saints of Rosalías Lux (The Glottal Stop)
Lux: An exploration of divine femininity NOT centered around ability to reproduce (Reddit)
Spirituality and song: What Rosalía’s ‘Lux’ says about sainthood by Hannah Rich (Theos)
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (Winter)
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 [email protected]! We will write back!

Music has the power to soothe, excite, stir emotions, or make you get up and dance! And sometimes it elicits a visceral reaction that you weren't expecting... even after the umpteenth time you've heard the song. That's right, this week, we're talking about songs that wreak havoc on your nervous system.
SONGS:
David Bowie: Blackstar (2015) 
Bjork: hyperballad (1996)
REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:
Tony Visconti Talks About How Blackstar Was Made
Jay Mills’ Drum Cover of Blackstar
The Guardian Review of Blackstar Video (2015)
David Bowie: Lazarus (2016)
A thank you letter to David Bowie from a palliative care doctor
Johan Renck on directing Bowie’s final videos
Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly (2015)
On David Bowie’s Blackstar, Turning to Jazz for Inspiration by Nate Chinen (2016)
Bjork’s Interview in Record Collector Magazine (2002)
"Hyperballad" stands the test of time... and honestly, we've yet to reach its time (The Unfortified Castle)
The XFM Top 1,000 Songs of All Time
Bjork's theory about paparazzi culture
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 [email protected]! We will write back!

Fa La La. Shoo ba doo bee. MmmmBOP! Did you read those out loud just now? Congratulations. You can scat! All jokes aside, this week we’re focused on made up words in music! Some of the greatest hits of all time have a nonsensical word (or two!) in their lyrics, and we’re deep diving into some of our favorites in this episode! 
SONGS: 
Ooh Poo Pah Doo: Jessie Hill 
Serge Gainsbourg: Shu Ba Du Ba Loo Ba (1966)

EXTRAS:
Non-lexical vocables in music
Kim Cattrall Scatting
Twin Peaks Leland Palmers "Mairzy Doats"
Just Judy: Judy Hill, I Wanna Tell You About Ooh Poo Pah Doo 
Trombone Shorty on Treme - “Ooh Poo Pah Doo”
Jessie Hill article in Gambit
France Gall - Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son - Eurovision Winner 1965
Gainsbourg and Birkin: Je t’aime…moi non plus (1969) 
Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life - Trailer (2011)
Juliette Greco: La Javanaise (1963)
Gainsbourg: La Javanaise (1968)
Gainsbourg's 20 Most Scandalous Moments 
Gainsbourg & Greco Clip for Biopic (2011)
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 [email protected]! We will write back!

We’re not making any friends with this episode. But hopefully we don’t lose any either. 
We’re just being honest…and mildly obnoxious. Please listen until the end (unless you’re a Swiftie!).
SONGS:
Tom Waits: All the World is Green (2002) 
Beyonce: 7/11 (2014)
EXTRAS:
Live Circus Live at Jacksonville (2008)
Tom Waits Library  
Tom Waits - IMDb
Cinematic Appearances of Tom Waits and His Music
Tom Waits Glitter and Doom Press Conference (2008)
Tom Waits: Grapefruit Moon (1973)
Night on Earth Soundtrack (1991) 
Interview with Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan (1981)
Tom Waits: Way Down in the Hole (1987)
The Wire: Season 1 Opening Credits - Way Down in the Hole (The Blind Boys of Alabama)
The Wire: Season 2 Opening Credits - Way Down in the Hole (Tom Waits)
The Wire: Season 3 Opening Credits - Way Down in the Hole (The Neville Brothers)
The Wire: Season 4 Opening Credits - Way Down in the Hole (DoMaJe)
The Wire: Season 5 Opening Credits -  Way Down in the Hole (Steve Earle)
Story behind David Simon Choosing Way Down in the Hole for The Wire
Destiny's Child - Say My Name (1999)
Beyonce's 2018 Coachella performance
The Politics Behind Beyonce’s 2018 Coachella Performance
Cultural impact of Beyoncé Wikipedia 
Solange Has Built a Creative Empire. Now She’s Bringing Her Work Home
Solange's speech during Eldorado Ballroom performance in Houston, TX, in June 2025
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 [email protected]! We will write back!

Ever think there might be an invisible thread holding things together that you cannot see, but perhaps... you can feel? This week's theme centers on the question, "Are these songs related somehow?" And the resounding answer: "No."
SONGS
Pino D'angio: Ma quale Idea (1980) 
Brian Eno: Baby’s on Fire (1973)
EXTRAS
Will Smith - Gettin' Jiggy Wit It
Sister Sledge: He’s the Greatest Dancer
The Bar-Kays: Sang and Dance
How Italo disco is taking over Berlin (again)
Ma Quale Idea - bassline by Stefano Cerri- OR IS IT?
bnkr44, Pino D'Angiò - MA CHE IDEA
Roxy Music: Re-make/Re-model (1972)
Roxy Music: Do the Strand (1973)
Roxy Music: Love is the Drug (1975)
Baby’s on Fire Review by Joe Hoeffner
Guardian Interview with Brian Eno
Fripp & Eno: No Pussyfooting (1972) 
King Crimson: The Court of the Crimson King (1969)
Brian Eno on AI, Art and What Makes Us Human (2025)
Brian Eno: Music for Airports (1978)
12 Musical Works You Didn’t Know Eno Produced
Eno Meets David Byrne
David Byrne: T-Shirt (2025)
Oblique Strategies
And of course, Eno's "Baby's On Fire" has no relation to Die Antwoord's, a track we discussed in our Scary Songs episode. 
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 [email protected]! We will write back!