Stereothematica

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!

Happy New Year! We are kicking off 2026 with a deadly fall and a sliced off ear! That's right, movie magic music is back, and this time we’re talking about the most haunting use of a song in a movie. Brace yourself for spoilers! 
SONGS
Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band: P.I.M.P. (2008)
Stealers Wheel: Stuck in the Middle with You (1972)
EXTRAS
P.I.M.P. Scene from Anatomy of a Fall 
Stuck in the Middle With You Scene from Reservoir Dogs
50 Cent: P.I.M.P. (2003)
Anatomy of a Song: A Reading of P.I.M.P. in Justine Triet's Anatomy of a Fall (Dr. Gemma Blackwood)
Pitchfork Review of 55 
Rolling Stone: Quentin Tarantino on Five Key Soundtrack Picks, From “Reservoir Dogs” to “Inglourious Basterds"
Hip to be Square Scene in American Psycho
Instrumental Song that Could Have Been a Radio Hit (where today's podcast theme idea was formed)
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!

The year is (almost) over! And we are delighted. So what better time to share our most-loved and most-listened to bands with our dutiful, beautiful listeners? If the year-end "best of" lists overwhelm you, we hope you'll enjoy a mini-deep dive into two bands we kept coming back to all year long. And truly, we cannot wait to discover more new (and old) music with you in 2026! Thanks for listening all year long! 
VIDEOS
Devo: Uncontrollable Urge (1978)
Being Dead: Van Goes (2024)
EXTRAS
Rolling Stone: ICE Ads Are All Over Your Favorite Streaming Services
Being Dead article in Texas Monthly
Being Dead: Big Bovine music video
Being Dead KEXP In-Studio Performance
Bowie Introduces Devo at Max’s Kansas City (1977)
Human Highway (1982)
Devo: Freedom of Choice (1980)
Devo: Girl U Want (1980)
Devo Performing I Can’t Get No Satisfaction on SNL (1979)
Devo Performing Uncontrollable Urge Live on Fridays (1980)
Devo Performing Nutra Theme/Jerkin Back and Forth Live on Fridays (1981)
Devo Performing Uncontrollable Urge at Hollywood Bowl (Oct. 18, 2025)
Guardian Interview with Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale  (2022)
Mark Mothersbaug on KCRW with his Minimoog (2016)
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!