For most parents, “Baby Shark” is the nightmare that will not end. Ever since the South Korean educational company Pinkfong released the song earlier this year, it’s almost impossible to avoid.
The infectious children’s tune has more than 2.3 billion views on YouTube and made it onto the Billboard Top 40 list. So what makes this song so catchy and irresistib ... Show More
Oct 27
The 'bummer hope' of midwest emo (ft. Yvette Young and Mike Kinsella)
A few months ago, Nate came across a glittering guitar riff unlike anything he had ever heard before; it managed to perfectly balance careful optimism with plaintive melancholy, stirring the spirit. That melody, played by guitarist Yvette Young, was a shining example of the “midw ... Show More
30m 20s
Nov 2019
Baby Shark: From summer camp song to viral earworm
Baby Shark is a mega viral YouTube video, an unstoppable earworm, a top 40 hit, a Eurodance smash, a decades old campfire song, and the center of an international copyright dispute. In this episode from the podcast Decoder Ring, we explore the strange history of the song, what ma ... Show More
36m 1s
Aug 2022
The Worst Songs of all Time
From "Blurred Lines" to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Bitch," we look at some of the worst songs ever - while also questioning whether we can really be sure of "worst songs" in 2022, when the canon and our own tastes are in a constant state of reevaluation. Plus, a look at how pressure ... Show More
56m 34s