Wait, was “Undone” really the most popular early Weezer song? In this epic episode we unravel Weezer’s 1994 hit (in some universes, at least), “Undone - The Sweater Song.” After discussing the hosts’ history with the band, Mark follows a thread of connection between some of the iconic elements of the song and older - much older - kinds of music. And Nichole finally gets Mark to understand what this song seems to really be about: depression.

To hear more of Nichole’s story, check out the episode “Burnt Toast” from the Scissors N Scrubs podcast from March 2023.

Other music heard in this episode: Weezer - “Say it Ain’t So”, The Rentals - “Friends of P”, Wheesor - “Undone - The Sweater Song”, Weezer - “Africa”, Weezer - “Perfect Situation” - Richard Berry and the Pharaohs - “Louie Louie”, René Touzet - “El Loco Cha Cha Cha”, Metallica - “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)”, Robert Johnson - “I Believe I’ll Dust By Broom”, Mead ‘Lux’ Lewis - “Honky Tonk Train Blues”, The Jimi Hendrix Experience - “Purple Haze”, The Beatles - “Taxman”, Garbage - “Supervixen”, Jet - “Are You Gonna Be My Girl”

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What’s with all the fancy terms? In this bonus episode, Mark and Nichole convene the study group just in time to help with your homework. In this meeting, the hosts talk through the terms and concepts associated with how music sounds, and be ready when big words like timbre, staccato, fortissimo, and polyphony show up on the final! Next week, back to a full episode!

Music heard in this episode: Fleet Foxes - “Mykonos”, Fleet Foxes - “Mykonos (Alternate Version)”

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How is Taylor Swift Like Super Mario Bros. 3? Which Star Trek has the coolest theme music? This week, we dip back into the well of listener questions! Come back next week for a full episode!

Music heard in this episode: Stephen Schwartz - excerpt from Godspell, Great Grandpa - "English Garden", Kris Kross - "Jump", Russell Watson - "Where My Heart Will Take Me", Max Richter - "On the Nature of Daylight", Takashi Tateishi - "Bubbleman", Nobuo Uematsu - "Forever Rachel"

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Won’t you stay? In this episode we get Kylie Minogue’s 2001 club standout “Can’t Get You Out of My Head”… stuck in our heads. Why? Because of some very simple but very effective melodic tricks: variation. Catchy hooks like this make Nichole think of intrusive thoughts, and all the hilarity and darkness that conversation leads to.

Other music heard in this episode: Kylie Minogue - "Locomotion", Little Eva - "The Locomotion", Failure - "Stuck On You," The Killers - "Mr Brightside", David Bowie - "Rebel Rebel", Bruce Springsteen - "Born in the USA"

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Did you see a rainbow yesterday? An outtake from our episode on “Baby-Baby-Baby,” Nichole dives deep about Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes’ struggles, passing, and genius, and pays homage to the resilience of the other members of the group. Tune in next week for a full episode!

Music heard in this episode: TLC - “Baby-Baby-Baby”

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Is Mark going to flake it up? He can’t figure out what the heck key is TLC’s 1992 jam “Baby-Baby-Baby” in? The internet thinks it knows, but maybe we’re better off embracing the mystery.. Nichole certainly thinks she knows for sure who the best girl group of all time is, though, and shares some thoughts on the fascinating dynamics of the group. We end with one big question: what three 90s albums best embody our hosts’ personalities?

Other music heard in this episode: TLC - "Waterfalls,” Des'ree "You Gotta Be", Psychedelic Furs - "Love My Way", Fleetwood Mac - "Dreams", Incubus - "Dig"

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Should artists always get a share of the songwriting credit? This week, we discuss songwriting and who exactly deserves the credit and profit from a successful song. Also, Mark looks back on how his view of authorship and his own songwriting priorities have changed over the years. Check us out next week for a new full episode!

Music heard in this episode: Claude Debussy - “Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune”

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Was this song written just for this podcast? Tears for Fears’ 1985 smash “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” is so perfect that even the band name is a psychology reference. Oh, and the album title is a callout to dissociative identity disorder. Mark takes that and runs, connecting that to the unusual pace the chords of the song shift. Nichole also wonders: does everybody actually want to rule the world?

Other music heard in this episode: Tears for Fears - "Mothers Talk," Tears for Fears - "Head Over Heels", Tears for Fears - "I Believe," Tears for Fears - "Mad World," Miles Davis - "So What", Earth, Wind & Fire - "Shining Star", Live,- "Lightning Crashes"

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