LYRICS FOR LUNCH – Details, episodes & analysis

We are back with trivia this week with tough questions about mullets, La La Land, girl-power anthems, and fabricated live recordings. Can Lindsay run the trivia gauntlet?

This week, we take a look at the making of Billie Eilish’s Oscar-winning “What Was I Made For?” AKA “Barbie’s heart song” — commissioned by Greta Gerwig for the billion dollar blockbuster that takes aim at patriarchy, glass ceilings, and unattainable beauty standards…? Sublime!

What do Stacy's Mom, A Colbert Christmas, Tom Hanks' directorial debut, a water feature store in New Jersey, and Emmy winner Crazy Ex Girlfriend all have in common? A master composer and musical comedy writer with a legacy as joyful as they come.

In 1968, a chance encounter set off a chain reaction that led to (arguably) the most famous murder in american history. This encounter also led to the 1968 Beach Boys track "Never Learn Not To Love," a song credited to Dennis Wilson, brother of Beach Boys wunderkind Brian Wilson. However, the truth behind the song is far more sinister--first written by Charles Manson. Today we discuss the tragedy of the Wilson Brothers and the bizarre truth of how they contributed to the Manson Family’s Helter Skelter--in the first episode of a mini-series we’re calling Famous Monsters

In the early '80s, yacht rock group Toto needed a hit or else risk being dropped by its record label. Keyboardist David Paich, allegedly inspired by his catholic upbringing and late-night Africa documentaries, penned much of what would become Toto's biggest hit in less than ten minutes. But is "Africa" a harmless monument to kitsch--or a prime example of poorly aged cultural appropriation and harmful stereotyping? This episode examines the lore behind the writing of perhaps the most memeified song of all time--and what it means today and yesterday. 

On her Grammy-winning album Folklore, Taylor Swift regales listeners with a tale of the eccentric dance patron and philanthropist Rebekah Harkness — who once owned Swift's Watch Hill, Rhode Island mansion (aptly named "Holiday House"). But there are way too many peculiarities to Rebekah's story than could ever fit within 3 minutes and 50 seconds. That's where we come in. From fish tanks filled with Scotch to missing bodily remains — with appearances from Salvador Dali, LBJ, and B.K.S. Iyengar along the way — our detailed retelling of Rebekah's life and death has got a little something for everyone.

This week we look at how the Pogues and Kirsty MacColl took Fairytale of New York from an elusive bet to one of the most-loved Christmas songs of all time. Happy holidays, everyone!

We've got the dirt behind Olivia Rodrigo's monster breakout hit "Drivers License" and its followup companion piece, "Déjà vu"—Plus all the teenage Disney drama and TikTok love-triangle theories our little hearts could handle.

How the tragic 1997 disappearance of Lela and Raymond Howard inspired a megahit that saved Disney's Hollywood Records.

What started as a requiem for a glacier became a triumphant call for hope and action in the fight to save our planet. This week: How environmentalist and LGBTQIA activist Pattie Gonia teamed up with world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and trans singer-songwriter (2019 Tiny Desk winner) Quinn Christopherson to create a musical rallying cry for the most critical movement this world has ever seen. And yes, the fits were fabulous.