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American SongAuthor: Joe Hines
American Song is a podcast that traces the origins and development of American - and ultimately world-wide - forms of modern musical entertainment. Over time, we will trace every major genre from its origins through the current day.American Song looks at the development of our music through the lens of social, political, and economic changes that were occurring in each case, and we'll feature the most important musicians in each genre.Every episode is chock-full of the music we love and where possible, we include archival interviews so you can hear about, in the actual words and voices of these great musicians and singers, the motives and passions that drove their creativity. Language: en-us Genres: Arts, Music, Music History, Performing Arts Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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The New Wave Fun House: Blondie, Talking Heads, DEVO, The Cars, Oingo Boingo
Episode 4
Friday, 1 May, 2026
Get in touch!It was the late 1970s and early '80s. New York was bankrupt. Akron's tire factories were closing. Regular families were struggling with double-digit inflation. The AIDS epidemic was raging. The Soviets invaded Afghanistan and the US boycotted the Olympics in protest. John Lennon was assassinated. And somewhere in the background, always, that low hum — nuclear warheads, patient at the edge of the light. Into that America walked Blondie, Talking Heads, Devo, the B-52s, the Cars, and Oingo Boingo. You Might Think you know what they were doing. Quirky! Fun! Great hair! Here's what they were actually doing: holding a mirror up to everything that was broken and making it danceable. Whether that was a fun house mirror or a regular one — you'll have to decide. This episode, we find out what New Wave was really made of. And who was really making it.Continue the American Song journey on Substack! Music Featured In This EpisodeBlondie - X OffenderBlondie - Rip Her to ShredsThe Stillettos - Anti DiscoBlondie - One Way or AnotherBlondie - Heart of GlassBlondie - Call MeBlondie - RaptureBlondie - DreamingTalking Heads - Psycho KillerTalking Heads - Take Me to the RiverTalking Heads - Life During WartimeTalking Heads - I ZimbraTalking Heads - Once in a LifetimeTalking Heads - Burning Down the HouseDEVO - Jocko HomoDEVO - Whip ItDEVO - Wiggly WorldB-52s - Planet ClaireB-52s - Rock LobsterThe Cars - My Best Friend's GirlThe Cars - Just What I NeededThe Cars - You Might ThinkOingo Boingo - CapitalismOingo Boingo - Only A LadOingo Boingo - Private LifeOingo Boingo - Dead Man's PartyOingo Boingo - Goodbye, GoodbyeOingo Boingo - We Close Our EyesInterviews WithChris Stein David ByrneMark Mothersbaugh and Gerry CasaleCindy Wilson and Fred SchneiderJohn LennonRick Ocasek and Benjamin OrrBrandon FlowersDanny ElfmanContinue the American Song journey on Substack!Join our community and continue your journey through American Song: Visit us on Facebook.There, you'll get more information, video content, and more about the music and personalities covered in all our episodes.
