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American SongAuthor: Joe Hines
America was meant to be a light on the hill a place others looked to when they needed to find their own way forward.If America has ever truly been that light, it came from its music. From the people who suffered the most and somehow still found something worth singing about.From colonial taverns to protest marches in the Eastern Bloc, from gospel churches to a ghetto in Soweto, American rhythms helped people band together, speak truth, and refuse to quit. Our songs became the world's songs not because we exported them, but because people who needed hope reached out and claimed them as their own.American Song tells the stories of the artists who made the music and the people who were moved by it. One era at a time. One genre, one band, one song at a time. Music that started by campfires, in cotton fields, in churches and juke joints and moved out into the world to become something larger than any one nation could contain.This is American Song. 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.
