All Hail the ’90s! Kristen Kurtis Joins Us For a Decade of No Doubt and ‘No Scrubs’

As we at Hall of Songs have reached the 1990s, we are celebrating being in the thick of our own nostalgia. So to keep the party going as we roll into 1994, we asked Kristen Kurtis, morning show host at our favorite radio station WXPN (88.5FM in Philadelphia), to chat with us about the decade she also loves so much. It just so happens that Kristen and her XPN crew are about to embark on a special “90s A to Z” programming block on Dec. 1, 2022!

So we talk to Kristen about “90s A to Z,” then ask her about her favorite artists, albums, and songs of the 90s. We also discuss how the 90s are perceived by critics, why 90s kids are the best music listeners ever, and which Tori Amos song she would nominate for the Hall of Songs (spoiler: all of them).

Listen to “90s A to Z” presented by WXPN starting Dec. 1, 2022, by visiting xpn.org and streaming from anywhere! 

And follow Kristen on social (@kristenkurtis / @kristen_kurtis)!

1987-90 Veterans Committee: The Newest Nominees Kinda Suit Us, Anyway

Welcome back to another Veterans Committee episode of Hall of Songs!

In this episode, where we take a look at the last four years in our podcast timeline and pick out a couple songs to place on our ballot, we investigate whether the Grateful Dead’s biggest hit is worthy of nomination.

Spoiler: One of our co-hosts loves the Grateful Dead.

We also nominate a couple other big songs from the late 80s and very very very early 90s. Then, we go deeper into things we love about this period in time, musically.

Hall of Wrongs: Our Least-Favorite Songs of the 1980s

Some will say that the 1980s is when some of the most ear-splitting songs were recorded. We at Hall of Songs don’t buy this, but we’re at least willing to have fun with it.

Join Tim, Chris, and special guest Libby Cudmore (@libbycudmore) as we present our least-favorite songs of the 1980s.

This conversation is easily the most un-Hall-of-Songs conversation ever (note the explicit rating), so let it all go, relax, and enjoy.

Buy Libby’s hipster mystery novel The Big Rewind here!

34th Election Results: Small Ballot … Big Results!

We knew going into the 34th election that we could see some fireworks.

The latest ballot was the smallest in Hall of Songs history: 18 songs, all of which released between 1984 and ’88. With records by the likes of Prince, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, N.W.A., Metallica and more on the list, we were pretty excited heading into this show.

Listen to find out if any songs … or how many songs … got enough voter support to be inducted into the Hall of Songs.

Listen by clicking above, and subscribe at Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Full results coming soon!

Chris Molanphy on The Hot 100, Billy Joel, Garth Brooks + More!

It’s time for another bonus episode of Hall of Songs!

The Hot 100 has been the leading arbiter of song popularity within America since its conception in 1958. To better understand its nooks and crannies, and to better contextualize what makes a song so popular nationwide, we brought in the chart expert himself, Chris Molanphy (@cmolanphy), to break it all down. Molanphy is the author of the Slate series “Why Is This Song No. 1?” and the host of the Slate podcast Hit Parade.

In this conversation, Tim, Chris, and Chris discuss popular songs, changes in the charts, and specific Hall of Songs topics such as freestyle, Billy Joel, and the fall and rise of country music as a crossover-capable genre.

Read Chris Molanphy’s work here, and listen and subscribe to his podcast Hit Parade here.

32nd Election Results! Do 2 Songs Walk Into the Hall of Songs?

We’ll tell you for sure that one song got into the Hall of Songs from our recent election, the 32nd overall. But two? In the 1980s? Is it possible?

Listen to get the full results of the latest vote. You’ll hear what happens to songs like current smash hit “Running Up That Hill” and former smash hit “Bette Davis Eyes” … and everything in between.

Listen by clicking above, and subscribe at Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Full results coming soon!

31st Election Results! Dreaming of New Members of the Hall of Songs

Will any songs join the 65 current members of the Hall of Songs, our prestigious academy of the greatest songs of all-time?

Join Tim and Chris as they go over a huge ballot of 29 songs from between 1981 and ’85. You’ve got records by Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Whitney Houston, Tears For Fears, Eurythmics, Phil Collins and many more big names. Will anything get through?

Listen by clicking above, and subscribe at Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Full results coming soon!

29th Election Results! The Time Has Come to Induct Our 65th Song

Let’s not waste time: Chris is back and joins Tim to induct the 65th song into our prestigious Hall of Songs. Which record will join the latest two, Prince’s “Little Red Corvette” and Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”?  Take the time to find out. 

Also, we discuss songs that are now eliminated from our Hall of Songs ballot … and the thing that all the remaining songs have in common.

Listen by clicking above, and subscribe at Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Full results coming soon!