synthpop

1992: Rap’s Big Moment, Political Messages … and We Actually Disagree!

Welcome to easily the most combative episode of Hall of Songs to date. OK, no punches thrown, but Tim and Chris disagree about at least one song in our top-12 of 1992.

Listen as we cover a messy year where the political and social can’t help but hit the pop charts. Our top songs of ’92 include some groundbreaking rap tracks, massive hits, and emerging alternative roads in rock.

After listening to Tim and Chris, VOTE for the greatest songs of all time! Songs from 1992, plus tunes from 1991, ’90, and ’89 are up for a shot to make the Hall of Songs! VOTE BELOW and come back on November 11, 2022, to find out which song or songs get in!

37th Election Results: A Must-Listen With Plenty to Talk About

Yup, this is a stacked results show. Tim and Chris talk about the 37th election, which included songs from the late 1980s and early 90s, including plenty of guitar rock and grunge, dance, rhythm and blues, rap, and more.

Will one song make the prestigious Hall of Songs? Will the Phillies beat the Astros in the ultimate World Series for Tim?

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

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Full results coming soon!

1991: The Year of Grunge, SoundScan, and Dance Parties

It’s a big year in music. 1991 starts with Whitney Houston’s memorable interpretation of “The Star Spangled Banner” at Super Bowl XXV. It continues with massive changes in the Billboard charts thanks to SoundScan, then ends with a sound heavy in guitar distortion.

Listen to our newest episode to find out our top-12 songs of the year. We talk about the mainstream emergence of grunge, the progression of house-inflected dance music, and the next batch of great songs in rap.

After listening to Tim and Chris, VOTE for the greatest songs of all time! Songs from 1991, plus tunes from 1990, ’89, ’88, ’86 and ’85 are up for a shot to make the Hall of Songs! VOTE BELOW and come back on October 28, 2022, to find out which song or songs get in!

Listen to the full episode for more, and then vote for the songs that you think are the greatest of all-time. SCROLL DOWN TO VOTE. Then, come back on October 28, 2022 to find out the voting results, and October 30, 2022 for our discussion on 1992.

36th Election Results: Does a Song From the 1990s Enter the Hall of Songs?

It’s time for the recap show for the Hall of Songs’ 36th election, which featured songs we nominated dating back between 1985 and ’90. How did songs by artists like Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Depeche Mode, Mariah Carey, Garth Brooks, and Alice in Chains fare on the ballot?

Listen now to find out if any songs got the support needed to enter our hall of fame for songs, and then hear how the whole election shook out.

(We also made it explicit because Tim said the “F” word very late in the episode.)

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

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Full results coming soon!

1990: Madonna, Mariah Carey, Garth Brooks and More Usher in the 1990s!

Welcome to the 1990s, a decade of excess, exuberance (irrational, even), and extremely awesome songs. Hall of Songs is here to sort through it all, starting with our top-12 songs of 1990.

Tim and Chris reveal their picks, including massive hits from massive hitmakers like Madonna, Mariah Carey, and Garth Brooks. Who else gets the Hall of Songs shine?

After listening to Tim and Chris, VOTE for the greatest songs of all time! Songs from 1990, plus tunes from 1989, ’88, ’86 and ’85 are up for a shot to make the Hall of Songs! VOTE BELOW and come back on October 7, 2022, to find out which song or songs get in!

Listen to the full episode for more, and then vote for the songs that you think are the greatest of all-time. SCROLL DOWN TO VOTE. Then, come back on October 7, 2022 to find out the voting results, and October 9, 2022 for our discussion on 1991.

35th Election Results: Are Hall of Songs Voters Crazy ‘Bout Elvis?

Come on in for our latest recap show, highlighting the results from the latest Hall of Songs election, our 35th overall.

Songs from 1985-89 were on the ballot this time, including gems by Janet Jackson, Public Enemy, De La Soul, Bobby Brown, Depeche Mode, Madonna, and more.

Find out if any songs got into the Hall of Songs from this election, and then learn the full results of this latest round of voting!

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

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Full results coming soon!

Move Your Body! We Pick Our Top-12 Songs of 1989

Hall of Songs gets a little electronic as the 1980s come to a close. Our latest episode takes you through 1989, a year when keyboards truly are everything. We hear major steps forward in dance, rap, and hard rock, and we can tell where the 1990s are heading.

Join Tim and Chris as they pick their top-12 songs of 1989. These are nominees for the prestigious Hall of Songs, the hall of fame for songs that currently includes 77 songs.

After listening to Tim and Chris, VOTE for the greatest songs of all time! Songs from 1989, plus tunes from 1988, ’87, ’86 and ’85 are up for a shot to make the Hall of Songs! VOTE BELOW and come back on September 23, 2022, to find out which song or songs get in!

Listen to the full episode for more, and then vote for the songs that you think are the greatest of all-time. SCROLL DOWN TO VOTE. Then, come back on September 23, 2022 to find out the voting results, and September 25, 2022 for our discussion on 1990.

1988! An Historic Year When Pop Expands: Our Top-12 Songs!

1988 is a wild year in music. Most of the big names that defined the 1980s are taking a break, leaving the door open for a number of new faces to break in and help define the sound that’ll take us into the 1990s. This is a year of rap, of freestyle- and house-inspired dance, of alternative rock, and of off-centered mainstream pop.

Join Tim and Chris as they pick their top-12 songs of 1988. These are nominees for the prestigious Hall of Songs, the hall of fame for songs that currently includes 72 songs.

After listening to Tim and Chris, VOTE for the greatest songs of all time! Songs from 1988, plus tunes from 1987, ’86, ’85 and ’84 are up for a shot to make the Hall of Songs! VOTE BELOW and come back on September 9, 2022, to find out which song or songs get in!

Listen to the full episode for more, and then vote for the songs that you think are the greatest of all-time. SCROLL DOWN TO VOTE. Then, come back on September 9, 2022 to find out the voting results, and September 11, 2022 for our discussion on 1989.

1987! The Return of Rock! Plus A Big Year For Rap, Dance

It’s a turning point year for Hall of Songs. We give you our picks for the 12 best songs of 1987, which include some hard rock classics, some big cinematic rock standards, and a few under-the-radar rockers.

Also, hey, rap is having a big year with some major advancements in sound and image. Plus, one dance track dares to try something totally different.

After listening to Tim and Chris, VOTE for the greatest songs of all time! Songs from 1987, plus tunes from 1986, ’85, ’84, ’83 and ’81 are up for a shot to make the Hall of Songs! VOTE BELOW and come back on August 26, 2022, to find out which song or songs get in!

Listen to the full episode for more, and then vote for the songs that you think are the greatest of all-time. SCROLL DOWN TO VOTE. Then, come back on August 26, 2022 to find out the voting results, and August 28, 2022 for our discussion on 1988.

1986! Dance the Night Away with Our Top-12 Songs

We’re past “We Are the World” and Live Aid. Hall of Songs enters 1986, when we hear pop and adult contemporary beginning to merge as rap and dance music branch out into totally new places.

This is a year of big movie soundtrack hits, plaintive pop that strikes a chord nationwide, and new sounds emerging out of big cities like New York and Chicago. Follow Tim and Chris as they chronicle this interesting year of music and pick their top-12 songs of 1986.

After listening to Tim and Chris, VOTE for the greatest songs of all time! Songs from 1986, plus tunes from 1985, ’84, ’83 and ’81 are up for a shot to make the Hall of Songs! VOTE BELOW and come back on August 12, 2022, to find out which song or songs get in!

Our 1986 nominees:

“Nasty” as performed by Janet Jackson
- Written by James Harris III, Terry Lewis and Janet Jackson; recorded September 1985; released February 1986
“Kiss” as performed by Prince
- Written by Prince; recorded April 1985; released February 1986
“If You Leave” as performed by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
- Written by Andy McClusky, Paul Humphreys and Martin Cooper; recorded February 1986; released February 1986
“Sweet Love” as performed by Anita Baker
- Written by Anita Baker, Louis A. Johnson and Gary Bias; recorded late 1985; released March 1986
“Live to Tell” as performed by Madonna
- Written by Madonna and Patrick Leonard; recorded December 1985; released March 1986
“Walk This Way” as performed by Run D.M.C. and Aerosmith
- Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry; recorded March 1986; released May 1986
“In Your Eyes” as performed by Peter Gabriel
- Written by Peter Gabriel; recorded late 1985; released May 1986
“There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” as performed by The Smiths
- Written by Johnny Marr and Morrissey; recorded fall 1985; released June 1986
“Move Your Body (House Music Anthem)” as performed by Marshall Jefferson
- Written by Marshall Jefferson; recorded summer 1986; released July 1986
“Don’t Dream It’s Over” as performed by Crowded House
- Written by Neil Finn; recorded early 1986; released August 1986
“True Colors” as performed by Cyndi Lauper
- Written by Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg; recorded March 1986; released August 1986
“Bizarre Love Triangle” as performed by New Order
- Written by Gillian Gilbert, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and Bernard Sumner; recorded January 1986; released September 1986

Listen to the full episode for more, and then vote for the songs that you think are the greatest of all-time. SCROLL DOWN TO VOTE. Then, come back on August 12, 2022 to find out the voting results, and August 14, 2022 for our discussion on 1987.