The Imperative Jingle Bells

Ten years ago, Maggie Rogers was a senior at NYU, scrambling to finish a song for a music production class she was close to failing. The guest critic that week happened to be Pharrell Williams. She played him "Alaska," a track she'd written in about fifteen minutes. It is a bit o ...  Show more

Train is the kind of band that some people love to hate. Songs like "Meet Virginia" and "Hey Soul Sister" gave the band huge hits, and no small amount of snark. And then there's "Drops of Jupiter." Released in 2001, the song is almost impossible not to love, no matter how many ly ...  Show more

Rob explores Mariah Carey’s modern classic Christmas anthem “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by discussing the transcendent vocalist’s tumultuous early life and career, her oft-overlooked songwriting prowess, and how the song builds on the long canon of Christmas music. This epi ...  Show more

Some Christmas songs aren’t as merry or bright as they seem. Annie Zaleski uncovers the mystery and drama behind Bobby Helms’ 1957 holiday hit, “Jingle Bell Rock.”🔗ANNIE’S LINKS: This Is Christmas, Song by Song: The Stories Behind 100 Holiday HitsWebsiteNewsletterInstagram Faceb ...  Show more

The legendary songwriter, who's releasing her debut album later this year, shares stories from songs spanning her entire career, from "Rhythm of the Night" to "I Don't Want to Miss A Thing," with host Brian Hiatt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoice ...  Show more

Rob Sheffield and Brittany Spanos join host Brian Hiatt for a rundown of their favorite Christmas and holiday songs, from Mariah Carey to Ariana Grande to Run-DMC to Bruce Springsteen – and oddities including Bryan Adams' "Reggae Christmas" and the entire existence of Trans-Siber ...  Show more