Mark and Sarah Talk About Songs

22/07/2024

1996’s Romeo + Juliet seemed like a slam-dunk ending to our soundtrack mini-season…but we have regrets! Epcot industrial music, lazy versions of Shakespeare, the psychotic hormonal jangling of youth, Scandinavian cultural crimes, and the returns of Teddy Ruxpin AND No Middle Ground with Paul Quinn accompany our struggling to remember the Wallflowers, and to decide whether it’s possible for a song to be disgusting. Sidle up to an aquarium and have a listen!

LISTEN --> https://bleav.com/shows/mark-and-sarah-talk-about-songs/episodes/90s-soundtrack-flashback-episode-04-romeo-juliet/

15/07/2024

Mama always said the Forrest Gump soundtrack was a like a box of chocolates... in that some of the selections were delicious and some were unbearably gooey. Join us as we rank the songs on this 90s soundtrack juggernaut!

LISTEN: https://bleav.com/shows/mark-and-sarah-talk-about-songs/episodes/90s-soundtrack-flashback-episode-03-forrest-gump/

08/07/2024

Our 90s Soundtrack Flashback continues as we the songs in Pulp Fiction. From fighting with surf rockers to wishing we could dance with a milkshake in our hands, we're doing it all. So say "c'est la vie" and come check it out!

LISTEN --> https://bleav.com/shows/mark-and-sarah-talk-about-songs/episodes/90s-soundtrack-flashback-episode-02-pulp-fiction/

01/07/2024

It's a new mini-season! Throughout July, we're ranking the songs on 90s soundtracks, and we're starting with SINGLES. Come for Pearl Jam making jokes, stay for Campbell Scott designing the future of public transportation.

LISTEN --> https://bleav.com/shows/mark-and-sarah-talk-about-songs/episodes/90s-soundtrack-flashback-episode-01-singles/

02/05/2024

We couldn't have a Weird Al season without discussing "UHF," both the theme song and the cult classic film that inspired it. Patrons can enjoy this bonus episode right now... and don't miss our other recent bonus episode about Al's hair-metal tribute "Stuck In a Closet With Wanna White"!

Get more from Mark and Sarah Talk About Songs on Patreon

25/04/2024

And so it ends! In our last match-up of the Weird Al Vs. Everybody season, we're looking at The Kinks' "Lola" and Mr. Yankovic's enduring parody "Yoda." We talk about why "Lola" lends itself to Al's comedic stylings; the two "lanes" of WAY parody when it comes to film and TV; and how emotional breadth and narrative economy can co-exist. Patrons at any level can listen, so come join the fun!

Get more from Mark and Sarah Talk About Songs on Patreon

22/04/2024

As we talk about Weird Al's "Word Crimes," we also talk about (sigh) "Blurred Lines," a songs whose legacy has been tarnished like whoa. But then we move to bigger things, like whether or not we should still be mad about the word "irregardless" and other word crimes that used to shake us to our core. https://bleav.com/shows/mark-and-sarah-talk-about-songs/episodes/weird-al-vs-everybody-episode-23-word-crimes/

18/04/2024

Just like Jack Black, we're pumped to talk about "Tacky," Weird Al's spin on Pharrell's modern classic "Happy." Patrons at any level can listen to this bonus episode, so join us today!

LISTEN: https://www.patreon.com/posts/weird-al-vs-22-102460081

15/04/2024

Thirty years after the death of frontman Kurt Cobain, Nirvana and their music still feel very close. Does that have anything to do with Weird Al’s equally “defining” parody, a track that let Al “sell out” again after the disastrous UHF experience…with a band at the bleeding edge of the sell-out conversation? The shroud of tragedy, the performance of self, rebellious chaos, and ballerina tutus: better get to the gym, y’all! It’s an all-new MASTAS. https://bleav.com/shows/mark-and-sarah-talk-about-songs/episodes/weird-al-vs-everybody-episode-21-smells-like-nirvana/

11/04/2024

Weird Al takes on the movie The Phantom Menace AND the song American Pie. We sort through our conflicted feelings about some indestructible institutions, including Star Wars and Don McLean, and learn which one of us would rather just take a nap than ever think about any of this again. Patrons at any level can hear this episode, so come on and join us!

Get more from Mark and Sarah Talk About Songs on Patreon

08/04/2024

It’s an all-time training-montage banger vs. Weird Al’s vision for Rocky XIII as "Eye of the Tiger" meets "Rye or the Kaiser." Greetings from the Sly Stallone industrial complex... now get that sammich to go and listen to an all-new episode! https://bleav.com/shows/mark-and-sarah-talk-about-songs/episodes/weird-al-vs-everybody-episode-19-rye-or-the-kaiser/

04/04/2024

Here's a sneak preview of today's patron-only episode! What happens when Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA" meets Weird Al's "Party in the CIA"? Find out! Patrons at any level can hear this episode, so join us at patreon.com/mastas

01/04/2024

Weird Al took on both the Beverly Hillbillies and "Money For Nothing" in a single stroke, and we're considering the results this week! https://bleav.com/shows/mark-and-sarah-talk-about-songs/episodes/weird-al-vs-everybody-episode-17-money-for-nothing-beverly-hillbillies/

25/03/2024

It's that Airbnb pasta-taxonomy poster in pop-song form: "Lasagna," Weird Al's take on Los Lobos's take on Ritchie Valens's take on the Mexican folk song Sarah and her classmates dutifully droned during first-period Spanish. Before we cast our votes (and yours!), we talk about the restaurant from Big, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Dr. Melfi's ex-husband, Sophia Petrillo, forgetting the word "benefit," and Polish jokes. Are we putting the "no" back in "buongiorno"? Listen and see!

LISTEN: https://bleav.com/shows/mark-and-sarah-talk-about-songs/episodes/weird-al-vs-everybody-episode-15-lasagna/

21/03/2024

This week's patron-only episode is about one of the most unexpectedly moving songs we've encountered in ages: Weird Al's parody of The Police's "King of Pain." Get up in those feelings!

Get more from Mark and Sarah Talk About Songs on Patreon

18/03/2024

"MacArthur Park" or "Jurassic Park"? We've got 'em both as we talk about Weird Al's riff on the Richard Harris/Donna Summer opus about cakes in the rain.

LISTEN: https://bleav.com/shows/mark-and-sarah-talk-about-songs/episodes/weird-al-vs-everybody-episode-13-jurassic-park/

11/03/2024

Mashed potatoes can be your friends! In this week's bonus episode, patrons at any level can savor the lunacy of "Dare to Be Stupid," which may be Weird Al's greatest original tune.

LISTEN: https://www.patreon.com/posts/weird-al-vs-1-to-100099754

07/03/2024

Mr. Huey Lewis has us both feeling hot and bothered, and Mr. Weird Al Yankovic has us both contemplating the pitfalls of letting a duck be your roommate. In this week's patron-only episode, "I Want a New Drug" meets "I Want a New Duck."

LISTEN: https://www.patreon.com/posts/weird-al-vs-ep-99876416

04/03/2024

The unique legacy of Tommy James and the Shondells adds another chapter today, as Weird Al contends with Tiffany's smash cover of "I Think We're Alone Now." We're discussing Jersey-girl aspirational fashion, budge sound that's a feature and not a bug, and that person you could know becoming that person everyone does know. Take a break from sewing patches on your jean jacket and have a listen! https://bleav.com/shows/mark-and-sarah-talk-about-songs/episodes/weird-al-vs-everybody-episode-11-i-think-im-a-clone-now/

29/02/2024

This week's patron-only episode finds Joan Jett's "I Love Rock 'n Roll" facing off against Weird Al's "I Love Rocky Roady." Who shall emerge with the sexiest rock scream of them all? Patrons at any level can listen!

Get more from Mark and Sarah Talk About Songs on Patreon

26/02/2024

Can Weird Al inch ahead in the season standings with "I Lost On Jeopardy," his parody of the Greg Kihn Band's "Jeopardy"? We're talking early adopters, terrible album-title puns we admire, second careers, cheap-but-creepy videos, and how MB's personal Jeopardy! journey deepens his appreciation of this Yankovic joint.

LISTEN: https://bleav.com/shows/mark-and-sarah-talk-about-songs/episodes/weird-al-vs-everybody-episode-9-i-lost-on-jeopardy/

22/02/2024

It's Weird Al vs. Crash Test Dummies! In our latest patron-only episode, we're looking at Al's tabloid-y take on "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm." Become a patron at any level to hear the other half of this season.

LISTEN: https://www.patreon.com/posts/weird-al-vs-ep-98905591

19/02/2024

New episode! This week, it's Weird Al's "Gump" vs. "Lump" by The Presidents of the United States of America. What's the difference between "unpretentious" and "un-serious"? We're gonna figure it out! https://bleav.com/shows/mark-and-sarah-talk-about-songs/episodes/weird-al-vs-everybody-episode-7-gump/

15/02/2024

Our Weird Al season continues with Lorde's "Royals" and Mr. Yankovic's deliciously unhinged parody "Foil." This is a patron-only episode, so join us at any level to hear this half of the season.

Get more from Mark and Sarah Talk About Songs on Patreon

12/02/2024

This week, we realized we can talk about Weird Al's uncommonly mean-spirited "Fat" without playing a clip of it. But we DO play a clip of Michael Jackson's "Bad." Join us as we consider two unpleasant songs! https://bleav.com/shows/mark-and-sarah-talk-about-songs/episodes/weird-al-vs-everybody-episode-5-fat/

08/02/2024

We've reached the "Eat It"/"Beat It" face off In our Weird Al vs. Everyone season! But which 80s classic will emerge victorious? Patrons at any level of support can listen, so come join us today! https://www.patreon.com/posts/weird-al-vs-04-i-98036367

05/02/2024

Who rocked it better: Red Hot Chili Peppers or Weird Al? Our "Weird Al Vs. Everyone" season continues as "Give It Away" meets "Bedrock Anthem."
https://bleav.com/shows/mark-and-sarah-talk-about-songs/episodes/weird-al-vs-everybody-episode-3-bedrock-anthem/

01/02/2024

It's Weird Al vs. Queen! In this week's patron-only episode, we're looking at "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Another One Rides the Bus." Become a patron at $3 or higher, and you can hear how it all goes down! (And remember: Half of this season is patron-only.)

Get more from Mark and Sarah Talk About Songs on Patreon

29/01/2024

A new season begins! We're putting Weird Al Yankovic songs in head-to-head matches against the original tunes being parodied. We're kicking things off with "Amish Paradise" vs. Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise."

LISTEN --> https://bleav.com/shows/mark-and-sarah-talk-about-songs/episodes/weird-al-vs-everybody-episode-1-amish-paradise/