Send us a text In the 40th episode of TnT's Hit Songs From Mars, our little elves wonder if "they really know it's Christmas" as they take a 40-year dive into Band Aid's 1984 song of a similar name. Tom reveals his vulnerable side by commending the stars of the day for putting their egos aside and coming together for a humanitarian cause, while Ty …

Send us a text Da da da da DA da da DA da DA duh DUH duh DAT duh duh In this week's ep-i-sode TnT do Suz-anne Ve-ga The lads go a-ca-pell-a with her hit song Tom's Di-ner In the midst of their dis-cuss-ion they find their way to Rich-ard Buck-ner Who leaves and tra-vels well as he sings so-lo in the for-est Da da da da DA da da DA da DA duh DUH duh…

Send us a text In this very special Halloween episode, Tom and Ty get out their protective eyewear, turn around, and stare into the bright eyes of Bonnie Tyler's 1983 "Total Eclipse of the Heart." Nearly blinded by Jim Steinman's over-the-top songwriting, the two marvel at how he and Bonnie Tyler make the song work (in spite of Tom almost purging h…

Send us a text In this episode, the lads pay homage to Michael Jackson's 1996 sleeper hit "They Don't Care About Us." On their pilgrimage (by llama of course), they are joined by the likes of Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Freddie Mercury, Thomas Dolby Notorious B.I.G., and Spike Lee as they march to the other-worldly rhythms of Olodum. With the help…

Send us a text In this episode the TnT Dork Collective get their nerd on with the geeky 1982 classic "She Blinded Me With Science." Tom blows Ty's mind with some little-known (and nerdy) Thomas Dolby trivia, including his associations with Foreigner, Joni Mitchell and Michael Jackson and then spazzes out when Ty nails his I'll-bet-you-didn't-know q…

Send us a text In this episode the fellas dream their way back to 1963 and stare in disbelief (and delight) as the legendary Roy Orbison upstages the Beatles not once but twice with his top ten hit "In Dreams." Little did Roy know that as Orbi-mania faded that the Candy Colored Clown was sound asleep aboard the HSFM mothership, existing in a state …

Send us a text In this episode Tom goes berserk for Björk while Ty is blasé on her quirk. While Tom tries to convince Ty to not be a “jörk” about her work, the boys discuss the annoyingly unrepresentative hits that sometimes define an artist. While figuratively walking in the forest with Björk they manage to get into a discussion about primal guita…

Send us a text In this episode, the lads travel back to the disco era where they shake their boo-tays to none other than...Pink Floyd? As they try to dig the dark Floydian disco groove, they critique some hits (and misses) of rock bands attempting disco and marvel at how the genre penetrated every nook and cranny of the era that bears its name. Ty …

Send us a text In this episode, the lads become possessed by the unnerving creepiness of Mike Oldfield's unlikely hit "Tubular Bells", the theme music from the 1973 horror classic The Exorcist. Thankfully, special guest Joseph Trivers performs a successful exorcism on the dreadful scene, through his exploration of minimalist music and the mechanics…

Send us a text In this episode, the lads got them a pod that's as big as whale and it's about to set sail! On route to the B-52s' "Love Shack" they head down the Atlanta Highway and pick up some shiny happy people including REM, Iggy Pop, Nile Rodgers, and Don Was (Not Was) and...the legendary John Lennon himself? Come Roam (if you want to) with Tn…

Send us a text In this episode Tom presents his Dissertation on Delay to Professor Ralston, who must choose the Hit Songiest Song From Mars from a number of worthy (and not so worthy) candidates. The challenge pits Love and Rockets against The Temptations, Edwin Starr, Tina Turner, Anthrax and Duran Duran. This ignites a compelling discussion on th…

Send us a text Now that the Falalalala season is over, time to get into the Trololo! Join the comrades as they revisit the "Golden Age" of YouTube (and perhaps the internet itself) with Eduard Khil's legendary non-lexical vocable masterpiece. As they travel along the Information Superhighway, they find the lost songs of their youth, search for the …

Send us a text O come all ye faithful and join the lads as they say pogue mahone to Christmas, with that most un-Christmassy of Christmas carols "Fairytale of New York." As they attempt (and fail) to find the true meaning of Christmas, the fellows examine the multi-year process that went into the making of this unlikely holiday classic, debate whic…

Send us a text Join the lads as they put on their skates and travel back to the roller disco era, grooving to the melodious tones of the Andrea True Connection's "More, More, More." As they try to keep their balance, the boyz marvel at the crisis turned opportunity that spawned not one but two top-ten hits (more than two decades apart, no less), po…

Send us a text In this episode, the lads kick back (all day long) on Wet Leg's "Chaise Longue." As they consume a six-pack of warm beer, they examine the Sprechgesang (speak-singing) approach to music and uncover a long history of talk-pop dating back to the 1960s. They also wrestle with life's bigger questions such as: how a chaise longue became a…

Send us a text In this episode, the boyz go for baroque and bet the pot on Pachelbel's smash 1680 hit Canon in D. With the stakes high, the lads call the bluff of the artists who have incorporated Pachelbel's Canon into their music, up the ante on the idea of a collective unconscious, and are all-in on the importance of being in the right frame of …

Send us a text This week, the boyz take a trip down the Old Town Road to Baseball Country with special guest Bryan Ruby, professional ball player and up-and-coming country phenom. Along the way, the trio discuss the true meaning of country, songs that come out of left field, and the arduous climb to recognition in the music industry. With the bases…

Send us a text In this episode, the lads revisit the summer of '91 and marvel at the gathering storm that will change music forever. The bleach-blonde remnants of hair-metal are blown into the gutter of Sunset Strip, making way for the arrival of grunge, funk-rock, and heavier genre-bending possibilities. Enter night, exit light, take Ty's hand...w…

Send us a text In this episode the boys untangle the knots surrounding the unlikely pairing of Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor and Johnny Cash. Despite initial mistrust on both sides, the Reznor-penned "Hurt" takes on new depth and meaning sung through Cash's deep bass. Making it all happen, Rick Rubin walks the line with gentle persistence proving t…

Send us a text In this episode, the dudes take it to the max and travel to LA's San Fernando Valley where they rock out to Frank & Moon Zappa's totally tubular 1982 hit "Valley Girl." After stopping by Ridgemont high for their goat yoga class, they ponder the deeper question of "does art imitate life, or does life imitate Zappa?" Join the boyz as t…

Send us a text In this episode Tom and Ty sit down for a late-night session and attempt to decipher the strangeness that is Styx's 1983 sci-fi classic, Mr. Roboto. With their beer goggles on, they prove that they are just men whose circumstances went beyond their control: Tom flees for Panama on a horse with no name on the run from those Damn Yanke…

Send us a text Parlez-vous français, y'all? This week, join les garçons as they take a trip to Belgium where they rock out to Plastic Bertrand's unique 1978 hit (along with its evil English twin). Along the way, they examine the unlikely connections between punk and surf music, marvel at the wonder of the wah wah, and bring closure to a 50-year mis…

Send us a text In this episode the fellas wax rhapsodic on the wildly successful Queen hit from 1975, Bohemian Rhapsody. It's a wild ride around Aurora, Illinois with your guides Wayne and Garth, featuring a detour to see the Judas Priest, and feelin' emotions courtesy of Mariah's vocal Hari Kari. It's an episode Magnifico you do not want to miss-i…

Send us a text In this episode, the boyz bite off more than they can chew as they delve into some, shall we say, tender topics? Join T & T as they examine the Buoys' surprise 1971 hit "Timothy" and the consequences of trying (and failing) to get your own song banned. Along the way, they ponder the nature of fear and horror, reel at the medicalizati…

Send us a text For this episode Tom gets on the rock'n'roll pulpit and preaches the TnT gospel as Ty removes water from the bottom of the ocean. As the boys dissect the Talking Heads classic Once in a Lifetime, they marvel at the genre-bending nature of this song which features one of the most iconic bass parts in music history, a 2-note stroke of …

Send us a text In this episode Ty takes a break from teaching Tom to sing and focuses his efforts on world peace and harmony, with a lemon twist. As the boyz delve into the New Seeker's "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" made famous by Coca-Cola, they discuss the fine line between making a living in the music industry and selling out. In the pro…

Send us a text In our first Listener's Pick edition of the podcast, the boys look into the remarkable success of Tubthumping by Anarcho-punk pranksters Chumbawamba. In the process they enter a spirited discussion of whether politics has any place in popular music and whether massive commercial success taints the revolutionary message. Get your whis…

Send us a text In this special holiday edition of the podcast, David Bowie descends from Mars and gives a lesson on the true spirit of Christmas. Joining forces with Bing Crosby, the Ghost of Christmas Past himself, the two conjure up one of the most unlikely (and perhaps surreal) Christmas classics of all time. Along the way, the fellas are joined…

Send us a text In this episode, the skipper and Gilligan navigate the choppy waters surrounding the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and the rebirth of its memory as a #1 hit by Gordon Lightfoot in 1975. Bound for Detroit, they circumnavigate the dangerous currents associated with taking on historical events in song and film. They seem to be heading …

Send us a text In this episode, Tom and Ty unpack the runaway success of Blur's "Song 2", a ditty which far exceeded its humble beginnings in the 90s Britpop battle between Blur and Oasis. As they unravel this "joke song" that hit pay dirt, they discover a whole slew of these oddities that could almost be called a genre and marvel at the moments wh…

Send us a text In this Halloween episode, Tom and Ty run the gauntlet of horror: from the very real horror of spousal abuse as depicted in Alice Cooper's "Only Women Bleed," to horror as entertainment, and back again. In the process, they consider how the perception of a song can change depending on its interpreter, have a chuckle over misunderstoo…

Send us a text In this episode, Tom and Ty (along with their alter-egos Clark and Tarzan) examine the 1993 surprise hit Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm. Join the gent (and the ape-man) as they ponder the proper dosage of a musical formula and marvel at the universal appeal of the hum (hum hum hum). Along the way, they consider why some hits become all-time classic…

Send us a text This week, TnT examine the phenomenon of the sleeper hit with Charlene’s #3 (and #97) hit “I’ve Never Been to Me.” On this journey to Nice and the Isle of Greece (sic), Tom and Ty analyze how a song that goes nowhere in one zeitgeist transforms into a number 3 hit in another. Join the boys as they spend this episode exploring the "su…

Send us a text This week Tom and Ty descend into madness as they try to suss out why the Brits love to sing about the mundane (and why they scurry for curry). The lads take a deep dive into the ska sensation and analyze its off-beat allure, while making sure to get in a few jabs, in what might be their most explosive episode to date! Put on your tw…

Send us a text Today, Ty throws Tom a grapefruit, who hits it out of Nostalgia Park... all the way to Scotland. Join the boyz as they delve into the mysteries of sibling harmonies, ponder the concept of self-plagiarism, and address questions of identity as they showcase musicians who boldly proclaimed, or downplayed, their heritage in song. Aye, la…

Send us a text In this episode Tom and Ty tussle over the concept of music comedy and debate whether these odd bedfellows can co-exist peacefully. During their examination of genre crossing, Tom callously forgets about a precious TnT moment and Ty breaks Tom's heart by declaring that the guitar is at an all-time low. They reconcile over their share…

Send us a text This week, Tom and Ty get explicit about the origins of Rap and Hip-hop, observe the Hegelian dialectic in play between the forces of authenticity and appropriation (they think they're so smart) and address the dangerous allure of censorship. As usual, the fellas take us on a wild, adventurous ride to get there. From Bach to bagpipes…

Send us a text This week, Tom and Ty riff on the power of the riff and divergent perceptions of music, as they follow Falco’s Der Kommissar down the rabbit hole into the strange, fascinating, and twisted wonderland of early '80s pop. Join the lads as they explore the thin line between nod and rip-off, and ponder the version of the version as they u…

Send us a text Join Tom and Ty as they decide whether to tiptoe through... or trample...Tiny Tim's tulips! This week, the boys examine different approaches to singing, the conundrum of imitation, and the originality of the copy as they ponder the deeper questions of authenticity and risk-taking. There is also a spirited discussion of the strange pa…

Send us a text In this episode Tom and Ty seek to unravel the mysterious success of White Horse by the Danish band Laid Back. Released in 1983, the song became a surprise hit in North America and a number one smash on the dance charts. Join the lads as they track the white horse from the frontiers of electronica, through the shadowlands of innuendo…

Por Will Taylor

Will Taylor plays an arrangement of "Apologize" for four acoustic guitars. Coming to Itunes soon. Visit StringsAttached.org for much more music!Por Will Taylor