It's a short jaunt in the time machine this week, but we bet you'll discover some sick new beats to get your streaming library on fleek. Join two guys from 2022 as they curate playlists and naylists from the Billboard music charts of September 1, 2017.
Who ya gonna call? Where's the beef? When are we now? Ghostbusters, Wendy's, and 1984! Join Ben and Sam on a totally tubular trip in our time machine, as they curate playlists and naylists from the Billboard music charts of June 30, 1984.
Fire up your modem, log in to your favorite semi-legal file sharing server, and get ready to spend the next few hours downloading Ben and Sam's 2003 playlists while you watch Joe Millionaire and play Snake on your Nokia phone. Join two guys from 2021 as they curate playlists and "nay lists" from the Billboard music charts from a random week in history.
Ben and Sam dug through the 8-track bins and found some hit songs that'll make your mood ring turn purple. It was fall of 1975: the summer of Jaws was drawing to an end, Saturday Night Live premiered, and pet rocks were having a moment. We return to our classic WAWN format in which two guys from 2021 curate playlists and "nay lists" from the Billboard music charts from a random week in history.
"When are we now?" is back for a third season! Before our fully vaccinated hosts climb into the freshly sanitized time machine for a new set of chart-hopping adventures, enjoy this mini episode in which Ben and Sam share their favorite music discoveries of the past year.
Hold on to your Hypercolor shirts, kids, Ben and Sam have your 1991 play lists and "nay lists!" Enjoy this never-before-heard, previously-unreleased episode recorded in June 2020. More good news! Ben and Sam are vaccinated and ready to start recording Season 3 of WAWN. Please subscribe and watch for new episodes in the coming weeks.
Road trip! In this special episode, Ben and Sam travel the continental U.S., choosing their favorite songs mentioning American cities and regions along the way. We take a brief vacation from the Billboard charts and bring in some obscure tracks, along with hits you'll enjoy singing along to - whether you're in the car or in quarantine.
The boys and girls of 1965 were very good, because Santa delivered some terrific records: Beatles, Dylan, Motown, and much more. Whether you're a hippie, a square, or a "daytripper," you'll find plenty of jukebox-worthy singles on our playlist. Listen to two guys from 2020 curate their own playlist and "nay lists" from the Billboard music charts of December 18, 1965.
Oops, we did it again: we made a playlist. Put on your trucker hat and aviator shades and join us in the summer of 2000. It was a simpler time, when reality TV was a fresh concept and we were all relieved to have survived Y2K. Listen to two guys from 2020 curate their own playlist and "nay lists" from the Billboard music charts of June 24, 2000.
Put on your tightest hot pants, warm up the fondue pot, and get ready to boogie: It's 1971. Ben and Sam spin some records, discover some hidden gems, get down with intergenerational nostalgia, and Sam gives his hottest take yet. Listen to two guys from 2020 curate their own playlist and "nay lists" from the Billboard music charts of October 23, 1971.
Put on your jeggings, water your Farmville crops, and TiVo the Jersey Shore marathon: It's 2010. Join the Mayors of the Billboard Music Charts (It's legit; we checked in on Foursquare) as they curate their own playlists and "nay lists" from August 21, 2010 and explore some history and pop culture along the way.
Skip Jazzercise, ask your neighbor with the fancy VCR to tape Moonlighting for you, and grab your boombox. In this totally choice episode, Ben and Sam travel back to 1986. Listen to two guys from 2019 curate their own playlist and "nay lists" from the Billboard music charts of November 1, 1986. Would you like to request a date for a WAWN episode? Listen and find out how.
The President is new, the music is great, and the soda is OK. Alternative Rock is becoming mainstream and we recall the influential songs of a pivotal era. We also enjoy some one-hit wonders best captured on cassingle. Join two guys from 2019 as they dive into the music charts from a random week in history, curating a playlist and "nay list" while discussing history and pop culture along the way.
Ho ho ho! Ben and Sam put on their Santa hats, tie some jingle bells to the WAWN time machine, and fly from the 1950s through the 2010s, choosing their favorite Christmas songs from each decade. They also banish the worst Christmas songs of all time to the holiday nay list. Happy holidays from When Are We Now!
Hold on to your Livestrong bracelet. We picked some semi-legal MP3s so fetch that you'll want to download them as ring tones for your Nokia phone. It's 2005! In the immortal words of Paris Hilton, "That's hot." Join two guys from 2019 as they dive into the music charts from a random week in history, curating a playlist and "nay list" while discussing history and pop culture along the way.
Sixty years after Billboard's first Hot 100 chart, we're in a strange world of oat milk, Instagram influencers, and ubiquitous Drake. We brought in our experts on this decade, 7th graders Evie and Maddie, for guest commentary. Join two guys from 2019 (and their daughters) as they dive into the music charts from a random week in history, curating a playlist and "nay list" while discussing history and pop culture along the way.
We cranked the time machine back to the first week of the Hot 100, to the era of hula hoops and doo-wop groups. It was a time of creative explosion with rock legends and monster hits lighting up the brand new charts. One of our picks was even blasted into space! Listen to two guys from 2019 curate their own playlist and "nay lists" from the Billboard music charts of August 4, 1958.
Crack open a can of Tab, slather on some suntan lotion, and listen to us on your Walkman while your kids splash unsupervised in the neighborhood pool. Or head indoors to watch your favorite MTV VJ in air-conditioned comfort. We're taking you back to the summer of 1983, and it's a hot one! Listen to two guys from 2019 curate their own playlist and "nay lists" from the Billboard music charts of July 23, 1983.
A month after 9/11, things felt... weird. America was reeling from tragedy, yet people were still living their lives, going to Tae Bo class, and listening to pop music. Ben and Sam dig in to that music and curate a surprisingly fun playlist of songs to simultaneously take you back to 2001 and help you forget about the heavy things in the world. Listen to two guys from 2019 curate their own playlists and "nay lists" from the Billboard music charts of October 13, 2001.
Put on your disco pants; it's 1978! This episode has it all: classic rock, punk, yacht-adjacent rock, and plenty of disco. You'll want to dance, strum your air guitar, and maybe play some Dungeons and Dragons. Listen to Ben and Sam, two guys from 2019, curate their own playlists and "nay lists" from the Billboard music charts of July 22, 1978.
Buckle up for Spice Girls, heroin references, and blue cars with semi-functional headlights. It's 1997, and your hosts are college students listening to music and feeling big feelings in their dorm rooms. Listen to two guys from 2019 curate their own playlists and "nay lists" from the Billboard music charts of February 15, 1997.
The Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, and some of the most important music of the 20th century. Ben and Sam weren't around in 1967, but they sure enjoyed this trip in the "When Are We Now?" time machine. Check out their playlist of rock and Motown hits, hear Ben's Bruce Willis story, and stick around for the nay list when things get a little weird. Listen to two gallant guys from 2019 curate their own playlists and "nay lists" from the Billboard music charts of January 21, 1967....
Plug in your Zune, update your MySpace page, and text your friends using the number pad of your phone: It's 2007, snitches! Ben and Sam were bleary-eyed new dads who were too busy changing diapers and not sleeping to pay much attention to pop music. Let's jump back in time and see what they missed. Listen to two guys from 2019 curate their own playlists and "nay lists" from the Billboard music charts of March 17, 2007.
Like so many boats gliding into a sparkling marina at the end of a summer day, 1979 brought a convergence of musical genres: disco, New Wave, early hip hop, and (of course) yacht rock. One of our hosts is excited about the sounds of 1979, and the other host... less so. Listen to two guys from 2019 curate their own playlists and "nay lists" from the Billboard music charts of April 28, 1979.
This era of iPhones and pumpkin spice lattes was not long ago, but it is full of surprises. Ben finds a song he loves on the mainstream rock chart, Sam is delighted by a big pop hook, and they both discover the magic of Nicki Minaj. They are joined by guest commentators Evie and Maddie, who are part of pop music's most engaged audience: tween girls. Listen to two guys from 2019 - and their daughters - curate their own playlists and "nay lists" from the Billboard music charts of October 14, 2014....
We turned the time machine to "extra wayback" and landed in 1963. It was a strange world where Elvis was a movie star, astrophysics was trendy, and people were doing the limbo (again). Can Sam and Ben find musical gems among milquetoast crooners, soulless cash grabs, and songs their parents haven't even heard of? Of course they can. Come along for the ride. Join two guys from 2019 as they curate a playlist - and a "nay list" - from the Billboard music charts for March 2, 1963.
Press "play" and "record" on your tape deck, because we made you a 1988 playlist. Ben and Sam travel to the era of big hair, synthesizers, and the Cold War. They examine pop culture, TV, and their own preteen nostalgia as they decide which hits were timeless - and which were, unfortunately, "timeful." Listen to two guys from 2019 curate their own playlists - and "nay lists" - from the Billboard music charts of April 16, 1988.
Turn off the Watergate hearings, load the family into your wood-paneled station wagon, and pop us into your 8-track player as you drive to McDonalds where your kids can play unsupervised on the Mayor McCheese Roundabout. This week, Ben and Sam travel to 1973 where they discover hot soul tracks, semi-obscure musical instruments, and the creepy escapism of a strangely familiar moment in history. Listen to two guys from 2019 curate their own playlists - and "nay lists" - from the Billboard music ch...
Fresh out of college, our hosts were blasting Beastie Boys in their beat-up Hondas, browsing used-record stores, and finding their way in a world full of players, busters, and scrubs. Ben and Sam reveal ambitious, if potentially disastrous, Frankenstein's Bands and our catchiest nay list song yet. Listen to two guys from 2019 curate their own playlists - and "nay lists" - from the Billboard music charts of June 19, 1999.
The moon landing, Woodstock... the summer of 1969 was a memorable one, even for people who weren't born yet. Ben and Sam explore the music charts, ask their parents where they were then, and introduce a new segment called "Frankenstein's Band." Listen to two guys from 2018 curate their own playlists - and "nay lists" - from the Billboard music charts of September 20, 1969.
