Dust off your head charts and brush up your best licks, cause it's time to wade into the warm, welcoming waters of jazz. NOW ON PATREON Strong Songs now has a Patreon ! If you liked this episode (or, you know, any of them), we hope you'll consider supporting the show. Learn more here: https://www.patreon.com/strongsongs MOANIN' This episode's Strong Song is Bobby Timmons' gospel-tinged "Moanin'," from Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers' 1959 album of the same name. Kirk zooms out a bit more than...
Apr 03, 2019•43 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast The Strong Songs mailbag is overflowing, so it's time to dive in and answer some listener questions. NOW ON PATREON Strong Songs now has a Patreon ! If you liked this episode (or, you know, any of them), we hope you'll consider supporting the show. Learn more here: https://www.patreon.com/strongsongs LISTENER Q&A Kirk digs into creative subdivision, syncopated melodies, major 9th chords, famous drum fills, chiptunes, "bad" singing that's actually good, jazz chords, Indian drum languages, and how...
Mar 21, 2019•45 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast What happens when you put a straight-up power ballad in the middle of a Disney movie? "Let it Go" happens, that's what. STRONG SONGS ON PATREON Strong Songs has a Patreon ! If you liked this episode (or, you know, any of them), we hope you'll consider supporting the show. Learn more here: https://www.patreon.com/strongsongs LET IT GO On this episode, Kirk climbs to the top of a snowy peak and summons all his magical powers to figure out why Elsa of Arendelle's self-coronation song rocks as hard ...
Mar 06, 2019•51 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Well, either way, this is definitely an episode of Strong Songs about Queen's genre-blending rock saga "Bohemian Rhapsody." STRONG SONGS ON PATREON Strong Songs has a Patreon ! If you liked this episode (or, you know, any of them), we hope you'll consider supporting the show. Learn more here: https://www.patreon.com/strongsongs MAMA, JUST KILLED A MAN Kirk dives into Freddie Mercury's operatic opus and learns a lot about vocal technique, piano motifs,...
Feb 20, 2019•50 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast It's time to get lost in the bittersweet beats of ABBA's 1976 hit "Dancing Queen." STRONG SONGS ON PATREON Strong Songs has a Patreon ! If you liked this episode (or, you know, any of them), we hope you'll consider supporting the show. Learn more here: https://www.patreon.com/strongsongs YOU CAN DANCE, YOU CAN JIVE On this longer-than-usual episode, Kirk tries to tease out some of the things that make this song so iconic and enduring, from its lush arrangement to its clever harmonies, repeating ...
Feb 06, 2019•38 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast It's time for an extra-long episode as Kirk answers your questions about Phil Collins drum solos, musical Wilhelm screams, odd time signatures, Beatles instrumentation, drop-tuned guitars, Bond music, and much more. STRONG SONGS ON PATREON Strong Songs has a Patreon ! If you liked this episode (or, you know, any of them), we hope you'll consider supporting the show. Learn more here: https://www.patreon.com/strongsongs SHOW NOTES/LINKS ———————————— "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins from Face V...
Jan 23, 2019•49 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast Darkness falls across the land, and it's the right time for Michael Jackson's "Thriller." STRONG SONGS ON PATREON Strong Songs has a Patreon ! If you liked this episode (or, you know, any of them), we hope you'll consider supporting the show. Learn more here: https://www.patreon.com/strongsongs STRONG MERCH! Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com IT'S CLOSE TO MIDNIGHT Kirk picks apart Rod Temperton's dance floor classi...
Jan 09, 2019•30 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast Ever wish you could just be a kid again? Stevie does. STRONG SONGS ON PATREON Strong Songs has a Patreon ! If you liked this episode (or, you know, any of them), we hope you'll consider supporting the show. Learn more here: https://www.patreon.com/strongsongs THE JOY THE DAY WOULD BRING Kirk breaks out the bass and digs into what makes Stevie Wonder's "I Wish" swing like it does, then looks back to some earlier Wonder tunes to guess at why his funkiest stuff tended to be in E-flat. Band/Artist: ...
Dec 26, 2018•27 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast On this episode, Kirk dives into one of the greatest pop songs of all time. STRONG SONGS ON PATREON Strong Songs has a Patreon ! If you liked this episode (or, you know, any of them), we hope you'll consider supporting the show. Learn more here: https://www.patreon.com/strongsongs UP IN THE CLUB Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" is arguably the defining song of the last decade, but it's far from your average pop tune. With its unusual tensions and unstoppable groove, it defies safe ha...
Dec 12, 2018•26 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Kirk breaks down one of his favorite songs from one of his favorite albums. STRONG SONGS ON PATREON Strong Songs has a Patreon ! If you liked this episode (or, you know, any of them), we hope you'll consider supporting the show. Learn more here: https://www.patreon.com/strongsongs IF YOU'LL BE MY BODYGUARD Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al" was a single from his incredible 1986 album Graceland , and its music video introduced a generation to the wonders of goofy lip-synching and fretle...
Nov 28, 2018•18 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast On the first episode of Strong Songs, Kirk breaks down Toto's hit song "Africa," a single so good that it still lights up the Internet today. Band/Artist: Toto Album: Toto IV , 1982 Composed by: David Paich and Jeff Porcaro Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify STRONG SONGS ON PATREON Strong Songs has a Patreon ! If you liked this episode (or, you know, any of them), we hope you'll consider supporting the show. Learn more here: https://www.patreon.com/strongsongs NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST Sig...
Nov 18, 2018•22 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast This is the trailer for Strong Songs, recorded in June of 2020. Hope you give the show a listen!
Nov 14, 2018•1 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
