17 Hit Songs That Are Secretly (Or Openly) Insane
Top 40 radio: it's like if a robot became obsessed with our collective subconscious. And it's always been dominated by fun, sunshine-y pop songs. Stuff like "Respect" (Aretha Franklin) and "Hey Ya!" (OutKast) and "Maniac" (that dancing movie). But are those songs all that they seem to be? Or do they have hidden, fascinating meanings that nobody ever stops and thinks about?
On this week's podcast, Alex Schmidt is joined by Howard Kremer and Kulap Vilaysack, the hosts of Earwolf's "Who Charted", to ask the questions nobody's asking about the biggest hit songs of all time. Get ready for a whole new perspective on all your favorite artists, from Van Halen to Marvin Gaye to Francis Scott Key.
Footnotes:
5 Classic Songs That Were Originally Creepy as Hell (Cracked)
'Pumped Up Kicks' Yanked from L.A. Airwaves After Newtown Massacre (TMZ)
Dusting 'Em Off: Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On (Consequence of Sound)
Author out to solve age-old 'Detroit Rock City' mystery (Detroit Free Press)
Five Little Known Facts About Van Halen's "Jump" (K-Earth)
'I Love LA" (Los Angeles Times)
Born in the USA - Lyrics (Genius)
Old online posts show depth of Christie's Springsteen devotion (Politico)
The Apocalyptic Fear in 'Do You Hear What I Hear' (The Atlantic)
The Lyrics To The Full "Cheers" Theme Are Completely Insane (Buzzfeed)
"Another One Bites The Dust" Backwards
The Star-Spangled Banner - Full Lyrics
Neil Young Explains Songwriting: Never Chase The Rabbit (Ultimate Classic Rock)
Join us for the last live Cracked Podcast of the year on Saturday, December 2nd at 7pm. Daniel O'Brien, Robert Evans and some special guests join Alex Schmidt to talk about weird foreign customs and traditions that America should totally adopt, like getting rid of street signs and Sweden's goat statue burning festival. Tickets are $7 and available HERE.
There's tons of great podcasting this week on Cracked:
Best Episode Ever deep-dives into the psychedelic world of Adventure Time
Cracked Movie Club gets into the Thanksgiving spirit with Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Kurt Vonneguys breaks down Kurt Vonnegut's final novel, Timequake
And Daniel O'Brien and Cody Johnston take your questions on Cracked Mailbag, only available with the Cracked Private Reserve
If you're looking to support The Cracked Podcast and spruce up your wardrobe with some nifty tees, check out the awesome Cracked Podcast merch we've got at PodSwag.com
