When should a song be not too hard, and not too soft? This week, Mark and Nichole enjoy all the Philly steaks they can eat with Boyz II Men’s iconic 1991 jam “Motownphilly.” After looking at Motown’s role in pop culture of the 1990s, the hosts do a deep dive on a classic example of the verse-chorus form… maybe. Also, tune in for some top tier Stephanie Tanner-related content!

Other music heard in this episode: Josef Haydn - String Quartet in Eb Major, op. 33, No. 2, Hob. III:38, IV, “The Joke” (Doric String Quartet), Boyz II Men - “End of the Road”, Boyz II Men - “Water Runs Dry”, Boyz II Men - “Thank You”, Boyz II Men - “Sympin’”, Keith Sweat - “I Want Her”, Guy - “Don’t Clap… Just Dance”, Paula Abdul - “Opposites Attract (feat. The Wild Pair)”, Bell Biv DeVoe - “Poison”, Carter Family - “Keep On the Sunny Side”, Big Joe Turner - “Shake, Rattle and Roll”, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men - “One Sweet Day”, Boyz II Men - “Jezebel”, En Vogue - “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)

The final analysis, for your reference:

• Option 1: A B C D B E C’ D B A’ E’ F B A’’
• Option 2: Intro, Chorus 1, Verse 1, Pre-Chorus 1, Chorus 2, Rap 1, Verse 2, Pre-Chorus 2, Chorus 3, Re-Intro, Rap 2, Scat, Chorus 4, Outro
• Option 3: (Intro), Refrain, Episode 1, Refrain, Episode 2, Refrain, Episode 3, Refrain, (Outro)

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Which songs just make you cringe? In this Sidetrack, the hosts share their top three songs with main characters that you really wouldn’t want to hang out with, whether they’re just awkward, or full-on evil. The most important rule, though: the songs have to be good! Check us out next week for a full episode!

Music heard in this episode: Oingo Boingo - “Little Girls”, Toadies - “Possum Kingdom”, The Police - “Don’t Stand So Close to Me”, The Postal Service - “Nothing Better”, Ariana Grande - “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored”, Bryan Adams - “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You”, Lily Allen - “Smile”, Bobby McFerrin - “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”, Robin Thicke - “Blurred Lines (feat. T.I. & Pharrell)”, Usher - “Confessions, Pt. II”, “Weird Al” Yankovic - “Confessions Pt. III”, Sabrina Carpenter - “Tears”

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Nevermind the Music is part of The Lorehounds Network. Join the Nevermind the Music Discord channel by visiting thelorehounds.com

Are you ever glad you *didn’t* go to a show? This week, we don’t regret listening to the 2013 jam “If I Could Change Your Mind” by the sisters of HAIM. Nichole gets into the reasons our mind feels major fear of missing out, while Mark gets into how this song’s melody and harmony interact to create some expert pacing.

Other music heard in this episode: HAIM - “The Wire”, HAIM - “Now I’m In It”, Savage Garden - “I Want You”, HAIM - “Little of Your Love”, Fleetwood Mac - “Everywhere”, HAIM - “You Never Knew”, HAIM - “Don’t Save Me”, Sheryl Crow - “Soak Up the Sun”, HAIM - “I’ve Been Down”, Annie Lennox - “Walking on Broken Glass”, HAIM - “Found it in Silence”, HAIM - “Cry”, “Seasons of Love” from Rent

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Nevermind the Music is part of The Lorehounds Network. Join the Nevermind the Music Discord channel by visiting thelorehounds.com

Which songs will make the cut? This week we welcome Chris Fafalios from the band Punchline and the One Hit Thunder Podcast (among others!) to talk us through how a band chooses which of their songs to put on an album. Chris gets into the tough decisions and nuanced band dynamics that have been a part of Punchline’s ten-album run. How many songs is enough? When to rerecord an old favorite? Who gets to sing lead vocals? This and more in a fun conversation that would just barely fit on a CD. Check us out next week for more!

Music heard in this episode: Punchline - “I Don’t Wanna Live in This World Anymore”, Punchline - “Another One”, Punchline - “Focus on Yourself”, Maggie Rogers - “Alaska”, Punchline - “Green Hills”, Punchline - “Darkest Dark”

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Nevermind the Music is part of The Lorehounds Network. Join the Nevermind the Music Discord channel by visiting thelorehounds.com

When can a bit of nursery rhyme cost you six figures of royalties? In this episode, the hosts deep dive on Men at Work’s 1981 international hit “Down Under” and the crazy story of its authorship and accusations of plagiarism. Mark goes on walkabout through the basics of copyright law, and Nichole gets to feast on a few famous cases of plagiarism, spread on a vegemite sandwich! Tune in for an epic continent-spanning episode.

Other music heard in this episode: “Spicks and Specks Theme”, Bee Gees - “Spicks and Specks”, Men at Work - “Who Can It Be Now?”, Men at Work - “Overkill”, Larry Groce - “Kookaburra”, Colin Hay - “Waiting For My Real Life to Begin”, The Beach Boys - “Surfin’ U.S.A.”, Chuck Berry - “Sweet Little Sixteen”, Led Zeppelin - “Stairway to Heaven,” Spirit - “Taurus”, Robin Thicke feat. T.I. and Pharrell - “Blurred Lines”, Marvin Gaye - “Got to Give it Up”

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Nevermind the Music is part of The Lorehounds Network. Join the Nevermind the Music Discord channel by visiting thelorehounds.com

Which critically-acclaimed albums this year do Mark and Nichole actually kind of hate? In this week’s Sidetrack, we come back once again to discuss the eight nominees for “Album of the Year” at the 2026 Grammys. Tune in to hear our hosts deep-dive on the high and low points of this year’s crop of nominees. As a bonus: our thoughts on the “Song of the Year” and “Record of the Year” categories! Check us out next week for a normal episode!

Music heard in this episode: Tyler, The Creator - “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”, Tyler, The Creator - “Sugar on My Tongue”, Tyler, The Creator - “Noid”, Tyler, The Creator - “Darling, I (feat. Teezo Touchdown)”, Lady Gaga - “Abracadabra”, Lady Gaga - “Can’t Stop the High”, Justin Timberlake - “Like I Love You (feat. Clipse)”, Clipse - “Chains & Whips (feat. Kendrick Lamar)”, Clipse - “Ace Trumpets”, Kendrick Lamar & SZA - “Luther”, Kendrick Lamar - “Reincarnation”, Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber - “10,000 Hours”, Justin Bieber - “Daisies”, Justin Bieber - “Yukon”, Sabrina Carpenter - “Tears”, Bad Bunny - “Moscow Mule”, Bad Bunny - “BAILE INoLVIDABLE”, SZA - “Snooze”, Leon Thomas - “Snooze”, Leon Thomas - “MUTT”, Leon Thomas - “HOW FAST”, Doechii - “Anxiety”, Rosé and Bruno Mars - “APT.”, Huntrix - “Golden”, Bad Bunny - “DtMF”, Chappell Roan - “The Subway”

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Nevermind the Music is part of The Lorehounds Network. Join the Nevermind the Music Discord channel by visiting thelorehounds.com

If you get caught, what should you say? “It wasn’t me!” In this episode, we are lied to by the fun 2000 hit “It Wasn’t Me” by Shaggy and Rikrok. Nichole walks us through the ways people can use denial as a coping mechanism, while Mark paces through how rhythms can be used to help tell an engaging story…. butt naked.

Other music heard in this episode: Shaggy - “Boombastic”, Shaggy - “Angel”, Sting and Shaggy - “Shape of My Heart”, War - “Smile Happy”, Pras - “Ghetto Supastar (That is What You Are)”, Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers - “Islands in the Stream”, Bee Gees - “Islands in the Stream”, Nelly - “Ride Wit Me”, Papa Roach - “Last Resort”, Christina Aguilera - “Genie in a Bottle”

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Nevermind the Music is part of The Lorehounds Network. Join the Nevermind the Music Discord channel by visiting thelorehounds.com

Who’s ready for a feeding frenzy? This week we are joined by podcast super-host Matt Kelly from the Geekscape network to talk about the mid-90s! For a wild few years, it seemed like the record labels were signing every quirky band they could to try to recreate the magic of Nirvana. We talk trend-chasing corporations, confusing genre labels, Mark’s deep regrets, and more in this wide-ranging conversation. Check us out next week for a regular episode!

Music heard in this episode: Butthole Surfers - “Pepper”, Fastball - “The Way”, U2 - “Bullet the Blue Sky”, U2 - “Staring at the Sun”, Foo Fighters - “Alone and Easy Target”, Local H - “Bound for the Floor”

Send us your thoughts at NeverMusicPod@gmail.com

Nevermind the Music is part of The Lorehounds Network. Join the Nevermind the Music Discord channel by visiting thelorehounds.com