This Week on On Second Listen
September gets one last listen before we turn the calendar.
Wednesday’s show begins with a handful of very different ways musicians have sounded the month — from Earth, Wind & Fire to Green Day, with stops along the way that take us from off-Broadway to the south of France. You know most of the songs. But at least one of them may not sound quite the way you remember it.
Then: songs you didn’t know had words.
A jazz standard you’ve almost certainly heard. A television theme you may have heard hundreds of times. Even three notes that have been part of American television for nearly a century. They all have lyrics. Who knew?
In our third half-hour, we ask a question that seems almost deliberately vague: Is that… Bach?
Paul Simon helps us investigate, and he has company.
And finally, some songs apparently couldn’t contain themselves in a single track. Journey, Boston and Genesis take us into the curious world of musical sequels, companion pieces and songs that come in pairs. Sometimes the second listen is built right into the album.
Four ideas. A lot of familiar music. And, we hope, several moments when you say, “Wait — really?”
On Second Listen
Wednesday, September 30, 10 a.m.–noon
WMUH 91.7 FM — “the only station that matters
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I’ll be there. Where else am I going?