On Second Listen: One-Hit Wonders, Jacques Brel, Movie Music, and Disco
Episode 9 Preview | Wednesday, November 4 | 10 AM–Noon | WMUH 91.7 FM
What do an eighties one-hit wonder, a Belgian songwriter, a Hollywood soundtrack, and a disco dance floor have in common?
Not much, perhaps. But that’s never stopped us before.
This week on On Second Listen, we’re taking four rather different musical detours, each with a few surprises along the way.
One-Hit Wonders—and What Came Next
Remember “Turning Japanese”? Or “Too Shy”? Or the impossibly smooth “True”?
For many American listeners, those songs practically define the artists who recorded them. But what happens when we look beyond the hit?
We’ll revisit some familiar eighties sounds and explore what these musicians did when they weren’t making the songs everybody remembers.
As it turns out, there’s more to some of these bands than their greatest hits might suggest.
Jacques Brel: Lost (and Found) in Translation
Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel was a remarkable performer—part singer, part actor, part force of nature.
His songs found an unexpected second life in the English-language theatrical revue Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris.
But what happens when Brel’s rapid-fire French wordplay, biting satire, and occasionally desperate emotions are transported into English?
We’ll hear both languages, with some surprising changes along the way. No French required—although it certainly doesn’t hurt.
Film vs. Radio: Two Lives for One Song
Some songs become famous because of movies. Others were famous long before Hollywood came calling.
This week, we’ll explore both possibilities, from a blockbuster romantic drama to a bittersweet Christmas film, with a stop along the way for a bicycle ride in a classic Western.
Sometimes a film transforms the way we hear a familiar recording. Sometimes the radio version tells a slightly different story.
And we may have time for one more cinematic memory from the late seventies.
Disco—and Not Disco
Disco didn’t just give us new songs. It also gave us some startling new versions of old ones.
What happens when a psychedelic rock classic hits the dance floor? Or when a brooding British blues-rock hit acquires a Latin rhythm?
We’ll explore a few of those transformations before finishing with a song involving an unusually durable cake.
Yes, a cake. In the rain.
You’ll understand.
Join us Wednesday, November 4, from 10 AM to noon on WMUH 91.7 FM, Allentown, or listen online at WMUH.
And visit onsecondlisten.com for playlists, episode notes, and our Friday Second Thoughts.
Familiar music. Different ears. Another listen.