How We Heard It

Have you ever dismissed a band or singer as mediocre (or worse) only to later realize they were amazing and you misjudged them?

It can be a blow to the ego to miss the genius that others hear - especially if you're a professional music critic or musician. But this week, your "How We Heard It" hosts put their pride aside and confess to overlooking some of the most-respected names in popular music.

They explain how they underestimate...

The teen years can be some of the most tumultuous in our lives - at least internally. Subtle moments can feel glorious, or tragic, while we might not even notice the major events unfolding all around us.

The magic of being a teenager, when your life can feel out of control if your crush doesn't even look your way, is captured again and again in movies, from comedies to horror and all the drama in between. And why not? What better t...

It's not unusual for beloved singers and musicians to continue performing well beyond the age most of us plan to retire, and you can find them still packing arenas when they're in their 70s, 80s and even 90s.

On the flipside, even the brightest stars can suddenly blink out. They fall out of favor at the drop of a hat, they burn out and quit the business, and, tragically, they sometimes die young.

This week on "How We Heard It," you...

Great duets have surfaced throughout the history of popular music, evoking a magic that one voice simply can't convey by itself.

Duets between Bruno Mars and Rose ("APT.") as well as Kendrick Lamar and SZA ("Luther") have commanded the top of the charts in the past year, and you'll turn up other smash duets no matter how far you go back in time - Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus (2019), Lady Gaga and Beyonce (2009), Nelly Furtado and ...

It can be hard to understand how one song casts a spell on your soul when so many others pass you by. It could be the melody or overall construction of the song, or maybe it's the message of the lyrics that grabs you.

But sometimes the magic is just a matter of location, location, location.

If you've ever been captivated by a song when you were away from home, be it an overnighter in another city or a protracted international journ...

Ever wonder why you hardly ever see one actor who always lights up the screen while you can't get away from another one who always leaves you cold?

So do we.

This week, the hosts of "How We Heard It" look at a galaxy of stars - from the old guard like Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Bradley Cooper and Sandra Bullock to new breakouts like Timothee Chalamet, Mikey Madison, Austin Butler and Jacob Elordi.

Are we ready for some of these old...

Our first impression of a new musical group often comes from their name, which can be creative or shocking or forgettable.

We've all learned that a band's name typically doesn't reflect the kind of music they play - sometimes it's even the opposite of how you would expect them to sound. And over time, you'll come to love a great band with an unfortunate name or reject a blah group with a clever name.

But that initial reaction can g...

Funny thing about lyrics: They aren't always what you think they are.

Whether you hear them the wrong way or someone else heard them the wrong way and passed that misinterpretation on to you, you're often singing along to a different set of lyrics than your favorite singer.

What's more, AI and other lyrics you find on Google get them wrong, too.

But "How We Heard It" is here to help, whether you're wondering about the guy Jimi Hend...

We've made a full trip around the sun since "How We Heard It" debuted in June of 2024, so for episode No. 52 of the weekly show, your hosts are looking at what worked and what didn't - for the audiences and for themselves - in the first year.

They recap what episodes drew the biggest audiences (some shows are more surprising than others) and where the audiences are coming from (some places are more surprising than others) as well a...

Music fans have been making personal soundtracks for some 50 years, starting with the mixtape in the 1970s, then changing with technology to mixed discs in the 1990s (replacing cassette tapes with compact discs), then creating playlists in the 2000s for devices like iPods as well as streaming services like Spotify.

Typically, these homemade collections are just a way to put favorite and/or related songs together for consumption at ...

The music industry has always had its megastars akin to today's super-performers like Taylor Swift, Drake and Morgan Wallen.

However, there was a glorious decade from the early 1980s into the 1990s when the planets aligned and money gushed out to a select few artists who commandeered the industry. Major record labels, commercial radio, and MTV conspired to create a consumer hunger for physical products - vinyl, cassette and CD albu...

You don't get a second chance to make a first impression, so over the years music artists have relied on the visual cues of their album covers to help sell their product.

Sexy photos, dramatic images, optical illusions, striking colors and eye-catching fonts have all been used to grab attention, titillate and intrigue.

Album covers were vital in the vinyl heyday, but as consumers turned more and more to CDs and tapes, designers had...

Why do cheaters cheat?

Seems like there are as many reasons as there are songs about cheaters. They cheat simply because they're tempted or because they want revenge or because they're lonely or because they don't care or because they want a thrill or because they're addicted to sex or because they're drunk.

There are likewise numerous responses to being cheated on. Many are devastated or infuriated or sink into denial. But some se...

Are you a sweet soul? A deep thinker? A party animal?

All of the above?

In this episode of "How We Heard It," your hosts debate the criteria for creating a final playlist - for a celebration of life or just a celebration in general.

What kind of songs would you want played at your funeral? Wayne's given it a lot of thought, but Chuck and John? Not so much.

Join the guys as they get sweet and salty and poignant and goofy as they sor...

Another summer is upon us, and with it comes a new wave of summer hits that we'll remember forever.

What is it about songs this time of year that makes them hit so much better?

For starters, summer is the most popular season - one with the longest days, the most vacations and the best weather for being outdoors (notwithstanding oppressive heat waves). We meet new people in summer, we go to new places in summer, we allow ourselves t...

One-hit wonders come from all directions, from serious artists who expected a long career of hit songs to novelty acts who never even expected that first one. But the end result is always the same: It's one and done for the performer.

In this episode of "How We Heard It," your hosts look at an array of their favorite and their most hated one-hit wonders over the years, ranging from before they were born to artists from the past few...

This week "How We Heard It" is going to the dogs ... and cats and horses and any other critter you can think of.

When your hosts decided to explore songs about animals, they couldn't believe how many old and new gems they turned up, as well as some truly terrible songs.

Artists of every genre have found excuses to do songs about animals, and they've come up with just about everything. Songs about dogs alone run the gamut from daydr...

Songs do a great job of marking all the chapters of a relationship - titillation, infatuation, obsession ... followed by the comforting warmth of deep and abiding love ... (sometimes) followed by hurt, misunderstanding and betrayal ... followed by anger, separation and acceptance.

Yet once the breakup is over and done, we sometimes get stuck, unable to move forward or go back, awash in residual negative feelings that swallow us lik...

Your hosts at "How We Heard It" love movies just as much anyone, and like everyone else, they'll watch their favorite films again and again.

But there are some good movies - some great movies even - that they never intend to watch again.

In this week's episode they go through several acclaimed, or at least popular, films they won't be replaying, and they explain why. Their reasons are many and they often don't agree with each other...