Song Vs. Song

Todd Nathanson

Hosted by Todd (in the Shadows) Nathanson and Alina Morgan, Song vs. Song pits two similar songs of an era against each other with controversial outcomes.

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Avg 1 hr 11 min
English

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#190
August 16 · 1 hr 13 min
Bonus Episode: The Muppets (2011) with Dan Olson!
While we are on break, a little taste of our bonus episodes on Patreon! And much thanks to Dan Olson for helping untangle the attempted, only partially successful Jim Henson reboot "The Muppets" from 2011! Song vs. Song Patreon here! Please donate, we need you And as always — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights: Transgender Law Center Trans Lifeline Destination Tomorrow Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#186
July 28 · 1 hr 15 min
174: "Hung Up" vs. "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (w/Jason Lipshutz!)
Two of the biggest international pop stars of the '80s and '90s ascended into world-conquering dance divas in the '00s, but which will shall reign supreme, Madonna's "Hung Up" or Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out of My Head"? Billboard's Jason Lipshutz joins us to help get us less hung up. Song vs. Song Patreon here! Please donate, we need you. And as always — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights: Transgender Law Center Trans Lifeline Destination Tomorrow Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#185
July 14 · 1 hr 3 min
173: "Hungry Heart" vs. "Uptown Girl"
Two guys from the suburbs of NYC loved old doo-wop and '60s girl groups! Which bridge-and-tunnel legend's catchiest song is the better classic pop song, Bruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart" or Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl"? Song vs. Song Patreon here! Please donate, we need you. And as always — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights: Transgender Law Center Trans Lifeline Destination Tomorrow Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#184
June 30 · 52 min
172: "Lovefool" vs. "Kiss Me"
Teen movies of the '90s needed a cute little twee song for teenagers to kiss to, but which was the most romantic of the two? Todd and Lina argue between "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer and "Lovefool" by the Cardigans! Song vs. Song Patreon here! Please donate, we need you. And as always — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights: Transgender Law Center Trans Lifeline Destination Tomorrow Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#183
June 17 · 1 hr 17 min
171: "Dreams" vs. "You're So Vain" (w/Andrew Unterberger!)
Two of the finest and most devastating kiss-off tracks of the '70s, the songs that basically created the Main Pop Girl era five decades ahead of time, but which of these is the most heartbreakingly brutal burns of the '70s, "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac or "You're So Vain" by Carly Simon? Song vs. Song Patreon here! Please donate, we need you. And as always — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights: Transgender Law Center Trans Lifeline Destination Tomorrow Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#182
May 26 · 1 hr 30 min
170: "Say So" vs. "Levitating" (w/AJ Marks!)
It's the pandemic and the dance floors are all closed but disco lives on! We invite Main Pod Girl's AJ Marks into the studio to help us debate which is the finest of the 2020 dance songs with the problematic optional guest rapper, Doja Cat's "Say So" (ft. Nicki Minaj) or Dua Lipa's "Levitating" (ft. DaBaby)! Song vs. Song Patreon here! Please donate, we need you. And as always — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights: Transgender Law Center Trans Lifeline Destination Tomorrow Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#181
May 13 · 1 hr 7 min
169: "Shout" vs. "Relax" (w/Justin Lewis)!
It's the mid-'80s and two bands have figured out that what people want is British guys giving commands in two-note chanting choruses. Which is the best more-chorus-than-song song of the mid-'80s, "Shout" by Tears for Fears or "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood? Thank you to special guest Justin Lewis, check out his great book "Into the Groove: The 1980s: The Ultimate Decade in Music History" which you can pre-order in the US here or buy in the UK here! Song vs. Song Patreon here! Please donate, we need you. And as always — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights: Transgender Law Center Trans Lifeline Destination Tomorrow Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#180
April 29 · 1 hr 34 min
168: "Best of You" vs. "Like a Stone" (w/Pat Finnerty!)
If there's one thing we liked in rock in the 2000s, it was the '90s, and those who managed to survive it. But which band starring former members of grunge bands really made the '00s RAWK and feel emotions. Well we've got pod best friend and '00s rock expert Pat Finnerty to help us decode this mess and help us decide which is THE BEST THE BEST THE BEST between Foo Fighters' "Best of You" and Audioslave's "Best of You"! And as always — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights: Transgender Law Center Trans Lifeline Destination Tomorrow Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#179
April 14 · 1 hr
167: "Breaking the Law" vs. "Ace of Spades"
What is the best metal song of 1980???? Is Lemmy God? Is he better than the Metal God Rob Halford? Is there a better song to wash your dog to??? Put on your studded metal because we're debating "Breaking the Law" by Judas Priest vs. "Ace of Spades" by Motörhead! And as always — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights: Transgender Law Center Trans Lifeline Destination Tomorrow Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#178
March 25 · 1 hr 14 min
166: "Party Rock Anthem" vs. "Give Me Everything" (w/Mic the Snare)
Dale! Party rock is in the house tonight! The year is 2011 and nothing will ever feel bad ever again! But someone in the non-stop party has to be the party king so we're debating the best song about having a good time because we might not have tomorrow. Who will reign supreme, "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO or "Give Me Everything" by Pitbull? And as always — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights: Transgender Law Center Trans Lifeline Destination Tomorrow Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#176
March 11 · 58 min
165: "Lay Lady Lay" vs. "Sweet Jane" (w/Spencer Breslin!)
Two of the greatest, mumbliest songwriters of the '60s decide to write sweet love songs! But only one can succeed between Dylan and Lou Reed, and we've brought star of "Disney's The Kid" and "The Santa Clause" 2 and 3 Spencer Breslin to help us decide which of the rambly hipsters makes the prettier tribute to love, Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay" or the Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane"? And as always — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights: Transgender Law Center Trans Lifeline Destination Tomorrow Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#175
February 24 · 1 hr 16 min
BONUS EPISODE: "Wicked" (w/Sarah Z!)
To make up for a minor scheduling snafu, we are unlocking the vault and releasing one of our bonus episodes! We invite Wicked megafan Sarah Z into the studio to talk about the two movies and whether they fix or worsen one of the most popular musicals of all time See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#174
February 11 · 1 hr 5 min
164: "Grace Kelly" vs. "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'"
Let us pick the best neo-glam rock song of the mid-00s! Who shall win, the faux-Queen belting of Mika's "Grace Kelly" or the Elton John-approved disco of the Scissor Sisters' "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'"? And as always — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights: Transgender Law Center Trans Lifeline Destination Tomorrow Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#173
February 2 · 1 hr 10 min
SPECIAL: The Grammys! Can they stay good?? (w/Mic the Snare!)
2026! Not as good as last year's Grammys, but what could be? So how did everyone do, and can this trend keep up? Also: Fuck ICE? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#172
January 28 · 1 hr 4 min
163: "Good Vibrations" vs. "A Day in the Life"
In the mid-1960s, two bands thought, what if rock and roll could be ART?? And so we got two masterpieces, but only one can stand as the greatest of all time, so who made the greatest rock mini-symphony of all time, And as always — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights: Transgender Law Center Trans Lifeline Destination Tomorrow Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#171
January 14 · 1 hr 25 min
162: "sports car" vs. "Fame is a Gun" (w/Andrew Unterberger!)
It's 2026 and we're doing our real 2025 in review, with double the Rae. Which of the two dancing hot girl pop stars is gonna be the one to lead us into the new year, do you prefer Tate McRae's "sports car" or Addison Rae's "Fame is a Gun"? And as we say in every one of these GPS podcast posts — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights: Transgender Law Center Trans Lifeline Destination Tomorrow Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#170
Dec 24, 2025 · 1 hr 6 min
161: "Beautiful Things" vs. "Lose Control" (ft. Kevin Anderson)
They were the biggest songs of 2025 and unfortunately they were from 2024 but they just wouldn't go away, so much so that we had to use our 2025 in review year-end podcast to talk about them! Which overplayed song of the year AND the year before made you do backflips and/or lose control, Benson Boone's "Beautiful Things" or Teddy Swims's "Lose Control"? And if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights: Transgender Law Center Trans Lifeline Destination Tomorrow Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#169
Dec 10, 2025 · 1 hr 18 min
160: "Blue Christmas" vs. "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" (with Chris Dalla Riva!)
Once upon a time there were no songs about being lonely at Christmas. And then, two early rock-and-roll legends, the King of Rock and Roll Elvis, and lifelong backup singer Darlene Love (overshadowed by megaproducer Phil Spector) released two songs to hit the hearts of people missing their baby on Christmas Day. But only one can rip open our hearts like so much discarded wrapping paper, so we must argue Thank you to Chris Della Riva, and check out his new book Uncharted Territory wherever books are sold! https://bio.site/uncharted_territory If you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights: Transgender Law Center Trans Lifeline Destination Tomorrow Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#168
Nov 25, 2025 · 1 hr 4 min
159: "Dancing on My Own" vs. "Run Away with Me" (with Josh from Target Audience)
The two great "justice for" pop songs of the 2010s. The two songs that created the lane of popheads' cult heroes that dominates the forums. But only one can stand supreme so which one shall rule, Robyn's "Dancing on My Own" or Carly Rae Jepsen's "Run Away with Me"? And if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights: Transgender Law Center Trans Lifeline Destination Tomorrow Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
#167
Nov 12, 2025 · 1 hr 15 min
158: "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?" vs. "Sunny Came Home"
Did y'all see that Lilith Fair documentary on Hulu? We did, and we have thoughts about two of its biggest stars -- or at least, the two who will always be associated with Lilith Fair first and foremost. But who shall be the victor? Is it Paula Cole's sad-marriage lament "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?", or will it go to Shawn Colvin's "Sunny Came Home" with a vengeance? And if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights: Transgender Law Center Trans Lifeline Destination Tomorrow Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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