It’s exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero. The premiere of Signature Song season 2 features a Swiftie showdown. One of our hosts is a major Taylor Swift fan, and the other… not so much. Will that impact our contenders? Find a blank space on your calendar and, baby, just say yes to our most heated episode yet!
Green Day went from bratty Bay Area upstarts to globe-straddling hitmakers who smuggled punk hooks into the mainstream. But which single track truly marks them in the public imagination? Is it the slacker jolt that kicked down MTV’s door, the acoustic prom send-off that soundtracked every graduation, the presidential kiss-off that reignited their career, or the stadium-sized hangover that followed? In this episode, we trace the arc from Dookie to American Idiot and beyond to crown Green Day’s signature song.
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Leonard Cohen went from bohemian poet with a nylon-string guitar to wry, late-night crooner in a shiny suit, always chasing the same obsessions: love, faith, sex, doubt, and the stories we tell ourselves. In this episode, we ask which one song best defines him to the wider world.
We dig into origin stories, musical fingerprints, and cultural footprint to weigh what “signature” really means for a writer this vast.
Contenders we discuss:
• “Suzanne”
• “So Long, Marianne”
• “Famous Blue Raincoat”
• “Dance Me to the End of Love”
• “Hallelujah”
• “I’m Your Man”
Plus shout-outs to: “Bird on the Wire,” “Chelsea Hotel #2,” “Everybody Knows,” “Tower of Song,” “Joan of Arc,” and others.
Did we get it right? Did we get it wrong? Tell us your pick!
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Mitski has spent the last decade shapeshifting from scrappy guitar poet to disco-tinged architect of yearning, and now, an unlikely chart titan. In this episode, we trace those transformations to figure out which single track defines her to the wider world. Is it a ragged heart-on-sleeve anthem? A dance-floor spiral? A tender lunar prayer that conquered the charts? Let’s find out.
We’re joined by our first live guest (!): Jessica Kion, a.k.a. Justice Cow: singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, visual artist, and YouTuber. She helps us unpack the songcraft, dynamics, and lyrical pivots that make Mitski… well, Mitski.
Contenders we discuss:
• “First Love / Late Spring”
• “Your Best American Girl”
• “Nobody”
• “Washing Machine Heart”
• “This Is A Life” (with Son Lux and David Byrne)
Plus shout-outs to “Geyser,” “I Bet on Losing Dogs,” “Francis Forever,” and more.
Did we get it right? Did we get it wrong? Tell us your pick!
Special guest: Jessica Kion / Justice Cow!
• Instagram: @justice_cow_music
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JusticeCow
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Umbrellas up. For this episode, we trace the meteoric rise of Rihanna, one of the most influential pop stars of the 21st century. From island rhythms to electro-pop dominance, her career is a story of constant reinvention and HUGE hits. Like, way more than we thought.We break down the moments that turned Robyn Rihanna Fenty into simply Rihanna, debate the merits of her most iconic singles, and ask: what’s the one track that defines her above all others? Is it the breakthrough? The club banger? The power ballad?
Let’s find out.
Did we get it right? Did we get it wrong? Let us know in the comments!
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Bruce Springsteen is one of the most iconic figures in American rock... but which song truly defines him to the world? In this episode, we take a look at the Boss’s catalog to find the track that best captures his music, his legacy, and his cultural impact. Huge stadium anthems, quiet intimate ballads, and everything in between; we trace the journey of a songwriter who gave voice to both everyday struggles and larger-than-life dreams. Join us in our exploration of The Boss's most acclaimed songs.
Surf’s up… or is it? For this episode, we explore the shimmering harmonies, sun-drenched melodies, and surprising melancholy of The Beach Boys. Often written off as the soundtrack to summer barbecues, their catalog tells a much deeper story, one of teenage dreams, artistic ambition, and personal unraveling. From surf bops to symphonic heartbreak, we explore the many phases of Brian Wilson and his band of California crooners to answer one deceptively tricky question: what’s the song that defines The Beach Boys?
Is it about cars? Girls? God? Good vibrations?
Let’s find out.
Did we get it right? Did we get it wrong? Let us know in the comments!
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We go back to the post-punk gloom of the late '70s and ride the eyeliner-streaked wave of The Cure’s evolution into goth icons, pop darlings, and festival legends. In this episode, we dive into the many eras of Robert Smith and company, from sparse soundscapes to euphoric anthems, to figure out which song truly defines them in the public consciousness. Is it doom and despair? Impish joy? A bit of both? Let’s find out.
We leave the 90s and go straight to the 2010s to analyze the career of The 1975, one of the UK's most significant bands in recent memory. We pick through their discography to find the songs that define them to the general public, discuss their songwriting quirks, and even the many controversies of lead singer Matty Healy. Yes, Taylor Swift is mentioned.
Put on your flannel and grow out your soul patch, kids. Episode 2 of our quest to nail down the signature song of literally every artist on the planet is all about Pearl Jam, a band with personal significance to our friendship, and a discography as deep as the ocean. We dig into the legacy of a group with a long career, but one album that cast a shadow bigger than the rest. Guess which one!
Did we get it right? Did we get it wrong? Let us know in the comments!
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For the very first episode of our podcast, we take a look at the career of pop legend Britney Spears and ask ourselves: in a career full of hits, what is her signature song?
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