How do we determine what the biggest song is in an artist’s catalogue? A few decades ago it was generally decided based on sales and airplay, but then along came digital downloads, followed by YouTube views and finally, streams across the various platforms out there.

A band like Weezer is a good example of this, considering they have had multiple hits throughout multiple decades. But chances are different fans have different ideas of what song is considered their biggest. Is it “Buddy Holly,” their 1994 breakout with the mind-blowing, award-winning music video directed by Spike Jonze?

Or maybe it’s “Beverly Hills,” the gimmicky earworm that has divided Weezer fans for two decades now? How about their more recent cover of Toto’s “Africa” that became a surprise chart-topper? Or perhaps it is “Island in the Sun,” the laidback jangle pop song that has become a beloved anthem and streaming sensation over time.

This week, join Myles Galloway as he tells you how Island in the Sun became the most successful tune Weezer has ever written. With newly unearthed interviews with Weezer themselves!

Formed over 30 Years ago - back in 1993 - Jimmy Eat World was founded by Frontman Jim Adkins and his good friend since toddler-dom, drummer Zach Lind in Mesa, Arizona. The band toiled on the local indie scene as a sort of scrappy skate punk band for the better part of two years, self-releasing and split-releasing their own music with other bands before being discovered by a talent scout from the world famous Capitol Records.

Jimmy Eat World’s Major Label Debut ‘Static Prevails’ was released in July of ‘96 to… mixed results. Despite their limited success - Capitol decided to give Jimmy Eat World another go, and the band would produce their second effort on the label; the album Clarity in February of 1999.If you’re a Jimmy Eat World mega-fan - you are likely aware of Clarity’s retrospective Cult Status as one of the most important emo records of all time, so of course - within six months of the release of the masterpiece that is Clarity - Jimmy Eat World was dropped by Capitol Records altogether in August of 1999.

Quite literally back at the drawing board, the band members had to temporarily take part time jobs to keep the dream of Jimmy Eat World alive. Piece-by-painful piece, Jimmy Eat World slowly began working on their followup to Clarity - recording just the minimum viable product for each song idea - not letting a dollar go to waste.

This is the story of Jimmy Eat World's 'The Middle', with newly unearthed audio from the band themselves!

How many songs can you recognize by hearing the very first note?

Just one note, nothing more. Usually when radio stations play that game where they will give you a prize if you can recognize a quick snippet of a song, they give you at least a few notes, even a few seconds. But there is one song out there, and maybe the only one that immediately comes to mind, where if you know that first note, you’d guess it every time. If you’re near a piano or keyboard try playing a G note. What immediately comes to mind?

If you thought of My Chemical Romance's 'Welcome to the Black Parade' - you're in for a treat - because the season finale of Encore is all about their 2006 hit - with newly unearthed audio from MCR!

Before Sabrina Carpenter became one of the biggest artists of 2024... She dropped a Christmas Album, naturally.

This is the story of Sabrina Carpenter's 'Fruitcake' from our sister podcast Behind The Christmas Hits with Drew Savage!

A song - any song - when done right - can transport you to a different time, a different place, and take you on an emotional rollercoaster.

It’s an exhilarating feeling isn’t it? Whether you’re driving down the highway, volume cranked - singing along, or maybe you’re doing chores at home, and the music transforms the mundanity into something worthwhile. Maybe it’s a killer headphone session with a perfectly curated playlist - by you, or any of the playlist geniuses that work at iHeartRadio Canada - wait - who wrote that??

Dog Days are Over by Florence + the Machine, is just intrinsically just one of those great songs… a slow build with almost timid instrumentation, followed by a heartwarming and gentle voice taking you out on the quiet melodic waters - transporting you away to your own little musical island - when all of the sudden it crescendos with the power and soul of a voice so uniquely resonant, I might even argue that there hasn’t been another voice so special since the song was released into the wild over 15 years ago.

This is the story of Florence and the Machine’s “Dog Days are Over”

Contains interview footage from the following outlets:

RTE2 Ireland https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e_Uvj0iCbc

ALT 98.7 LA (courtesy iHeartRadio) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJIwK7btO6Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyTYcgC7nLU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkjKxxEWy8I

KROQ LA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdyYdhG44zk

Contains a clip from 'Glee' S02 E09 'Special Education' (2010)

What would you say is the worst song ever written?

Like the absolute worst tune of all time that you and everybody you know hates.

There is almost no way to get a general consensus, but a lot of people sure think it is “You’re Beautiful,” the 2005 single by English singer-songwriter James Blunt.

When that song was released almost 20 years ago, it was everywhere. You couldn’t avoid it. The Gap, the grocery store, your dentist’s office? They were all playing it ‘round the clock. And when that happens it’s rather easy to hate on something as simple as a song. Especially a romantic ballad that’s as sappy and sentimental and innocent as “You’re Beautiful.”

But that’s where the problem lies. James Blunt’s much maligned mega-hit, a song that was virtually #1 all over the planet and likely in other galaxies was not a sappy, sentimental and innocent ballad. Heck, it wasn’t even romantic. Now, you might be saying to yourself, “How is that possible? He’s literally serenading a woman he finds beautiful.”

Well, I’m here to tell you that “You’re Beautiful” is a song with layers to it. Layers that will completely change the way you listen to it.

This is the story of James Blunt's 'You're Beautiful' with newly unearthed audio from James Blunt himself!

It’s really quite the honour to be thought of as the KINGS or QUEENS of a Genre - Think of the likes of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Madonna, Beyoncé, or Taylor Swift - Artists that have completely become synonymous with the style of music in which they perform, whether it's through their contributions to innovation of the sound, or - quite frankly - through their track record of being the most popular artist or group to have ever done it.

With that in mind, if I were to present the genre of Pop-Punk to you, and ask who the first band that pops in your head is - I would be willing to bet you’d immediately think of the undisputed kings of the sound: blink-182

This is the story of blink 182’s CLASSIC “All The Small Things” with newly unearthed audio from the band.

Also contains audio from Zane Lowe's 2023 Chat with Mark, Tom, and Travis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE6RpGJJWlQ

What does it mean to you when I say the word “brat”? What even is brat at this point? Are you brat? Am I brat?

In 2024 we learned what brat was and wasn’t, thanks to Charli XCX - who had a major breakthrough in 2024, but it wasn’t exactly her first rodeo. She has been flirting with stardom since she was a teenager.

As early as 2007, Charli took out a loan from her VERY UNDERSTANDING parents in order to make her first album, called 14. While promotional copies of 14 were shared with friends and members of the press - the album was never commercially available. However, a copy of the CD found its way into the hands of Atlantic Records, which offered Charli a record deal. At first Charli XCX wasn’t sure about signing with Asylum, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records. She was only 18 and enjoying making weird rave music on her own terms.

By 2012, Charli had found her niche as a songwriter and featured artist - penning tracks that became hits for Icona Pop and Iggy Azalea.

But in 2013/14, while working on her album True Romance, something weird happened. A song called "Boom Clap", which had been sitting on the shelf for a year -originally planned at one point to be given to Hilary Duff, was given a second chance by Charli as her first real single recording.

This is the story of 'Boom Clap' with newly unearthed audio from Charli XCX.