Category: Episode

by Mary Dolan

Key Change: Jia Tolentino

“I Love You Always Forever” by Donna Lewis

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My guest today is Jia Tolentino. Jia is the author of the essay collection Trick Mirror, which was named one of the best books of 2019 by The New York Times Book Review, NPR, The Paris Review, and more. She won a National Magazine Award for her work at The New Yorker, where she’s been a staff writer since 2016. Her writing covers so many different topics, from Roe v. Wade, to the internet, to pop culture and music. And today, we’re going to talk about the 1996 pop hit “I Love You Always Forever” by Donna Lewis.

You can buy or stream “I Love You Always Forever” here.

footnotes:
Addison Rae
Jewel
Mariah Carey
The Spice Girls
Alfonso Cuarón’s A Little Princess
Pocahontas
Mario Kart Rainbow Road
Neon Gold
The Hairpin
Emma Carmichael
Whitney Houston
“Sorry” – Justin Bieber
“Teenage Dream” – Katy Perry (produced by Max Martin)
“Run Away With Me” – Carly Rae Jepsen
“Pink Pony Club” – Chappell Roan
“Shake it Off” – Taylor Swift
Olivia Rodrigo

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by Tiger Biskup

Episode 297: Fall Out Boy

“Sugar, We’re Goin Down”

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Fall Out Boy is a band from Chicago that formed in 2001. Their first album, Take This To Your Grave, was a hit, especially in the punk rock world. When they put out their second album, though, in 2005, that was on a whole other scale. That album is called From Under the Cork Tree, and it went double platinum, and they were nominated for a Grammy for Best New Artist. For this episode, I talked to the band’s singer, Patrick Stump, about how they made their breakout hit from that album, the song “Sugar, We’re Goin Down.”

You can buy or stream “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” here.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes:
Pete Wentz – bass
Joe Trohman – guitar
Andy Hurley – drums
Neal Avron – producer
Fueled by Ramen and Island Records
The Blue Meanies
Yogi Berra
Sean O’Keefe
Mike Fasano
November Rain – Guns N’ Roses
Knockout
TRL (Total Request Live) on MTV

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by Tiger Biskup

Episode 296: Gigi Perez

“Sailor Song”

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Gigi Perez is a singer and songwriter from Florida, and at 25 years old, she’s already had so many ups and downs in her music career. She started sharing her songs on TikTok, where they got enough attention that she got signed to a major label deal, but that ultimately didn’t pan out. Soon after that, as an independent artist again, she had her biggest breakout hit, with “Sailor Song.” She released it in July 2024, and it went viral on TikTok. Now, it has over a billion streams on Spotify alone, and it’s a part of her new album, which came out in April 2025. In this episode, you’ll hear how the song evolved, from her first voice memo to the final version, which she recorded in her childhood bedroom. I talked to Gigi about how “Sailor Song” came about, and about all the different parts of herself that she put into it—her faith, grief, desire, and more.

You can buy or stream “Sailor Song” here.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes:
Noah Weinman – co-producer
Anne Hathaway, The Princess Diaries, The Devil Wears Prada
Splice Sounds

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