This week Nate Heath of the NotNerd Podcast takes a deep dive into the 2016 children's number one hit by Pink Fong, "Baby Shark." This classic nursery rhyme/campfire song took the internet by storm when a South Korean children's entertainment company released an updated pop version of it. With it's popularity further fueled by a viral dance craze and the TikTok app, Baby Shark topped the Kids Digital Sales Chart and is one of the most viewed videos ever on Youtube. Did Pinkfong rip off another artist's version of the song? What are the original gruesome lyrics? Who is Blippi and why are parents so mad at him? All these questions and more will be answered on this week's episode of Single File.

This week is Part II of our Halloween spooktacular! Enjoy the return of the living Doctor Delirious as we dig our claws deep into Bobby "Boris" Pickett's 1962 number one hit: "The Monster Mash." Released in the summer of 1962, predictably the song caught on in a flash when Halloween rolled around several months later. The song was the only hit single from an entire album of spooky, monster themed tracks almost too similar to be distinguished from each other. Pickett went on to base his entire career on a pretty good Boris Karloff impression and would continue releasing similar records well into the 1980s. How many songs on an album can you put the word "Monster" in the title? How did they create the spooky sound effects in the opening of the song? Which punk-rocker-turned-rapper may have based his style off Bobby Pickett's "Monster Rap"? All these question and more will be answered on this week's episode of Single File.

This week Brandon Iron drops by the studio to contemplate the ethereal wonder that is "Heaven is a Place on Earth", the 1987 number one hit by former Go-Go, Belinda Carlisle. The punky aesthetic of the Go-Gos was long gone by the time Carlisle's second solo record was released. Adopting the full Hollywood glam/pop star look, she achieved her only number one hit despite a heavy cocaine addiction that helped destroy the Go-Gos and nearly ruined her career. What seminal LA punk band did Carlisle once play drums in? What song contains the best key change of all time? Is this song about finding true love or is it really about a tasty convenience store snack? All these questions and more will be answered on this episode of Single File.

This week local hockey hero Tucker Dougherty saddles up and returns to the studio to talk about the current number one song on the chart: "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X. This independently released country/hip hop crossover jam swiftly rose to fame in the country scene before being quietly removed from the Billboard's country music charts. While fans insisted the move was racially motivated, Billboard claimed it simply didn't fit the country aesthetic. How did Lil Nas X really get his music career to take off so fast? What pioneering industrial band wrote the music for this song? Who would win in a street race between a time traveling horse and a 1996 Chevy Impala? All these questions and more will be answered in this week's episode of Single File.

This week soundman to the stars Spud Groshong takes us back to the year punk really broke with 1994's Alternative Chart number one hit by the Offspring, "Come Out and Play." Flanked by Green Day and Rancid, the Offspring lead the charge as California-based punk rock blasted into the mainstream in the mid 90s, opening the door for innumerable acts to commodify a surreptitious counter-culture. Selling over 11 million copies, they proved not only that punk wasn't dead, but it also now sported obnoxiously long braided hair extensions. What record label exec tried to sue the band claiming the Offspring stole the main guitar riff? Did the Offspring completely screw over Epitaph records by signing to a major label? Do the lyrics actually work better as a License to Ill-era hip hop song? All these questions and more will be answered on this week's episode of Single File.

 

This week Nicky J USA makes his hat-trick appearance and sails away with the 1979 yacht-rock anthem "What a Fool Believes" by The Doobie Brothers. Co-written by Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald in a monumental collaboration, this song would end up being recorded and released by both artists, with only the Doobie's version reaching notable success. What are the 3 rules for creating a yacht-rock song? Which uncredited mega-pop star allegedly sang on this track? Which member of the Doobie Brothers later became a missile defense consultant for the US government based on his affinity for aviation magazines? All these questions and more will be answered on this week's episode of Single File.