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The Ringer

First came '60 Songs That Explain the '90s.' (We did that.) Then came '60 Songs That Explain the '90s: The 2000s.' (We're doing that now—and yes, that's the actual name.) But whether you want to jump back to the Clinton years or join us as we reboot our old iPods, you can find all of the collected works of Rob Harvilla below. Come back each Wednesday for a new episode.

60 Songs That Explain the '90s

Listen as Rob celebrates the life and career of the music icon who is Johnny Cash and his 2002 legendary cover of “Hurt.” Along the way, Rob discusses Cash’s work with Rick Rubin and much more. Later, Rob is joined by the Ringer’s Brian Phillips to further celebrate Johnny Cash’s greatness.

Host: Rob Harvilla
Guest: Brian Phillips
Producers: Jonathan Kermah and Justin Sayles
Additional Production Support: Olivia Crerie
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“Hurt”—Johnny Cash

Rob looks back at the music career of pop star Avril Lavigne while celebrating her smash hit “Complicated.” Along the way, Rob dives deep into the idea of the anti-Britney Spears and much more! Later, he is joined by Marissa Moss to discuss Avril Lavigne’s potential influences, debating what song is her best, and more.

Host: Rob Harvilla
Guest: Marissa Moss
Producers: Jonathan Kermah and Justin Sayles
Additional Production Support: Olivia Crerie
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“Complicated”—Avril Lavigne

Rob examines the crossroads of Usher’s pop star persona and Lil Jon’s unique vocal and musical genius this week when taking a look back at the smash hit “Yeah!” (1:00). Then, he is joined by Clover Hope to talk about the construction of Usher’s career, the imagery and storytelling that went into making him more interesting to audiences, his staying power, and more (59:00).

Host: Rob Harvilla
Guest: Clover Hope
Producers: Jonathan Kermah, Justin Sayles, and Bobby Wagner
Additional Production Support: Olivia Crerie
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“Yeah!”—Usher

Rob explores the genre-fluid positive energy of rap/reggae/rock ‘90s holdovers 311 and their hit ‘Amber.’ Among other things, he also talks about them as a bridge from a previous era, the musicality of their bass in particular, and the way they’re in conversation with bands that petered out in the ‘90s, as well as bands that grew in popularity in the 2000s. Then, Rob is joined by New York magazine music critic Craig Jenkins to discuss why 311 is actually good and situates their legacy as it stands today.

Yasi's GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/yasis-house-burned-down-to-the-ground

Host: Rob Harvilla
Guest: Craig Jenkins
Producers: Jonathan Kermah, Justin Sayles, and Bobby Wagner
Additional Production Support: Olivia Crerie
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“Amber”—311

Rob celebrates pop icon Rihanna while looking back at her smash hit “Umbrella.” While combing through Rihanna’s expansive career, Rob also discusses whether Jay-Z’s guest verse on “Umbrella” is the worst of his career. Later, Brittany Spano joins the show to answer the difficult question of what song is Rihanna’s best, and much more.

﻿Host: Rob Harvilla
Guest: Brittany Spano
Producers: Jonathan Kermah and Justin Sayles
Additional Production Support: Olivia Crerie
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“Umbrella”—Rihanna

This week, we’re celebrating the Canadian rock band Nickelback! Along the way, Rob discusses butt rock, anti-Nickelback memes, and his friend stealing his girlfriend in high school. Later, author and columnist Leslie Gray Streeter joins the show to defend Nickelback fans and much more.

Pre-Order, Leslie’s new book, ‘Family & Other Calamities: A Novel’ here.

Host: Rob Harvilla
Guest: Leslie Gray Streeter
Producers: Jonathan Kermah and Justin Sayles
Additional Production Support: Olivia Crerie
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“How You Remind Me”—Nickelback

Listen to Rob and Yasi, joined by Chris Ryan and Sean Fennessey live from the Lodge Room in Los Angeles! In this song draft, the crew is picking between the best soundtracks of the 2000s.

﻿Hosts: Rob Harvilla and Yasi Salek
Guests: Chris Ryan and Sean Fennessey
Producers: Adrian Bridges, Jonathan Kermah, and Justin Sayles
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The Soundtrack Draft | 60 Songs x Bandsplain LIVE

Ahead of Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance, Ringer senior staff writer Justin Charity explores some of the critical moments of Kendrick’s story: from a legendary come-up in the rap blog era of the late 2000s to his early stardom in the 2010s to his fiery resurgence in the past several months as he takes a never-ending victory lap after winning his war against Drake.

﻿Host: Justin Charity
Producers: Vikram Patel, Justin Sayles, Chelsea Stark-Jones, and Bobby Wagner
Story Editing: Aric Jenkins
Sound Design, Mixing, and Mastering: Bobby Wagner
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Poetic Justice: The Year of Kendrick Lamar

We know, it's been a while. But, Rob and his producer pals are working hard on the show. See you in two weeks!
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Proof of Life: 60 Songs is Back on April 30

Rob is back from hiatus with a loaded episode! Join him as he straddles the line between real life and virtual reality when discussing the virtual band Gorillaz and the career of its creator, Damon Albarn. Later, Rob is joined by Jeremy Gordon, the author of 'See Friendship' and senior editor at The Atlantic, to get to the bottom of how Gorillaz became so popular (1:07:00).

Host: Rob Harvilla

Guest: Jeremy Gordon

Producers: Bobby Wagner, Jonathan Kermah, and Justin Sayles

Additional Production Support: Olivia Crerie
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“Feel Good Inc.”—Gorillaz

Rob explores one of the greatest boy band songs of all time, “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys, by discussing the nonsensical yet sonically pleasing lyricism and the perception of boy bands in larger cultural criticism.
This episode was originally produced as a Music and Talk show available exclusively on Spotify. Find the full song on Spotify or wherever you get your music.
Host: Rob Harvilla
Guest: Maria Sherman
Producers: Isaac Lee and Justin Sayles
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Backstreet Boys—“I Want It That Way”

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