How We Heard It

Surprises we've learned about you, and ourselves, in year one

We've made a full trip around the sun since "How We Heard It" debuted in June of 2024, so for episode No. 52 of the weekly show, your hosts are looking at what worked and what didn't - for the audiences and for themselves - in the first year.
They recap what episodes drew the biggest audiences (some shows are more surprising than others) and where the audiences are coming from (some places are more surprising than others) as well as a look back at how the audience is getting to the podcast and how the social media channels vary from each other.
Chuck, Wayne and John also share what they've learned about themselves and their friendships in the past year, and they reveal some regrets about what they've said and mistakes they've made and miscommunications they've had along the way.
Worth noting: Wayne's going to try to stop saying "you know" all the time.
P.S. If you know anyone in Wyoming, have them give us a listen. We're not sure anyone's actually out there ...

Mixtapes?! What were we thinking?

Music fans have been making personal soundtracks for some 50 years, starting with the mixtape in the 1970s, then changing with technology to mixed discs in the 1990s (replacing cassette tapes with compact discs), then creating playlists in the 2000s for devices like iPods as well as streaming services like Spotify.
Typically, these homemade collections are just a way to put favorite and/or related songs together for consumption at particular times, such as parties, workouts, vacations or relaxation. And sometimes they're made for sharing - with friends or colleagues or a crush you're trying to impress.
The hosts of "How We Heard It" have certainly made more than their share mixtapes, mixed discs and/or playlists over the years, and in this episode they explain themselves - their themes, their intentions and what worked and what didn't - and why they would have hated each other's creations.
They also talk about sharing their mixes, walking the line between creating something others want to hear and creating something nobody wants to hear. (Spoiler alert: Read the room.)

These blockbuster albums were unlike any other

The music industry has always had its megastars akin to today's super-performers like Taylor Swift, Drake and Morgan Wallen.
However, there was a glorious decade from the early 1980s into the 1990s when the planets aligned and money gushed out to a select few artists who commandeered the industry. Major record labels, commercial radio, and MTV conspired to create a consumer hunger for physical products - vinyl, cassette and CD albums and singles, readily available at record stores and department stores at every mall and shopping center.
The artists behind these albums were mostly in their 20s and 30s, "video friendly" and talented enough (with the help of the right production teams) to churn out catchy hooks for their blockbuster albums, which could spawn enough carefully timed singles that could keep the artist near the top of the sales charts for two or three years at a time, often overlapping with their next album release.
Were these the best artists in the history of popular music? Not really. But their timing was phenomenal.
These days commercial radio is just a hint of what it once was, MTV doesn't even play music videos and consumers can simply stream everything they want to hear without having to buy anything.
On this episode of "How We Heard It," your hosts explain what led up to the music industry's glory days and how artists like Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna and Whitney Houston cashed in. And they talk about how Taylor Swift and others are still finding their way.

Album covers inspire, shock and tease

You don't get a second chance to make a first impression, so over the years music artists have relied on the visual cues of their album covers to help sell their product.
Sexy photos, dramatic images, optical illusions, striking colors and eye-catching fonts have all been used to grab attention, titillate and intrigue.
Album covers were vital in the vinyl heyday, but as consumers turned more and more to CDs and tapes, designers had to adapt to smaller canvases. And as the world migrated to digital consumption, an "album cover" became nothing more than a thumbnail image on your phone.
Still, vinyl has rebounded to a degree and every music release, regardless of format, still has some kind of visual attachment to generate interest, so the "album cover" lives on.
On this episode of "How We Heard It," veteran music critics Chuck Campbell and Wayne Bledsoe and musician/engineer John Baker guide you through the best and worst album covers, talking about the iconic art - plus their personal favorites - from the Beatles to today.
They also bust up long-believed myths about some album covers, talk about banned covers and answer important questions like "whose butt is that?," "what's in his pocket?" and "why does she look insane?"

Cheaters! These songs about them have us shook

Why do cheaters cheat?
Seems like there are as many reasons as there are songs about cheaters. They cheat simply because they're tempted or because they want revenge or because they're lonely or because they don't care or because they want a thrill or because they're addicted to sex or because they're drunk.
There are likewise numerous responses to being cheated on. Many are devastated or infuriated or sink into denial. But some see it as an opportunity - to leave someone they were over anyway or to retaliate by also cheating or maybe to cash in financially.
And sometimes a cheating incident will prompt a couple to open their relationship ... for better or worse.
This week, the "How We Heard It" hosts dive into an ocean of cheating songs told from the perspectives of the cheaters as well as those who were cheated on and even those who are the other man or other woman.
From modern songs to songs from the earliest days of popular music, these cuts range from enlightening to bitter and from prickly to comforting. So buckle in while your hosts get to the bottom of things.
 

How do you want to be remembered?

Are you a sweet soul? A deep thinker? A party animal?
All of the above?
In this episode of "How We Heard It," your hosts debate the criteria for creating a final playlist - for a celebration of life or just a celebration in general.
What kind of songs would you want played at your funeral? Wayne's given it a lot of thought, but Chuck and John? Not so much.
Join the guys as they get sweet and salty and poignant and goofy as they sort out songs that move their hearts and songs that make them laugh - and most importantly, songs they want others to associate with them (or at least think about) when they go to the great beyond.
And "She Bop" is just a joke. Maybe.

These summer hits catch us at our happiest

Another summer is upon us, and with it comes a new wave of summer hits that we'll remember forever.
What is it about songs this time of year that makes them hit so much better?
For starters, summer is the most popular season - one with the longest days, the most vacations and the best weather for being outdoors (notwithstanding oppressive heat waves). We meet new people in summer, we go to new places in summer, we allow ourselves to chill out in summer, we fall in love in summer ... and we're just plain happier in summer.
We already have a bounce in our step, so what better time for a new song with bounce? We're already more giddy, so what better time for a catchy, crowd-pleasing hit? 
Kick back and relax with a cool beverage as your "How We Heard It" hosts stroll through the memories of the best summer hits in history - from last year to before you were born.
That "to-do" list can wait till fall.

Remember these one-hit wonders? (We sure do, for better and worse.)

One-hit wonders come from all directions, from serious artists who expected a long career of hit songs to novelty acts who never even expected that first one. But the end result is always the same: It's one and done for the performer.
In this episode of "How We Heard It," your hosts look at an array of their favorite and their most hated one-hit wonders over the years, ranging from before they were born to artists from the past few years who are projected to be one-hit wonders even though they're still just in their 20s.
Some of music's most cherished songs (as well as some of the most despised ones) have been delivered by one-hit wonders, and love them or hate them, they made their mark and can't be forgotten - no matter how hard you try.

Get your paws on these great songs about animals!

This week "How We Heard It" is going to the dogs ... and cats and horses and any other critter you can think of.
When your hosts decided to explore songs about animals, they couldn't believe how many old and new gems they turned up, as well as some truly terrible songs.
Artists of every genre have found excuses to do songs about animals, and they've come up with just about everything. Songs about dogs alone run the gamut from daydreaming about your dog to losing your dog to wanting to be someone else's dog (don't ask). Paul McCartney got enigmatic, and you won't believe what Dolly Parton did with a dog song.
There's more: cat songs, elephant songs, lion songs, songs about sea creatures ... and a surprising array of songs about horses and ponies by the likes of Lil Nas X, Kacey Musgraves, Chappell Roan, Ginuwine, Laid Back and one oldie by The Osmonds that was one of the strangest turns in pop-music history.
Join us and let the animal lover in you run wild.

These songs will help you get over your ex

Songs do a great job of marking all the chapters of a relationship - titillation, infatuation, obsession ... followed by the comforting warmth of deep and abiding love ... (sometimes) followed by hurt, misunderstanding and betrayal ... followed by anger, separation and acceptance.
Yet once the breakup is over and done, we sometimes get stuck, unable to move forward or go back, awash in residual negative feelings that swallow us like quicksand.
You know as well as anyone you're only hurting yourself when you get like this, but your "How We Heard It" team is here to help.
This week's episode is all about letting the old you go and embracing  your future with the help of artists who tap into humor and resilience - and maybe throw one last jab at that ex - as they move on to rejoin the world around them.
So quit crying in your beer, get a haircut and buy a new shirt. You've got a life to live!