
60 Songs That Explain the '90s
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.
Latest episodes

7 snips
Jan 31, 2024 • 1h 30min
“Iris”—Goo Goo Dolls
The podcast explores the movie 'High Fidelity' and its relatability, focusing on power-pop songs by Matthew Sweet, the Knack, and Material Issue. The hosts discuss the emotional impact of 'Iris' by the Goo Goo Dolls and share personal experiences of creating mixtapes for crushes. They also delve into the concept of dad rock, compare soundtracks of 'City of Angels' and 'The Crow: City of Angels,' and express their love for 90s music.

Jan 24, 2024 • 1h 32min
“Freedom! ’90”—George Michael
Rob reflects on childhood songs, discusses a letter from Frank Sinatra to George Michael. They explore George Michael's impact on MTV, his song 'Freedom', his turning point and solo success, and his evolution as a musician

Jan 17, 2024 • 1h 34min
"Believe"—Cher
Cher, influential figure in the world of autotune, discusses her impact and the significance of her song 'Believe'. Rob recalls meeting Cher through 'Beavis and Butt-Head'. DJ Louie XIV joins to talk about the impact of 'Believe'.

Jan 10, 2024 • 1h 37min
“Are You Gonna Go My Way”—Lenny Kravitz
Guest Elamin Abdelmahmoud discusses Lenny Kravitz's recent comments on the disconnect between black radio/publications and his music. They explore Kravitz's early life, his album 'Mama Said', the song 'Believe', and iconic hits like 'Fly Away' and 'American Woman'.

Dec 14, 2023 • 1h 32min
“What’s Up”—4 Non Blondes
Leslie Gray Streeter, journalist and host of ‘Fine Beats and Cheeses’, joins the host to discuss how '90s music criticism discredited the music of 4 Non Blondes. They delve into topics such as '90s songs, memorable holiday seasons, Linda Perry's journey of self-discovery and finding her voice, and the nostalgic elements of music from the '90s.

23 snips
Dec 6, 2023 • 1h 33min
“Santeria”—Sublime
Guest Yasi Salek joins the host to discuss the band Sublime and their song 'Santeria'. They explore the impact of Sublime as fellow west coasters and delve into the controversy surrounding Sublime's song 'Date Rape'.

Nov 29, 2023 • 1h 45min
‘60 Songs’ x ‘Bandsplain’ Live at the Teragram
Chris Ryan joins Rob and Yasi on a live draft of songs from the book '60 Songs That Explain the 90s.' They discuss mispronunciations, their favorite rock songs, the iconic music video for November Rain, personal party culture stories, the perception of pop songs, opinions on music today, AI-generated singing, and future podcast plans.

Nov 15, 2023 • 1h 34min
“I’ll Be Missing You”—Puff Daddy and the Family
Puff Daddy's assistant, Sowmya Krishnamurthy, shares her experience working with Puff Daddy and reflects on his transition from producer to artist. They discuss Puff Daddy's song "I'll Be Missing You" dedicated to Notorious B.I.G, the emotional impact of tragedy, and the cultural significance of the song's looped melody.

Nov 8, 2023 • 1h 34min
“Glory Box”—Portishead
A confession of beating someone up at a Portishead concert, exploring trip-hop with focus on 'Glory Box' and Massive Attack, the emotional impact of warm vocals, the elements of Portishead's 'Midnight in a Perfect World', the connection between '90s songs and Cyberpunk 2077, Bristol's musical culture, the emergence of UK trip-hop, and creating uniqueness in '90s music.

Oct 25, 2023 • 1h 24min
“Lovefool”—The Cardigans
In this podcast, the host talks about his dream of serenading ladies at a party, explores the movie 'Romeo + Juliet' and the Cardigans' hit 'Lovefool', discusses the influence of ABBA and Swedish pop, reviews the film adaptation and band dynamics, shares a micro love story, delves into the rise of indie pop and Twee in the '90s, and expresses anticipation for a live band performance.