There are a lot of great podcasts right now. Pods that cover every subject that you can think of or dream of or want to listen to people talk about. That’s awesome. And, in the world of music, my favourite podcast right now is 60 Songs That Explain the 90s.

60 Songs That Explains the 90s comes to us via The Ringer Podcast Network and is hosted by music critic Rob Harvilla. It’s pretty self-explanatory really. Harvilla is working through a list of 60 songs released in the 90s that are worthy (through his own selection process or maybe with his production team and management, I don’t know) of revisiting and diving into.

Here’s the thing, I like this podcast a lot because when I listen at 1.2 speed, it doesn’t take long to get through (the episodes clock in at around 40 minutes), Harvilla is a good talker, there’s a guest on every show that brings something different to the table each week, AND it all taps into the nostalgia I feel for 90s music as a dude who is now inching closer to 40 and further away from my youth.

Note: There’s a bonus reason as well. Because this isn’t a podcast that’s telling one big story about the decade through the series, you can just skip episodes if you’re not interested in the song that it’s featuring. It’s cool.

In 18 episodes so far*, Harvilla has worked through pop, rock, hip-hop, dance, grunge, ska/pop, men, women, solo artists, groups – it’s all there. And while I don’t know what songs make up the last 42 episodes, I am hoping for more balance and variance. And Rob, if you’re reading this – if we don’t get Shania Twain’s Man! I Feel Like A Woman!, we riot!

The reality is this, podcasts are (when they’re done well and connect with the right audience) great ways to fill time, be entertained, learn things, and bask in nostalgia. And as we near a year in this pandemic, I’ve got some time for podcasts once in a while… though not as much as when I commuted for 3 hours a day in a previous chapter in my life. For me, 60 Songs That Explains the 90s connects. It hits. I don’t know what kind of streams it’s pulling in, but I recommend that you check it out. Let Rob Harvilla talk to you for a few minutes about a song or a genre or a band and then let him dive a little deeper and more specifically about the song you see in the title of the episode.

Note: One of my personal favourite moments in the series to this point is Rob Harvilla comparing Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich to former Yankee’s shortstop Derek Jeter. As a baseball fan and someone who shares the feelings that Mr. Harvilla expressed about Jeter in that segment, (as well as Lars) I smiled and nodded and agreed with all of it. Job well done.

To try to give you an introduction to the series, and get you interested and checked-in, here are the five episodes I’ve liked best so far. Some are because of the songs, some are because of what I learned. And there’s a very great bonus episode included too.

Enjoy!

My Top 5 Episodes of 60 Songs That Explain the 90s

*as of February 25, 2021

TLC’s No Scrubs

No Doubt’s Just a Girl

Backstreet Boy’s I Want It That Way

Gin Blossoms’ Hey Jealousy

Alanis Morissette’s You Oughta Know

Bonus: Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You

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Joshua Murray

creator of content, daddy blogger, writer, coffee drinker, fan of the Batman. proud mo bro. prouder dad.