65: "Stairway to Heaven" vs. "Free Bird" (w/Andrew Unterberger!)

FromSong Vs. Song

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65: "Stairway to Heaven" vs. "Free Bird" (w/Andrew Unterberger!)

FromSong Vs. Song

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Length:

61 minutes

Released:

Jul 14, 2021

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

It's the big one. The episode this show was invented for, the two towering titans of classic rock, the most requested song on the radio of all time vs. the most requested song live of all time. Will Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" reign as the greatest guitar-solo-heavy epic of all time or will it be denied by "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin?

Released:

Jul 14, 2021

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Hosted by Todd (in the Shadows) Nathanson and Alina Morgan, Song vs. Song pits two similar songs of an era against each other with controversial outcomes.

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12: "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" vs. "Sugar, We're Goin Down": The two songs that turned emo into the sound of rock music in the '00s! But which one is better? And which fanbase will eat Todd and Dany alive? by Song Vs. Song
41 min listen
23: "Take Me Out" vs. "Float On": It's the enduring indie rock crossover smashes of 2004! And one of the most even matchups in the show's history? Who shall reign supreme, Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out" or Modest Mouse's "Float On"? by Song Vs. Song
51 min listen
22: "What's Love Got to Do with It" vs. "If I Could Turn Back Time": '60s pop stars turned '80s divas! Which is the superior comeback smash, Cher's "If I Could Turn Back Time" or Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do with It"? by Song Vs. Song
46 min listen
11: "Space Oddity" vs. "Rocket Man": Battle of the Space Race era sci-fi astronaut songs? Can Elton's Rocket Man take down Bowie's doomed man-in-a-can Major Tom? by Song Vs. Song
43 min listen
13: "Get the Party Started" vs. "Since U Been Gone": Battle of the 2000s chick-rock pop stars! by Song Vs. Song
47 min listen
14: "Boys Don't Cry" vs. "This Charming Man": Battle of the Makeup Wearing '80s Sad Boys! "Boys Don't Cry" by The Cure! "This Charming Man" by The Smiths! Who will win? And can we make it to the end of the episode talking about something besides Morrissey's awful politics?! by Song Vs. Song
50 min listen
10: "All-Star" vs. "Smooth": Battle of the two biggest beloved smashes of 1999 that became the biggest jokes of the 2010s! by Song Vs. Song
28 min listen
32: "Lollipop" vs. "Whatever You Like": We welcome special guest, Andrew Unterberger, editor for Billboard magazine, as we look at two of 2008's biggest crossover smashes, from two of the biggest rappers in the game! T.I.'s "Whatever You Like" vs. Lil Wayne's "Lollipop", but which Southern... by Song Vs. Song
49 min listen
18: "With or Without You" vs. "Every Breath You Take": That slow, driving '80s bass. Two smash rock ballads by two of the greatest rock bands of the '80s! Who will reign supreme, U2 or the Police? And as a bonus, who's more annoying, Sting or Bono? by Song Vs. Song
47 min listen
15: "Let It Be" vs. "You Can't Always Get What You Want": It's the one you've been waiting for. The main event: Beatles vs. Stones! Which quasi-religious rock masterpiece shall reign supreme? by Song Vs. Song
48 min listen
25: "Iris" vs. "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing": The big movie ballads of 1998! From the blockbuster "Armageddon," Aerosmith's mammoth blockbuster hit "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing!" From the decently profitable "City of Angels," The Goo Goo Dolls's mammoth blockbuster hit "Iris"! Which song will... by Song Vs. Song
55 min listen
24: "Shining Star" vs. "Superstition": We head into the '70s to see which is the superior funky pop single of the '70s! Earth Wind and Fire's "Shining Star" vs. Stevie Wonder's "Superstition"! by Song Vs. Song
51 min listen
16: "Jeremy" vs. "Black Hole Sun": Get ready for an extremely content-warning-y episode as we talk about some dark topics as we debate which dark grunge classic should reign supreme, Pearl Jam's "Jeremy" vs. Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun"! by Song Vs. Song
46 min listen
17. "Back That Azz Up" vs. "Thong Song": Butts! Whose classic booty jams from the turn of the millennium shall reign supreme, Juvenile or Sisqo? Also: Find out the shocking reason that Sisqo is like Moses by Song Vs. Song
45 min listen
19: "Hey Ya!" by Outkast vs. "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley: Oh man, here's a tough one. Which is the better of the genre-hopping soul-hiphop pop songs from singing rappers? "Hey Ya!" by Outkast! "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley! Who can pick?! by Song Vs. Song
45 min listen
45: "Stay (I Missed You)" vs. "Torn": It wouldn't be the '90s without some gently earnest female pop-rock! Whose wistful breakup ballad ruled the decade, Lisa Loeb's "Stay (I Missed You)" or Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn"? by Song Vs. Song
55 min listen
29: "In the End" vs. "Bring Me to Life": IT STARTS WITH: WAKE ME UP!! The angsty nu-metal showdown of the early 2000s! Linkin Park vs. Evanescence, who shall be victorious. by Song Vs. Song
55 min listen
39: "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" vs. "Bye Bye Bye" (with C. Robert Cargill): The original stan wars!! It's a boyband battle for the ages, but which is the ultimate boyband anthem, "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" by the Backstreet Boys or "Bye Bye Bye" by 'N Sync? by Song Vs. Song
65 min listen
26: "Let It Go" vs. "How Far I'll Go": In honor of Disney now controlling literally everything, we decided to put the big song from "Frozen" against the big song from "Moana"! Will it be Elsa's empowerment anthem or Moana traveling just around the riverbend? by Song Vs. Song
47 min listen
30: "Summer of '69" vs. "Jack & Diane": The most dad of '80s dad rock! Which is the better nostalgia for your teenage years, Bryan Adams's "Summer of '69" or John Mellencamp's "Jack & Diane"? by Song Vs. Song
53 min listen
21: "You Oughta Know" vs. "Criminal": Alanis Morissette and Fiona Apple! The youngest (and angriest?) of the '90s Lilith Fair crowd! Which is the better song, Fiona's guilt anthem or Alanis's burst of rage? by Song Vs. Song
56 min listen
20: Not Remotely Necessary MTV Video Music Awards Coverage: Bonus episode! Hear Todd and Dany discuss the least-talked-about music event of the year! Did anyone exist besides Lizzo? Did Shawn Mendes burn up the screen with their "chemistry"? Did Lil Nas X remotely make a case for having a second hit? Is Taylor... by Song Vs. Song
36 min listen
44: "Back in Black" vs. "Crazy Train": It's an episode of ass-kicking rock and roll! Which is the greatest metal song of 1980, Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" or AC/DC's "Back in Black"? (Also, is Todd wrong about calling AC/DC "metal"? All this and more on the podcast!) by Song Vs. Song
56 min listen
27: "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" vs. "Frosty the Snowman": Who is the best Christmas-themed magical creature?? And which is the better animated Rankin-Bass Christmas special?? Watch Todd and Dany battle it out! by Song Vs. Song
56 min listen
31: "No Scrubs" vs. "Say My Name": The greatest r&b girl group of 1999 vs. the greatest r&b girl group of 2000! TLC and Destiny's Child put shitty men in their place, but who does it better? by Song Vs. Song
46 min listen
Obligatory Grammy Coverage, 2020!: What did Todd and Dany think about Billie Eilish's big night, and other things that happened in the latest, typically interminable edition of the Grammys? by Song Vs. Song
43 min listen
47: "Dirt Road Anthem" vs. "Cruise" (w/Grady Smith!): Todd and Dany welcome country music expert Grady Smith to discuss the whipping boy genre of the 2010s, bro-country! Is there anything redeemable about this controversial genre, and which of its towering, game-changing early '10s smashes is the... by Song Vs. Song
56 min listen
41: "Hollaback Girl" vs. "My Humps": It's two of the quote-unquote "worst" songs of all time! Which controversial pop-rap earworm of 2005 will reign supreme, "Hollaback Girl" or "My Humps"? by Song Vs. Song
55 min listen
37: "Another One Bites the Dust" vs. "Eye of the Tiger": We're kickin' ass in the '80s! But which is the greater '80s fight song , Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" or Sruvivor's "Eye of the Tiger"? Touch gloves and ring the bell 'cause the main event's about to start! by Song Vs. Song
49 min listen
28: "Bodak Yellow" vs. "Truth Hurts": We finish off the last year of the decade with one of biggest hits of the 2010s and one of the biggest hits of 2019! Lizzo vs. Cardi! Who shall reign supreme? by Song Vs. Song
57 min listen

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123: "Last Nite" vs. "Fell in Love with a Girl" by Song Vs. Song
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122: "I Kissed a Girl" vs. "I Kissed a Girl" by Song Vs. Song
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121: "Goodbye Earl" vs. "Before He Cheats" (w/Natalie Weiner) by Song Vs. Song
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120: "Baby One More Time" vs. "Genie in a Bottle" by Song Vs. Song
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119: "Rapture" vs. "Genius of Love" by Song Vs. Song
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118: "Santa Tell Me" vs. "Underneath the Tree" (w/Mic the Snare!) by Song Vs. Song
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117: "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" vs. "My Generation" by Song Vs. Song
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116: "Promiscuous" vs. "Hips Don't Lie" by Song Vs. Song
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115: "My Hero" vs. "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" by Song Vs. Song
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114: "White and Nerdy" vs. "I'm on a Boat" by Song Vs. Song
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113: "Candle in the Wind 1997" vs. "One Sweet Day" by Song Vs. Song
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112: "Iron Man" vs. "Smoke on the Water" by Song Vs. Song
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FREE BONUS EPISODE: "The Producers '05" by Song Vs. Song
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111: "Flowers" vs. "Vampire" (w/Crash Thompson) by Song Vs. Song
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110: "Come on Eileen" (by Save Ferris) vs. "Take on Me" (by Reel Big Fish) by Song Vs. Song
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109: "Born in the USA" vs. "Rockin' in the Free World" by Song Vs. Song
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108: "Wannabe" vs. "MMMBop" by Song Vs. Song
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107: "Anarchy in the UK" vs. "London Calling" by Song Vs. Song
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106: "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" vs. "Gangsta's Paradise" by Song Vs. Song
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105: "Sledgehammer" vs. "Burning Down the House" by Song Vs. Song
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104: "Jenny from the Block" vs. "Glamorous" by Song Vs. Song
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102: "With Arms Wide Open" vs. "How You Remind Me" by Song Vs. Song
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65: "Stairway to Heaven" vs. "Free Bird" (w/Andrew Unterberger!)

65: "Stairway to Heaven" vs. "Free Bird" (w/Andrew Unterberger!)

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Song Vs. Song

Related podcast episodes