This month’s Song Chest Radio Hour serves us love songs in all forms — from budding to enduring to breaking. It transports listeners to a dreamy soundscape, taking us on a journey across genres and decades, dotted with clever quips and deeply personal anecdotes from Justin Vernon himself.
The hour opens with a lesser-known gem from harmonious quartet The Chordettes. With the tone set, Vernon lines the episode’s playlist with underrated tracks from other well-known artists, like Prince and Ricky Lee Jones. It’s a lesson in contrast, weaving together sleepy country songs and experimental dubstep tracks with ease, gently urging even the most stubborn listener to expand their musical palette.
Sending us off on a somber note, Vernon prefaces the last track with a poem by Mary Oliver, one that reminds us to slow down every once in a while and reflect on our shared, painfully human experience.
For more music discovery, tune into the next episode of Song Chest Radio Hour live on 88Nine at 5 p.m. this Sunday, Dec. 4. You can also catch up on previous episodes here and here.
Episode 3 playlist
- 00:00 — “Born to Be With You,” The Chordettes
- 03:47 — “Do You Believe,” Supreme Jubilees
- 09:00 — “Man 'O' War,” Prince
- 14:34 — “Archangel,” Burial
- 19:06 — “Memo to My Son,” Randy Newman
- 22:07 — “Juke Box Fury,” Rickie Lee Jones
- 27:24 — “Lovin’ The Easy Way,” Dobie Gray
- 30:40 — “Here I Come,” CocoRosie
- 35:27 — “Fun,” Collections of Colonies of Bees
- 40:19 — “Infinity,” Don Williams
- 45:30 — “Cast The First Stone,” Graceland McCollough Tigers
- 52:17 — “In Reverse,” The War On Drugs
- 52:32 — “Wild Geese,” Mary Oliver