60 Songs That Explain the '90s

Weekly exploration of defining songs from the 1990s and 2000s AI summary

The Ringer Visit website › Music · EN · 188 episodes · latest 2026-11-11

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What it is about

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.

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Latest episodes

Christina Aguilera — “Beautiful”

2026-11-11 · 1 hr 37 min

Don’t you bring us down today, because it’s time to talk about Christina Aguilera. This week, Rob looks back on the superstar songwriters behind some of the biggest pop hits of ‘90s and 2000s before landing on how 4 Non…
E-40 — “Tell Me When To Go”

2026-11-04 · 1 hr 46 min

Get hyphy and go dumb—we’re headed to the Bay Area to talk E-40. This week, Rob pays tribute to the wonderful dictionary of hip-hop slang, much of which was coined by E-40 himself. He looks back on how the hyphy…
Fountains of Wayne — “Stacy’s Mom”

2026-10-28 · 1 hr 20 min

A song played at every wedding, at every dance, and in every store, “Stacy’s Mom” has cast a great shadow over the rest of the discography of Fountains of Wayne. Today, Rob is here to shine some light on their prolific…
At The Drive-In — “One Armed Scissor”

2026-10-21 · 1 hr 38 min

For a brief moment in 2000, At the Drive-In were the best live band in the world—then they broke up. This week, Rob tracks how the El Paso post-hardcore outfit burned so bright so quickly with their complex,…
Bon Iver — “Skinny Love”

2026-10-14 · 1 hr 37 min

Pack up your winter gear—we’re headed to the Wisconsin woods. This week, Rob retreats into Justin Vernon’s cabin to remember the buzzy indie album ‘For Emma, Forever Ago,’ which launched the career of the eventual…
Black Eyed Peas — “I Gotta Feeling”

2026-10-07 · 1 hr 36 min

Are bad lyrics good lyrics? That’s the question Rob posits as he tackles the Black Eyed Peas, who may have mastered the art of good-bad songwriting. He looks back on how the Peas jumped from hip-hop to pop after they…
Lee Ann Womack — “I Hope You Dance”

2026-09-30 · 1 hr 36 min

She sings both kinds of music—country and Western—and you better be grateful for it. Lee Ann Womack followed in the footsteps of icons like Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and Tammy Wynette, but she took even greater…
An Overdue 60 Songs Mailbag

2026-09-23 · 1 hr 37 min

It’s been [redacted] years since our last mailbag episode, and Rob is finally back to answer all your burning questions about the ’90s, 2000s, and more. He’s joined by Bandsplain’s Yasi Salek to discuss everything from…
Peter Bjorn and John — "Young Folks"

2026-09-16 · 1 hr 31 min

Twee aesthetics, songs about fleeting youth (sung by people who are objectively young), and lots and lots of blogs—that’s right, we’re talking about indie rock in the aughts. Today, Rob recounts how Swedish trio Peter…
Evanescence — “Bring Me To Life”

2026-09-09 · 1 hr 27 min

Although this podcast has continuously shown that we cheer for the underdog, every now and then we must tip our cap to the suits and head honchos. When Evanescence’s record label insisted that Amy Lee sing alongside a…

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Publisher details

Oldest episode in feed: 10/2020 · over 6 years
Typical length: 1 hr 17 min
Format: Episodic Newest first, episodes stand alone

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