RTL Today - Song 2

"I don't think there is a definitive answer to this... the second song is often times a single but I don't think a single is the best song" - Julia Shapiro Having only recently performed in Luxembourg at the Rotondes no less, Chastity Belt are on a European leg of promotion for the current LP, the really rather splendid, Live, Laugh Love, here we quiz Julia and Lydia on the importance of the second song. Please also check out the two-part interview available on RTL Play.

"El Beach" by the Limiñanas is a masterclass in captivating its audience. Hello and welcome to another episode of Song 2, the podcast where we take a look into why the second track on an album holds such significance, and in many cases the first track often serves as an introduction, a way to hook the listener. The second track, however, is where the artist starts to reveal their true intentions. It's a critical moment, where the listener decides whether to continue the journey or not.

Today, we're diving into a song that perfectly exemplifies the Song2 concept: "If You Wanna" by The Vaccines. This track is the second song on their debut album, "What Did You Expect from The Vaccines?", which was the best selling album of 2011 and the song is nothing short of iconic. Released in 2011, "If You Wanna" quickly became an anthem for indie rock fans with its infectious energy. So sit back, relax, and join us as we delve into the brilliance of The Vaccines and their unforgettable second track.

"I leave it to Carl to sort that out (track listing), I just write the fucking songs" Pete Doherty A rather ramshackle and impromptu take on Song 2 featuring Pete Docherty and Gary Powell, Charlie does his best to get back from QPR, 'Purple Pig Puppies', Lichtenstein and landlubbers.

We are looking at a song that if you don’t enjoy, then you are simply lying to yourself because it is an absolute banger! Welcome back to another episode of the musical bible that is our podcast song 2 where we discuss the nature of the second song on an album being the best or the most important. By one of the most popular female R&B groups to have ever done it, Destiny’s Child and their song Survivor.

On today’s show we will be looking at one of the most exciting talents in the UK right now… …the one and only Little Simz and her inspiring song “Woman” off the album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. She described it on her Tiny Desk performance as one of the best songs she has ever written. SO without further ado let’s take a look at what makes her and that song so special!

“The story I want to tell on an album is more about the overall adventure” We are a couple of days behind, but Poppy is a great guest on the Song 2 problem. Having worked with Bad Omens and Knocked Loose of late, the diverse star is adding more and more strings to their bow.

You are tuned in to Song 2, the podcast where we go by the doctrine that the second song is either the most important or the best on an LP. People are philistines and don’t listen to full albums as much anymore but we say long live the purists that know the importance of bands creating their own identities through storytelling and track listings. On today’s show we will be looking at one of the albums of 2023, namely Heavy Heavy by Young Fathers and their song “I Saw".

"Curating the journey of an album is everything to me. EVERYTHING" We interviewed Des Rocs earlier this year, being that we were super dialed into the raw riffs and the general appeal of this honest to goodness rock n roll. Check out the chat on RTL Play, here we ask the Song 2 q and we find that we are bang on the money… even if Des Rocs is not going to outstay his welcome, check it out.

On today’s episode we will look at the fantastic Kasabian, once described as The Stone Roses and Primal Scream with the swagger of Oasis... ..but they very much have their own style - which is exemplified in their fourth studio album Velociraptor!, released in 2011 and the second track on it is the lead single Days Are Forgotten.

Ahead of debut album Teething's release, I catch up with Nathan and Egg and see what they think about Second Songs Hey there and welcome to this week’s edition of Song 2… it’s the one you click on, and are immediately saying that this cannot be correct. You’ll have examples to hand and, just like Cliff becomes Cave, becomes Arch, becomes Stump, you realize that there is a wee bit of truth to it. Here, Nathan and Egg from the really rather good Porij do exactly this… Check out what they have to say, and while I have your attention, go ahead and pre-order Teething…it’s gonna be MEGA.

This week’s episode is all about Feeder… my favourite band ever. So, this one could get a little gushy... Oddly, though, we are covering one of my least favourite Feeder tracks, even though it is almost universally loved. It is the song you know by Feeder, even if you don’t know that you know Feeder, you know? And it has had millions of people screaming about drinking cider through a ruddy lemon for nearly 30 years. And to think, it was almost a song given to another band altogether.

“If the song 2 doesn’t grab you, you’re sunk BABY” This week’s guest Song 2-er (sic) is the always good value Keith Murray, of the prolifically great We Are Scientists… and while this intro may be longer than Keith’s response, it does not contain a now immortal phrase, that, if we could get the rights sorted, we would have on a limited run of Song 2 tees.

For this week’s episode of Song 2, we are looking at a 90’s staple, Sex & Candy from Marcy Playground. Even in this office, we have a 50/50 split of those that love the oddly louche lyrics, and those that hate it with a passion akin to the fires of hell. For me, this one was as ubiquitous as anything from Beck, Dando, Alexakis, Dulli et al.

In this week’s Friday episode we are taking Michelle of the Netherlands by the way of Brighton band CIEL over the SONG 2 coals. Needless to say, she’s one foot in, one foot out, but places a lot of importance on the influence of a producer. Check it out.

This week we are dialling the calendars all the way back to 1993 as we are revisiting Jame’s breakthrough album, Laid and their standout cut Sometimes. Yes, we all know that the 1990 single Sit Down is still a favourite in student unions and weddings, but Sit Down was not even on the track listing for the original release of Gold Mother… it was track 7 on the 1991 re-release and the opening track on the US version. Sometimes is about as full-throated a singalong as you can possibly get.

"There's a reason why there's an entrée and a main course, you know..." In this week’s Song 2, Clémentine Delauney of both Exit Eden AND Visions Of Atlantis offers up her view of where the second song lies in terms of prominence and importance. Exit Eden released their latest LP, Femme Fatale earlier this year, and Visions Of Atlantis have just announced Pirates II – Armada. Check out my interview with Clementine on RTL Play. Cheers.

We’ve held off for three seasons before breaking the emergency glass on this classic It took till the 5th record and a song written as a joke for blur to temporarily break America. Song 2 inspired this podcast and is, ironically or not, the quintessential Song 2 pudding prover.

"For me track listing is very specific to the album and from album to album, I never order things based on what I think a certain track number should be" What An Enormous Room by Torres (AKA Mackenzie Scott) came out earlier this year and is ace. Torres does not agree with Song 2... At. All. And my dreams are thus shattered.

In this week’s Song 2 Episode we are foregoing silly head wear and possibly ill-advised cultural appropriation There's always been the gnawing doubt that the flak Jay Kay got at the time of Jamiroquai’s was a little unfair. Sure, the headlines grabbed in the early 00’s were not great but Jamiroquai’s tunes stand up incredibly well. None more so than Too Young To Die, the second cut lifted from the 1993 album Emergency on Planet Earth.