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You probably don’t know the singer/songwriter of the 1982 song “Where Everybody Knows Your Name.” But since it’s considered perhaps the best TV theme song of all time, you likely already have the bar from Cheers in your mind’s eye. Gary Portnoy wrote or co-wrote songs (including themes) for many other shows in the 80s, including Fame, Mr. Belvedere, and Punky Brewster but this one still resonates today.

When Norm enters the bar,...

In 2001, after having been dropped from their label, Jimmy Eat World released their 4th album, Bleed American. Because they were financing the recording themselves, they decided to keep things simple. “The Middle” reflects how the band was feeling – “left out or looked down on” – but it was also a song about encouragement. As the song says, sometimes “it just takes some time” to find that place where “everything will be alright.” ...

The Ohio band, The McCoys, scored this #1 hit in 1965. While the narrator of the song loves Sloopy, it seems the rest of the world feels very differently – “everybody tries to put my Sloopy down.” The song is a signature at The Ohio State University football games and it also played prominently during games of the Cleveland Guardians, Cleveland Browns, and Cleveland Cavaliers. In 1985, it was designated the state’s official rock s...

John Sebastian is probably best known for his time with the ‘60s band, The Lovin’s Spoonful. But in 1976, he scored a #1 hit with Welcome Back, the theme song to Welcome Back, Kotter. A sitcom about a wise-cracking teacher who has returned to his high school alma-mater to teach a remedial class of students, Welcome Back, Kotter featured a group of students who are viewed by most as misfits. But they are also their own close-knit li...

Bruce Campbell’s return as Ash in the 1992 cult classic, Army of Darkness, illustrated how the specific words we use are critical to success. After his accidental transportation to 1300 A.D., Ash must retrieve the Necronomicon, the Book of the Dead, before he can return home. But to close the portal opened by the book, he must first recite the 3-word phrase, “Klaatu Barada Nikto.” It turns out that using a single wrong word has se...

20 years ago, American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson, blanketed the airwaves with Since U Been Gone. The song explores the aftermath of a now-ended relationship. While break-up songs often express longing, regret, and sadness, Since U Been Gone is a realization of how much better things are now. It also expresses the feeling of finally recognizing red flags that have been in plain sight for a while.

These feelings are not exclusive t...

NSYNC’s 2000 hit, Bye Bye Bye, has been streamed over a billion times on Spotify. The late 90’s and early 2000’s saw a resurgence of the “Boy Band” – a term applied to vocal groups consisting of young men whose performances were marketed primarily to girls and young women. Boy Bands were often “created” rather than forming organically. The 60’s band The Monkees, is perhaps the first example. The template for success had already b...

A long time ago, in a podcast season far, far away, it is a dark time for the inhabitants on planet earth. A novel virus has caused a global pandemic. A year in, many are adjusting to a “new normal” that includes working from home when possible. The social isolation has resulted in an explosion of media including niche podcasts.

Relentlessly pursued by one of these aspiring Rebel podcasters, the renowned CX expert, Brian Dunphy, ha...

It’s highly unlikely that you’ll start a podcast and quickly gain the kinds of fans depicted in this scene from Only Murders in the Building. Selena Gomez, Martin Short, and Steve Martin’s characters not only share an interest in true crime podcasts, but they also start their own podcast while investigating a murder in their apartment building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start a podcast. Pod...

It’s only fitting that this 1977 #1 Country Hit is sung by Johnny Paycheck. The David Allen Coe written song inspired a 1981 film of the same name. The narrator of the song has realized that he should leave his job, but he hasn’t quite worked up the nerve to quit. Many people have found themselves in similar situations, clinging onto their job security despite knowing they’re in the wrong role or company.

Job Security is a thing of...

Love him or hate him, Drake’s 2013 hit, Started from the Bottom, is unforgettable. It resonates, not only because of its musical simplicity, but also because it celebrates the rise from scrappy beginnings to success. It’s the epitome of “The American Dream.”

Most of us will not realize the kind of success that Drake has, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start from the bottom and reach heights we didn’t expect. A consistent theme I he...

Ridley Scott’s 2007 film, American Gangster, told the story of Harlem drug lord, Frank Lucas. Frank, played by Denzel Washington, confronts Nicky Barnes about the quality of the product he’s distributing in this scene. Nicky isn’t exactly receptive to this feedback. His focus is on short-term profits while Frank takes a longer-term view of the business and customer perception of the brand. Quality, be it the quality of a product,...

During the first season of The Bear, Sydney talks to Marcus about his vision for making donuts for the restaurant, The Original Beef. Sydney, too, has visions for how to improve the restaurant, among them having online takeout orders to increase revenue. Both find themselves distracted from the nuts and bolts of running a restaurant by their desires to make dramatic improvements.

Beth Karawan knows a little something both about t...

There are cult classics and then there are cult classics that simply become classics. First airing In 1993, Chris Carter’s The X-Files falls into the latter category. With a mix of sci-fi and paranormal phenomena, The X-Files pioneered the true-believer vs. skeptic formula while exploring the unknown.

Although evidence of aliens may still be elusive, there are many other unknowns we’re all exploring as AI creeps into our everyday ...

Not every song is a hit. This Elvis cut titled, “There’s a Story in Your Voice,” was not. No, not that Elvis. Elvis Costello is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame despite modest commercial success. His range, both in performing and writing, spans rock, jazz, R&B, country, Tin Pan Alley, and even classical music. This duet with Lucinda Williams, off the 2004 album, The Delivery Man, explores truths only revealed when ...

Despite barely touching the top 40 charts in the US, I’m willing to bet you’ve heard this debut single of the British duo, the Ting Tings. Over the past decade and a half, it’s been used in TV episodes, fashion shows, movies, viral TikTok videos, and commercials. It evokes the feeling of invisibility when your name is forgotten or mispronounced.

While Afshan Kinder and I set out to have a conversation about the next generation of s...

Being memorable as a business doesn’t mean you need an Oscar-winning song associated with you. But it certainly doesn’t hurt. It’s hard not to think of Dick Van Dyke as a chimney sweep when you hear him singing along with Julie Andrews in the 1964 musical, Mary Poppins.

Van Dyke sets an awfully high bar for a memorable home services experience but my guest today, Vance Morris, says that not only can home services businesses create ...

The 1942 film, Casablanca, is one of the most loved films in history. Humphrey Bogart’s character, Rick is a cynical American expat and club owner, while Claude Rains is the corrupt Captain Louis Renault. Cooperation is not what either had in mind in this scene, but when the police arrive after Rick shoots Major Strasser dead, Louis decides to be of service to Rick by telling the arriving policemen to “round up the usual suspects.”...