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What songs tell your life story? Host Sophie Bearman asks this question of some of the world’s most fascinating people. Through seven songs, guests reveal the milestones—and the music—that have shaped their lives. New episodes every Tuesday.
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As the host and creator of numerous hit culture podcasts, Sam Sanders is known for having a finger on the pulse of pop culture. But growing up strictly Pentecostal in Texas, non-religious music was forbidden – so Sam got resourceful, smuggling CDs into the house in his underwear and watching MTV in secret.
At 18 years old, just as he was getting ready to leave for Stanford, Sam’s life was turned upside down. Both of his parents suffered major health crises in the span of a few months, resulting in Sam becoming their caregiver. Years later, Sam would face another devastating double-whammy with the death of his mother followed a month later by a crushing breakup.
In this episode, Sam opens up about the music that carried him through – from Janet Jackson videos to soaring gospel tunes to revenge-fueled breakup anthems – and why today, he’s savoring the freedom he’s been chasing his whole life. Here are his songs.
Janet Jackson, “Love Will Never Do (Without You)”
Stevie Wonder, "Don't You Worry ‘Bout A Thing"
Richard Smallwood, "Total Praise"
John Mayer, “Stop This Train"
Labelle, "Isn't It a Shame"
Caroline Rose, “The Kiss”
Fleetwood Mac, “Silver Springs”
Sonia Manzano knows you think of her as Maria on Sesame Street – and that’s exactly the point. Growing up in the South Bronx in a household “ruled by domestic violence,” TV was Sonia’s refuge as a child – but she never saw anyone who looked like her.
Years later, when she landed the role of Maria on Sesame Street, Sonia made a choice. She wouldn’t play a character; she would be herself – on purpose. For 44 years, she served as an authentic and beloved role model for millions of kids. More recently, she’s created another iconic Latina heroine through the animated children’s show Alma’s Way — this one inspired by her childhood self.
In this episode, Sonia reflects on growing up “at a time when Latin people were absolutely invisible,” the power of seeing yourself reflected in pop culture, and the music that accompanied her journey. Here are her songs.
Numero 6 - Bobby Rodríguez y la Compañía
Lamento Borincano - Rafael Hernandez
When You Wish Upon A Star sung by Jiminy Cricket [aka Cliff Edwards]
Please Mr. Postman - The Marvelettes
I Wish I Knew How It Feels to Be Free - Nina Simone
Bang! Bang! - Joe Cuba Sextet
Sing - Joe Raposo, cast of Sesame Street
After 25 years with American Ballet Theatre, Misty Copeland is taking her final bow this October. Just ahead of her last performance, the groundbreaking ballerina – who made history as ABT’s first Black female principal dancer – joins Sophie to reflect on her journey.
From a shy girl nicknamed “Mouse” who grew up without a home for much of her childhood in Southern California, to a stunning career on the stages of Lincoln Center and beyond, Misty’s is a story of defying the odds.
In this episode, Misty opens up about her tumultuous upbringing, dancing through six stress fractures, finding love at a nightclub, and the music that has carried her through it all. Here are her songs.
Aretha Franklin - Ain't No Way
Mariah Carey - Looking In
N.E.R.D. - Run To The Sun
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto No 21 in C Major K 467 II Andante
J. Cole - Be Free
Sade - Kiss Of Life
Drake - Nice For What
Jamie Brisick was living the California dream – a pro surfer sponsored by Quicksilver, traveling the world and competing on the ASP World Tour. But beneath the “Malibu Barbie” facade, tragedy was brewing: his brother was descending into a drug addiction that would soon claim his life. Jamie left the world of surfing and reinvented himself as a writer, with his words appearing in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Guardian. But sudden tragedy would soon strike again.
In this episode, Jamie shares how music became both an escape from pain and a pathway toward healing. His story shows us how sometimes our greatest losses become our most profound teachers – and that life has an extraordinary capacity to “totally blow you away,” even when it seems utterly broken. Here are his songs.
To celebrate one year of Life in Seven Songs, Sophie answers some burning questions about the show, shares a few songs off her list, and turns the mic to you — our listeners — to hear about the songs tied to your life stories. Here are your songs:
Ronan Keating - When You Say Nothing At All
Glass Animals - Heat Waves
Bob Dylan - Tangled Up In Blue
The B-52's - Roam
Radiohead - Paranoid Android
Carole King - Beautiful
U2 - Beautiful Day
Stevie Wonder - As
Simon & Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence
Madonna - Vogue
The Police - Every Breath You Take
Thank you to everyone who sent us songs. Our inbox is always open lifeinsevensongs@sfstandard.com.
This week, we Willkommen actor and musician Josh Radnor! Josh is best known for playing Ted Mosby on the hit sitcom How I Met Your Mother for nearly a decade. But that success came at an unexpected cost: an identity crisis that left him feeling trapped in a character he didn’t create.
In this episode, Josh talks about his formative role as the MC in his high school’s production of Cabaret, his first “almost kiss” (soundtracked by Aretha Franklin), how psychedelics helped him stay centered amidst the whirlwind of fame, and the chance encounter that launched his second career as a musician in his 40s. Here are his songs.
Rocky Mountain High – John Denver
Respect – Aretha Franklin
Willkommen – Cabaret (Joel Grey, original cast recording) “Cabaret”
All I Want – Joni Mitchell
Delicate – Damien Rice
Tara – Dechen Shak-Dagsay
Cmon – Fred Again/Brian Eno
Listen to Josh Radnor's playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at lifeinsevensongs@sfstandard.com.
Dr. Orna Guralnik broke barriers by bringing actual therapy sessions to millions of viewers through Showtime’s hit docuseries “Couples Therapy” — but her rebellious streak started much earlier.
In this episode, Dr. Guralnik talks about the songs that transformed her into a "real" teenager, the therapist who changed her life, and how music has sparked both connection and conflict in her family. Plus, she draws a surprising line between Kendrick Lamar and Igor Stravinsky—and explains why therapy, like music, is a lifelong process of learning and discovery. Here are her seven songs.
The Beatles - Let It Be
Igor Stravinsky - Rite Of Spring
Lou Reed - Coney Island Baby
Robert Wyatt - A Last Straw
Tuxedomoon - Bonjour Tristesse
Modest Mouse - The Good Times Are Killing Mw
Kendrick Lamar - Sing About Me, I'm Dying Of Thirst
Keeley Hazell has lived a life that would make great television – which is probably why she inspired the beloved character Keeley Jones on Ted Lasso. In her new memoir, “Everyone’s Seen My Tits,” Keeley chronicles her chaotic childhood, her conflicted experience as one of Britain’s famous Page 3 topless models, and her journey to shed internalized shame as she reclaims her narrative.
In this episode, Keeley gets real about her internal battle between empowerment and objectification, the time she went to jail at age 14 for punching a cop, and the disastrous interview that launched her journey to become an “unlikely feminist.” Here are her songs.
Pulp - Common People
Mariah Carey - Hero
Eminem - Criminal
So Solid Crew - 21 Seconds
Fish Go Deep ft Tracey K - The Cure and The Cause
Sheryl Crow - All I Wanna Do
Father John Misty - When You Are Smiling And Astride Me
Listen to Keeley Hazell's playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at lifeinsevensongs@sfstandard.com.
At 20 years old, Amanda Knox found herself alone in an Italian jail cell, falsely accused of a brutal murder, and facing 26 years in prison. She was called “Luciferina” in the courtroom – and far worse in the tabloids. But Amanda never stopped fighting to clear her name and tell her story – most recently, as Executive Producer of a new miniseries on Hulu.
In this episode, Amanda opens up about how music became a lifeline – via the three CDs she was allowed in her cell and a paper keyboard to practice piano. Music connected Amanda to her fellow prisoners, to the outside world, and to the silly, optimistic person she’d always been. Here are her songs.
Gipsy Kings - Hotel California
Dido - Thank You
Regina Spektor - Apres Moi
Cat Power - Maybe Not
Flight Of The Conchords - Hurt Feelings
Florence and The Machine - Shake It Out
Chris Ballew - Troubles Behind
Listen to Amanda Knox's playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at lifeinsevensongs@sfstandard.com.
This week, we’re revisiting a favorite – our conversation with former US Labor Secretary Robert Reich, who just released “Coming Up Short,” a memoir that doubles as a national reckoning. The title is a nod to his height — just under 5 feet — but also to a country that, he argues, has fallen short of its ideals. He offers a blueprint for how to find its way back.
In this episode, Bob reflects on the moments — and music — that shaped his politics: being bullied as a child, narrowly avoiding the Vietnam draft, and his love for Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.” Here are his songs.
Stardust – Hoagy Carmichael
Unchained Melody – The Righteous Brothers
Chain Gang – Sam Cooke
Baby I Need Your Loving – The Four Tops
Lady Madonna – The Beatles
Metaphor – The Fantasticks
Suzanne – Judy Collins
You probably know Mary Louise Kelly’s voice as the co-host of NPR’s All Things Considered. But you may not know that the veteran journalist has faced her fair share of challenges – from discovering she had severe hearing loss at 40 to making an agonizing choice between work and motherhood while reporting from a Black Hawk helicopter over Baghdad.
In this episode, recorded live at the 2025 Aspen Ideas Festival, Sophie dives deep with the former national security correspondent, whose tales from the front lines are almost as exciting as her tales of falling madly in love in her fifties. Here are her songs:
Debbie Gibson - Only in My Dreams
James Baskett - Zip a Dee Doo Dah
Aerosmith - Sweet Emotion
Oasis - Champagne Supernova
Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten
Ylvis - The Fox What Does The Fox Say
Bellamy Brothers - Let Your Love Flow
Tracy Chapman - Give Me One Reason
In our first ever live episode, recorded at the 2025 Aspen Ideas Festival, Sophie sits down with Walter Isaacson, the acclaimed journalist behind the definitive biographies of visionaries like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Leonardo da Vinci.
In this episode, Walter reveals why – despite a career spent chronicling some of the greatest minds in history – the most formative “character” in his life story might be the city of New Orleans, where he grew up. Here are his songs.
The Neville Brothers ft. The Dixie Cups - Brother John Iko Iko
Sweet Emma Barrett (The Bell Gal) and Her Dixieland Boys - When The Saints Go Marching In
Irma Thomas - Its Raining
The Rolling Stones - Sympathy For The Devil
Bruce Springsteen at New Orleans Jazz Festival 2006 - My City of Ruins
The Rolling Stones and Irma Thomas - Time is on My Side
Jon Batiste - FREEDOM
Listen to Walter Isaacson’s full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at lifeinsevensongs@sfstandard.com.
Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and 2024 MacArthur Fellow who writes books for young people – but he didn’t finish a book until he was 17. Instead, Jason found his literary voice in the rap lyrics printed in cassette tape liner notes.
In this episode, Jason traces his journey from a kid disconnected from his assigned reading in school to becoming one of the most influential voices in young adult literature. He opens up about his fraught relationship with his father, spinning Bob Marley records by hand on a broken turntable, and why he doesn’t want to be a parent despite having “dedicated [his] life to kids.” Here are his songs.
Queen Latifah - U.N.I.T.Y.
Goodie Mob - Soul Food
Tracy Chapman - Talkin' Bout a Revolution
Bob Markey & The Wailers - Is This Love
Camp Lo - Luchini AKA This Is it
Billy Joel - Vienna
Clarence Carter - Patches
Griffin Dunne was a Hollywood insider long before he became the successful actor he is today – in fact, he might not have survived childhood if Sean Connery hadn’t pulled him from the bottom of a pool. But Griffin’s story, captured in his memoir The Friday Afternoon Club, is much more than a catalog of celebrity encounters.
In this episode, Griffin opens up about his parents’ divorce, landing his breakout role in An American Werewolf in London, the sudden tragedy that changed his family forever, and the music that has accompanied a life lived in the spotlight’s glare and shadow. Here are his songs:
Volver Volver by Vicente Fernandez
Last Train to Clarksville by The Monkees
Nature's Way by Spirit
Symphony No. 5: IV. Adagietto. Sehr Iangsam by Gustav Mahler
Life During Wartime by Talking Heads
Sailing by Christopher Cross
Cortez the Killer by Crazy Horse and Neil Young
Listen to Griffin Dunne’s full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at lifeinsevensongs@sfstandard.com.
If you’ve ever wondered, “What if God was one of us?” you probably have Joan Osborne to thank. But you might not realize that Osborne didn’t actually write her chart-topping hit.
In this episode, the singer-songwriter traces her evolution from a Catholic girl in Kentucky singing in church choirs, to accidentally discovering her voice at a New York blues bar covering other artists, to finally writing her own songs and sharing hard-won wisdom with her daughter. Here are her songs:
So Long, Farewell - Sound Of Music
I Saw Three Ships - The Oxford Trinity Choir
God Bless The Child - Billie Holiday
How Blue Can You Get - BB King
Shine A Light - The Rolling Stones
Crazy Baby - Joan Osborne
Nobody Owns You - Joan Osborne
As the creator and host of “Death, Sex & Money" – the hit podcast about "the things we think about a lot and need to talk about more” – Anna Sale has tackled her fair share of tough questions. In this episode, Anna shares the songs that helped her navigate life’s most uncertain moments – from leaving her home in West Virginia for Silicon Valley’s limitless possibilities, to figuring out how a radio reporter in New York City could build a life with a wildlife ecologist in Wyoming, to the moment her beloved show was (briefly) cancelled. Here are her songs:
Bill Withers - Lean on Me
Luscious Jackson - Here
The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize
Lucinda Williams - Side of the Road
Townes Van Zandt - If I Needed You
Sly and The Family Stone - Que Sera Sera Whatever Will Be Will Be
Tony Toni Tone - Feels Good
W. Kamau Bell has made a career out of asking uncomfortable questions about race in America – both as a standup comedian and in his award-winning CNN series, United Shades of America. In this episode, Kamau shares the soundtrack to his life story – from bombing onstage as a young standup to inheriting “the family hardware store” of fighting racism. Here are his songs.
Wade In The Water - Jireh Gospel Choir
Rappers Delight - The Sugarhill Gang
Times Up - Living Colour
Hit The Road Jack - Ray Charles
Swing Low Street Chariot - 103rd Street Gospel Choir Featuring Pat Lewis
Head Over Heels - Tears For Fears
To Be Young Gifted and Black (2005 Remix) - Nina Simone
Listen to W. Kamau Bell's full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at lifeinsevensongs@sfstandard.com.
Long before Natasha Rothwell started stealing scenes as Belinda on The White Lotus or Kelli on Insecure, she was a self-described people-pleaser and peacemaker (yes, she’s a Libra). In this episode, Natasha reveals how creating some of the most iconic characters on TV today has been a form of self-discovery – one that has transformed her from a military kid trying to fit in into a creative force who has fallen deeply in love with herself. Here are her songs.
Riverside by Kirk Franklin & The Family
Fly Me To The Moon - Frank Sinatra, Count Basie
Oh My God - Jay-Z
I Have Nothing - Whitney Houston
You Oughta Know - Alanis Morissette
She Used to Be Mine (from Waitress) - Sara Bareilles
Fix You - Coldplay
Listen to Natasha Rothwell’s full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at lifeinsevensongs@sfstandard.com.
Damian Woetzel got addicted to dance when he was 11 years old. While his “dirty secret” is that ballet was never that hard for him, his experience as a young boy in the world of dance wasn’t always easy.
In this episode, Damian takes us backstage on his remarkable journey from being called “twinkle toes” in high school, to becoming a principal dancer and choreographer for the New York City Ballet, to his influential second act as the president of The Juilliard School and an advocate for arts education. Here are his songs.
Knee Play 5 - Philip Glass
We are the World 1985 - USA for Africa
More Than This - Roxy Music
Fast Car - Tracy Chapman
Tom Traubert’s Blues - Tom Waits
Other Song - Caroline Shaw
Freedom - Jon Batiste
Listen to Damian Woetzel’s full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at lifeinsevensongs@sfstandard.com.
At the age of 16, David Archuleta captured hearts as the runner-up on American Idol. But behind the charismatic performer on stage was a young man struggling to reconcile his Mormon upbringing with his queer identity. In this episode, David shares how he nearly got married to women several times, contemplated suicide, and ultimately let go of everything he’d been taught it meant to be “good.” Here are his songs:
Fast Car - Tracy Chapman
Amor Prohibido - Selena
It’s Okay To Cry - SOPHIE
Jireh - Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music (feat. Chandler Moore, Naomi Raine)
If It’s Not God - Maddie Zahm
Hell Together - David Archuleta
Freedom! - George Michael
Listen to David Archuleta's full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at lifeinsevensongs@sfstandard.com.
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