Listenin‘ Too Closely

What's this? Fletcher wants to talk about a country song?? What is the world coming to??? This week on Listenin' Too Closely, Liam and Fletcher take a forensic look at "Use Me" by emerging country artist Zach Top. The usual tangents ensue, including some sage advice on recording albums from Liam the Wise, and how famous codebreaker Alan Turing might have been one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles... Check it out!

Holy smokes! Who would’ve believed it? Listenin’ Too Closely is BACK, baby! Fletcher and Liam reunite after 3 years (albeit via satellite) to talk about some more songs. First up, they tackle a hit from the current Billboard Hot 100, “Your Idol” from one of the hottest films on streaming right now, KPop Demon Hunters. Do your favourite song surgeons still have what it takes to dissect a tune? Did they ever have it to begin with? Find out in the brand new season of LISTENIN’ TOO CLOSELY!

Another year is coming to a close and with it, the end of Season 2 of Listenin' Too Closely. To continue the tradition that dates all the way back to last year, Liam and Fletcher have written and recorded yet another original song titled, 'The Night of My Life'. They're busting to tell you all about how it was written (especially Fletcher who spends the whole episode blowing his own horn), and take a deep dive into the details of this collaboration, in an episode which takes the cake as their longest one yet. Could this one be better than 'Iron Roof'? That, Listen'rs, is for you to decide... so get listenin'!   Liam and Fletcher would like to wish all the Listenin' Too Closely fans a merry Christmas and a happy New Year, and reassure you that they'll be back in 2023 for SEASON 3 of Listenin' Too Closely!

We've hit another milestone... That's right, it's 600 years of Listenin' Too Closely! I mean, it's our 60th episode! And we're marking it by talking about the Beach Boys' iconic track, Wouldn't It Be Nice! Find out all about the production and writing of the song, and why "Mike Love" might be a misnomer... Get listenin'!

This week, Listenin' Too Closely brings to you a HOT 100 episode like no other. It's a very special T-Swizzle edition to celebrate her having made history! Our hosts roll the dice on the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and land on "Question...?" by Taylor Swift, but it's not quite the listening experience they were hoping for... You'll learn all about Liam's inexperience with making out in crowded rooms, and hear Fletcher's growing frustration with reading about Harry Styles. Feeling swifty? Well get listenin'!

It's Prog Central on Listenin' Too Closely this week, as the boys take an in-depth look at 'Breakfast in America' by prog rock legends Supertramp! The trend of the shortest songs generating the longest episodes is in full force, as Fletcher and Liam manage to talk about a 2 and a half minute song for 90 minutes! But not without a few diversions about movies, turn-of-the-century immigration, and an enormous rant about modes... (SPOILER: we hate them) Come at us, music theorists!

It's 2010. You're either a Doo-Wop or a Hooligan, and the radio plays the Bruno Mars playboy bunny bouncing boogie, 'Runaway Baby'. It's 2022. Liam and Fletcher point out on the mega-hit podcast, Listenin' Too Closely, all the ways this song has aged... Furthermore; you'll learn that Elton John is not actually a Rocket Man, in the same way that Fletcher is not actually a Little Pig; Liam will try to challenge Fletcher's beloved Vampire Diaries lore with examples from classic films; and you'll be privy to an in depth discussion about whether you can separate the artist from their material. Curious? Then get listenin'!

Dust off your spooky skellingtons and pop out your candied corn - it's time for another Halloween episode of Listenin' Too Closely! In this frightening spooktacular, Fletcher and Liam head on down to Georgia to meet with the Devil! That's right, this week the Charlie Daniels Band is on the slab and the boys have a ton of fun dissecting it for your listenin' pleasure. Who exactly is Johnny anyway? Is it Johnny Cash? Little Johnny Farnham? Does the Devil have a gambling problem? It's a real graveyard smash this week, so get listenin'!

Having once again been ABANDONED by Fletcher, Liam has decided to take it out on everyone else by doing another episode by himself. In what can only be described as "inevitably the least streamed episode in the show's history", Liam prattles interminably in this HAVE YOU HEARD episode about one of his favourite bands, Spinal Tap, and their song, Stonehenge! You're invited to enjoy the sights, the sounds, and the smells of Britain's loudest rock band, and find out whether the song or the monument came first. Get listenin'!

Have you ever wondered how bagpipes would sound in a top 10 hit? Well, look no further because (SPOILER) we're talking about "You're the Voice" by one of the finest singers of the Antipodes, little Johnny Farnham! Fletcher learns the true origins of AC/DC, and Liam has some choice words for Suzanne Prentice... It's an action-packed episode, so get listenin'!

Well, I'll be god-dern'd! If there isn't a country song in the current top 10 of Billboard's Hot 100!!! Imagine Fletcher and Liam's collective shock as they listen to Morgan Wallen's "You Proof" for the very first time. Never did they think they'd live to see the day! Add to that a lack of knowledge of how alcohol is classified for consumption that would make prohibitionist blush, plus how the makers of South Park churn out a show in 6 days, and you've got an episode of Listenin' Too Closely that proves the age-old adage, "Work very little, make very lot"! Check it out!

You didn't ask for this, but too bad. It's time for a bit of cheesy 2000's boyband pop, and nothing fits the bill better than 'Bop Bop Baby' by Westlife. Somehow Fletcher knows the words to every Westlife song ever released, meanwhile Liam can't even say this song's title without choking. Could this bop be about someone ruminating over a past relationship; or is it about a mother betraying her 20 year old son, running off with another woman and removing his voice from the answering machine? Get listenin' to find out! Also, a brand new boyband, East Deceased, is coming to a venue near you...

As we try to adjust to life after 50, Listenin' Too Closely's 51st episode might just be the tonic! It's "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys! Deeply rooted in soul and gospel, this masterpiece was an absolute delight to analyse. Not that there aren't a few inevitable diversions along the way... Is Lady Gaga a lazy songwriter? Can Liam rhyme the word August with the word piano? What's the proper way to hold your mouth while blowing a horn? All of these questions may or may not be answered right here on Listenin' Too Closely!

It's here! It's finally here! The 50th anniversary of Listenin' Too Closely! And what better way to celebrate 50 years of unwarranted music criticism than with a closer listen to Stevie Wonder's classic, Sir Duke. Isn't it lovely? Fletcher explains why he is re-watching the entire series of Friends for the third time, and Liam proves he's the Monica of the group by telling us what he didn't like about the US version of The Office. It's a jam-packed (pun intended) episode, so get listenin'!

Is it a HAVE YOU HEARD episode, or are you back in your dreaded high school history class? Either way, it's all about Kris Drever's historically influenced folk song, 'Scapa Flow 1919'. It turns out that Fletcher knows absolutely nothing about how war works and is more fixated on where the people park their boats. If you listen really closely you can hear Liam's frustration simmering away. Before our hosts embark on this fascinating research project though, the first portion of the episode is dedicated to Liam eating sushi for the very first time. Does he like it? You'll have to get listenin' to find out...

It's finally time for a Luke Combs song on Listenin' Too Closely! After much deliberation about what song to choose, Fletcher and his mega fan brother chose Luke Combs' second number one country hit, 'When It Rains It Pours'. Liam starts off by saying "it's one of the most country songs that has ever country songed" so things can really only get better from that point on. You'll also hear all about the questionable Johnson Motors jingle, the perfect way to make a cup of tea, and how there's nothing Fletcher can't do in a pair of jeans. I bet you're all riled up, so get listenin'!

Our hosts have rolled the dice again for the HOT 100 segment, this time catching the Glass Animals sleeper hit, "Heat Waves", just before it leaves the top ten. Despite some questionable lyrics (which Fletcher rewrites), this song spent an incredible 41 weeks in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 chart! Strange then that Liam and Fletcher spend more time talking about Mariah Carey's, "All I Want For Christmas Is You"; the Will Smith and Margot Robbie movie, Focus; and Robbie Williams' aged fan base. Excited? Well get listenin'!

Well, well, well, when the Fletcher's away, the Liam will play! That's right, folks, the taller one has gone on tour in a musical, so the other one has decided to have a bit of fun on his own, not just talking about a single song, but an entire ding-dang album!!! It's Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of the War of the Worlds, based on the classic science fiction novel by H.G. Wells! Join Liam as he marvels (i.e. prattles interminably) at the ground-breaking production and flawless composition of this iconic concept album. It's amazing what one can achieve with a saucepan and the inside of a toilet bowl. Intrigued? Well, get listenin'!

Fletcher and Liam turn to the good book this week, and explore the themes behind the song ‘Heaven On Their Minds’, from Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s smash hit musical Jesus Christ Superstar. It’s a veritable lyrical and musical feast, with flowery language and changing time signatures galore! Fletcher reads a fascinating article written by everyone’s favourite cartoon character Timmy Fisher. Liam tells us about the actor Barry Dennen, who may or may not have a speaking part in the film Titanic (he can’t remember). Most importantly, who sang the high falsetto note in Gethsemane the best? It’s all to play for, this week on Listenin’ Too Closely!

It's HOT 100 time again, and this song really is HOT! This week on Listenin' Too Closely, our hosts roll the dice on the Puerto Rican reggaetón hit, 'Me Porto Bonito' by Bad Bunny and Chencho Corleone. Although not particularly excited by the music, Liam and Fletcher entertain themselves with talk of threesomes and birth control instead. Furthermore, we learn that Fletcher is a hard core junkie, and we discover just how many times Liam can say the word 'ass' in one episode. Worried? Well get listenin'!