"I always give an album 3 songs. If you're not into an album by track 3, then your switching off" Another one that we've had on the back burners for a little while. Skin is a fascinating character - check out the full interview (on demand) via RTL Play. Since this interview was recorded, SA have been in Luxembourg a couple of times and the band show no signs of slowing down. Skin is categorically NOT a Song 2 believer. But does take the view that artist front load their records with the best stuff.
"The first song is why people bought the record, song two is why they KEPT listening" Kodaline were, for a while MASSIVE, that they decided to call it quits makes a large statement about the music business. Recorded a long while back when Kodaline last visited the GD. Sam Steen's full interview with Jay is available on demand via RTL Play.
What begins as a personal meditation quickly turns into something larger - gospel backing vocals and a communal spirit. track, one that not only drew listeners in but also earned the band a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year.
"It depends on the album, but I'd say the 1st song is most important, for the 2nd one, you need to back it up. For Hickey, it was more about the first" Check out the full interview with Otis on The Lunchbox AND on-demand via RTL Play. Here though Otis tells us about the band's track listing and whether or not he agrees with our rather muddled theory....
What a tune this is.... For many of us, the song I’m still standing is up there as one of the best songs of all time, with the best music video too. I mean the video is over 40 years old and I can still picture the beach, the sunglasses and hats, all of it. But if you’re having trouble remembering, we’ll go back to the start.
"Generally the most important songs are the ones on the first half - with streaming you can skip songs easily, so there's no need to consider placement" Welcome back to Song 2, the podcast where we make a bold claim and back it up track by track: that the second song on any album isn’t just filler… it’s the statement. The moment where a band plants the flag and says, “Here’s who we really are.” This week, we’re going dark, dramatic, and gloriously heavy, because joining us is Cristina Scabbia, the powerhouse voice of Lacuna Coil. We’ll talk riffs, sequencing, and why that all-important second track often holds the emotional key to an entire record. Lacuna Coli are playing Rockhal in a couple of weeks, and we’ve a full length interview on Today Radio and via RTL Play. So, plug in, turn it up, and prepare to rethink your playlist, because on Song 2, the follow-up track is always the one that hits hardest. (image: CUNENE Official Press)
Go ahead and get the pronunciation right on first go... I dare you. Today, we’re jumping back to 1972 Italy, to an artist who somehow managed to predict mumble rap, YouTube virality, and the power of rhythm over meaning, all in one glorious nonsense track. That artist is Adriano Celentano, and the song is the magnificent, the bizarre, the utterly infectious “Prisen colinens inain ciusol”, track two on his album Nostalrock.
"With algorithms, people might not get to your best songs. I think albums are great - and our fans seemed to love them too. Listen to all of it" Tim Burgess of The Charlatans had already provided a great conversation for our full interview on RTL Play. Tim gained huge praised for his 'Listening Party' show. So I was not sure where this was going to go. Tim's writing a book called Closer - all about the final track, so it was not looking good for Song 2. Track 7 crops up again but we've got Tim onboard. And I'll put that on a t-short than you very much.
“It’s crucial that you draw people in when you’re making records. Putting a track listing together can be very complex” Joining us this time is legendary troubadour Billy Bragg. For over four decades, Billy has blended sharp political insight with heartfelt storytelling, from early anthems like Between the Wars to recent records that prove his voice is as vital as ever. Few artists understand the power of a perfectly sequenced album like Billy, and his catalogue is full of second tracks that land like mission statements, passionate, pointed, and unforgettable. There’s a great Joshua Tree Anecdote too.
"If I'm good through Song 2, then I'm probably going to listen to the whole thing (album)" There is a FULL interview with Brandon on LOUDER and NEW Noised (plus it's on-demand) via RTL Play. Atreyu will tear the Rockhal a new one in their upcoming show......
“I don’t think you can make rules like that (Song 2) about music. No track is more important than the other” Shortly after the release of latest LP ‘Futique’ James of Biffy Clyro gives us his thoughts on the merits of Song 2. As Ben has already done this, we just need Simon to get the memo and we can complete the set. Full interview on the way. (Image: Nostromo Management)
"Number 7 was always my favourite - I still believe in albums, they remain important, the order of songs matter to me" Today we’re testing that theory with someone who knows all about building an album’s tension and release: Jehnny Beth. Musician, actor, and former frontwoman of the electrifying band Savages, Jehnny has a gift for sequencing songs that feel like carefully staged dramas.
This week, what was potentially one of the songs of the year in 2024. An absolute, certified banger. We’ve had ABBA, the Spice Girls, the McRib, and of course, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior – supposedly rising from the dead. Welcome to our very own musical bible, where we follow the doctrine that the second song on an album is the best – or at least the most important.
"When we put this new one (listing) together, we were all really close in choice, I thought 'it could not be THAT easy'" Steps caught up with the effervescent Lauri from Finnish megagroup, The Rasmus, this is Lauri's take on the Song 2 theory.
Today we’re getting airborne, quite literally, with the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Aeroplane”, from the 1995 album One Hot Minute... ...a song that isn’t just track two, it’s bass heavy, unhinged and brilliant. One Hot Minute was the band’s first album after guitarist John Frusciante left the group, mid-tour, mid-breakdown, mid-lots-of-things. The Red Hot Chili Peppers were coming off a career-defining high. Their 1991 album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, had sold over 13 million copies worldwide and turned them from cult funk-rockers into global stadium-fillers. Tracks like Give It Away and Under the Bridge had become massive MTV hits, and the band was now a household name.
"It's absolutely essential (tracklisting), it's your manifesto, you have to craft it, so you don't lose people" Welcome to Song 2, the podcast where we argue that the second track on any album is often the best, boldest, or most important, and we ask the artists themselves if they agree. Along the way, we dig into the craft of tracklisting and how sequencing can shape the entire listening experience. This week, our guest is Gavin Rossdale — frontman of Bush, one of the UK’s biggest alt-rock exports of the ’90s. With hits like Glycerine, Machinehead, and Swallowed, Bush sold millions worldwide and carved out their place alongside grunge’s heavyweights. Gavin joins us fresh off the release of his latest album I Beat Loneliness, a record that proves his songwriting is as sharp and urgent as ever. We’ll be talking about Bush’s legacy, the challenge of keeping albums cohesive in the streaming era, and of course, whether track two really is the sweet spot.
The opener kicks the door in. But track two? Track two defines the journey. This is episode one of season five and if it seems like we’ve been away for ages, it’s because we have. Not, you understand, due to the relentless beatdowns we’ve had when voicing our USP but due to a lot of other things, cush as Show Tunes, new radio programme launches, and a lot there besides. Today, we head into the sonic wilderness with none other than Iceland’s most fearless innovator: Björk. And her second track from 1995’s Post, the glacial, emotional masterpiece “Hyperballad” might just be the clearest proof of our theory yet.
Teaser Trailer Anyway, this is to announce that Song 2 Season 5, which is really season 4.5, as we stopped unexpectedly…is on the way Look, we are aware that this little hiatus might appear as though we ran out of steam, but the truth is, we simply got overwhelmed…like massively so… The time, then, is right to get this big old juggernaut turned round and back on track. We’ve Song 2 agreements, challenges and downright shutdowns coming in thick and fast, including from the likes of Bush, Air, Skunk Anansie, Kaleo, Sprints, Maricka Hackman, Slow Crush, The Murder Capital, Lacuna Coil, Heriot , Chokecherry, Warmduscher, Gia Ford, Sofi Tukker. Jeff Goldblum, Dani Filth, The Wombats, Gurriers and many more. Is the second track on an album the best, or most important? Be sure to check back soon
With Linkin Park back in a big way and the new record From Zero proving a hit with most but not ALL LP fans, it’s as good time to go back to the start Hybrid Theory was a huge record, released in 2000, it was and is packed full of massive tunes, the first of which to garner any attention and / or acclaim was One Step Closer, the debut single and second track from a generation defining record. One Step Closer still holds a special place in the hearts of fans because it was this song that introduced the band to a mainstream audience, setting the tone for their unique fusion of rock, nu-metal, and of course the electronic elements that became synonymous with their sound. (image: RTL.fr)
Let us take you back! The year is 2004, grime experienced its first wave of success the summer previous and the wait for Dizzee’s 2nd album is finally over With “Boy In Da Corner” Dizzee Rascal put Grime well and truly on the map, but what was to follow? Was it going to be another fad like those silly tectonic dances of the early 2000’s or was it here to stay? Dizzee is set to play den Atelier in tickets at atelier.lu