1984 - Apple’s first Macintosh computer is launched (priced at $2,500). Michael Jackson is rushed to hospital with second degree burns from fireworks while filming a Pepsi commercial. The first untethered spacewalk is made by Astronauts. The mockumentary, This is Spinal Tap, is released. Torvill and Dean win the first perfect-score gold medal for ice skating. Comedian Tommy Cooper dies live on TV, suffering a massive heart attack, which is mistaken as part of his act. Princess Diana gives birth to Harry. Happy Days is cancelled after 11 seasons. Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends is first broa ..read more

The 1970s … a boom time for smoooth music but dark times for The Beatles, torn apart and born again in their separate musical identities, each feeling their way to rediscover who they were before The Beatles, who they are now, and who they could become (before their soft new shells harden). All four would flirt with becoming Christmas Beatles, but only John Lennon and Paul McCartney would achieve immortality on Smooth Radio at Christmastime.  Who is the “immortal snail” and will John and Paul have to face it before the Earth is destroyed? Deploying their weapons of passive-aggressive song ..read more

The year was 1995, the 1st Toy Story movie debuts and delights the world, a toxic male in Japan sends out his minions to gas people on a subway, a toxic male bombs the Oklahoma Federal Building, an ex-football toxic male is found innocent of murdering his wife and her boyfriend because a glove didn't fit, The New York times and Washington Post publish a toxic male's (Unibomber) manifesto, and the boys of Take That (and That and That!) portray another toxic male in BACK FOR GOOD. How do Microsoft applications figure into this? Was "Windows 95" the spark for this pop song? Or is this a song of r ..read more

The year was 1983, a whole revolution around the sun from last episode's subject and I was enjoying Return of the Jedi in the cinema (despite the Ewoks) and the onset of puberty (no enjoyment there). Dave was already lamenting his youth (from a previous life), like the Dave from 2001 A Space Odyssey, Dave was already becoming the timeless star-child with a soul as old and cold and wise as time itself. Meanwhile, Spandau Ballet landed a song (and album of the same name), TRUE, which was either the worst thing ever or completely perfect ... depending on what paper you read. What did it say about ..read more

The year was 1982 and while Ms Pacman was striking blows for feminism and Roger Moore's James Bond was becoming increasingly absurd, TOTO landed this lovely tune which they put some unfortunate lyrics to. Does the curvature of the earth play a part or is this an anthem for Flat-Earthers? Is Dave just a contrarian and TOTO-apologist or is TOTO themselves a Devil's advocate? Are Africa's wild dogs just a pack of foxy oxymorons? Harassing an old man on the street to write you a pop song is a form of abuse. References to restless natives that don't age well. What does "Revtangoon" think? And so mu ..read more

It's a listener-driven episode, as Jennifer raises Billy Joel's hit from the early 70s and recalls the uncomfortable "raw sexuality" of his stage performance. Dave's scientific background comes to the fore as he prepares a drink they call "loneliness" and we explore the ultimately tragic or heroic backstory to the song. Should pianists sing in a lounge bar or stay in the background? Did anyone ask for the harmonica? Is it a Gay Bar? We also discuss ableist dwarf-jokes, www.celebheights.com, feeling orright, self-aggrandising, clever or dumb, constrictive garments and recall, the wrestling orig ..read more

The 1985 hit from Phil Collins with the mysterious title. Is it a simple story of youthful infatuation or is it much more metaphorical? Is SUSSUDIO the name of Apple's next virtual assistant or marital aid? Can you get it to spell "SHELL OIL" and other naughtier words upside-down on its LCD display? Is SUSSUDIO a post-hypnosis trigger-word? Black magic? Should it have been (badly) sung as a fairy-tale about a wooden boy?  What does Lenny think? How do the side subjects of World War II airforce banter, semaphore and watch-faces, and curiously-named bakeries come into this? David Letterman ..read more

Madonna's 5th biggest hit ... that was fished out of Cyndi Lauper's bin. Enough sexual innuendos to rival Benny Hill, Freudian sex symbols (percussion), locks and keys, pointy booby-traps, how to MAKE a man love you, explosive neck-bands, chastity heart-belts, when sexual harassment was called romance, alarm-monitoring logistics, exotic dancers kissing small boys, Mathletics and fan fiction, the loneliness of 1 although it goes into everything, extra strong insect repellent and fuel efficiency, and it's really all about puppies anyway. Would you like to appear (well, vocally) on the show? Do y ..read more

Madonna's 5th biggest hit ... that was fished out of Cyndi Lauper's bin. Enough sexual innuendos to rival Benny Hill, Freudian sex symbols (percussion), locks and keys, pointy booby-traps, how to MAKE a man love you, explosive neck-bands, chastity heart-belts, when sexual harassment was called romance, alarm-monitoring logistics, exotic dancers kissing small boys, Mathletics and fan fiction, the loneliness of 1 although it goes into everything, extra strong insect repellent and fuel efficiency, and it's really all about puppies anyway. Would you like to appear (well, vocally) on the show? Do y ..read more

A short song that has it all, including the Oedipus complex, the Beatles, moisture content, birth experiences, Pavarotti, screaming, lots of sweat, Spice Girls, Genesis, hot mamas, Jessie's and Jimmy's and Stacey's Mom, Hello Fresh meal deliveries, even the sweet lips of Jesus, bad impressions (again), tunnel-boring machines, CHUDs, and remote drones. Would you like to appear (well, vocally) on the show? Do you have a pop song or ear-worm from the SMOOTH FM genre that’s infested your mind and needs to be investigated? Visit this page anchor.fm/peter-davis6 and press the message button to recor ..read more