LYRICS FOR LUNCH

You'd be hard pressed to ignore that something is going on with Taylor Swift this week. The release of her re-recorded 2012 album Red (Taylor's Version) last Friday — complete with 14 never released tracks and a 10-minute version of fan-favorite heartbreak anthem "All Too Well" — sent Swiftie's on a tizzy of epic proportion. And in classic Swift "Style," Queen Tay did not disappoint: surprise dropping a short film, a new music video directed by Blake Lively, and in the time between recording this episode and uploading it, a #sadgirlautumn version of "All Too Well" featuring The National's Aaron Dessner. But why is Taylor re-recording her first 6 albums in the first place? And why is everyone so worried about the mental health of notorious scarf thief Jake Gyllenhaal? We've got the whole scoop — plus the inside story from our special guest, musician Elayna Harrison, one of the lucky few Swiftie's invited to the secret All Too Well film premier. I think it’s safe to say we Need to Calm Down. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lyricsforlunch/support

With Lindsay on vacation in Mexico, this week Aviv is joined by very special guest Alex Ronallo (@alroxro on Twitter) as he dives into Hall and Oates' 1976 #1 single, "Rich Girl." Did Darryl Hall make a deal with the devil for a number one? Why is there a box of Ritz Crackers on the cover of the record? Should the song be called Ritz Girl? And what does all this have to do with a Chicagoland pancake house, famous kidnapped heiress Patty Hearst, and notorious serial killer David Berkowitz? Find out this week on a Lindsay-less Lyrics for Lunch.

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In 1998, Ben Affleck brandished brand-new pearly whites in an end-of-the-world asteroid movie so nice they made it twice (well, kind of). Despite having more plot holes than questionable one-liners, the apocalyptic blockbuster earned over $553 million globally. The movie's theme song, surprisingly inspired by a certain gay icon's heterosexual romance, spent 77 weeks on the charts. This week, we've got the scoop on how arena rock band Aerosmith finally made its way to number 1 after decades of not-quite-number-1 hits -- and all it took was Steven Tyler sweetly serenading his daughter while she made love to a cookie.

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This week, Aviv takes us through the tale of 2006's "Hey There Delilah" (soon to have its own TV show adaptation). In 2002, only three years after a near-fatal car crash, Plain White T's singer Tom Higgenson met Delilah DiCrescenzo through a mutual friend. Tom was interested, Delilah wasn't, but as their relationship transitioned to AOL Instant Messenger, Tom promised to write Delilah a song that would get them both invited to the Grammys. Little did either of them know that Tom's prediction would come true. "Hey There Delilah" became a number one hit in the summer of 2007, and with it Delilah kissed her anonymity goodbye. Depending on who you ask, and when, this was either a dream come true or a nightmare. And what would Delilah's longtime boyfriend Will have to say (and do we even care)?

Don't forget to enter our giveaway to win the vinyl record of your choice from @newtownbookandrecordx at @lyricsforlunch on Instagram!

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In 1999, alongside Y2K hysteria, an unlikely chart-topper was also sweeping the globe: a five-minute-long spoken-word pop hymn that earnestly dispensed life advice of the "Live, Laugh, Love" ilk. Something about the song's message -- guised as a commencement address delivered by what could have been your crazy, old uncle -- resonated with humanity in a way that no one could have predicted. "Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen" charted alongside songs like LEN's "Steal My Sunshine," Backstreet Boys' "I Want it That Way," Vengaboys' "We Like to Party," and Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca." But who wrote it? Was it Baz Luhrmann, who the song is credited to? Or was it based off a commencement address given in 1997 by Slaugherhouse-Five author Kurt Vonnegut as the freshly oiled Internet machine would suggest? This week, we've got the full story, as we take an honest look at an unlikely earworm still echoing through the hearts and minds of those who came of age in the new millennium.

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