Welcome to Season 5 of Encore! We'll have new episodes until the end of the year to keep you going with even MORE stories from the songs you love!

Perhaps more than any artist so far on Encore, Ed Sheeran has been the most difficult one to determine just which song to feature. The guy is just such a consistent and reliable hitmaker.

He’s also a bit of an outlier. Although he established himself as an acoustic troubadour, over the span of his two-decade career, he has evolved and adapted as an artist to suit just about any style: from bubblegum pop to hip-hop to country to rock. And it doesn’t matter what type of music he’s making, it always seems to be at the top of the charts. But I think we found the right song for this episode. Not only one of the biggest songs he’s ever released, but one of the most interesting and dare I say, even a little controversial?

You’ll understand by the end of this, trust me.

This is the story of Ed Sheeran's 'Thinking Out Loud' with newly unearthed audio from Ed Sheeran!

Welcome to Season 5 of Encore! We'll have new episodes until the end of the year to keep you going with even MORE stories from the songs you love!
Perhaps more than any artist so far on Encore, Ed Sheeran has been the most difficult one to determine just which song to feature. The guy is just such a consistent and reliable hitmaker.
He’s also a bit of an outlier. Although he established himself as an acoustic troubadour, over the span of his two-decade career, he has evolved and adapted as an artist to suit just about any style: from bubblegum pop to hip-hop to country to rock. And it doesn’t matter what type of music he’s making, it always seems to be at the top of the charts. But I think we found the right song for this episode. Not only one of the biggest songs he’s ever released, but one of the most interesting and dare I say, even a little controversial?
You’ll understand by the end of this, trust me.
This is the story of Ed Sheeran's 'Thinking Out Loud' with newly unearthed audio from Ed Sheeran!

Do you remember where you were the first time you heard Outkast tell you to 'Shake it like a Polaroid Picture'?

How about when Nickelback told you to 'Look at this Photograph'?

Or when Taylor Swift provided the soundtrack to your Love story?

Join Myles Galloway as he takes you through the biggest songs in the world - with new interviews and newly unearthed archive footage from the artists themselves.

Subscribe on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts!

Do you remember where you were the first time you heard Outkast tell you to 'Shake it like a Polaroid Picture'?
How about when Nickelback told you to 'Look at this Photograph'?
Or when Taylor Swift provided the soundtrack to your Love story?
Join Myles Galloway as he takes you through the biggest songs in the world - with new interviews and newly unearthed archive footage from the artists themselves.
Subscribe on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts!

Join Myles Galloway as he takes you through the biggest songs in the world - with new interviews and newly unearthed archive footage from the artists themselves.

Encore: The Stories Behind The Songs You Love

x Marks the Hit: The True Story of Ed Sheeran's 'Thinking Out Loud'

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/4809bc8a-e41a-405c-93da-a8cf011df2f4/clips/66b1c036-9b1c-4f47-8145-b1ff00ee1cd5/transcript

Welcome to the Season Finale Of Encore!

What would you say is the catchiest song of all time? You know that one earworm that you hear once and then for the rest of the day it plays over and over in your head?

Well, according to researchers at St. Andrews University in Scotland a song needs to have five things to make it an earworm: surprise, predictability, rhythmic repetition, melodic potency and, most importantly, the listener must be receptive to the creation on a basic level. In their study they determined the catchiest song of all time is Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” which alone can be identified by its rhythm. I’m sure you’ve attended some sporting event and stomped or clapped that song without even singing a note. It’s catchy, there’s no denying it and these people are actual scientists sure, but have they ever heard a song by the name of “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen? Because that wins my vote.

And I’m not alone. Justin Bieber agrees with me. He once tweeted:  “Call me maybe by Carly Rae Jepson is possibly the catchiest song I've ever heard lol” How can anyone argue with the Biebs!

This is the true story of the iconic Carly Rae Jepsen song 'Call Me Maybe' - with newly unearthed audio from Carly Rae Jepsen herself!

Encore will return for season 5 in October 2024!

Welcome to the Season Finale Of Encore!
What would you say is the catchiest song of all time? You know that one earworm that you hear once and then for the rest of the day it plays over and over in your head?
Well, according to researchers at St. Andrews University in Scotland a song needs to have five things to make it an earworm: surprise, predictability, rhythmic repetition, melodic potency and, most importantly, the listener must be receptive to the creation on a basic level. In their study they determined the catchiest song of all time is Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” which alone can be identified by its rhythm. I’m sure you’ve attended some sporting event and stomped or clapped that song without even singing a note. It’s catchy, there’s no denying it and these people are actual scientists sure, but have they ever heard a song by the name of “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen? Because that wins my vote.
And I’m not alone. Justin Bieber agrees with me. He once tweeted:  “Call me maybe by Carly Rae Jepson is possibly the catchiest song I've ever heard lol” How can anyone argue with the Biebs!
This is the true story of the iconic Carly Rae Jepsen song 'Call Me Maybe' - with newly unearthed audio from Carly Rae Jepsen herself!
Encore will return for season 5 in October 2024!

And This is Crazy: The Story of Carly Rae Jepsen's 'Call Me Maybe'

There aren’t too many global superstars out there who got their start impersonating Elvis at the age of 2, but that’s exactly how Bruno Mars began his career in music. Yes, you heard me right, Bruno Mars began entertaining while he was still in diapers - and I’m gonna assume it all happened pre-potty training! That is apparently what it takes to become one of the biggest musicians in the world: gyrating your hips and dancing to the jailhouse rock in your nappy.

But all of that hard work so early on in his life led to stardom for Bruno Mars, who has built an impressive career as a singer, songwriter, producer, all-around entertainer and 15-time Grammy winner. 

This is the story of Bruno Mars' Iconic hit: Locked Out of Heaven, with newly unearthed audio from Bruno Mars!

There aren’t too many global superstars out there who got their start impersonating Elvis at the age of 2, but that’s exactly how Bruno Mars began his career in music. Yes, you heard me right, Bruno Mars began entertaining while he was still in diapers - and I’m gonna assume it all happened pre-potty training! That is apparently what it takes to become one of the biggest musicians in the world: gyrating your hips and dancing to the jailhouse rock in your nappy.
But all of that hard work so early on in his life led to stardom for Bruno Mars, who has built an impressive career as a singer, songwriter, producer, all-around entertainer and 15-time Grammy winner. 
This is the story of Bruno Mars' Iconic hit: Locked Out of Heaven, with newly unearthed audio from Bruno Mars!

You Make Me Feel Like: The Story of Bruno Mars' 'Locked out of Heaven'

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/4809bc8a-e41a-405c-93da-a8cf011df2f4/clips/42ea9506-faf5-4377-9153-b1e1014ebf94/transcript

It’s probably safe to say that by late 2002, Eminem was the most popular rapper in the world. 

With three full-length solo albums under his belt, Slim Shady had come quite a long way in the four years since taking the world by storm with The groundbreaking Slim Shady LP in 1999 - introducing the world to his devil-may-care madcap rhymes that ranged from insightful, to absurd, to downright offensive; sometimes all at once.

There was no denying Marshall Mathers’ talent on the mic - combining the sounds of the underground with a hurricane flow, lyrical wizardry, and pop culture irreverence - Eminem’s popularity was bolstered by the frustrated angst of the emerging nu metal, horror-core and even pop punk sounds of the era. 

Realistically, he didn’t even *sound* like anything from those genres, but his aura was so strong that he became a sort of crossover artist without even needing to actually cross over. It was just *cool* to like Eminem.

With the backing of music industry heavy hitters like Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, Eminem also had serious critical credibility - He’d won Rap Grammys for the aforementioned Slim Shady LP and it’s lead single ‘My Name Is’ in 2000; He followed it up with three more the following year for the likes of The Real Slim Shady, Forgot About Dre, and his sophomore album The Marshall Mathers LP - and would eventually go on to win two MORE Grammys in 2003 for his ‘02 album The Eminem Show and its lead single ‘Without Me’.

And, while we’re on the topic of the successes of Slim Shady - the records show that by late 2002 Eminem’s 3 Solo LPs had gone no less than 18x Platinum in America alone.

There is just one thing Em hadn’t done yet - and quite honestly I can barely believe it myself - Eminem had never had a US Billboard hot 100 Number 1 Hit.

That all changed when Eminem recorded the lead single for his feature film debut - changing how we all thought about Eminem forever.

This is the story of Eminem's 'Lose Yourself' with newly unearthed audio from Marshall Mathers himself!

It’s probably safe to say that by late 2002, Eminem was the most popular rapper in the world. 
With three full-length solo albums under his belt, Slim Shady had come quite a long way in the four years since taking the world by storm with The groundbreaking Slim Shady LP in 1999 - introducing the world to his devil-may-care madcap rhymes that ranged from insightful, to absurd, to downright offensive; sometimes all at once.
There was no denying Marshall Mathers’ talent on the mic - combining the sounds of the underground with a hurricane flow, lyrical wizardry, and pop culture irreverence - Eminem’s popularity was bolstered by the frustrated angst of the emerging nu metal, horror-core and even pop punk sounds of the era. 
Realistically, he didn’t even *sound* like anything from those genres, but his aura was so strong that he became a sort of crossover artist without even needing to actually cross over. It was just *cool* to like Eminem.
With the backing of music industry heavy hitters like Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, Eminem also had serious critical credibility - He’d won Rap Grammys for the aforementioned Slim Shady LP and it’s lead single ‘My Name Is’ in 2000; He followed it up with three more the following year for the likes of The Real Slim Shady, Forgot About Dre, and his sophomore album The Marshall Mathers LP - and would eventually go on to win two MORE Grammys in 2003 for his ‘02 album The Eminem Show and its lead single ‘Without Me’.
And, while we’re on the topic of the successes of Slim Shady - the records show that by late 2002 Eminem’s 3 Solo LPs had gone no less than 18x Platinum in America alone.
There is just one thing Em hadn’t done yet - and quite honestly I can barely believe it myself - Eminem had never had a US Billboard hot 100 Number 1 Hit.
That all changed when Eminem recorded the lead single for his feature film debut - changing how we all thought about Eminem forever.
This is the story of Eminem's 'Lose Yourself' with newly unearthed audio from Marshall Mathers himself!

Once in a Lifetime: The Story of Eminem's 'Lose Yourself'

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/4809bc8a-e41a-405c-93da-a8cf011df2f4/clips/31e2ecea-66f6-4778-ada4-b1d800df14dc/transcript

x Marks the Hit: The True Story of Ed Sheeran's 'Thinking Out Loud'

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