History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff

363 episodes

History in Five Songs Episode 360: Melody
19/05/2026 | 31 mins.
In Episode 360 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin takes a deep dive into the power and pitfalls of melody, contrasting the “gas station meal rock” vocal hooks of bands like Nickelback and the melancholy repetition of Santana with the transcendent emotional beauty of These Trails and the adventurous microtonal experimentation of Maddie Ashman.

Nickelback – “Rockstar”

Santana – “Oye Como Va”

These Trails – “Rusty’s House & Lost in Space”

Maddie Ashman – “Dark”

These Trails – “Rapt Attention”

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History in Five Songs Episode 359: Thrash and Hair Metal as Doppelgangers
12/05/2026 | 33 mins.
In Episode 359 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin toys with the kindred nature of thrash and hair metal and how the two genres influenced each other's development and came from the same origins and roots.

Ratt – “Tell the World”

Slayer – “Die by the Sword”

Slaughter – “Out for Love”

Judas Priest – “A Touch of Evil”

Guns N’ Roses – “Mr. Brownstone”

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History in Five Songs Episode 358: Getting Behind Concept Albums
05/05/2026 | 33 mins.
In Episode 358 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores why he’s not typically a fan of concept albums by spotlighting the ones that have won him over. From subtle, loosely themed classics like the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band" and XTC's "Skylarking" to fully realized masterpieces like Porcupine Tree's "Fear of a Blank Planet," Martin shows why certain concept albums connect with him so well.

The Beatles – “Getting Better”

XTC – “Season Cycle”

Porcupine Tree – “Fear of a Blank Planet”

Alice Cooper – “Escape”

Pink Floyd – “Sheep”

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History in Five Songs Episode 357: Three Bands, Three Golds
28/04/2026 | 32 mins.
In Episode 357 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores the surprisingly short list of musicians, including Ozzy Osbourne and Paul McCartney, who’ve earned at least one U.S. gold record with three different bands or projects. Martin breaks down the rare career paths that turned them into multi-band commercial heavyweights.

Ozzy Osbourne – “Slow Down”

GTR – “Here I Wait”

Paul McCartney – “Mr. Bellamy”

Sammy Hagar – “I’ll Fall in Love Again”

The Firm – “Make or Break”

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History in Five Songs Episode 356: Histories Waiting for You
21/04/2026 | 38 mins.
In Episode 356 of History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff, Martin explores his personal “renaissance” of rediscovering music by using tools like Discogs and curated album runs to acquire and reconnect with the rich, often overlooked histories of bands—from The Pretenders and Siouxsie and the Banshees. He argues that diving into these back catalogs is one of the most rewarding ways to truly get into music.

The Pretenders – “Popstar”

Midge Ure – “Answers to Nothing”

Pete Shelley – “I Surrender”

Urban Verbs – “The Angry Young Men”

Siouxsee and the Banshees – “Halloween”

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About History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff

History in Five Songs with Martin Popoff is the show that aims to make grand and often oddball hard rock and heavy metal points through a narrative built upon the tiny idea of a quintet of songs. Buttressed with illustrative clips, Martin argues quickly and succinctly why these songs - and the specific sections of these tracks - support his mad professor premise, from the wobbly invention of an “American” heavy metal, to the influence of Led Zeppelin in hair metal or to more succinct topics like tapping and twin leads. The songs serve as bricks, but Martin slathers plenty of mortar. At the end, hopefully he has a sturdy house in which this week’s theory can reside unbothered by the elements. At approximately 7000, Martin has had published in books more record reviews than anybody in the history of music writing across all genres. Additionally, Martin has penned approximately 85 books on hard rock, heavy metal, classic rock and record collecting. Proud part of Pantheon - the podcast network for music lovers.

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