Songs from the Dead: Short Histories of Legendary Songs
Axioms of MediocrityEvery Monday, we take one legendary song, uncover its strange history, and play a brand-new reinterpretation. In about 10 minutes, we try to bring old songs back to life: murder ballads, folk standards, lost anthems, and melodies that refused to disappear. If you like music history, dark stories, and fresh versions of ancient songs, this is for you.
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 34 | Founded | 8 months ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | Music HistoryMusic | |||
Listen to this Podcast
Latest Episodes
You know Happy Birthday to You before anyone sings a word.
A cake appears. Someone dims the lights. Two notes begin, and the whole room knows what comes next. The melody is so familiar that people can sing it badly, start too high, stretch impossibl... more
This time, Songs from the Dead is doing something unusual. Instead of an old song, this bonus episode begins with a poem.
In 1808, twenty-year-old George Gordon Byron's Newfoundland dog Boatswain died of rabies at Newstead Abbey. Byron had nursed hi... more
"Whiskey in the Jar" is a betrayal ballad that keeps changing clothes.
At its core, the story is simple: a robber meets Captain Farrell, steals his money, takes it home to Jenny or Molly, and is betrayed while he sleeps. His weapons are sabotaged, t... more
Every Monday, we take one legendary song, uncover its strange history, and play a brand-new reinterpretation.
In about ten minutes, we try to bring old songs back to life: murder ballads, folk standards, lost anthems, and melodies that refused to di... more
Key Facts
Similar Podcasts
People also subscribe to these shows.
Recent Guests
Chart Rankings
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Apple Podcasts | #25 |  United States/Music/Music History |
Apple Podcasts | #229 | United States/Music |
Apple Podcasts | #8 |  Canada/Music/Music History |
Apple Podcasts | #33 | Canada/Music |
Apple Podcasts | #102 |  United Kingdom/Music/Music History |
Apple Podcasts | #150 |  Australia/Music/Music History |
Apple Podcasts | #4 |  Norway/Music/Music History |
Apple Podcasts | #9 | Norway/Music |
Apple Podcasts | #20 |  South Africa/Music/Music History |
Apple Podcasts | #49 |  Sweden/Music/Music History |
Apple Podcasts | #59 |  India/Music/Music History |
Apple Podcasts | #62 |  Saudi Arabia/Music/Music History |
Apple Podcasts | #93 |  New Zealand/Music/Music History |
Apple Podcasts | #195 |  Spain/Music/Music History |
Audience Metrics
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
| Listeners per Episode | Gender Skew | Location | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interests | Professions | Age Range | |||
| Household Income | Social Media Reach | ||||
Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast
What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?
This show stitches together the hidden histories of legendary songs, tracing how old folk tunes, murder ballads, and once-popular standards evolved across centuries and cultures. Each 10-minute episode pairs historical storytelling with a brand-new reinterpretation, revealing how melodies traveled—from oral traditions and broadside verses to folk revivals, cross-cultural exchanges, and contemporary reimaginings. Listeners who enjoy musical archaeology, nuanced social contexts, and fresh sonic takes will likely appreciate the careful blend of provenance, meaning, and modern experimentation that makes familiar tunes feel newly alive. A notable strength is the consistent focus on how culture, politics, and language shape a melody's journey, of... more
Where can I find podcast stats for this podcast?
Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to this podcast and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.
How many listeners does this podcast get?
Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for this podcast, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.
What are the audience demographics for this podcast?
Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for this podcast, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.
How many subscribers and views does this podcast have?
To see how many followers or subscribers this podcast has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.
Which podcasts are similar to this podcast?
These podcasts share a similar audience with this podcast:
1. You Must Remember This
2. Vibe Check
3. Critics at Large | The New Yorker
4. Criminal
5. My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
How many episodes of this podcast are there?
this podcast launched 8 months ago and published 34 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
How do I contact this podcast?
Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.
Where can I see ratings and reviews for this podcast?
Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for this podcast from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.
View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.
How do I access podcast episode transcripts for this podcast?
Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of this podcast. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.
What guests have appeared on this podcast?
Recent guests on this podcast include:
1. Malik Jandali
2. Peter Pringle
To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.