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Updated 14/10/2022
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Updated 11 May
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6 MAR

Song 2 - S5 Ep. 28: Aretha Franklin - Say A Little Prayer, 06/03/2026

On this episode of Song 2, we’re making the case for why track two might be the most important slot on any album, and today’s example is Aretha Franklin an The song appears on her 1968 album Aretha Now, released during the peak of her legendary Atlantic Records run, when everything she recorded felt deliberate and powerful. Interestingly, the song didn’t start with Aretha, it was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and first recorded by Dionne Warwick a year earlier. The writers were inspired by the anxiety of the Vietnam War era, particularly the fear of loved ones being sent overseas, which adds surprising emotional depth to what sounds like such an upbeat pop classic.

6 Mar

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27 FEB

Song 2 - S.5 Ep.27: Jack Savoretti, 27/02/2026

“I don’t wake up trying to write the big song. I wake up trying to make a great album.” Welcome back to Song 2, the podcast still fighting the good fight for track number two. Five seasons in, we’ve converted a few believers, and this week might add another. With We Will Always Be The Way We Were on the horizon, Jack Savoretti joins the debate and, as it turns out, he doesn’t just agree with the theory… he’s been quietly living by it for years.

27 Feb

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5 min
19 FEB

Song 2 S.5 Ep.23: Harry Buonaccorsi - Maruja, 19/02/2026

“If you listen to it as one piece, it’s almost like one song anyway… it’s about taking the listener on a journey.” Welcome back to Song 2, the podcast where we try, sometimes stubbornly, mostly enthusiastically, to convince you that the second track on an album is either the best or the most important. Sometimes we win the argument. Often we don’t. This time, we put the theory to Harry from Maruja, in a slightly chaotic pre-Christmas chat recorded from a car park in Germany with questionable Wi-Fi and strong opinions on tracklisting. (image: Sony Music) Harry doesn’t fully buy into the “second song supremacy” idea but what he does offer is something arguably more interesting: a defence of albums as cohesive journeys in a streaming world that increasingly fragments them.

19 Feb

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26 FEB

Song 2 - S.5 Ep.26: Heather Woods Broderick, 26/02/2026

“It’s not my favourite song on the record… but it’s the point where you realise it’s not going to be another acoustic singer-songwriter album.” Welcome back to Song 2, the podcast where we keep pushing the idea that track two might just be the album’s quiet MVP. This time, it’s Heather Woods Broderick stepping into the debate, reflecting on how the second song on her record Labyrinth shifts expectations and resets the listener’s compass. It’s less about being the “best”, and more about being the moment you realise what kind of journey you’re actually on.

26 Feb

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23/12/2025

Song 2: S.5 Ep.18 - 23.12.25 : Skin - Skunk Anansie, 23/12/2025

"I always give an album 3 songs. If you're not into an album by track 3, then your switching off" Another one that we've had on the back burners for a little while. Skin is a fascinating character - check out the full interview (on demand) via RTL Play. Since this interview was recorded, SA have been in Luxembourg a couple of times and the band show no signs of slowing down. Skin is categorically NOT a Song 2 believer. But does take the view that artist front load their records with the best stuff.

23/12/2025

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6 JAN

Song 2 S.5 Ep.21: Jolly - Bad Omens, 06/01/2026

"I truly believe that an album is a journey that needs to flow from first song to the last" Bad Omen’s are having a bit of a renaissance at present with new music being drip fed and a new album touted for release in 2026, we caught up with Jolly from the band some time back – the full interview is available on RTL Play, on demand so get onto that after finishing up here. Jolly has some fantastic points on Song 2, unfortunately none of them support the theory… at all, but Jolly’s take on track-listing is a terrific listen. So go ahead and check it out. Joll of Bad Omen’s on the Song 2 theory….

6 Jan

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7 min
19/06/2024

Song 2: Foals - Mountain At My Gates (S.3 Ep.32), 19/06/2024

On today’s episode we will be taking a look at the tremendous band Foals and their song Mountain at my Gates off their fourth studio album What Went Down. Having firmly established themselves as icons in the UK indie rock scene, there was a certain level of expectation on their shoulders in 2015 before releasing their album, but the band from Oxford delivered on all fronts and their second song is an absolute banger.

19/06/2024

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6 min
25 FEB

Song 2 - Sprints: Episode: 25 25.02.26, 25/02/2026

“The second song is kind of like another opening track… if the first one doesn’t work, then the second one has to.” Welcome back to Song 2, the podcast that continues to argue (no convince) that the second track on an album might just be the most important one. This episode features a conversation Sarah Tapp had with Sprints (a little time back now) but timely, as it lands ahead of their show at Den Atelier, one of Luxembourg’s premier live venues. The band were promoting their album All That Is Over, and what followed was a refreshingly honest look at the chaos, compromise and near-existential spirals that come with finalising a tracklist. From vinyl-side constraints to anxiety-inducing sequencing, Sprints pull back the curtain on how albums are actually ordered, and whether track two really carries that much weight. (image: David Wallis)

25 Feb

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8 min
08/11/2024

Song 2: Dizzee Rascal - Stand Up Tall (S.4 Ep.11), 08/11/2024

Let us take you back! The year is 2004, grime experienced its first wave of success the summer previous and the wait for Dizzee’s 2nd album is finally over With “Boy In Da Corner” Dizzee Rascal put Grime well and truly on the map, but what was to follow? Was it going to be another fad like those silly tectonic dances of the early 2000’s or was it here to stay? Dizzee is set to play den Atelier in tickets at atelier.lu

08/11/2024

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9 min
29/12/2025

Song 2 - S.5 Ep.20: Pink Floyd - Breathe (In The Air), 29/12/2025

Now, The Dark Side of the Moon really doesn’t need an introduction but let’s give it one anyway... Released in 1973, it was the band’s eighth studio album and the one that took them from underground cult favourites to global superstardom. Before that, Pink Floyd had spent the late 60s experimenting with long psychedelic jams and, yeah a fair bit of chemical inspiration which earned them a loyal following but not exactly mass appeal.

29/12/2025

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5 min

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