Funky Drummers, Cheap Guitars & Sting

What do George Michael, Nicki Minaj, Ed Sheeran, and the Powerpuff Girls have in common?The answer, as you'll learn on this episode, is a funk drumming legend named Clyde Stubblefield. We'll also talk about flipped drum beats, Sting's taste for syncopation, the differences between cheap and expensive musical instruments, how to tell a bridge from a prechorus, the power of a four-note motif, the unexpected places you can find songwriting inspiration, and Muse's subtle hat-tip to a George Michael classic.FEATURED ON THIS EPISODE:“Darling” by Real Estate from In Mind, 2017"Ghost Story" by Sting from Brand New Day, 1999“You Really Got Me” by The Kinks, 1964“Walking on Broken Glass” and "Little Bird" by Annie Lennox from Diva, 1992Skins theme by Segal, 2007“Kiss” by Prince from Parade, 1986"Beneath the Snow" by Kirk Hamilton from... well, it's never been published"Dig Down" by Muse from Simulation Theory, 2017“Freedom ’90” by George Michael, 1990“Royals” by Lorde from Pure Heroine, 2013“Funky Drummer” by James Brown feat. Clyde Stubblefield, 1970“Fight the Power” by Public Enemy, 1989“Save Me” by Nicki Minaj, 2010“Shirtsleeves” by Ed Sheeran, 2014The Powerpuff Girls theme, by James L. Venable, 1998A complete list of songs that sample Clyde Stubblefield’s drum break on “Funky Drummer”Ben Sisario’s 2011 NYT feature on StubblefieldOUTRO SOLOIST: Mel CarrollMel Carroll is a saxophonist and music teacher based in Portland, OR, where she plays with bands like like Special Purpose and the all-women 90s cover band Sideboob. Her main music project is The Flat Nines, a  chill jazz funk group with a new EP, "No Hate," coming in spring of 2022. You can find more at theflatnines.com.STRONG MERCHCheck out the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.comJOIN THE STRONG SONGS DISCORDThe Strong Songs Discord server is now open to everyone! Come join the conversation and get (or give) some music recs: https://discord.gg/GCvKqAM8SmKEEP IT SOCIALFollow Strong Songs on Twitter: @StrongSongsAnd find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_HamiltonNEWSLETTER/MAILING LISTSign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribeSTRONG PLAYLISTSKirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.SUPPORT STRONG SONGS!Thank you to all of Strong Songs' Patreon supporters! You make this show happen. For more on how to support the creation of this show (and how to get some fun bonus episodes!), go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongsYou can also make a one-time Paypal donation here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/kirkhamiltonmusicJANUARY 2022 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONSRRPrince M. Levy-BenitezElliot RosenAshley HoagMark and MichelleKelsairRob BosworthKyle CookeDonald MackieMelissa OsborneChristopher MillerTim ByrneJamie WhiteChristopher McConnellDavid MascettiJoshua JarvisNikoJoe LaskaLaurie AcremanKen HirshJezMelanie AndrichJenness GardnerSimon CammellGuinevere BoostromNarelle HornNathaniel BauernfeindBill RosingerAnne BrittErinAidan CoughlanJeanneret Manning Family FourDoug PatonRobert PaulDave SharpeSami SamhuriAccessViolationRyan TorvikMerlin MannGlennJim ChokeyAndre BremerMark SchechterDave FloreyJANUARY 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONSAnupama RaghavanDemetri DetsaridisCarrie SchneiderAlenka GrealishAnne GerryRichard SneddonDavid JudsonJulian RoleffMelissa GallardoJanice BerryDoreen CarlsonmtwolfDavid McDarbyAbigail DuffieldRaphadavidWendy GilchristLisa TurnerPaul WayperMiles FormanDennis M EdwardsJeffrey FerrisBruno GaetaKenneth JungbenAdam StofskyZak RemerRishi SahayJason ReitmanKaren LiuGreg BurgessAilie FraserSimon PrietoPaul McGrealKaren ArnoldNATALIE MISTILISJosh SingerPhino DeLeonSchloss Edward J. MDAmy Lynn ThornsenAdam WKelli BrockingtonStephen RawlingsBen MachtaVictoria YuKevin RiversGray DyerBrad ClarkChristopherMichael J. CunninghamKari KirkMark Boggsmino caposselaSteve PaquinMary SchoenmakerSarahDavid JoskeEmma SklarBernard KhooMarcDavid BlackmanRobert HeuerMatthew GoldenBrian MeldrumDavid NoahGeraldine ButlerRichard CambierMadeleine MaderTimothy DoughertyJason PrattStewart OakCaroline MillerAbbie BergSam NortonNicole SchleicherDoug BelewDermot CrowleyAchint SrivastavaRyan RairighMichael BermanBridget LyonsOlivia BishopJohn GisselquistElaine MartinKourothBonnie PrinsenSharon TreeBelinda Mcgrath-steerLiz SegerEoin de BurcaKevin PotterM Shane BordersPete SimmSusan PleinDallas HockleyJana JJason GerryNathan GouwensWill Dwyer Alethea LeeLauren ReayEric PrestemonCookies250Damian BradyAngela LivingstoneJeffyThanadrosDavid FriedmanPhillip DaltonSarah SulanDiane HughesKenneth TiongJo SutherlandMichael CasnerMichael YorkBarb CourtneyDerek BenderJen SmallLowell MeyerEtele IllesStephen TsoneffLorenz SchwarzWenJack SjogrenGeoff GoldenRobyn FraserPascal RuegerRandy SouzaJCBrendan JubbClare HolbertonDiane TurnerTom ColemanTijs SoeteMark PerryDhu WikMelEric HelmJake RobertsBriony LeoBill FullerSteven MaronMichael FlahertyJarrod SchindlerZoe LittleCaro Fieldmichael bochnerDuncanNaomi WatsonDavid CushmanAlexanderChris KGavin DoigSam FennTanner MortonAJ SchusterJennifer BushDavid StroudAmanda FurlottiAndrew BakerMatt GaskellJules BaileyEero WahlstedtAndrew FairBill ThorntonBrian AmoebasBrett DouvilleJeffrey OlsonMatt BetzelMuellerNate from KalamazooMelanie StiversRichard TollerAlexander PolsonEarl LozadaJon O’KeefeJustin McElroyArjun SharmaJames JohnsonAndrew LeeKevin MorrellKevin PennyfeatherNicholas SchechterEmily Williams