Mix Tape Mafia

We build a spectacular mix tape featuring all the best songs with "call & response" – a fun song element where back-up vocals echo or "respond" to the lead vocals in a back and forth manner . You'll catch on quickly once we start jamming with The Romantics, Billy Joel, Aerosmith, the Mamas & the Papas, and more!

What kind of fools would we be if we didn't throw Rick Springfield into the ring against Eddie Money? This fight is Shakin', right out of the gate. Two artists, five rounds, five songs each, one winner. I think we're in love.

All the best songs with the word Do or Don't in the title. An epic Spotify playlist for you. Do listen. Do download. Don't unsubscribe.

Hey, hey, whadda ya say? It's a mix tape for horses... the 20 best songs that feature the word "Hey" either in the title, or a prominent part of the lyrics. We'll tap into some gems from Simple Minds, Pink Floyd, Train, Gin Blossoms, Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Taylor Swift, Beastie Boys, and more!

It's our R-rated follow up to the Damnation episode, featuring a mix tape playlist of our favorite songs that utilize the F word. Which F Word, you ask? yes, THE F word. We'll hear from Guns 'n Roses, Liz Phair, RHCP, P!nk, Maroon 5, Cake, and gobs more!

It's part one of our "cussing" episodes, as we start with the PG version -- the best songs that prominently feature the word "Damn."

It's about as soft and mellow as we can get... and we love it. And you're gonna too, as softies Bread and Air Supply face off in the MTM ring for a five round featherweight bout.

It's time for some soft 70's, with a light sprinkling of early 80's. America is stepping into the MTM ring to face off against LRB in a five round middleweight bout.

It's time for a mix tape of iconic opening guitar riffs! These are the songs that open with only a guitar riff and you know the song immediately. We picked the best so kick back around the fire and get ready to shred, MTM style!

This is a ladies' cruiserweight battle between P!nk and Lady Gaga... one of the more even matchups we've had in the ring. Both with extensive catalogs filled with both energy and ballad hits from the early 2000s and 2010s.

It's two soft dudes who had some big hits in the 80's. A few mildly upbeat tunes and some super soft killer ballads from Richard Marx and Christopher Cross. They square off in a five-round middleweight bout.

We're taking one of our favorite past episodes, "Mopey Breakup Songs," and spinning it off to a whole new level. This mix tape is going to be a massive to tribute to... the ONE. You know what we mean... the one that got away. All the best songs that are not just about a broken heart, but specifically crooning about that one love of your life, that for whatever reason, got away, or was never meant to be. The big "What If?" Sappy City here we come...

Two of the 1980"s most popular alt emo pop rock bands, INXS and Duran Duran, face off in this middleweight bout, one of our closest ones yet.

We're back in the ring with two powerful grunge pop rivals from the late 90's. It's Creed vs. Live! Five rounds; five songs each. Two bands enter; one band leaves.

It's a sister episode to our recent "NanaLalaDooDoo" episode... This time, we're compiling a mix tape of the best songs that feature notable use of "Whoahs" or "Ohs" in the lyrics. Many you'll sing along with, including bangers from Beyonce, Journey, New Kids on the Block, Eddie Money, Coldplay, Hall & Oates, and a bunch more.

It's an all-time 80's arena rock hair band throw down. This is a Light Heavyweight match, slug for slug, blow for blow. Bon Jovi is a slight favorite but the hits are coming strong and fast from both corners. 5 rounds; 5 songs each; 1 champion.

Survivor comes into this bout as a heavy favorite. But Night Ranger can be feisty with some "forgot how good this song was" hits. Will it be enough to pull off the upset?

It's Dan Fogelberg vs. England Dan & John Ford Coley in this swanky smooth 70's showdown. This matchup is as even as Hagler–Leonard and some of the great rivalry bouts. Which Dan will leave the ring with the coveted MTM Platinum Belt?

It's Jewel vs. Alanis in another MTM rivalry showdown. Alanis comes in as a heavy favorite but is Jewel top heavy enough to take 3 rounds for the upset?

The MTM research department earned their pay on this one, pulling together a kryptonite-powered playlist full of all of the best songs that mention Superman. It's unique. It's eclectic. It's faster than a speeding bullet. It's not what you might expect.

We're back in the ring, the platinum octagon, for a 5 round middleweight bout between 80's adult contemporary staples Steve Winwood and Howard Jones.

We're back in the ring with our new rivalry series, pitting two similar artists against each other for a throw down death match, 5 rounds of songs to determine one victor. Matchbox 20 comes in as a slight favorite in this light heavyweight matchup, but it's close. Will Third Eye Blind have enough weapons to steal the belt?

A new event is launching at Ben Bag Studios! Mix Tape Mafia presents... the Thrilla in the Villa, aka Fight Night at the MTM Grand. We're taking music "rivals" – two artists who had similar things going on at similar times – and pitting them against each other in a five song bout. First up, Phil vs. Don.

It's time to Shake it up, Shake it OFF, Shake you DOWN, Shake your Rump, and Shake your BODY (Down to the Ground).

Summer has just begun and "The Four Seasons" is the biggest hit on Netflix, so we're gravy training! What a dynamite playlist we put together of all the best songs that have one of the four seasons in their title (or the word "season"). Plus the usual comedy gold...

We continue with our 10th anniversary content with an amazing mix tape for you featuring all the best songs with the word "together" or "forever" in the title. Plus, a few additional gems that don't have them in the title, but have very prominent mentions of the phrase "Together, Forever" in their lyrics. Cheers!

This episode was delightfully sponsored by Daizy's Social Sodas. Have one and you'll understand why. Songs with high or low in the title!

Abracadaba... It's time for a mix tape full of all the best songs about MAGIC! (or, you know, some sort of mention or stretched reference)Settle in for some fancy cuts from Steve Miller Band, Olivia Newton-John, America, Smashmouth, Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga, and more!

We're following up our awesome movie theme songs episode with of course, Best TV Theme Songs! We each present our top ten and add together rankings to establish an official group ranking for the ten best TV theme songs. Plus a few extras...So welcome back, and join us as we move on up to the east side, where everybody knows your name! What would we do, baby, without the gobsters?!

It's a microwave episode! Pat Benatar kicks things off by coming on like flame and then turning a cold shoulder. Then we indulge in a great playlist of songs with either fire or ice in the title.

It's Lights, Camera, Action in Bean Bag Studios, as we assemble a mix tape for you of the best all time Movie Theme Songs! There are a few rules that we discuss, on what qualifies and what doesn't, but in the end, this is an absolute blockbuster Spotify playlist for you.

This week we compile a mix tape of our favorite songs that famously got "chopped up" or shortened for radio play, sometimes cutting long intros or even removing full verses from the album tracks. (this episode was originally an hour and a half long but we cut it down to 1:05)

In this episode, we assemble a mix tape of the best songs recorded as live versions. These are songs where the most famous/recognizable version of the song was the live version, or a live version became a much bigger hit or much better version than the studio recording.

More of the up and more of the down. Good stuff.

A unique playlist where we go back and forth with songs that have the word "Up" in the title and songs that have the word "Down" in the title. Better than you might think...

We kick off the episode with a coronation of the one man who had the most hit songs (5) as the lead singer for five different groups, plus a solo act... he's the lead singer version of Michael McDonald. Then, it's the Billy Squire game! The interim producer thought he only knew The Stroke, and we make bets on how many Squier songs he'll actually know. Finally, the main attraction... an analysis of the top 5 songs on each of our Spotify Wrapped lists for 2024.

As is sometimes the case, part 2 is even bigger and better than part 1... more Key Changes, and this playlist that we asssemble for you is quite honestly, epic.

It's a jam-packed part one of our favorite Key Changes! 

This week's episode includes some all out diamonds in the rough, and some lumps of coal.  "Not My Day Job" features our curation of a bunch of songs from people who are famous for something OTHER than singing.  You'll recognize some and we'll reveal some other new mysteries.  These are famous actors, comedians, athletes, etc., who just happened to get the itch, thought they could sing, and used their stardom to record a song or two.  And a few of them actually got a decent amount of airplay!  We'll give them all some time on the podwaves tonight...

We hash through the best songs that have either "Angel" or "Demon" in the title. This is an interseting playlist, but before we put that mix tape together for you, we've got the debut of our Bean Bag Studios Suno Songs! And we listen to the "Drunk Speed Mafia," aka, the Mix Tape Mafia at 0.5 speed! Hilarity ensues.

We had so much fun a few episodes ago with our "Burying the Lede" songs that we needed to bring back the theme with a twist!  We are curating the best mix tape playlist of all songs that contain the name of the album that they are on... but they are NOT title tracks!  You'll catch on quickly...

It's a lost episode!  Recorded back in the spring of 2024, we're finally bringing you the game of Life - a Mix Tape Mafia curation (and creation!) of what WE consider the best songs with the word "Life" in the title. It's now or never, we're in the fast lane, and it's a highway, so hang on for the ride.  We've even got a few "shandy" nominees, and a handful of guilty pleasures.

It's a special episode all about Food!  We're playing songs with food in the title AND we're stepping into the Pappy's Products test kitchen as we introduce and review FIVE new products inspired by various songs throughout the night. Grab your popcorn and your shopping list and get ready to crunch, munch, and dance!

We've got an awesome episode where we dive into the best songs where the title is NOT in the chorus or the hook of the song. Instead, the artist has "buried" the title somehwere deeper in one of the song's verses or elsewhere. This is one of those episodes where you only the Mafia can give you the proper deep dive that this Spotify mix tape deserves.

Tread carefully... Perhaps, we could have called this episode "Creeps & Peeps," since the majority of these songs ended up being creepy older dudes singing about their lust for underage girls. SO, we are by no means endorsing the messages behind some of these tunes. But we thought it would be interesting to explore some of the hit songs that we all used to like, but they certainly haven't aged well. It could be politically incorrect references to race or gender identitiy, or it could be, you know... grooming and statutory rape. Either way, you couldn't write these songs today. But we've got a tightly packed 37 minutes of comedy gold, as we lean into the cringiness of it all.

To kick off wedding week, the boys are in studio to curate the best (and worst!) dance songs that you're bound to hear at most weddings. They work through the bangers for you, building an incredible spotify playlist that includes both the dance floor fillers AND the dance floor EMPTIERS!

Did you ever hear a song and think it sounds exactly like a certain artist, but it's actually just some random singer or band you've never heard of? Well, we have a theory that nobody's disproven yet, so it must be true––the random singer was just part of the cleaning crew in the recording studio where the famous band played and just took it upon themselves to steal the sound, essence, or snippets leftover on the cutting room floor. They laid down their own record and voila!  With that, we give you one of our greatest episodes... "Sweeping the Studio!"

Be Human. Be Kind. Be Both. We've got a tightly packed 35 minute playlist to put together for you of our favorite songs that contiain the word "human" in the title. Let us know if you agree on the "human nature" of this mix tape! Featuring: Michael Jackson, Human League, Billy Joel, The Killers, Van Halen, Christina Perri, and more!

We're back in studio and this time we're just taking it easy... quite literally. It's time for a playlist composed of all (what we deem to be) the best songs with the word "easy" in the title. If you like a little 80s duet from Phil Collins & Philip Bailey, maybe some commodores, a little Sheryl Crow, Jason Aldean, or the Eagles, you're going to enjoy this mix tape! This episode also features quite a bit of new  tunes and hidden gems that you may not be familiar with, but will likely end up in your Spotify rotation.

¡Hola, el nación de gobsters!  The Mafia is putting together a sneaky fun mix tape of our favorite songs that feature a foreign language word or phrase in the lyrics. The 80's will be heavily represented by the likes of Mr. Mister, After the Fire, and a debate over Madonna's best song that includes spanish words in it. We may also get a few guilty pleasures from the 90's and 2000's. Faisons du rock and roll!

The boys are back with another elegent entry into our array of episodes inspired by songs that feature a uniquely specific instrument. Violinterludes is an elegent colllection of our favorite songs that feature a violin or strings section. We'll hear from The Verve, U2, Dexie's Midnight Runners, Taylor Swift, Guns 'N Roses, Evanescence, and more!