Episodes

  • Dan Fogelberg - "Same Old Lang Syne"

    Dan Fogelberg - "Same Old Lang Syne"
    Dec 28 2025
    Welcome to Hitmaker Chronicles! I'm your host, Garrett Fisher. Today we explore Dan Fogelberg's "Same Old Lang Syne" - the New Year's classic that almost didn't happen. We'll trace how a 90-minute encounter at a Peoria convenience store became a perfectly crafted story song, why Fogelberg thought it was a joke until he finished writing it, and how Jill Anderson kept quiet for 27 years. It's a story about whipping cream and eggnog, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture hidden in plain sight, and proving that sometimes the most personal songs become the most universal.

    Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed!

    Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories’ with no commercials! Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Join today and help support the show!

    We now have Merch! FREE SHIPPING! Check out all the products like T-shirts, mugs, bags, jackets and more with logos and slogans from your favorite shows! Did we mention there’s free shipping? Get 10% off with code NewMerch10 Go to Caloroga.com

    Get more info from Caloroga Shark Media and if you have any comments, suggestions, or just want to get in touch our email is info@caloroga.com
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    21 mins
  • The Greatest Christmas Songs of All-time - The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) - David Seville and the Chipmunks

    The Greatest Christmas Songs of All-time - The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) - David Seville and the Chipmunks
    Dec 21 2025
    Welcome back to Hitmaker Chronicles! I'm your host, Garrett Fisher. This week on our eight-week Christmas countdown, we close with "The Chipmunk Song" - the novelty hit that almost didn't happen. We'll trace how a broke Broadway actor's last $200 gamble created "Witch Doctor," why Liberty Records executives became singing rodents, and how a frustrated father's September question launched a multimillion-dollar franchise. It's a story about tape speed manipulation, the hula hoop craze of 1958, and proving that sometimes the silliest idea in the room becomes the one that lasts forever.

    Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed!

    Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories’ with no commercials! Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Join today and help support the show!

    We now have Merch! FREE SHIPPING! Check out all the products like T-shirts, mugs, bags, jackets and more with logos and slogans from your favorite shows! Did we mention there’s free shipping? Get 10% off with code NewMerch10 Go to Caloroga.com

    Get more info from Caloroga Shark Media and if you have any comments, suggestions, or just want to get in touch our email is info@caloroga.com
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    21 mins
  • The Greatest Christmas Songs of All-time - "Blue Christmas" - Elvis Presley

    The Greatest Christmas Songs of All-time - "Blue Christmas" - Elvis Presley
    Dec 14 2025
    Welcome back to Hitmaker Chronicles! I'm your host, Garrett Fisher. This week on our eight-week Christmas countdown, we explore Elvis Presley's "Blue Christmas" - the holiday standard he didn't want to record. We'll trace how a commuter train daydream became Ernest Tubb's country hit, why a 22-year-old Elvis told his musicians to "just do something silly," and how those iconic "woo" vocals almost didn't make the final cut. It's a story about reluctant genius, September sessions with Christmas trees, and how the King turned his least favorite recording into a performance that redefined holiday heartbreak.

    Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed!

    Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories’ with no commercials! Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Join today and help support the show!

    We now have Merch! FREE SHIPPING! Check out all the products like T-shirts, mugs, bags, jackets and more with logos and slogans from your favorite shows! Did we mention there’s free shipping? Get 10% off with code NewMerch10 Go to Caloroga.com

    Get more info from Caloroga Shark Media and if you have any comments, suggestions, or just want to get in touch our email is info@caloroga.com
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    19 mins
  • Adam Sandler -The Hanukkah Song (The Chanukah Song) (The Christmas Song)

    Adam Sandler -The Hanukkah Song (The Chanukah Song) (The Christmas Song)
    Dec 7 2025
    Welcome back to Hitmaker Chronicles! I'm your host, Garrett Fisher. This week on our eight-week Christmas countdown, we're celebrating Hanukkah with Adam Sandler's "The Chanukah Song" - the novelty hit that made Jewish kids feel seen during the holiday season. We'll trace how a nervous SNL cast member turned childhood loneliness into cultural phenomenon, why Roseanne Barr graciously stepped aside, and how four minutes of fake rhymes and celebrity name-dropping became an annual tradition. It's a story about feeling left out, the Carnegie Deli, and proving that sometimes the silliest song can say something serious.

    Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed!

    Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories’ with no commercials! Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Join today and help support the show!

    We now have Merch! FREE SHIPPING! Check out all the products like T-shirts, mugs, bags, jackets and more with logos and slogans from your favorite shows! Did we mention there’s free shipping? Get 10% off with code NewMerch10 Go to Caloroga.com

    Get more info from Caloroga Shark Media and if you have any comments, suggestions, or just want to get in touch our email is info@caloroga.com
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    14 mins
  • The Greatest Christmas Songs of All-time - "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Darlene Love

    The Greatest Christmas Songs of All-time - "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Darlene Love
    Nov 30 2025
    Welcome back to Hitmaker Chronicles! I'm your host, Garrett Fisher. This week on our eight-week Christmas countdown, we explore "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" - the greatest vocal performance in Christmas music history, born from rejection and bad timing. We'll trace how Phil Spector locked the Wrecking Crew in Gold Star Studios for two months, why Ronnie Spector couldn't sing her own song, and how David Letterman turned Darlene Love's annual performance into appointment television for 29 years. It's a story about the Wall of Sound at its peak, a voice that could shatter glass, and the song that refuses to leave.

    Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed!

    Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories’ with no commercials! Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Join today and help support the show!

    We now have Merch! FREE SHIPPING! Check out all the products like T-shirts, mugs, bags, jackets and more with logos and slogans from your favorite shows! Did we mention there’s free shipping? Get 10% off with code NewMerch10 Go to Caloroga.com

    Get more info from Caloroga Shark Media and if you have any comments, suggestions, or just want to get in touch our email is info@caloroga.com
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    16 mins
  • The Greatest Christmas Songs of All-time - "Do They Know It's Christmas?" - Band Aid

    The Greatest Christmas Songs of All-time - "Do They Know It's Christmas?" - Band Aid
    Nov 23 2025
    Welcome back to Hitmaker Chronicles! I'm your host, Garrett Fisher. This week on our eight-week Christmas countdown, we explore "Do They Know It's Christmas?" - the charity single that changed everything about celebrity activism. We'll trace how Bob Geldof's night watching TV news led to 40 British pop stars recording a song in a single day, how it sold a million copies in its first week, and why its legacy is more complicated than anyone expected. It's a story about good intentions, massive success, and the questions we're still asking 40 years later about how the West tries to help.

    Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed!

    Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories’ with no commercials! Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Join today and help support the show!

    We now have Merch! FREE SHIPPING! Check out all the products like T-shirts, mugs, bags, jackets and more with logos and slogans from your favorite shows! Did we mention there’s free shipping? Get 10% off with code NewMerch10 Go to Caloroga.com

    Get more info from Caloroga Shark Media and if you have any comments, suggestions, or just want to get in touch our email is info@caloroga.com
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    15 mins
  • The Greatest Christmas Songs of All-time - "Silent Night" - Joseph Mohr & Franz Xaver

    The Greatest Christmas Songs of All-time - "Silent Night" - Joseph Mohr & Franz Xaver
    Nov 16 2025
    Welcome back to Hitmaker Chronicles! I'm your host, Garrett Fisher. This week on our eight-week Christmas countdown, we explore "Silent Night" - the song written by a young priest after witnessing war's devastation, set to music in hours because a church organ wouldn't cooperate. We'll trace how two men in a tiny Austrian village created the most recorded song in human history, how it spread across the world mistaken for folk music, and how it stopped World War I for one extraordinary night in 1914. It's a story about broken organs, traveling glove-makers, and the song that proved sometimes the quietest voice carries the farthest.

    Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed!

    Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories’ with no commercials! Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Join today and help support the show!

    We now have Merch! FREE SHIPPING! Check out all the products like T-shirts, mugs, bags, jackets and more with logos and slogans from your favorite shows! Did we mention there’s free shipping? Get 10% off with code NewMerch10 Go to Caloroga.com

    Get more info from Caloroga Shark Media and if you have any comments, suggestions, or just want to get in touch our email is info@caloroga.com
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    15 mins
  • The Greatest Christmas Songs of All-time - "The Christmas Song" - Nat King Cole

    The Greatest Christmas Songs of All-time - "The Christmas Song" - Nat King Cole
    Nov 9 2025
    Welcome back to Hitmaker Chronicles! I'm your host, Garrett Fisher. Today, we begin our eight-week Christmas series with the song that defined what a Christmas standard could be - written in 45 minutes on the hottest day of summer 1945 to psychologically cool off. We'll trace how two young Jewish songwriters created the most-performed Christmas song ever, how Nat King Cole recorded it four times searching for perfection, and why Capitol Records thought strings would ruin everything. It's a story about thinking cool thoughts, breaking color barriers, and how the first Black artist to record a Christmas standard created the template for all that followed. Let's roast some chestnuts.

    Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed!

    Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories’ with no commercials! Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Join today and help support the show!

    We now have Merch! FREE SHIPPING! Check out all the products like T-shirts, mugs, bags, jackets and more with logos and slogans from your favorite shows! Did we mention there’s free shipping? Get 10% off with code NewMerch10 Go to Caloroga.com

    Get more info from Caloroga Shark Media and if you have any comments, suggestions, or just want to get in touch our email is info@caloroga.com
    Show More Show Less
    9 mins