Life in Seven Songs

Latest Episodes:

The music, movie stars and murder trial that shaped actor Griffin Dunne Jul 08, 2025

Show notes

Griffin Dunne was a Hollywood insider long before he became the successful actor he is today – in fact, he might not have survived childhood if Sean Connery hadn’t pulled him from the bottom of a pool. But Griffin’s story, captured in his memoir The Friday Afternoon Club, is much more than a catalog of celebrity encounters.

In this episode, Griffin opens up about his parents’ divorce, landing his breakout role in An American Werewolf in London, the sudden tragedy that changed his family forever, and the music that has accompanied a life lived in the spotlight’s glare and shadow. Here are his songs:

Volver Volver by Vicente Fernandez
Last Train to Clarksville by The Monkees
Nature's Way by Spirit
Symphony No. 5: IV. Adagietto. Sehr Iangsam by Gustav Mahler
Life During Wartime by Talking Heads
Sailing by Christopher Cross
Cortez the Killer by Crazy Horse and Neil Young

Listen to Griffin Dunne’s full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at ⁠lifeinsevensongs.com⁠. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ⁠lifeinsevensongs@sfstandard.com⁠.

Joan Osborne got famous for 'One of Us' — but finding her own voice took decades Jun 24, 2025

Show notes

If you’ve ever wondered, “What if God was one of us?” you probably have Joan Osborne to thank. But you might not realize that Osborne didn’t actually write her chart-topping hit.

In this episode, the singer-songwriter traces her evolution from a Catholic girl in Kentucky singing in church choirs, to accidentally discovering her voice at a New York blues bar covering other artists, to finally writing her own songs and sharing hard-won wisdom with her daughter. Here are her songs:

So Long, Farewell - Sound Of Music
I Saw Three Ships - The Oxford Trinity Choir
God Bless The Child - Billie Holiday
How Blue Can You Get - BB King
Shine A Light - The Rolling Stones
Crazy Baby - Joan Osborne
Nobody Owns You - Joan Osborne

Death, Sex, Money – and music: The mixtape to podcaster Anna Sale’s life Jun 10, 2025

Show notes

As the creator and host of “Death, Sex & Money" – the hit podcast about "the things we think about a lot and need to talk about more” – Anna Sale has tackled her fair share of tough questions. In this episode, Anna shares the songs that helped her navigate life’s most uncertain moments – from leaving her home in West Virginia for Silicon Valley’s limitless possibilities, to figuring out how a radio reporter in New York City could build a life with a wildlife ecologist in Wyoming, to the moment her beloved show was (briefly) cancelled. Here are her songs:

Bill Withers - Lean on Me
Luscious Jackson - Here
The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize
Lucinda Williams - Side of the Road
Townes Van Zandt - If I Needed You
Sly and The Family Stone - Que Sera Sera Whatever Will Be Will Be
Tony Toni Tone - Feels Good

W. Kamau Bell on fighting white supremacy — but keeping it funny May 27, 2025

Show notes

W. Kamau Bell has made a career out of asking uncomfortable questions about race in America – both as a standup comedian and in his award-winning CNN series, United Shades of America. In this episode, Kamau shares the soundtrack to his life story – from bombing onstage as a young standup to inheriting “the family hardware store” of fighting racism. Here are his songs.

Wade In The Water - Jireh Gospel Choir
Rappers Delight - The Sugarhill Gang
Times Up - Living Colour
Hit The Road Jack - Ray Charles
Swing Low Street Chariot - 103rd Street Gospel Choir Featuring Pat Lewis
Head Over Heels - Tears For Fears
To Be Young Gifted and Black (2005 Remix) - Nina Simone

Listen to W. Kamau Bell's full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at ⁠lifeinsevensongs.com⁠. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ⁠lifeinsevensongs@sfstandard.com⁠.

The White Lotus’ Natasha Rothwell on the 'angsty' music that shaped her May 13, 2025

Show notes

Long before Natasha Rothwell started stealing scenes as Belinda on The White Lotus or Kelli on Insecure, she was a self-described people-pleaser and peacemaker (yes, she’s a Libra). In this episode, Natasha reveals how creating some of the most iconic characters on TV today has been a form of self-discovery – one that has transformed her from a military kid trying to fit in into a creative force who has fallen deeply in love with herself. Here are her songs.

Riverside by Kirk Franklin & The Family
Fly Me To The Moon - Frank Sinatra, Count Basie
Oh My God - Jay-Z
I Have Nothing - Whitney Houston
You Oughta Know - Alanis Morissette
She Used to Be Mine (from Waitress) - Sara Bareilles
Fix You - Coldplay

Listen to Natasha Rothwell’s full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at lifeinsevensongs@sfstandard.com.

How Damian Woetzel jeté-ed his way from ballet phenom to head of The Juilliard School Apr 29, 2025

Show notes

Damian Woetzel got addicted to dance when he was 11 years old. While his “dirty secret” is that ballet was never that hard for him, his experience as a young boy in the world of dance wasn’t always easy.

In this episode, Damian takes us backstage on his remarkable journey from being called “twinkle toes” in high school, to becoming a principal dancer and choreographer for the New York City Ballet, to his influential second act as the president of The Juilliard School and an advocate for arts education. Here are his songs.

Knee Play 5 - Philip Glass
We are the World 1985 - USA for Africa
More Than This - Roxy Music
Fast Car - Tracy Chapman
Tom Traubert’s Blues - Tom Waits
Other Song - Caroline Shaw
Freedom - Jon Batiste

Listen to Damian Woetzel’s full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at lifeinsevensongs@sfstandard.com.

Embracing ‘amor prohibido’ with singer David Archuleta Apr 15, 2025

Show notes

At the age of 16, David Archuleta captured hearts as the runner-up on American Idol. But behind the charismatic performer on stage was a young man struggling to reconcile his Mormon upbringing with his queer identity. In this episode, David shares how he nearly got married to women several times, contemplated suicide, and ultimately let go of everything he’d been taught it meant to be “good.” Here are his songs:

Fast Car - Tracy Chapman
Amor Prohibido - Selena
It’s Okay To Cry - SOPHIE
Jireh - Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music (feat. Chandler Moore, Naomi Raine)
If It’s Not God - Maddie Zahm
Hell Together - David Archuleta
Freedom! - George Michael

Listen to David Archuleta's full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at lifeinsevensongs@sfstandard.com.

John, Yoko, and a 'beautiful boy': How author David Sheff's life was shaped by three relationships Apr 01, 2025

Show notes

David Sheff’s memoir Beautiful Boy became a #1 New York Times bestseller and a major film, chronicling his son Nic’s harrowing battle with meth addiction. But before that, David was a music journalist who interviewed legends like John Lennon and Yoko Ono—an encounter that unexpectedly shaped his future as a father. In this episode, David traces how music once brought him joy, then grief—and, ultimately, a way back to his beautiful boy. Here are his songs.

Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) - John Lennon
Why - Yoko Ono
Strawberry Fields Forever - The Beatles
Astral Weeks - Van Morrison
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Patti Smith
This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody) - Talking Heads

Listen to David Sheff’s full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at lifeinsevensongs@sfstandard.com.

America, the broken? Richard Misrach photographs the country's splendor and scars Mar 18, 2025

Show notes

Richard Misrach is one of the most influential photographers of his generation, known for his haunting, large-scale images of the American West. His work captures both the region’s breathtaking beauty and the profound ways humans have altered the landscape. His photographs are housed in the collections of MoMA, the Whitney, and the Getty—but for Misrach, they serve a deeper purpose: creating a historical record. Here are his songs.

Angel from Montgomery - Bonnie Raitt
Misirlou - Dick Dale & The Del Tones
Effendi - McCoy Tyner Trio
The Times They Are a-Changin’ - Bob Dylan
Music for 18 Musicians - Steve Reich
La Vie en Rose - Grace Jones
The Garden - Jacob Bloomfield-Misrach

Listen to Richard Misrach’s full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com.

See some of the art mentioned in this episode here: https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/18/richard-misrach-photographer-life-in-seven-songs/

Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at lifeinsevensongs@sfstandard.com.

Held captive in Iran, Sarah Shourd found solace in a Seal song Mar 04, 2025

Show notes

Journalist, author, and playwright Sarah Shourd shares the songs that helped her though a childhood steeped in violence and poverty, and the 410 days she spent in solitary confinement as a political hostage in Iran. From screaming along to Rage Against the Machine as a teenager to belting out ‘Crazy’ by Seal in her prison cell, Sarah’s always used her voice. Now, she speaks out against the use of solitary confinement in U.S. prisons and mass incarceration. Here are her songs.

She’s Got her Ticket - Tracy Chapman
Killing in the Name - Rage Against the Machine
Crazy - Seal
At Last - Etta James
ELEMENT. - Kendrick Lamar
Suit of Armour - Danika Smith
This Joy - Resistance Revival Chorus

Listen to Sarah Shourd’s full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode at lifeinsevensongs.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at lifeinsevensongs@sfstandard.com.

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