Here’s the official song list for A.V. Undercover season 9
And a preview of what we’re building here this summer
We asked and you answered. Across social media and right here in our comments section, The A.V. Club readers made hundreds of suggestions for the songs to be covered in the newly revived A.V. Undercover, now entering its ninth season.
We whittled down that list—no easy task, given how many great options we had—added a few of our own suggestions, and landed on the 25 songs for A.V. Undercover season nine. As in the past, the first band will get to choose from these 25 songs, and whichever one they cover will then be crossed off the list. The second band will choose from 24 songs, and so on, until the last song remaining is covered by the final band of the season. We’ll be recording these in the coming months in various studios across the country—and we’ll be sharing the first one with you this week.
Something else that might be familiar to you is my byline. I was lucky enough to work at The A.V. Club from 2015 to 2022, starting as a newswire fellow before co-editing and then heading up the TV section for a few years before, well, you probably remember. Even as I went on to a stint at Polygon and led the late, great Primetimer, I rooted for The A.V. Club to once again prioritize criticism over churn and produce meaningful stories about the pop culture we’re passionate about, maybe set off a Community notification or two.
That day has come, and I am so honored to not only get to witness it, but to lead the charge as the site’s new Editor-in-Chief. We have so much in store for you, our readers, who, along with the dedicated editorial staff, have kept AVC going. We’ve already brought back some familiar names and revived some of our favorite series, and you can look forward to seeing even more of the people and writing that have made The A.V. Club an essential pop culture site. With 2004 Week just around the corner (the week of August 12, to be exact), there’s no better time to revisit some classics. But The A.V. Club is also known for spawning multiple generations of critics, and we want to keep that tradition alive by cultivating new voices on the site. We’re also planning a return to Disqus, which will be timed to our launch on WordPress (don’t worry, we’ll be keeping a close eye on the comments to field questions and spot technical issues). Even as we face the challenges of today’s media landscape, we’re going to retain the core elements of The A.V. Club, including genial expertise and an unflinching eye.
I cannot wait for you to see what we have planned, so please stay tuned. I know the last few years have been especially rough, but I’m grateful to the editorial team and every single reader who stayed with us, partaking of the good work still being done and finding comfort in each other. Let’s build something this summer.
The Modern Lovers, “Roadrunner”
Pulp, “Common People”
Carly Rae Jepsen, “Cut To The Feeling”
INXS, “Don’t Change”
The Beta Band, “Dry The Rain”
Interpol, “Evil”
Billy Idol, “Eyes Without A Face”
Tom Tom Club, “Genius Of Love”
Wilson Phillips, “Hold On”
Toto, “Hold The Line”
Barbie Soundtrack, “I’m Just Ken”
Leslie Gore, “It’s My Party”
Big Black, “Kerosene”
Sixpence None The Richer, “Kiss Me”
Iron & Wine, “Naked as We Came”
R.E.M., “Radio Free Europe”
Sharon Van Etten, “Seventeen”
Dusty Springfield, “Son Of A Preacher Man”
Fountains Of Wayne, “Sink To The Bottom”
The Walkmen, “The Rat”
They Might Be Giants, “They’ll Need a Crane”
The Zombies, “This Will Be Our Year”
Til Tuesday, “Voices Carry”
Glen Campbell, “Wichita Lineman”
Tone-Loc, “Wild Thing”