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Cruise (Remix) [feat. Nelly]

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'Cruise': The Story Behind Florida Georgia Line's Smash Hit Single

The year was 2012 when a previously-unknown duo called Florida Georgia Line , made up of Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley , took over country radio waves with their feel-good, debut single, "Cruise." The song and the duo soon caught fire, and it's a flame that has yet to run out. Not only did "Cruise" reach the No. 1 spot on the Country Airplay chart, but it spent 24 weeks atop the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, an accomplishment that has only been surpassed by Sam Hunt's "Body Like A Back Road."

The original song and the remix with rapper Nelly have sold 7 million copies in the US, leading to "Cruise" becoming the best-selling country digital song of all time and earning Diamond status (11x Platinum). This one song shot Florida Georgia Line into instant country fame, and it also ushered in a brand new sound to the genre and launched the country music trend which would later be dubbed "bro-country." While the song brought countless accolades to the group, the origins of the smash hit single are really quite simple.

The Birth of 'Cruise' and Bro-Country

"Cruise" was written by Kelley, Hubbard, Joey Moi, Chase Rice  and Jesse Rice, and the tune was born out of a writing session with Kelley, Chase and Jesse. The three singer-songwriters were reportedly writing a different, slower song when the song's famous opening line, "Baby, you a song," suddenly came to Kelley. He then began strumming some chords and came up with a melody and "Cruise" was created.

"All of a sudden Brian [Kelley] pops up and strums a chord and starts humming this melody," Chase Rice told Radio.com . "That ended up being the 'Cruise' melody, and we looked at each other, all of us three, and we were like, 'What the hell is that?' He was like, 'I don't know, but we should write it.' As we got more into it, we completely dropped the other song we were writing that day, and I'm glad we did."

Read More:  Florida Georgia Line's Brian Kelley + Brittney Kelley: Inside Their Love Story

The songwriters finished the song 45 minutes after Kelley came up with the initial idea, and it went through various edits in the studio with producer Joey Moi, who came up with the tune's signature sound. Florida Georgia Line recorded the song for their 2012 EP, It'z Just What We Do,  which also included "Get Your Shine On" and three other songs. "Cruise" was released to iTunes in April 2012 and then was shipped to radio in August of that year. The group included the song on their debut album, Here's To The Good Times,  which also featured the "Cruise (Remix)" ft. Nelly as well as hit songs "Round Here," "Stay," and "This Is How We Roll" featuring Luke Bryan.

The "Cruise (Remix)" was released to iTunes on April 2, 2013 and then to pop radio later. Two music videos exist for the song — one with Hubbard and Kelley for the original version and one with Nelly for the remix. The original version's official music video boasts over 140 million views. FGL and Nelly collaborated again on Nelly's "Walk Away" and "Lil Bit."

Related Content

10 best florida georgia line songs from the duo's 12-year partnership, florida georgia line play 'last official concert' after 12 years as a duo, how florida georgia line's 'cruise' changed country music.

"Cruise" kicked off the country career of Florida Georgia Line in a way that is rarely seen in country music — with a worldwide hit. The song led to Florida Georgia Line becoming one of the biggest country acts to come out of Nashville . The tune was followed by countless more hits, including "H.O.L.Y.," "Meant To Be" with Bebe Rexha and many more. Today, FGL continues to reign among the top male country acts such as Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney and more.

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Florida Georgia Line - Cruise (Remix) Lyrics

Artist: Florida Georgia Line

Album: Here's To The Good Times

(feat. Nelly) Baby, you a song You make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise (Let's go!) I got my windows down and the radio up, get your radio up What up Nelly, alright I got my windows down and the radio up, get your radio up Yeah, when I first saw that bikini top on her She's poppin' right out of the South Georgia water Thought, "Oh, good Lord, she had them long tanned legs." Couldn't help myself so I walked up and said, Baby, you a song You make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise Down a back road blowin' stop signs through the middle Every little farm town with you And this brand new Chevy with a lift kit Would look a hell of a lot better with you up in it (come on) So, baby, you a song You make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise I got my windows down and the radio up, get your radio up Yeah, she was sippin' on Southern and singin' Marshall Tucker We were falling in love in the sweet heart of summer She hopped right up into the cab of my truck And said, "Fire it up! Let's go get this thing stuck!" Baby, you a song You make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise Down a back road blowin' stop signs through the middle Every little farm town with you And this brand new Chevy with a lift kit Would look a hell of a lot better with you up in it (come on) So, baby, you a song You make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise [Nelly:] My windows down, my seats back, My music up, and we ride. Her legs up on my dashboard, And it's just the way I like. Hey, country girl, this country boy Like everything about you. Don't change a thing, no way. You stay the same, I got you. I like saw that, all that, Head to toe you all that. Tell ol' boy he call back, Send a text say, "Fall back" 'cause I can see you got a thing for the fast life. So come on, shawty, let me show you what the fast like. Whipping 'cross the border, Florida into Georgia. 'Cause, baby, you a song And you make me wanna roll my, roll my, roll my, r-r-r-roll... Baby, you a song You make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise Down a back road blowing stop signs through the middle Every little farm town with you And this brand new Chevy with a lift kit Would look a hell of a lot better with you up in it (come on)! Baby, you a song You make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise I got my windows down and the radio up, get your radio up Get those windows down and cruise, I got my windows down and the radio up, get your radio up Get those windows down and cruise, I got my windows down and the radio up, get your radio up

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Cruise [Remix]

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Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American Grammy Award-winning rapper, entrepreneur and occasional actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album Country Grammar, the title track of which was a top ten hit. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and went on to peak at number one. Country Grammar is Nelly's best-selling album to date, selling over 8.4 million copies in the United States. His following album, Nellyville, produced the number-one hits "Hot in Herre" and "Dilemma" (featuring Kelly Rowland). Other singles included "Work It" (featuring Justi… more »

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Written by: Brian Kelley, Chase Rice, Cornell Haynes, Jesse Kenneth Robert Rice, Joseph Kelly Moi, Tyler Reed Hubbard

Lyrics © OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

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Know any other songs by nelly don't keep it to yourself, image credit, the web's largest resource for, music, songs & lyrics, a member of the stands4 network, watch the song video, more tracks from the album, here's to the good times [cd/dvd].

• #2 Round Here
• #3 Get Your Shine On
• #4 Here's to the Good Times
• #5 It'z Just What We Do
• #7 Hell Raisin' Heat of the Summer
• #8 Tell Me How You Like It
• #9 Tip It Back
• #10 Dayum, Baby
• #11 Party People
• #12 This Is How We Roll
• #13 Take It Out on Me
• #14 People Back Home
• #15 Headphones
• #16 Hands on You
• #17 Cruise [Remix]
• #23 It'z Just What We Do [Music Video]

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Music cruises to set sail on the high seas in 2024 and 2025

R ocking and rolling is not how most people prefer their cruise ships. However, if you're sailing on a music-themed cruise, rock 'n' roll is the vibe you want as you soak up some sun and cruise the world with thousands of like-minded music fans.

Music-themed cruises cover a wide array of styles, including rock, metal, country, Broadway, disco and blues. They offer a complete immersion into the world of each genre. You'll enjoy close-up encounters with your favorite artists during performances and meet-and-greets and find a sense of community from being with other fans for multiple days at sea. (Not to mention, you'll get to visit beautiful destinations in the process.)

For more cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

Note that these specialty music cruises sell out — often as soon as cabins are made available. All sold-out cruises we're featuring offer a waitlist you can join. You'll be notified if someone cancels, as well as be among the first to be alerted of on-sale dates for future sailings.

Below are 11 music-themed cruises in 2024 and 2025 that are bound to create epic memories, whether your vibe is crowd-surfing during a rock show or belting out show tunes with Broadway's best.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, cruise fares are per person, based on double occupancy, and include cruise basics like meals, select nonalcoholic beverages (water, juice, coffee and tea) and use of the fitness center, hot tubs, pools and casino, among other onboard amenities.

Soft drink and alcohol packages are available for an extra fee. Theme cruise events, such as concerts, are included, though some limited-access special events often cost extra. Fares were valid as of writing but are subject to change based on availability.

Malt Shop Memories Cruise

Cruise ship : Nieuw Amsterdam

Date : Oct. 27-Nov. 3, 2024

The good ol' days can now be found sailing the Caribbean on the Malt Shop Memories Cruise. Set to take over all decks of Holland America 's Nieuw Amsterdam, the '50s and '60s music cruise will sail from Fort Lauderdale to Phillipsburg, St. Maarten, and Tortola, British Virgin Islands, with four days at sea.

Favorites set to perform on board include The Beach Boys, The Four Tops, Chubby Checker, The Coasters, Darlene Love and The Chantels. Highlights among the ship events range from a senior prom and a sock hop to game shows and karaoke.

The Malt Shop Memories Cruise is filling up fast. Rates for available cabins start at $2,349 per person for an inside cabin.

How to book : Reserve a cabin for this cruise on the Malt Shop Memories Cruise website or by calling 844-855-6258. If your preferred cabin category is currently sold out, you can join the waitlist here .

Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise

Cruise ship : Independence of the Seas

Date : Dec. 9-14, 2024

Maybe one stop in Jamaica isn't enough, and reggae vibes are calling your name. If so, the Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise might appeal to you. This five-night cruise on Royal Caribbean 's Independence of the Seas, organized by Jamrock Productions and Rose Tours, will travel round trip from Miami to Montego Bay and Ocho Rios in Jamaica.

The entire list of performers for the December 2024 voyage hasn't been released as of this writing but so far will include Stone Love, Steelie Basement, Westafa, Seani B and Spexdaboss.

You can also take part in themed parties, soccer and domino tournaments and Jamaica-themed film screenings when you're not enjoying ship amenities like a FlowRider surf simulator, a rock climbing wall, waterslides and a bar arcade.

Welcome to Jamrock's prices start at $1,359 per person for an inside cabin, not including $399 in additional fees and taxes.

How to book : Reserve a cabin for this cruise on the Rose Tours website or by calling 215-663-8800.

Cruise ship : Carnival Magic

Date : Jan. 19-25, 2025

For fans of rock and metal music, ShipRocked is a popular sailing organized by Ask4 Entertainment. The 2025 edition aboard Carnival Cruise Line 's Carnival Magic will start in Miami and include stops in St. Thomas and Half Moon Cay, the line's private island in the Bahamas.

There will be multiple stages for performances throughout the ship. The 2025 lineup will be announced soon, though top bands like Dead Poet Society, Black Stone Cherry, Highly Suspect and I Prevail performed during past cruises. Fans can enjoy one-on-one time with their favorite groups at scheduled meet-and-greets with all the bands.

Prices for ShipRocked's 2025 cruise start at $1,600 per person for an inside cabin. The fare includes access to all performances and meet-and-greets with artists.

How to book : Although this cruise is sold out, there is a waitlist. For future sailings, book through the Ask4 Entertainment Reservations portal or by calling 888-402-2754. A deposit is required to secure your spot. Ask4 Entertainment strongly suggests buying travel insurance.

Groove Cruise

Cruise ship : Allure of the Seas

Date : Jan. 23-27, 2025

Electronic dance music fans 21 and older can turn up on this early 2025 Whet Travel sailing from Miami aboard Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas. The cruise visits the line's private beach, Labadee, in Haiti.

The lineup for the EDM sailing hasn't been announced, but previous performers include major headlining acts Tiësto, Diplo and John Summit, plus a remarkable list of dance music stars, such as Aly & Fila, Boris, Craig Connelly, Disco Lines, Haliene and Joel Corry.

Along with multiple music sets, Groove Cruise hosts fun theme party nights focusing on everything from an '80s prom to fire and ice.

Cabins on Groove Cruise start at around $1,549 per person for an inside cabin.

How to book : At the time of writing, the ship was mostly sold out, with fewer than 200 cabins available to book. To add your name to waitlists and be among the first to know about future sailings, head to Whet Travel's website or call 877-438-9438.

The Country Music Cruise

Date : Jan. 19-26, 2025

Adding more than a bit of boot-scootin' country to the cruise life, The Country Music Cruise takes over Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam for a weeklong jamboree at sea. The voyage leaves from Fort Lauderdale, with stops in Key West, Florida, and Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico.

The artist lineup of country music favorites includes John Michael Montgomery, Deana Carter, The Bellamy Brothers, Neal McCoy and Lacy J. Dalton. This is your chance to meet and greet the country stars, join in on jam sessions and attend panel discussions. If you like to kick up your heels, you'll have plenty of opportunities for line dancing, Texas swing and two-stepping.

Cabins for The Country Music Cruise are sold out, but you can add your name to the waitlist. Rates start at $2,399, plus taxes and additional fees totaling $365, per person for an inside cabin.

How to book : To join the waitlist, head to StarVista Live's website or call 866-476-2879.

Chris Jericho's Rock 'N' Wrestling Rager at Sea

Cruise ship : Norwegian Gem

Date : Jan. 31-Feb. 4, 2025

Wrestling and rock fans will love this Sixthman cruise with wrestler and musician Chris Jericho. For the fifth installment of Chris Jericho's Rock 'N' Wrestling Rager at Sea, cruisers will sail on Norwegian Cruise Line 's Norwegian Gem from Miami to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

The 2025 lineup hasn't been announced yet beyond two musical guests, Fozzy and Kuarantine. The sailing will offer autograph sessions and host four days of wrestling matches featuring wrestlers from All Elite Wrestling.

Rates for Chris Jericho's Rock 'N' Wrestling Rager at Sea cruise start at $1,100, plus taxes, per person for an inside cabin.

How to book : Cruisers eager to jam and sit ringside can learn more on Sixthman's website or by calling 877-379-9174.

Outlaw Country Cruise 9

Date : Feb. 22-28, 2025

If you're a little more country than rock 'n' roll, maybe a cruise with a country twang is the right vacation for you. In February, Norwegian Gem will host the ninth installment of the popular Outlaw Country Cruise. This Sixthman voyage will sail from Miami and stop in Nassau, Bahamas, and St. Thomas.

The ship features five different venues where notable country acts like Old Crow Medicine Show, John Hiatt, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle and Carlene Carter will perform. Along with endless concerts, passengers can enjoy activities like yoga classes and film screenings.

The cruise is sold out and is waitlist only. Rates start at $1,465 per person for an inside cabin.

How to book : For more information or to join the waitlist, check out Sixthman's sign-up page or call 877-379-9189.

Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea X

Date : March 21-26, 2025

For blues and jazz fans, Sixthman also offers the Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea X cruise, which sails from Miami and stops in Harvest Caye, Belize, and Costa Maya, Mexico. Aboard Norwegian Gem, passengers will have access to ship amenities like pools and a casino in addition to special music events.

The lineup for the cruise features musicians like Joe Bonamassa, Samantha Fish, Eric Gales, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Larkin Poe and Thunderstorm Artis. More artists will be announced closer to the sail date.

There will also be collaboration shows from some of the artists on board, as well as autograph sessions for fans to meet their favorite musicians.

Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea X is sold out and waitlist only. Join the waitlist, as cancellations do occur. You'll also be among the first to be alerted about future sailings. The rates for the 2025 cruise start at $1,630 per person for an inside cabin.

How to book : To join the waitlist, visit Sixthman's sign-up page or call 877-379-9170.

The Broadway Cruise 3

Date : March 31-April 4, 2025

Tony Award-winning Broadway stars are coming aboard for Sixthman's third Broadway Cruise, which will sail round trip from Miami to Cozumel, Mexico. Aboard Norwegian Gem, passengers will have access to ship amenities like pools and a waterslide, a climbing wall and a casino, plus many special concerts, events and insider panels.

The lineup for the 2025 Broadway Cruise hasn't been announced yet, though last year's cruise featured Tony Award winners like Christian Borle, Matt Doyle and Santino Fontana, as well as Broadway A-listers Phillipa Soo, Norm Lewis and Daphne Rubin-Vega.

Expect plenty of fun Broadway-themed events, including a Broadway pub crawl and show tune singalongs, plus autograph sessions for fans to meet their favorite Broadway stars.

Prices are not published as of this writing, but expect them to hover around $1,600 per person for an inside cabin.

How to book : To join the presale, visit Sixthman's sign-up page or call 877-379-9172.

'70s Rock & Romance Cruise

Cruise ship : Celebrity Summit

Date : March 15-22, 2025

The best of the '70s lives on as music icons from that rockin' era show they've still got it on the '70s Rock & Romance Cruise. This weeklong getaway on Celebrity Cruises ' Celebrity Summit, organized by StarVista Live, will sail from Fort Lauderdale to Cozumel and Costa Maya in Mexico.

The lineup of '70s rock legends includes Air Supply, Kansas, The Guess Who, Melissa Manchester, The Family Stone and Dire Straits Legacy. They'll be performing, hosting events and attending special meet-and-greets.

The top-tier music acts join a long lineup of rock 'n' roll icons. The cruise will feature days filled with concerts, artist Q&A sessions, panel discussions and game shows.

Available rooms start at $2,449, plus taxes and additional fees of $365, per person for an inside cabin.

How to book : To book a cabin, head to StarVista Live's website or call 844-466-7625.

Ultimate Disco Cruise and Beyond

Cruise ship : Norwegian Pearl

Date : Feb. 19-25, 2025

Jam out at sea to the greatest disco anthems as Ultimate Disco Cruise and Beyond returns for a fifth year in 2025. The six-night cruise is an immersive, nonstop music festival with legendary music acts performing and hosting events throughout Norwegian Pearl. The round-trip itinerary from Miami includes port stops in Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico.

The 2025 lineup includes Kool & The Gang, Shalamar, Lisa Lisa, George McCrae, Boogie Wonder Band, Rose Royce and other classic disco acts. In addition to more than 40 live performances, entertainment will include dance and costume parties, theme nights, dance contests and game shows. Passengers will appreciate the opportunity to go behind the music as artists sit for intimate Q&A sessions, panel discussions and meet-and-greets.

Prices for Ultimate Disco Cruise and Beyond start at $1,799 per person for an inside cabin, not including $300 per person in taxes and port fees.

How to book : Head to Ultimate Disco Cruise and Beyond's website to reserve your cabin soon, as the ship is filling up fast.

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The Music Episode

“i feel like we’ve been at the club. i need some water and some electrolytes.”.

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

I’m Kevin Roose, a tech columnist at “The New York Times.”

I’m Casey Newton from “Platformer.”

And this is “Hard Fork.”

This week, it’s the music show. The mega mix of “Hard Fork” songs that you’ve been asking for has arrived. Plus, we’ll go behind the scenes and talk to some of the composers that make the music for this show.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Hello, Casey.

We’re going to do something weird today.

I’m excited about it.

So excited about this. So today, instead of our normal show where we talk about the tech news, we have got a very special episode. This is one we’ve been wanting to do for months now, and we have finally gotten our act together to do it.

We’re going to tell you how to talk to your kids about drugs.

[LAUGHS]: No. So this episode is the “Hard Fork” music episode. And it is a direct response to one of the questions that we get asked the most, which is, Where can I find the amazing music that plays in your episode?

Yes, every week, we give you the email address for the show, and every week, you email us, saying, Where can we listen to that?

The verdict is in. People don’t like the talking, but they do like the music.

They said, What if these two guys just didn’t talk at all? Would the show maybe be better? And we’re going to find out this week.

And I think something that people don’t realize is that we actually have, at “The New York Times,” a team of in-house composers who make custom music for every podcast, including ours. This is not the norm in the podcast industry. Usually, people go onto music libraries, or they find songs that are sort of out there on the internet, and they pull those into their podcast. But not us. We are artisanal, and we make our music from scratch.

Yeah, and as somebody who does not work at “The New York Times,” when I joined to make this show and they said that they had a team of composers, I mean, it was like they told me that they had a team of astronomers. I was like, wait, wait, what do you mean?

But it was true. There was a whole team of people, and they are insanely talented. They work on incredibly short deadlines, and I’m not exaggerating when I say, truly, everything they’ve ever made for the show, I’m in love with.

It’s so good.

And so today, we are going to give you the very special “Hard Fork” music episode. We will be back next week with the regular episodes where we talk about the news. But this week, I thought we should just grant our listeners’ most frequent requests and just play for them all of the music on this show.

That’s right. This show wants to be in service of its listeners. And so look, if there’s something you want, ask for it. Maybe we’ll do it.

So we’re going to do this in two ways. We’ll do an interview with two of the composers, Dan Powell and Elisheba Ittoop, who helped make the music that goes on our show. And then, we’ll just play what they have essentially termed a “Hard Fork Megamix,” which is all of the music that they’ve made, just sort of blended together in a seamless sort of DJ-style megamix.

If you just want to hear the music, you can also find all of the songs we’re about to play on a special playlist on our YouTube channel. And you can find that at youtube.com/hardfork.

So if you just wish “Hard Fork” was essentially chill lo-fi beats to study to, it is now there, available for you on youtube.com.

All right, let’s bring in Dan and Elisheba.

Dan Powell, Elisheba Ittoop, welcome to “Hard Fork.”

Hey, thank you for having us.

Where are you right now? I’m just looking. You’ve got, like, instruments behind you. It looks very cool and musical.

Yeah. I’m in my home studio in Brooklyn, New York. So behind me is the Moog that I’ve used on a lot of “Hard Fork” cues, and then various guitars and acoustic panels. So.

I’m in — I call it the home studio, but it’s a bedroom.

Home studio is a state of mind. It’s not —

Yeah. [LAUGHS]

You two and your team of composers at “The New York Times” are some of my favorite parts about making this podcast. And you know, frankly, you don’t get enough love for the work that you do, and I would include myself in that.

Sometimes we just have amazing sound that plays on the show, and I’m like, Where did that come from? Who made that? And the answer is always that you and your team have put together just some amazing original compositions for us.

So just, I want to start by just thanking you. Because I think a large part of what we hear from listeners is that they just love the music of this show.

It’s so true. I feel like when people listen to a podcast like ours, which is essentially people talking about the news, maybe the last thing that they expect is they’re going to hear incredible music. And yet, on “Hard Fork,” they’ve been hearing it since the beginning. So we owe that to you and your team, and thank you so much.

It’s — no, thank you. It’s so much fun to make. This is — we do — we do a lot at “The Times.” “Hard Fork” is a show we work on that’s like — I don’t know. It’s just — it’s just, like, joy, constantly. It’s constant joy. It’s so much fun to make things for “Hard Fork.”

So one thing I do know about how the music gets made for “New York Times” podcasts is that every show kind of has a sound or a vocabulary of sounds. Like when I made “Rabbit Hole,” which is a podcast I did a few years ago, Dan, you and I and our production team spent a bunch of time talking about what the sound of that show should be. So maybe just describe, briefly, what the sound of “Hard Fork” is to you.

Yeah. There was a great creative brief from Davis, the producer. I think one thing we really liked is, he gave us a lot of great references of sounds he liked and songs he liked, but also things to avoid. And I think one reason this show is really fun to write for is, although it’s a tech show, when we were developing the sound with Davis, he was very thoughtful about, let’s not just do your stereotypical beep-boop thing.

Like, that’s obviously still a part of it, but it’s not the primary thing.

Yeah. I’m actually looking at it right now, because it’s like, what did he say? It was so inspirational.

Yeah, what did he say?

What did Davis say? He said the aesthetic of the show — light, smart, funny, fun, knowing but accessible, skeptical but open-minded, sitting around — sitting around, drinking White Claws with your buds. A good hang.

And from there, he said some even more inspirational things. But I remember opening up that brief and being like, what? Yes. So —

Like, “The New York Times” is making what?

So to answer your question —

I think, musically, we don’t take things too seriously. I think we try to embrace joy as much as possible. There’s definitely like — you can turn in music where we might be like, it doesn’t have the “Hard Fork” sound just yet. It needs a little digital something, a little glitchy something. I think glitches are very important in this world. And yeah.

Because of all the mistakes we make.

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I just want to really highlight it.

Yeah, “joyful and glitchy” is how we are typically described. So I think that fits.

I think one term we throw around a lot is, “Hard Fork” is the show you can write music for where you can let your freak flag fly a little.

It’s the show — and we love working on all the shows at “The New York Times” equally, of course, but “Hard Fork” is — if you have had an unhinged idea about doing something crazy with sound, it’s generally the show that is most open to that happening on.

Do you feel that way because Kevin and I are freaks?

[CHUCKLES]: No comment.

OK, that’s fair. That’s fair. I want to ask about what might be my favorite piece of music on “Hard Fork,” which is our theme song. And Dan, am I right that you took the lead on the theme song?

Yeah, that’s right. We actually did not compose that thinking this is the theme. We were kind of composing. We let themes emerge democratically when we’re spinning up a new show, where we’ll all jam out on a bunch of ideas, and then there tends to be one cue that the team will just be like, yeah, I think this feels like the one that feels theme-y enough. But yeah, it was originally written just as an idea, and then it sort of gradually became the theme.

Do you remember what you were thinking, or how did the “Hard Fork” theme come about?

The theme came together really — I’ll be completely honest. The horn arrangement for the theme, which I think was something one of you as the host requested — I know — I know either Kevin or Casey said, oh, we want horns —

I think I did say that I thought horns would be cool. Yeah.

This is 100 percent true, but I was in the office on a Friday afternoon when it was totally dead. And I was walking to the men’s room, and all of a sudden, the ba-da-da-da-da popped into my head as I was walking through all the cubicles. And I immediately was like, oh, I got to run back to my desk and get this down. This feels like it might work for “Hard Fork.”

So that just goes to show —

So we almost — if you had not run back to your desk, we might not have the “Hard Fork” horns.

Yes, you know, and it was worth — it was worth holding it another 2.5 minutes for that.

Sorry, I don’t know if that’s OK to say —

No, that’s very OK to say. I mean, the thing that I love about it is that it conveys a sense of fun and optimism. And we always have known on the show that we are going to talk about some of the most challenging and upsetting things that happen in the world. But from the start, it was important to Kevin and I that when people listen to it, at least in some moments, they had a good time.

And I feel like every week when I hear the “Hard Fork” horns, I’m like, OK, let’s enjoy something about this life, you know? And it just — anyway, from the first moment I heard it, I was in Slack, saying, Can this please be the theme?

Well, that’s — glad to hear that. And yeah, I mean, I think the optimism and sense of, OK, it’s not all doom and gloom. There’s — it’s not really about doom and gloom, and it’s also not about totally mindless optimism either. It’s more about, things are changing, things are spontaneous.

I think the theme integrates a lot of different styles of music. That is also intentional. Because you have some electronic music tropes where there’s a breakbeat in there. You have a sort of 808-y-type drum machine.

And then, there’s some synths, but the synths also have a sort of almost, like, ‘90s jock jam, almost, feel to them. So it’s all meant to be a little bit cheeky in the way that it comes across. And it’s meant to be something that’s fun and you can kind of bop around to, but also, there’s a sense of levity there that I do think was very much informed by the two of your respective energy as hosts of the show. So yeah.

So tell us about the playlist that we’re about to hear.

Yeah, so the playlist we’re about to hear is a sort of continuous mix of most of the music that has been composed for the “Hard Fork” podcast. It starts with a selection of the earliest days where Elisheba, myself, Marion, and Diane — our, sort of, core composition team — were kind of finding the sound of the show.

It then goes into an extended mix where, when we brought in all of our colleagues from across the engineering team, who also have music backgrounds of their own. And then, Elisheba, do you want to talk about the sound cue mix that comes in?

Yeah, and then it goes into a sound cue mix, which is, these are the cues, the stingers that we make for episodes. Sometimes they’re recurring. Sometimes they just live in the moment. But I put together a few minutes of the sound cues of the show.

And then, the sound cue mix is going to go into what we affectionately call “the Freak Flag Mix,” which is — it’s wild. It’s a lot of drum and bass. Maybe, Dan, if you want to talk more about that.

Yeah, it’s everything over 150 BPM that we couldn’t make fit in the other parts of the mix, was basically —

Beats Per Minute?

Yeah. Yeah, it’s everything at a very fast tempo we could not make fit in the other parts of the mix, that was left on the cutting room floor, but that we felt like, oh, this should still have a nice little last hurrah moment.

And you may want to check with your doctor to make sure it’s OK to listen to 150 beats per minute, because that can really get your heart going.

Yeah, this is the part of the mix that will make you want to get up and dance. Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts. We love working with a team of such talented composers and musicians.

Yeah, it’s the best. You guys are the best.

Thank you so much.

When we come back, everybody report to the dance floor. It’s time for the Hard Fork Megamix.

Kevin, you ready to drop those beats?

Let’s do it.

Wow, that was truly incredible. Casey, are you ready to go to the club?

Uh, I mean, I feel like we’ve been at the club. I need — I need some water and some electrolytes.

So when we come back, we’re going to do a little bit more music, but we’re also going to talk with our composers again about the outro to this show.

So here’s my question. If we gave you one year, could you do a club mix of the “Hard Fork” theme song?

Yeah. I would say if you gave us one year, we would focus on, let’s actually open a club together.

I was gonna say, like, we’d build a light show —

And, like, pyro —

I really do think we have a great team. Because you two have never had the pleasure of going to karaoke with Elisheba, but she’s the ultimate hype woman. And I feel like —

I believe this.

— she and Casey could really just get a crowd in and hype everyone up. Kevin, you’re very level-headed. You could, I think, keep things managed and under control. I could do the sound and DJ booth. If we’re thinking big, yearlong moonshot, like, let’s go all the way. Let’s make this an institution.

All right. Well, you heard it here at Hard Fork Club, opening 2025. Get your tickets now. All right. Well, before we let you guys go, can you just tell us about the outro? This is the version of the theme song that plays at the end of the show that is slightly different than the intro.

Yeah. So the outro — here’s a fun fact. The outro was written first, and the intro theme is a remix of the outro. The horns you hear in the intro theme are actually chopped-up versions of the horns in the outro. You’ll notice that in the outro theme, when the horns come in, they feel a little more natural, whereas in the intro theme, when the horns come in, they feel kind of clipped and jaunty.

That’s because it is literally just taking the audio of the horns from the outro, putting it through a sampler and Ableton, reworking it. It’s basically two variations on the same theme, just via remix. The other difference is, the intro theme has drums going through a vocoder, which gives things a nice little melodic pulse.

The outro theme does not have that. And as far as the doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo — you know, for the longest time, I thought, to be a legitimate composer, you had to play everything yourself and perform everything in real time. And I can proudly say that that melody you’re referring to, Casey, I point and clicked one mouse note at a time in Ableton, just over and over again. [LAUGHS]

Just because it felt right. Or I might have been dumb and forgotten to bring a keyboard to the office that day. I don’t — I don’t know what the reasoning for it was, but it just felt right to make life difficult and point and click it to glory.

That’s fascinating. I didn’t know any of that. You know, one of the places, again — I usually just — do not weigh in on any of this at all. I just hear what you make, and I think that sounds fantastic. When we were talking about the theme song, I do remember having a discussion with our producer, Davis, like, can we please put the horns in the theme? The horns are the money here, you know?

That’s what gets the people going.

That’s what gets the people going. And so I didn’t actually know that you had remixed the outro to turn it into our intro. That’s very cool.

Yeah. They are two — both spawned from the same cell and evolved in their own —

The same bathroom break.

Well, thank god for you and your bathroom break. And remind us — before we play this outro to take us out of this episode, remind us what this outro is called.

This outro is called “No, It’s Fine,” and the intro, a remix of it, is called, “I Said It’s Fine, Really.”

(LAUGHING) All right. All right, so let’s take this episode out by hearing “No, It’s Fine.” And Dan and Elisheba, thank you so much.

Awesome. Thank you.

Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

“Hard Fork” is produced by Davis Land, Rachel Cohn, and Whitney Jones. We’re edited by Jen Poyant. We’re fact-checked by Caitlin Love. Today’s show was engineered by Dan Powell.

Original music by Elisheba Ittoop, Marion Lozano, Sophia Lanman, Diane Wong, Pat McCusker, Rowan Niemisto, and Dan Powell. Our audience editor is Nell Gallogly. Video production by Ryan Manning and Dylan Ferguson.

Go check us out on YouTube at youtube.com/hardfork. Special thanks to Paula Szuchman, Pui-Wing Tam, Kate LoPresti, and Jeffrey Miranda. You can email us at [email protected].

• April 19, 2024   •   1:02:32 The Music Episode
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• April 5, 2024   •   1:03:52 Is A.I. Already Taking Jobs? +A Filmmaker Tries Sora + The XZ Backdoor Caper
• March 29, 2024   •   1:09:58 A.I.’s Messy Moment + Listeners Respond to Jonathan Haidt + Shrimp Jesus
• March 22, 2024   •   1:30:44 Justice Dept. Sues Apple, Smartphones and Children with Jonathan Haidt and Reddit’s I.P.O.
• March 15, 2024   •   1:16:03 A Looming TikTok Ban, a Royal Photoshop Mystery and Your Snitching Car
• March 8, 2024   •   1:10:52 Musk vs. OpenAI, Europe’s Tech Crackdown and a Month With the Vision Pro
• March 1, 2024   •   1:29:18 Gemini’s Culture War, Kara Swisher Burns Us and SCOTUS Takes Up Content Moderation
• February 23, 2024   •   56:37 Google DeepMind C.E.O. Demis Hassabis on the Path From Chatbots to A.G.I.
• February 16, 2024   •   1:17:04 The State of A.I., and Will Perplexity Beat Google or Destroy the Web?
• February 9, 2024   •   1:08:27 Bluesky’s Big Bet, and Are Deals Dead in Silicon Valley?
• February 2, 2024   •   1:13:34 We Tried the Apple Vision Pro + Can Congress Protect Kids Online? + Cruise’s Crash

Listen to and follow ‘Hard Fork’ Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTube

Hosted by Kevin Roose and Casey Newton

Produced by Davis Land ,  Rachel Cohn and Whitney Jones

Edited by Jen Poyant

Engineered by Alyssa Moxley

Original music by Dan Powell ,  Elisheba Ittoop ,  Marion Lozano ,  Sophia Lanman and Rowan Niemisto

This week, we drop the Hard Fork Music Megamix. Plus, we talk to two of The New York Times’s composers who make the music for our show. It’s all the tracks you know and love, all in one place.

Today’s Guests:

Dan Powell, creative technical manager at The New York Times

Elisheba Ittoop, sound designer and composer at The New York Times

Additional Reading:

The Hard Fork Megamix Youtube Playlist

“Hard Fork” is hosted by Kevin Roose and Casey Newton and produced by Davis Land , Whitney Jones and Rachel Cohn . The show is edited by Jen Poyant . Engineering by Dan Powell and original music by Elisheba Ittoop , Marion Lozano , Sophia Lanman , Diane Wong , Pat McCusker , Rowan Niemisto and Dan Powell . Fact-checking by Caitlin Love .

Special thanks to Paula Szuchman , Pui-Wing Tam , Nell Gallogly , Kate LoPresti and Jeffrey Miranda .

Kevin Roose is a Times technology columnist and a host of the podcast " Hard Fork ." More about Kevin Roose

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