Our No. 1 songs: 2009

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: All Songs Considered
Host: Robin Hilton (with Stephen Thompson)
Episode: Our No. 1 songs: 2009
Date: September 15, 2025

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Overview

This episode of All Songs Considered dives deep into the musical landscape of 2009 as part of the show’s ongoing retrospective series, marking 25 years of music highlights. Host Robin Hilton and co-host Stephen Thompson revisit what they consider to be their most meaningful (and telling) songs from 2009, sharing personal memories, reflecting on the trends and shifts in indie and alternative music of that era, and championing records that shaped their musical perspectives.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Personal Context: The Vibes of 2009

• Economic Hardship and Personal Struggles:
  Both hosts remember 2009 as a difficult period—economically (following the Great Recession) and personally:

  • “I was totally underwater in my house, and I had to sell it.” – Robin Hilton (01:38)
  • “I got divorced in 2010, and so I think of 2009 as, like, we are in the best economy since 1928.” – Stephen Thompson (01:22)

• Music as Comfort and Reflection:
  The tone for 2009 is set as a year where music provided much-needed emotional resonance and escape.

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The Songs that Defined 2009

1. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – "Home"

[02:13-03:29]

• Selection & Significance:
  Stephen’s pick, "Home," epitomized the era’s embrace of communal, earnest folk-pop. The song’s omnipresence and raw exuberance made it an anthem, even as it has faced backlash in more recent years:

  • “It maybe hasn’t aged as well as we thought it might...But I think it’s kind of an easy target because...this song is just so earnest.” – Robin Hilton (03:29)
  • “You played the part of the song where it’s like, holy moly, me oh my. And I’m like, oh, this is so cloying. But at the same time, all of my resistances fall away. This is a very sweet song.” – Stephen Thompson (03:53)

• Trends Highlighted:
  They discuss the "stomp-clap band" phenomenon, with large bands populating stages and the economics of touring with so many players:

  • “There was a real arc to that... dictated in no small part by the punishing economics of touring with 27 people in your band or whatever.” – Robin Hilton (04:19)
  • “Just the economics of paying four drummers.” – Stephen Thompson (04:50)

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2. The Antlers – "Kettering"

[05:49-06:42]

• Robin's Pick & Emotional Weight:
  "Kettering," from The Antlers’ album Hospice, is Robin’s standout for 2009—a devastating concept album focused on terminal illness and painful emotional truths. He highlights frontman Peter Silberman's affecting vocals and the album's draining, cathartic depths:
  • “It’s just a devastating album about this. A woman who’s dying of bone cancer...this album, it just wrecked me in all the best ways.” – Robin Hilton (06:57)
  • “It is all emotion. It’s very beautiful, but it is like it’s going for your tear ducts. It’s not messing around.” – Stephen Thompson (07:30)

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3. Honorable Mentions and Other Notables from 2009

After the break, the hosts rattle off other favorites and underappreciated gems from the year:

• Noah and the Whale – The First Day of Spring:
  A heartbreak/concept album about a breakup, personally meaningful for Stephen (07:36-08:00).

  • “…that is a heartbreak record.” – Stephen Thompson (07:51)

• Thermals – "When We Were Alive"
  From the album Now We Can See; praised for their consistency and energy (12:05-12:28).

  • “Thermals had a string of…you could drop many different calendar years and find a great record by the Thermals.” – Stephen Thompson (12:23)

• Jason Lytle – "Ghost of My Old Dog"
  (12:58-14:07) A poignant solo song about memory and loss, highlighted by Robin as an example of great storytelling and emotional drift.

• Fever Ray – "If I Had a Heart"
  From Fever Ray’s self-titled debut; noted as their biggest hit and a key sound of the year (14:41-15:04).

• Sharon Van Etten – "I Wish I Knew"
  Her debut album’s opening track is cited by Robin as marking the start of an artist’s striking evolution (15:58-16:22):

  • “But the truth is I…mean what a journey she’s had. I mean her new album out this year…could not be more different.” – Robin Hilton (16:22)

• Fanfarlo – "I’m a Pilot"
  Another close pick for Robin, representing the era’s affection for "stomp and clap" indie-folk and big, budding indie orchestras (16:46-17:52).

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• "And listening back to it now, there is this element…this is so cloying. But at the same time, all of my resistances fall away. This is a very sweet song." – Stephen Thompson on “Home” (03:53)
• “This album, it just wrecked me in all the best ways.” – Robin Hilton on The Antlers’ Hospice (06:57)
• “When I kind of scan through what were my favorite…what was my favorite album of 2009, it was this record called the First Day of Spring by Noah and the Whale.” – Stephen Thompson (07:36)
• “Thermals had a string of…you could drop many different calendar years and find a great record by the Thermals.” – Stephen Thompson (12:23)
• “I mean, he’s just thinking about the dog that he had. I mean his girlfriend or partner, whoever, is like berating him and he’s just kind of drifting away just thinking about the dog that he loved and…has since died.” – Robin Hilton on Jason Lytle (14:07)

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Song List with Timestamps

• Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – "Home" (02:13-03:29)
• The Antlers – "Kettering" (05:49-06:42)
• Thermals – "When We Were Alive" (12:05-12:28)
• Jason Lytle – "Ghost of My Old Dog" (12:58-14:07)
• Fever Ray – "If I Had a Heart" (14:41-15:04)
• Sharon Van Etten – "I Wish I Knew" (15:58-16:22)
• Fanfarlo – "I’m a Pilot" (16:46-17:52)

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Episode Tone and Chemistry

Robin and Stephen continue their trusted, conversational rapport—balancing personal anecdotes, playful banter, and earnest musical critique. They both revere and gently poke fun at the conventions and melodramas of the era, but their abiding love for music’s emotional power shines through.

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Takeaway

This episode is a testament to 2009’s diverse musical tapestry—where earnest folk-pop anthems mixed with emotionally devastating indie-rock, and classic songwriting converged with emerging trends. The selections reveal the year’s spirit of emotional honesty, resilience, and communal experience, as well as deep introspection and heartbreak. Whether you lived through 2009 or are discovering these songs for the first time, there’s both nostalgia and new discovery in this lovingly curated tour.

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Transcript

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[Robin Hilton]

You are listening to All Songs Considered. I'm Robin Hilton. Stephen Thompson here.

[Stephen Thompson]

Hello, Robin.

[Robin Hilton]

So we're talking about our number one songs from each of the past 25 years as part of the show's century anniversary. This week, we're up to 2009. And you know, Stephen, I. I still laugh when I think about how we thought we were going to do this in a single show all 25 years.

[Stephen Thompson]

We're just gonna sit down and knock out 25 years of music as long as you pick 1 20th of a song for each year.

[Robin Hilton]

I mean, we're not even playing full songs. But I, you know, I thought maybe it'll be a little long. Oh, but what folly that was because we're only up to 2009 now, and we're kind of doing this as a name that tune, you know. We're trying to surprise each other with our picks here. What's the first thing that you think of when you think music in 2009?

[Stephen Thompson]

I'm glad you asked. What do you think of when you think of music in 2009? Because I thought you were gonna be like, what's the first thing you think of when you think of the year 2009?

[Robin Hilton]

What is the first thing you think of when you think of 2009?

[Stephen Thompson]

I always think, because I got divorced in 2010, and so I think of 2009 as, like, we are in the best economy since 1928.

[Robin Hilton]

Oh, gosh, that was a terrible time. Now that you mentioned it, I was.

[Stephen Thompson]

Totally underwater, so happy to remind you.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah, I was totally underwater in my house, and I had to sell it.

[Stephen Thompson]

I remember that.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah, I had to cut a check to the buyer. I had to pay them. Anyway, we digress.

[Stephen Thompson]

Anyway, we digress. You'd probably like me to play a song. To me, this represents $2,000.

[Robin Hilton]

Let's do it. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Home.

[Guest Musician or Singer]

Yep.

[Robin Hilton]

Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros.

[Stephen Thompson]

Very good.

[Guest Musician or Singer]

Alabama, Arkansas I do love my mama not the way that I do love you. Well, holy moly, Leolai, you're the apple of my eye I never loved one like you man, oh, man, you're my dance man I scream into there's nothing there There ain't nothing that I need well, hot and heavy Pumpkin pie, chocolate candy Jesus Christ. Ain't Nothing please me more than you Home, let me come home Home is wherever I'm with you Home, let me come home Home is where I with you.

[Robin Hilton]

So I think this is a kind of perfect pick for 2009. It really speaks to that time. It maybe hasn't aged as well as we thought it might. It had a real backlash this summer, you know, when it kind of blew up on TikTok and online. There was this kind of had kind of a bad viral moment where people were saying it was the worst song ever. But I think it's kind of an easy target because there's. This song is just so earnest.

[Stephen Thompson]

No, absolutely. And listening back to it now, there is this element. I mean, part of it is you played the part of the song where it's like, holy moly. Me, oh my. And I'm like, oh, this is so cloying. But at the same time, all of my resistances fall away. This is a very sweet song. And to have this shambles come in really spoke to me in 2009.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah. And they brought that to the tiny desk as well.

[Stephen Thompson]

Such a classic.

[Robin Hilton]

It really is. And it makes me think, you know, as we've gone through all these years, we have been reminded of trends and things like that. As you mentioned, the stomp clap, there was a real arc to that as well. That I think was dictated in no small part. There's lots of things, but dictated in no small part by the punishing economics of touring with 27 people in your band or whatever. Because that all began to, you know, it kind of peaked, and then it started to fade away where you didn't get all the stomp clap bands anymore just because.

[Stephen Thompson]

Just the economics of paying four drummers.

[Robin Hilton]

Right. And just moving people around and, you know. So we did a version of this show, an anniversary show in 2016 for All Songs Considered Sweet Sixteen. I've mentioned that along the way here as we've been doing this. And the song that we picked for 2016 was Grizzly Bear's two weeks, which I think that's a pretty great pick. But I'm gonna go with my personal favorite from 2009. And I think you might know what this is all. Are you stuck?

[Stephen Thompson]

It's beautiful. Is this Eluvium?

[Robin Hilton]

Oh, no. That's a good guess, though.

[Stephen Thompson]

Oh, is this Antlers?

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

Okay.

[Guest Musician or Singer]

I wish that I had known that first the unpayable debt that I owe you Cause you that abused by the bone that refused you and you, Lia, being made up without walking in that room when you had changed in your voice singing more people are.

[Robin Hilton]

So that incredible voice belongs to Peter Silberman, if you remember him. Yes. This album from the antlers called Hospice that came out in 2009, and this is the song Kettering from it.

[Stephen Thompson]

Hospice was a feel good romp.

[Robin Hilton]

It really was for the whole family. It's just a devastating album about this. A woman who's dying of bone cancer and she's in hospice. And Peter Silberman has been, you know, he was very reluctant at the time to talk about how autobiographical the album was. But, you know, he did say that it was based at least in part on things that did happen in his life and in his relationships. And this album, it just wrecked me in all the best ways. And I still reach for it every now and then.

[Stephen Thompson]

It is all emotion. It's very beautiful, but it is like it's going for your tear ducts. It's not messing around.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

And it sounds beautiful, but there's a rawness to it that I really appreciate. And when I kind of scan through what were my favorite. What was my favorite album of 2009, it was this record called the First Day of Spring by Noah and the Whale.

[Robin Hilton]

Oh, yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

Beautiful record. But it is like, that is a heartbreak record. That's a. That's a concept album about a breakup. And not to knock Grizzly Bear.

[Robin Hilton]

Right.

[Stephen Thompson]

But like for me, Grizzly Bear is a great band that always left me cold.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

And like those guys are still out there doing great work. They're doing film scores and they're incredible.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

Like, it's not a knock on Grizzly Bear at all, but like, I didn't feel like I had the really the language to speak about it.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

Compared to. To what we're talking about with Edward Sharp and the Antlers, two very different bands that are still like going for like an emotional big swing.

[Robin Hilton]

Ye. Okay, we gotta take a quick break here, but we'll have more songs and memories from 2009 when we come back.

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[Robin Hilton]

So we originally did these conversations as little segments that ran at the end of every regular episode, you know, every week all through the spring and summer. And we're breaking them out now and expanding them. And you know, for those shorter segments, we really only played two songs on each episode, which is, I mean, it's pretty impossible to give much of a picture of any given year with just two songs.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, there is no way to be comprehensive about an entire calendar year, especially when we're squeezing out about 50 different genres.

[Robin Hilton]

I know, but you must have just, if you want to just rattle off a few others from that year that stand out to you.

[Stephen Thompson]

Oh my gosh. Well, I mentioned Noah and the whale. This was 2009, was when my love affair with the band why Oak began. What a great band. Swell season. Put gorgeous record in 2009. Nico Case put out a phenomenal record in 2009. Yeah, tons and tons of stuff. I mean, I again, like, I don't even know. Oh my God, the Thermals.

[Robin Hilton]

Oh yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

Wow.

[Guest Musician or Singer]

We close our minds, we shut our traps, we built a house, that house collapsed, we sold the wood, bought the farm, and now we got a place in the turd in the backyard.

[Stephen Thompson]

Thermals had a string of. You could drop many different calendar years and find a great record by the Thermals.

[Robin Hilton]

Well, this record, the one they had in 2009, was called Now We Can See. The song I think you loved most was this one we're hearing called When We Were Alive. I remember you did that I think as Song of the Day when it came out there was also in 2009 there was also that solo album. Jason Lytle of Granddaddy had that solo album that year called Yours Truly the Commuter and it had that song Ghost of My Old Dog.

[Guest Musician or Singer]

Don't yell at me cause you can't see who I am thinking enough. You act as if you've caught me with someone I used to love. I guess you caught me but you won't stop me I'll never happy now I'm only talking, I'm only mountain with the ghost of my own dog.

[Robin Hilton]

I mean he's just thinking about the dog that he had. I mean his, his. His girlfriend or partner, whoever is like berating him and he's just kind of drifting away just thinking about the dog that he loved and, and has, you know that has since died. It just. It still gets me. What an incredible storyteller too. But what else from 2009 there was the Fever Ray album, their self titled debut. Also another debut album came out that year. It had that song if I had.

[Guest Musician or Singer]

Me this will never end Cuz I want more, give me more, give me more.

[Robin Hilton]

I think this is probably their. Their biggest hit. Oh sure. I think maybe their most popular song if I Had a Heart from Fever ray also in 2009. Laura Gibson. Oh Beasts of Seasons was 2009. We've already been talking about Sharon Van.

[Stephen Thompson]

Sharon Van Eten had a big record that year.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah, you know that's funny. I guess I think of that as 2008 but I guess it was her debut. Also a debut album. I think it was. Maybe she self released it in 2008. I don't remember. I think it. But it had its official release in 2009. That yeah the album Because I Was in Love and that opening song I think is the one. I wish I knew.

[Guest Musician or Singer]

What to do. But the truth is I.

[Robin Hilton]

Mean what a journey she's had. I mean her new album out this year under the name Sharon Van Etten and the Attachment Theory could not be more different. But the number one song that I was gonna pick for 2009 I guess this was my alternate number one for 2009 from Fan Farlow. The song I'm a Pilot, the opening cut from Reservoir.

[Stephen Thompson]

This is such a good so.

[Guest Musician or Singer]

Because trust us, you're sleeping in all the time. You see me on the screen.

[Robin Hilton]

Through.

[Guest Musician or Singer]

All the other songs that go with a song Max Circumcised Good night.

[Robin Hilton]

I think I mentioned in the 2008 episode I was gonna pick a stomp clap cut for 2000.

[Stephen Thompson]

Great stomp and clap band and a really lovely tiny desk.

[Robin Hilton]

But we'll go out on this. And until next time, thanks, Stephen.

[Stephen Thompson]

Thank you, Robin.

[Robin Hilton]

And for NPR Music, I'm Robin Hilton. It's All Songs Considered.

[Guest Musician or Singer]

I've strived all my world I've bent in all my nails to the bone. Like a stone you come by the throne Away from the top and away from the truth.

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