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Ray Conniff’s Christmas albums are everywhere once you start listening for them. Living rooms, department stores, car radios, and childhood memories you did not realize were soundtracked until much later.

In this episode of Who Ordered the Pie?, Christopher revisits the warm, brassy, harmony-heavy world of Ray Conniff’s holiday records. The ones that sat somewhere between background music and full-on seasonal event. We talk about why these albums felt so different, how Conniff’s arranging style brought Broadway energy into the home, and why songs like Ring Christmas Bells could feel dramatic, fast, and almost theatrical compared to the softer crooner classics of the era.

These records may be a little old-fashioned and a little corny, but they are also deeply woven into family traditions, late nights, and the feeling that Christmas had officially arrived.

This week’s cocktail is designed to match that mid-century holiday mood. Clean, classic, and just clever enough to feel special.

The Peartridge Martini

Ingredients

• 2 oz vodka
• 1/2 oz dry vermouth
• 1/2 oz cranberry juice
• 1/2 oz St. George Spiced Pear Liqueur

How to make it

1. Add all ingredients into a shaker and shake well.
2. Strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass.
3. Garnish by expressing a lemon peel, then add a single cranberry

Crisp up front, with pear and gentle spice underneath. Exactly the kind of drink you would expect next to a turntable and a stack of Ray Conniff records.

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Who Ordered the Pie? a music history podcast with custom cocktail pairings.
Show notes, recipes, and extras: WhoOrderedThePie.com
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This week, we’re raising a glass to the Christmas songs that pair better with a drink.
Not the picture-perfect holiday tunes, but the ones born in bars, lounges, casinos, and late nights. Songs with stories behind them and a little spirit in their step.

We explore the rowdy origins of “Jingle Bells,” the heartbreak behind “Please Come Home for Christmas,” the Tahoe-lounge roots of “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” the cinematic chaos of “Fairytale of New York,” and the warm ache of John Prine’s “Christmas in Prison.”
It’s a look at the real history behind some of the most enduring holiday songs, and why they still hit differently.

It’s a holiday playlist built for dim lights, soft music, and a well-made cocktail, the perfect blend of Christmas music history and cozy winter vibes.

This Episode’s Cocktail: The Yuletide Old Fashioned

Ingredients
• Two ounces bourbon
• One bar spoon maple syrup
• Two dashes Angostura bitters
• One dash black walnut bitters
• Orange peel
• Cinnamon stick

How to make it

1. Add the bourbon, maple syrup, and bitters to a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled.
2. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube.
3. Garnish with an orange peel and a cinnamon stick.

Warm. Comforting. Perfect for a holiday toast.

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Merry Christmas from Who Ordered the Pie?!

Note: This episode is marked explicit due to a brief reference to explicit language from one of the featured songs.

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Who Ordered the Pie? a music history podcast with custom cocktail pairings.
Show notes, recipes, and extras: WhoOrderedThePie.com
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Some of the most unforgettable moments in pop music did not come from the stars at all, they came from the voices standing right beside them.

In this episode, we shine a spotlight on the uncredited and under-recognized singers whose performances helped turn good songs into timeless hits. From Chris Norman’s smoky surprise on Suzi Quatro’s “Stumblin’ In,” to Kiki Dee’s perfect blend with Elton John, to the powerhouse session vocalists behind Sergio Mendes, Phil Collins, Meat Loaf, and Michael Jackson, these are the names you never knew, singing the parts you will never forget.

You will hear how:
• Suzi Quatro and Chris Norman recorded “Stumblin’ In” in a single magical take
• Elton John turned to Kiki Dee when Dusty Springfield fell ill
• Sergio Mendes chose two unknown voices for his biggest U.S. hit
• Phil Collins built a duet with Marilyn Martin without ever sharing a booth
• Ellen Foley delivered the explosive vocals for “Paradise by the Dashboard Light”
• Siedah Garrett recorded with Michael Jackson but was not credited on the sleeve

This week’s cocktail: The Duet
A simple, smooth, harmony-in-a-glass.
• 1 ounce bourbon
• 1 ounce amaretto
• 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce simple syrup
Shake with ice. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh cubes. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Two voices, one blend, in cocktail form.

If you love pop history, studio secrets, and the thrill of discovering the story behind the song, this one is for you.

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Who Ordered the Pie? a music history podcast with custom cocktail pairings.
Show notes, recipes, and extras: WhoOrderedThePie.com
Follow: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • YouTube • Instagram

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In the winter of 1981, Olivia Newton-John’s Physical didn’t just hit number one — it froze the Billboard Hot 100 for ten straight weeks. And sitting right behind it? Foreigner’s Waiting for a Girl Like You, one of the biggest “almost” hits in 80s music history. In this episode we break down how Physical reshaped pop, how it outlasted Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, and why Foreigner spent ten painful weeks at number two. A story of timing, momentum, and one unforgettable chart battle.

COCKTAIL OF THE WEEK — The Body Electric
A light, bright, post-workout-inspired drink that fits the era when the world wanted to get physical.

Ingredients:
• 2 ounces vodka
• 1 ounce fresh lime juice
• 3/4 ounce elderflower liqueur
• 1/2 ounce simple syrup
• 3–4 cucumber slices
• 6–8 mint leaves

How to Make It:
Muddle the cucumber and mint gently to release their freshness.
Add vodka, lime juice, elderflower, and simple syrup.
Fill with ice and shake hard for 10 seconds until the shaker frosts.
Strain into a chilled Collins glass filled with fresh ice.
Garnish with a cucumber ribbon and mint crown.
Optional: add a tiny pinch of sea salt to make the flavors pop.

Light, crisp, clean — exactly the kind of drink Olivia Newton-John might order after a workout.

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Who Ordered the Pie? a music history podcast with custom cocktail pairings.
Show notes, recipes, and extras: WhoOrderedThePie.com
Follow: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • YouTube • Instagram

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Breakups That Weren’t About Love explores the songs that sounded like heartbreak but were actually written about band tension, burnout, or fractured friendships. From Badfinger to the Beatles to Guns N’ Roses, this episode uncovers the real stories behind some of the biggest rock and pop hits of the seventies, eighties, and early nineties.

Hear how Badfinger’s exhaustion shaped Without You, why Paul McCartney and John Lennon traded musical jabs after the Beatles split, what Ace’s How Long was really about, why Sting wrote So Lonely from struggle not romance, how Jeff Lynne pushed himself to the edge making Out of the Blue, why Roger Hodgson walked away from Supertramp, and what was quietly breaking inside Guns N’ Roses during Don’t Cry.

The Cocktail: Creative Differences
A split base Old Fashioned that matches the theme of musical tension.

Ingredients
• 1 oz rye whiskey
• 1 oz aged rum
• 1⁄4 oz demerara syrup
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 dash orange bitters

Instructions
• Stir with ice
• Strain over a large cube
• Express an orange peel

A perfect episode for listeners who love music history, classic rock storytelling, deep cut song origins, and discovering what was really happening behind the music.

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Who Ordered the Pie? a music history podcast with custom cocktail pairings.
Show notes, recipes, and extras: WhoOrderedThePie.com
Follow: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • YouTube • Instagram

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Why would anyone walk away from the band that made them famous?

In this episode of Who Ordered the Pie, we climb Solsbury Hill with Peter Gabriel as he leaves Genesis at the height of 1970s progressive rock. What sounds like a gentle folk-rock tune in 7/4 is actually a coded resignation letter, born from a moment of clarity overlooking the English countryside.

We explore the pressures of Genesis fame, the hillside experience near Bath that sparked Gabriel’s decision, and a guided lyric breakdown revealing themes of identity, intuition, and rebirth. We also listen closely to the song’s sonic craft, from heartbeat-like drums to subtle flanging and a widening mix, that mirrors his step into the unknown. His bold exit opened the door to a remarkable solo career, while Phil Collins carried Genesis forward.

The Solsbury Spritz

• • 2 oz London dry gin
• • 1 oz elderflower liqueur (we recommend St‑Germain)
• • ¾ oz fresh lemon juice
• Top with sparkling wine or Prosecco, stir gently
• Garnish with a lemon wheel + sprig of thyme.

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A simple seven-note riff.

A childhood mispronunciation.

And somehow… a stadium chant that circled the globe.

In this episode, we uncover how The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” broke free from Detroit garage rock and became the soundtrack of sports crowds everywhere; from Belgian soccer bars to the World Cup and beyond. Jack White thought the riff was too simple for a single. The world had other plans.

We’ll follow the chant across continents, hear the moment Jack realized it no longer belonged to him, and count down the top five stadium anthems that get crowds shaking the rafters.

Then we’ll cool down at the bar with a drink inspired by the band’s bold red and white aesthetic.

Today’s cocktail is the Red Stripe Rum Punch

• 2 oz dark rum - I recommend Planteray "Original Dark"
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• 1 oz grenadine - I prefer Fever-Tree “True Grenadine”
• Top off the glass with Red Stripe lager

Build in a tall Collins glass with ice
Stir gently and garnish with a lime wheel

Bold. Simple. Unforgettable... Just like the riff.

Visit our new website at: www.whoorderedthepie.com

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Who Ordered the Pie? a music history podcast with custom cocktail pairings.
Show notes, recipes, and extras: WhoOrderedThePie.com
Follow: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • YouTube • Instagram

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Some songs make you move without thinking. Others make you pay attention. This week, we explore the hooks that turned lyrics into spelling lessons, from Nat King Cole’s velvet charm to Aretha Franklin’s call for dignity to the sweaty-garage swagger of Gloria.

Christopher traces how letters became legends, how chants like Y.M.C.A. and S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night shook stadium walls, and why these spell-it-out classics; from Bo Diddley to The Kinks to John Cougar Mellencamp, are still burned into our brains.

It’s a crash course in musical wordplay featuring soul, rock, country, and disco icons who proved that spelling could groove just as hard as singing.

A music-history podcast where songs, stories, and cocktails mix.

Cocktail – The Spelling Bee
2 oz bourbon
¾ oz fresh lemon juice
¾ oz honey syrup (equal parts honey and hot water)
¼ oz Cointreau

Shake hard with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon wheel and a drizzle of honey. Smooth, bright, and just sweet enough to make studying taste good.

Support the show

Who Ordered the Pie? a music history podcast with custom cocktail pairings.
Show notes, recipes, and extras: WhoOrderedThePie.com
Follow: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • YouTube • Instagram