Silver Liner Notes: *NSYNC and Destiny Child's Self-Titled Debuts at 25, Winners of the Public Song Project, Public Domain Drop 2023

*NSYNC released their debut self-titled album internationally on March 24, 1998. The album introduced the world to one of the soon-to-be-best-selling boybands of all time, spawned hits like "Tearin' Up My Heart" and "I Want You Back," and set the stage for Justin Timberlake's eventual success as a solo artist. We revisit the album on its 25th anniversary as part of our series Silver Liner Notes, with Maria Sherman, author of the book, Larger Than Life: A History of Boy Bands from NKOTB to BTS.

Destiny's Child released their debut self-titled album on February 17, 1998. The album introduced the world to one of the soon-to-be-best-selling girl groups of all time, spawned the hit "No, No, No," and set the stage for Beyonce's eventual success as a solo artist. We revisit the album on its 25th anniversary as part of our series Silver Liner Notes, with journalist Emil Wilbekin, as well as album producer (and founding member of Tony! Toni! Toné!) D'wayne Wiggins.

[REBROADCAST FROM March 1, 2023] We speak to the winners of the Public Song Project and hear to their submissions. Kat Lewis discusses her summer-fun rewrite of “(I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for) Ice Cream.” Alice Lee explains her modern take on the archetypal country hit, “The Prisoners Song.” And Chloe and Lily Holgate, who perform as sybil, share the inspiration for their musical setting of the Edna St Vincent Millay poem, “Afternoon on a Hill.” 

Then we take a tour through highlights from the listener-generated WNYC Public Songbook, and hear more creative submissions. Public Song judges Paul Cavalconte (host of New Standards), Shanta Thake (chief artistic officer of Lincoln Center), and musician DJ Rekha join us to reflect on the project and some favorite tunes.

[REBROADCAST FROM January 3, 2023] On January 1, a new cohort of works entered the public domain, including Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse, the films "Metropolis" and "The Jazz Singer," and the songs “Ol’ Man River“ and “(I Scream You Scream, We All Scream for) Ice Cream.“ Jennifer Jenkins, director of the Center for the Study of the Public Domain at Duke University, highlights some of the newly public works and explains the meaning of the public domain. You can read more about the public domain and new works in it in her Public Domain Day 2023 blog post.